By Myrthe Stienstra – ESHA
F
rom October 24 to 27, about 800 European school leaders came together in Dubrovnik, Croatia for the Biannual Conference of the European School Heads Association. The main theme of the week was: ‘School Leaders Making a Difference’. Within this theme, school leaders were encouraged to learn and exchange knowledge and experiences.
ESHA researcher Myrthe Stienstra and project manager for the Erasmus+ project Leadership for Diversity was at the conference to pilot the L4D professional development program (PDP). During three sessions, different parts of the PDP were presented workshop format.
The first part of the PDP, Inclusive Leadership, formed the kick off to the week. Prior to the General Assembly (GA) of ESHA on the 23th, fifty five school leaders and education specialists signed up to participate in a two hour workshop. The workshop was a great success and school leaders were relieved to share the difficulties they face and find that colleagues in other countries are facing similar issues contributing to developing inclusive schools.
During the following days, two more shorter workshops were held during the workshop rounds where conference participants could freely choose. These shorter workshops each focused on different elements around fostering an inclusive team. An estimate of about a 100 more participants joined for these interactive sessions.
Among other things, the art of ‘active listening’ was explored with great enthusiasm. Participants tried to engage each other in pairs, while others ignored their speaking partner as much as they could, followed by a 180 change in attitude. Curious to learn more? Sign up for the PDP in your country! Are you a trainer? The pilot version is available, contact our partners
