Lane Clark Workshop Series

Lane Clark Workshops

The Lane Clark Workshop Series is an approach to teacher professional in-service, which recognizes, promotes and builds upon developmental learning. Because this approach represents a fundamental shift in curriculum design and delivery, its successful implementation and more important, the sustainment of new practices are more likely to occur after participants develop both a cognitive and emotional commitment to the approach. Consequently, the Lane Clark Workshop Series offers a multi-staged program with a single entry point. The purpose of the two-day introductory seminar, where thinking and learning meet™, is to share the general philosophy of Lane’s work as well as the research that underpins the approach.Participants can make an educated decision with regard to further in-service. It also introduces the foundational knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for rigorous and substantive pedagogical change. Each workshop to follow increases in complexity and depth as it builds on the understandings and practices previously gained within the workshop series. Participants ‘own’ their professional growth and development as they determine their journey along the continuum.

The complete series offers nine workshops.

where thinking and learning meet™
real thinking™
processes for learning
real assessment™
real portfolios™
real learning™
thinking based literacy
real thinking, real learning AND brain basics
‘unpacking’ the curriculum

beyond the series

bespoke workshops
in school planning
in school modeling
action research program

General Workshop Outcomes

Because the approach uses strategically framed tools and processes to teach learners how to think and how to learn, the following student outcomes will be achieved as teachers increase their capacity to design and deliver curriculum in a new and different way.

Your learners will:

• become self-directed, self-regulated, self-motivated learners who know how to think and know how to learn
• take on greater responsibility and ownership of their learning
• self-select thinking tools and strategies in accordance to their learning job and individual learning needs
• self-evaluate against criteria; set learning goals; prove goals against evidence; repeat the cycle
• use criteria and learning processes to attain a high level of intellectual quality
• use processes to assist in planning, directing and managing their own learning
• use thinking tools to deliberately direct their thinking, promote specific types of thinking, and extend their thinking
• use a diversity of hardware and software, seamlessly, to promote learning and thinking
• communicate formally and informally, to authentic audiences, for authentic purposes
• use information communication technologies to assist in finding out, recording and information and ideas, managing data, designing ideas, and communicating
• develop deep knowledge and understanding of curricular content knowledge
• move beyond ‘telling others what they have learned’ to ‘USING what they have learned to make a difference in their life and the lives of others™’.

By-products will include:

• increased level of focus and engagement
• decrease in off task behaviour and/or misbehaviour
• more positive attitude to learning and school
• greater level of self-esteem and efficacy as a learner
• increased capacity to self-direct and regulate learning
• improved ability to work interdependently
• improved ability to make effective decisions; offer a supported personal opinion; critically evaluate information and the ideas of others; generate ideas; act on ideas; monitor progress; revise if required; evaluate results; and set goals for improvement; demonstrate persistence; organise information, self and team
• increased level of information and skill retainment
• higher level of achievement in ‘test’ situations associated directly with the real learning approach

Follow – Up Support

Support for Teachers

Lane offers substantive free support following her workshops. She invites teachers to email her directly with questions as they arise; she provides access to the ‘get connected’ section of her website where teachers engage in a learning community. They can download dozens of thinking tools that include: information organisers, task cards for immersion, criteria, planners and learning process models for student use. Teachers can also upload their own organisers etc. for sharing amongst the Lane Clark Community. Within the ‘get connected’ aspect of Lane’s site, teachers can also ‘find a colleague’ to work with on joint planning; they can connect their students to others who are also engaged in the real thinking and learning approach.

Lane provides workshop participants with support powerpoint presentations to guide them in further developing their knowledge and understanding of key tools and strategies shared during workshop sessions; and provides worked examples completed by students so that teachers can ‘see’ what the learning looks likes prior to implementing new tools and strategies with their learners.

Lane also offers more intensive personalized planning assistance for a fee. For more information on this service, contact us at office@laneclark.ca

Support for Leaders

Given the role that leaders play in the successful implementation, but more importantly, sustainment of pedagogical change, Lane takes her support of leaders very seriously. Lane offers Leadership Network Days, where leaders from a diversity of schools, across regions, join together to learn from one another and with each other. While the focus of these days change in accordance to group need, past sessions have focused on the deepening and broadening of pedagogical knowledge and understanding associated with a real thinking, real learning school. Leaders have explored the relationship between staff member capacity and the ability to change; and have developed of an action plan to unleash the personal energy of all staff members in accordance to their capacity. Lane has introduced leaders to powerful change research and guided them in the practical application of new knowledge.

Most importantly, these days have provided the opportunity for leaders to connect with leaders to form the relationships necessary to grow as a community of change agents.

Support for Parents

Community support is critical if a school is to be successful in evolving its approach to teaching and learning, assessment and evaluation. Consequently, Lane provides complimentary parent presentations to schools that have committed to this change journey. During these parent sessions, Lane shares the research that underpins the need to change the way teachers teach and the way learners learn. She shares examples of the thinking and learning tools in action so that parents can see the power of this learning approach for their children.