Phase 1:  Strength Finding Consultation

To guide us through this multi-faceted phase, we will utilize Appreciative Inquiry – a collaborative technique that approaches school improvement work by using strengths and successes as a starting point.  

This is an information-gathering phase, consisting of:

1.    Appreciative Inquiry interviews with key leadership team members
      •    What is working well in your school?  
      •    When are kids most excited about learning?
      •    When are teachers most excited about teaching?  
      •    What do parents most value about your school?

2.    Appreciative Inquiry training for leadership team members to implement interviews
    with teachers, support staff, students and parents  

Phase 2:  Revealing Common Themes and Opportunities

In this phase, we synthesize the information from the Appreciative Inquiry interviews, as well as other qualitative and quantitative data from the school that you share with us.  Here, we work collaboratively with you to identify opportunities to use your school’s strengths as building blocks for creating a stronger culture of learning.  

This phase would include:

1.    Review and analysis of information by Facets consultants

2.    Facilitation of a group meeting with key stakeholders, guided by questions such as:
      •    What circumstances facilitate our best teaching and learning experiences?
      •    What are the optimal conditions needed to create more opportunities for engaged teaching
            and learning?
      •    What can we do to help you reach your fullest potential as a learning community?

3.    Optional:  School walk-about teams to further identify areas of strength

Phase 3:  Create Your Facets Culture Building Plan

The first two Phases are designed to discover together what is needed to help your specific school build a culture in which everyone can flourish.  Phase 3 consists of our custom recommendations on how to get there.

Your Facets Culture-Building Plan will consist of:

1.    A summary of our Appreciative Inquiry interviews and analysis of your school’s strengths

2.    Culture-building recommendations designed for your school, including a customized combination of teaching sessions rooted in "best practices" research.  Specific components will depend upon what is of interest to your school and what best connects to supporting your own best practices.  All the sessions will incorporate the core values that are foundational to our work as consultants.

Phase 4:  Engage in Hands-on Collaborative Skill Building

Phase 4 is all about implementation. Working collaboratively with stakeholders, we act on your Culture-Building Plan, utilizing your skills to help achieve your school's goals.

This phase will look different for every school. It is based on your school's idealized vision and the opportunities and conditions for learning that have been identified as essential for realizing that vision. Facets consultants will facilitate learning sessions with teachers, parents, students and/or leadership teams, depending on your desires.  As identified in Phase 3, learning sessions will be drawn from the integration of your best practices and our core values as educational consultants.  

Possible topics include:

Growth mindset and effort-based learning

Authentic inquiry and learning in the sciences and humanities

Integrating the arts and the imagination throughout curriculum

Access and equity for all learners

Building powerful learning teams of teachers, administrators and parents

Nurturing the emotional, social and intellectual lives of children

Phase 5:  Create Long-term Roadmap for Your Future

Phase 5 is your long-term roadmap for the future. Here, we identify potential outcomes for parent/families, students, teachers and administrators, and clarify the role Facets might play in helping you reach these outcomes.

We will provide you with the tools to continue the journey to a culture of joyful learning on your own, or will continue to work alongside you.

Intended outcomes to create a culture of engaged, joyful learning include:

Parents/families

• tools to support children at school & home
• understanding of student learning & how to support mission of the school

Students

• tools for academic learning
• collaborative skills
• empathy & appreciation for multiple viewpoints
• effort & self-management
• enjoyment, engagement & depth in learning
• confidence to be motivated and self-directed learners

Teachers

• tools to explore content standards with students
• culture of achievement that honors uniqueness of every student
• rewarding learning community
• tools for building a socially & emotionally safe learning environment

Administrators

• practices that build leadership teams
• strategies to integrate culture-building work with School Improvement Plans
• multiple representations of learning
• tools to nurture & support staff