A highlight in the spring was having speaker and facilitator Sandra Herbst work with the KPDSB administrators, system and school leaders. Sandra Herbst has extensive experience in leadership and pedagogical practices and is an author, speaker, coach, mentor and consultant in educational and system leadership, adult learning and assessment. During a challenging and unprecedented time in education, our director purposefully arranged for Herbst to provide professional development to system and school leaders. Herbst connected with KP leaders across the system to discuss Instruction Leadership in Right Now. Herbst skillfully modelled effective virtual facilitating strategies to actively engage learners and build relationships. This learning rippled across the system as our KP educators and leaders took these strategies and implemented them with staff and students across the system.
In addition to modelling effective online teaching strategies, Herbst challenged administrators and teachers to reflect on assessment practices and examine the power of effective assessment practices on student learning. Herbst provided practical and authentic examples of how to capture evidence of student learning through observation, conversation and product from primary to high school. In an interactive and contemplative manner, Herbst reminded educators of the importance of triangulating assessment to ensure validity and reliability. Herbst has influenced our system, and the learning continues as KP explores Sandra Herbst and Anne Davies LEAD books, and Herbst’s protocols are being used to deepen senior admin and the principal/vice principal’s learning. We are thrilled that Herbst will continue to work with school leaders in the 2020–2021 school year.
