FEEL

WE EXPERIENCED

that at times, our Key Stage teams were working in silos, even though they had a deep intention to collaborate and work as one school team.

Watch Kiran share the incident which sparked the design of the Calendar process.

1:47

Try the empathy lens:


If you are a team of primary school teachers, invite someone from the Secondary section to sit in on your meetings (or vice-versa).


At the end of the meeting ask them - What did they pick up? What was the focus of the conversation in the meeting around? How was the participation of the teacher team? What could you do better?


In this way seek critical feedback. You are sure to be surprised by the insights that will emerge and use them to shape the avatar of your next meeting!


Try the empathy lens

OUR INSIGHTS

During the weekly meetings, at times teachers missed going back to the plan for the month and this sometimes led to events being slipped at a personal, keystage or school level.

  • When there were events happening simultaneously across the keystages, we experienced that resources, spaces, parking and overcrowding became huge administrative concerns.

  • We also noticed that on those occasions when the entire school got together and looked at an alignment in processes and events, huge opportunities for cross-class and cross-keystage collaborations emerged.

  • When we experimented with getting children into the planning conversations, the co-creation led to richer designs of experiences and events that covered all of the five investments. Clearly, the student voice was defining the way forward.

IMAGINE

WHAT IF...

our monthly calendar could become a ‘habit of the mind’ to build culture, engage community and co-create with key stakeholders?

WE DESIGNED

A simply structured process of planning the calendar and time-tabled for it to happen every month.

Teachers were now referring to the calendar in their meetings, and using it to ‘go back to go forward’. Their reflections of previous week/month became richer and they felt more accountable.

Often, we saw on campus a free flow as ‘one school’ when teachers helped and participated in audits and scrutiny across the keystages.

Students’ participation in the planning meetings now ensured that their suggestions were respected and valued. It was also an opportunity for them to consider where they could add value to the school ecosystem.

The purpose of the calendar is made visible during the month end presentations which becomes an opportunity for appreciation and celebration.

DO

HERE IS WHAT WE DO

This process video helps make visible the designing of the monthly calendar and its alignment across the school.

In this video you will see how the teacher team collaborates on the calendar process, as well as get a glimpse of different cognitive, physical, socio-emotional and spiritual investments planned. You will also understand how student voice is used to co create the calendar, and see how it contributes to the sense of community!

6:26

STAKEHOLDER INSIGHTS

In this section, Riverside edu-heroes share strategies and insights from their experience of the process and how the process has impacted their practice.

  • 4:46

    a) FAQ Video

    Watch Monisha share some insights on how the process of co-creating the monthly calendar helps in building culture and engaging the school community.

  • 1:42

    b) Impact Video

    Watch how designing and reviewing the calendar impacts Monisha’s practice as an educator and helps her to contribute to the Riverside community.

Resources

checklist Sample Key Stage 1 Calendar Sample Key Stage 2 Calendar Sample Key Stage 3 Calendar

TIPS FOR THE LEADERS

  • Remember to invite student representatives into the planning meetings.

  • Demo to your team the entire piece of how to intentionally time-table for investments such as events, experiences, visits, parent partnerships, etc.

  • Next, invite leaders of all key stages and demo to them how to create an alignment of investments across the key stages.

  • Then, co-create a protocol for designing the calendar. During co-creation, answer questions such as how often, how long will it will take, when it has to be done, etc. Remember, when it is defined as a protocol it is more likely to get done.

  • Now, all that you need to do is keep reminding the team to create the calendar month on month. Ensure that the process of calendaring is done as a habit.