Projects and Partnerships:
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- The Supporting Montreal Schools Professional Development Assessment Pilot Project
Innovations
- Personal and Professional Wellness for Leadership
- Developing Student Leadership
- Facilitator Development
Projects and Partnerships
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Turks and Caicos Islands
The McGill-Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) partnership has grown out of a professional relationship between Lynn Butler-Kisber, Director of the Centre for Educational Leadership and Collette Coty, recent MA graduate student in Educational Leadership and one of the founders of the British West Indies Collegiate in TCI. Since 1995, Professor Butler-Kisber, in conjunction with the Faculty of Education Office of Student Teaching, has organized the selection of a small number of highly qualified Bachelor of Education students to do their fourth-year field experience at the British West Indies Collegiate.
The relationship with the Collegiate led to an educational needs assessment project with the TCI Ministry of Education, and current plans for professional development work with leaders and teachers in the TCI educational system that will link to educators in Quebec.
The Supporting Montreal Schools Professional Development Assessment Pilot Project is a qualitative research study directed by Lynn Butler-Kisber and funded by the Quebec Ministry of Education Supporting Montreal Schools Program (SMSP). The purpose of this project is to assess the role professional development has played in the SMSP.
Results of this study will help delineate the best practices associated with supporting disadvantaged students in the elementary grades, inform planning for future professional development activities, and help construct a template for the assessment of professional development for educators of at-risk students.
Innovations
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Personal and Professional Wellness for Leadership
The new personal and professional wellness retreat takes a holistic view of leadership with a focus on the personal dimension. Participants are invited to experience and explore optimal levels of functioning for mind, body and soul through lively dialogue, reflection, meditation, relaxation and nutrition. The unique design of this experiential retreat will allow participants to discover their true potential as leaders.
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Developing Student Leadership
An ongoing arrangement with the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) illustrates CEL’s commitment to student leaders. CEL collaborates with the Office of Student Teaching to select a small number of highly qualified Bachelor of Education students to do their fourth-year field experience at the British West Indies Collegiate in TCI. This internship allows pre-service teachers to gain practical experience while developing their leadership skills, knowledge and attitudes in the context of an international educational community.
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Facilitator Development
CEL’s facilitator development program provides a unique learning opportunity for future staff developers and curriculum innovators. While educational leaders acquire considerable expertise over time, this expertise is not normally shared with other adults. The 4-day seminar series entitled Designing Effective Workshops addresses this need by showing leaders how to design and practice the art of presentation and facilitation.