AISI Conference 2013 Conference Report Research in Action: Transforming the Learning

AISI Conference 2013 Transforms Learning AISI conferences are about making connections and Conference 2013 took those connections to new heights. Over 800 delegates attended the twelfth annual AISI Conference, coming together to share their learning about what works for Alberta’s children. Record numbers of participants including educators, parents, school age students, university students, education partners and trustees represented a true microcosm of education in Alberta.

Thirty-five school authorities—Public, Charter, Francophone and Private—gave presentations over the two-day conference. The program offered a new record for AISI Conference session choices. This year, an additional source of presentations was introduced. Education partners and affiliates were welcomed to present to conference delegates and accounted for 11 of the total 68 presentations. These partners and affiliates were encouraged to present in tandem with school authorities engaging in the work of AISI. All presentations were geared towards improving student learning and educational practices in support of student learning without personal or organizational gain.

A remarkable aspect of all AISI conferences is the degree to which they are both led by and customized for delegates. This year, there were 220 presenters, almost all of whom were project team members as well as delegates at the conference. Presenters included teachers, AISI coordinators, central office personnel, trustees, education affiliates, community members and students.

Footage from video interviews with delegates, together with the results of a two-week post-conference survey clearly demonstrated the impact the conference had on delegates’ thinking and practice. Respondents reported an increase in professional networking and productive challenges to their thinking as a direct result of their conference experience.

AISI is about building knowledge through the wealth of relationships that span the province in the form of networks, websites, publications, workshops and cross-school authority collaboration. Many people who already knew each other continued their conversations about what works in education and also sought out exciting new connections at the conference. The engaging experiences delegates had at the numerous Showcase and Education Partner / Affiliate sessions, as well as the enriching conversations at breaks and between sessions, contributed to the exchange of ideas, information and resources. Sessions were structured to allow for maximum learning and engagement, with opportunities to ask questions and share points of view. AISI Conference 2013 supported school authorities in reshaping and rethinking AISI in their Cycle 5 work. This shift saw unprecedented attention brought to action research through context-specific innovations in support of student learning. Cycle 5 was re-envisioned to incorporate three priorities: cross-school authority collaboration / networking, increased school-community engagement and building research capacity. Conference 2013 was an ideal forum in which delegates reflected on what they learned about

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teaching and learning while, at the same time, bringing current lessons forward to continually renew and revise the projects in which they were engaged. Never before has the emphasis been so focused on the innovative, research-driven work of the teacher in the classroom. This reflected an exciting shift in the professional quality of the conference. This vision shaped the conference.

AISI Conference 2013 – Keynote Speakers Dr. Andy Hargreaves Dr. Hargreaves’ keynote address, where he highlighted the 5 I’s of educational change, provided the conference opening this year. This keynote set the stage for powerful learning in the context of challenging financial times for education and the province. Dr. Hargreaves emphasized the importance of exploring the interrelated importance of inspiration, innovation, inquiry, improvement and inclusion in

support of transformational educational change. He provided examples from business, sports and education from national and international innovators and provided a passionate start to our annual conference.

Dr. Nat Kendall-Taylor

Dr. Kendall-Taylor’s keynote address, on the concept of frames of thinking concluded this year’s conference. He talked about necessary navigating the “swamp” of public opinion for effective change initiatives and policy development. His systemic-focused presentation provided further stimulation for delegates to consider as they engaged in dialogue with their AISI teams and considered how their various learning experiences at the conference would influence their work in their home jurisdictions.

Both Dr. Hargreaves’ and Dr. Kendall-Taylor’s keynote speeches and presentation slides can be viewed on the AISI website at http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/aisi/leaders/conferences-and-events/conference-2013.aspx.

It is important to be innovative when times are prosperous.

It is essential to be innovative when times are not.

~ Dr. Andy Hargreaves

Communications and framing can actually be used to unite sectors outside of education and improve policy and outcomes across the systems that work

on child outcomes.

~ Dr. Kendall-Taylor

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“North of Here”

Bev Facey School Elk Island Public Schools Regional Division

Students Engage in Conference Students participated throughout the conference as performers, presenters and as delegates. Performances greeted delegates as they arrived at the bottom of the escalators and continued throughout breakfast and lunchtime with over 100 students representing a broad diversity of students were involved.

Sheila Williams sings O’ Canada in English and Cree Amiskwaciy Academy, Edmonton School District

Prince Charles School Fiddle and Guitar Group Edmonton School District

Swan Hills School Bell Choir Pembina Hills Regional Division

Muriel Martin Elementary School Choir and Glee Club St Albert Public Schools

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Conference Delegates

2013 AISI Conference Registered Delegates*

Dist

rict R

eps

AISI Coordinators 55 Administrators

(District AND School) 148

Superintendent/Associate/Deputy 40

Teachers 333

Teacher Assistants 5

Trustees 37

Students 2

Parents 9

Part

ners

University Faculty 13

University Students 40

Alberta Education 59 Association of Independent Schools and Colleges of Alberta 3

Alberta Teachers Association 4 Alberta School Councils Association 6

Alberta School Boards Association 4

Oth

er

Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortium 5

Alberta Assessment Consortium 3

Foreign Delegates 7

Consultants / Other 72

Total 845

Forty university education students from across Alberta attended the conference. A special breakfast was arranged for university faculty and students to discuss the implications of the conference for their learning. Delegates from Norway were also welcomed at AISI Conference 2013 and invited to an early evening Reception on Day 1 of the conference.

* Due to external registration processing, statistics above were incomplete. Several registrants did not register by title (i.e. during walkin process) while others presenting did not register appropriately (i.e. student presenters, duplicate registrations). Every effort possible was made at SRI to accurately identify these delegates. Just over 100 registrants did not attend; 59 walkins were recorded; 16 cancellations were received prior to the conference date.

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Professional Dialogue Goes Viral! Twitter use continued in AISI Conference 2013 and proved to be a dynamic way for conference participants and the wider education community to share innovative practices from sessions, make connections and respond to the provocative ideas presented by the keynote speakers. This year, the digital citizenry of AISI was also extended to include the newly created AISI Network through community of practice posts, blogs (before, during and after the conference) as well as a back channel in which participants could engage in synchronous discussion around AISI through their personal devices. The hashtag #aisinetwork was developed in the fall to track and trend AISI topics. This hashtag was included in this year’s conference program along with an invitation to delegates to join the AISI Network. There were, during the conference, 1522 tweets from 208 individual contributors. Examples of tweets evidencing conference impact, professional dialogue, inquiry and learning:

• You can’t take learning away, but time to innovate is before you reach the top, or improvement will fade • Failure is inherent in innovation: need to learn from it. In education, discipline innovation is required for

students’ sake. • Resistance is what challenges me to be better and to find a solution • Disciplined innovation involves using inquiry and decisional capital: DATA MATTERS! • Continuous data matters in innovation. I'm thinking AISI Cycle 5 is closer to this than ever before. • Want a new teacher to learn don't put them in the portable, put them by a great teacher. Love it! • "we need standardized personalization not personalized standardization." Quite a distinction • Data can help, but it needs leadership and judgment in order to benefit students. • Service Learning through Mentorship with Northern Lights School Division. Students as presenters –

awesome experience! • Take care of the big people, so they can take care of the little people. Love this motto at Coalhurst Elem • Turning teachers into researchers: endorsing learner diversity • Following #aisinetwork every minute I can during the day. Great stuff coming out of this conference! Wish I

could be there! Learning from VA • Rocky View Div focused on creating networked community to "co-create new knowledge" around

professional lning. • GHSD presenting on how they actualized Marzano's academic Vocabulary into a UBD model • NSD session: high quality classroom instruction more important than anything else (Allington, 2oo4) • Student leadership. For me, it's the heartbeat. • Facing the Challenge head on!: Bringing the multi grade classroom to life! Hits home • Sometimes we flatline as a District...how do we use high yield strategies to reinvigorate and refocus our

efforts? • The vision for @ngrdschools learning coaches - to build capacity for teachers to coach each other in schools • This transformation requires us 2 reach out 2 our communities • Critical thinking = discerning judgment based on criteria. • Know your experts...they are in your community, they are your students. Identify them and then start

connecting them • Build communities of trust, make difficult decisions, engage parents and the community, have intentional

focus • Resiliency: perhaps the bkgrnd to truly successful schools, but more importantly the bkgrnd to truly

successful STUDENTS • Black Gold AISI: great example of collaborative action research btwn students, teachers & learning coaches. • disciplinary literacy - "deeper understandings require improvement in discipline-specific skills" • Teacher in multi-grade clsrm shares story of "moving away from workbooks, worksheets & busy work"

towards stu-led collabor'n. • Speak Out: When students are given a voice and people listen, students want to be engaged.

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• Keep everyone updated on what the data is showing: impact inspires! • So impressed with all the folks at #aisinetwork conference and their willingness to share through tweets

and posts.

Visible Learning

http://aisinetwork.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/making-learning-visible-2/

In order to engage delegates in active professional dialogue during the conference, regardless of connectivity, Visible Learning bulletin boards were placed on the Meeting Level of the conference site with prompt displayed. Delegates were encouraged to “make their learning visible” by posting on these bulletin boards with their thinking, their learning, their persisting questions. This evidence was compiled as below and shared back to the AISI community and beyond through a blog posting by a School Research and Improvement Manager.

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Conference Feedback

Two days following the conference, delegates responded to an electronic survey, based on their conference experience. A total of 227 surveys were completed accounting for out of 750 electronic surveys deployed (response rate = 30%). Some surveys could not be emailed to delegates due to incorrect email addresses or lack of email addresses provided by walk in registrants. Previous post-conference surveys focused on delegate satisfaction with the conference and its various components (i.e. meals, facility comfort and convenience, session length). This year, however, in the interests of prioritizing the connection between the conference and the impact on student learning, this survey was redesigned to connect with the goals of informing, inspiring and connecting delegates through engaging professional learning experiences at the conference. Although it is impossible to specifically track the impact on student learning of delegate participation in the conference, 79% of respondents two days after the conference closure, reported they anticipated student learning would be influenced by their participation in the conference either moderately or significantly. This result seems to remain consistent two weeks after the conference with 85.5% of respondents reporting their conference experience has stimulated their professional conversations and 83.2% reporting it has inspired their practice either moderately or significantly. The first survey was comprised of only two open ended questions. These responses were then coded for feedback relevant to keynotes, sessions, perceived impact on student learning and overall conference elements.

A second survey was deployed to delegates two weeks after the conference to determine long-term value and learning from the experience and to, wherever possible, validate the results of the first survey. Of 750 requests sent out, 83 responses were returned (response rate = 11%). This response rate could be attributed to the release of the provincial budget on March 7, 2013 in which the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement was terminated with funding and support to be disbanded effective March 30, 2013. In both surveys, delegates noted the pending budget release was on their minds during the conference causing them anxiety.

The second survey included 6 mixed response questions (Likert and open-ended), one demographic question and one open-ended value question. Comments provided by delegates through both electronic surveys provided commendations and recommendations for future conferences. Regardless of the conclusion of AISI and the cancellation of all future conferences, the results and recommendations are recorded here with a growth mindset for future consideration throughout Alberta Education. The educational stakeholders most closely connected with our student population were very clear in what they appreciate and what has the greatest influence on their practice and their students.

The AISI conference is designed to inform, inspire and connect participants through engaging professional learning experiences. How do you anticipate student learning will be influenced as a result of your participation in the AISI conference?

0

20

40

60

80

100 85 94

42

6 0

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Keynotes:

The feedback shows a significant majority of comments (89%) about the keynote speakers and their content in connection with AISI and education, as a whole, when coded, were positive responses. General comments highlighted the following themes:

significant majority of comments positively connected to keynote speakers Dr. Andy Hargreaves (opening) / Dr. Nat Kendall-Taylor (closing) and their messages

delegates commented that implementation of keynote messages was already underway or planned tone of positive comments ranged from moderately positive (i.e. “enjoyed”) to highly positive (i.e.

“exceptional”); common comments included informative, inspiring, knowledgeable, relevant, timely, thought provoking, clear, focused

small number of negative comments (6%) regarding keynotes with tone that was low rather than extremely low (i.e. “theoretical”; “in-applicable”, “disappointing”, “hard to follow”, “didn’t connect”)

the most common negative comment showed that some abstract content in the keynotes was more challenging for delegates to follow OR that they needed a stronger connection to be made between the keynote’s broader messages to connect these to their context.

Showcase Sessions:

Survey responses showed extensive feedback related to take-aways from AISI Conference 2013 including session topics, school authorities of interest, quality indicators from sessions, and logistical session elements (i.e. room size, session length, recording of sessions). All comments were then reviewed to determine which topics were most frequently mentioned and therefore of particular interest, if sessions were well received, and any potential change recommendations. The topics mentioned, in order of most frequently commented upon to least, were:

1. literacy (19) 2. learning coaches (10) 3. high school flex programming (8); student-driven learning (i.e. service learning, student leadership, student

voice and student mentorship) (8) 4. high school completion (6); engaged learning (6); data and research (6)

Session comments were coded and revealed a majority of session feedback was positive or beneficial to delegates (81%), while a minority (14%) were negative or observational (5%), in nature. In the spirit of improvement, the negative comments were then reviewed for similarities and categorized in order to yield an effective source for the development of recommendations (see below). The categories emerging from negative feedback revealed the following gaps in Showcase Sessions:

Audience-Content disconnection: sessions that were either too broad or narrow in scope and application of innovations, that were aimed at grade levels not in line with delegates in the room, sessions in which learning lacked transferability, or contained only “project overviews” resulted in negative feedback.

Content empty: sessions that did not share “anything new” or innovative with participants, those that were not informative, sessions that focused on teacher impact (rather than student impact), that highlighted tools (rather than pedagogy and student learning), or sessions that focused on only minimal learning in Cycle 5 resulted in negative feedback.

Session format/level of engagement: sessions that were deemed “low caliber”, “sit and get”, “boring/flat”, not stimulating or lacked discussion time resulted in negative feedback.

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Session practicality: sessions that lacked practical strategies participants could take away or in which strategies were deemed “not useful” or “impractical” as well as sessions in which presenters were unwilling to share resources resulted in negative feedback.

The above responses could be addressed through the following recommendations:

Intended audience: presenters clarify their intended audience and this information should be communicated to delegates before they enter a session

Session content: presenters emphasize practicality and transferability of session content, especially as it relates to innovative practices

Session structure: presenters embed audience discussion into sessions and engage the audience actively; conference organizers need to consider using an online session feedback form available to session participants in order to provide direct responses to presenters, in addition to conference survey mechanisms currently in place.

Session criteria: organizers clarify criteria for session submissions and include explicit expectations related to (1) intended audience, (2) practical applications (above theory and overviews), (3) “show” above “tell” presentation formats, (4) inclusion of student voice / presence, (5) innovativeness.

Program additions: organizers consider adding intended audience to session descriptions Session selection: organizers extend the window for session submission to allow for a more rigorous

selection process. Conference frequency: Conference organizers should consider alternative conference frequencies along

with the benefits and drawbacks of each. It is unclear at this time how a biannual conference will impact participation, session quality, continuity of conference impact and other important factors. Further considerations need to be reviewed, such as project-staff attrition, in order for this recommendation to be carried out. NB: Speak Out conference selection process shows extensive attention to quality-control and continuity of sessions offered for student delegates. This process requires a significant window of time and communication with potential presenters from submission deadline to final selection of sessions. Timing of the AISI Conference in February presents certain sector-specific challenges for school authority session submissions and, therefore, selection of sessions to offer. However, the Speak Out conference processes may contain transferable lessons and should be seriously considered as a potential model.

Audio Visual:

Twitter hashtag garnered 1531 tweets in two days by 208 Twitter-connected delegates. This is a 400% increase in tweets from Conference 2012. While tweets were visibly displayed in main hall on side screens while keynotes and performances were not on stage, this feature was a static, rather than dynamic representation meaning it was not updated as tweets occurred. It also contained a handful of errant tweets from non-participants. A specific breakdown of Tweets and activity can be accessed here http://search.tweetreports.com/q/topic/%23aisinetwork/id99408.html. Twitter connectivity was appreciated and noted in some feedback comments as a way to immediately share learning and to learn from multiple concurrent sessions.

Blogging took place by specific request of delegates prior to the conference and after the conference concluded. Guest blogs are housed in a public portion of the AISI Network and can be viewed here http://aisinetwork.wordpress.com/category/aisi-conference/. Upon completion of this report 17 guest blogs have been posted during the conference itself, with another three blogs being posted within two weeks post-conference. Blogs included :

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o BLAST – Early Literacy Intervention at West Meadow Elementary o A-I-S-Innovates in Elk Island Public o If You Want to Engage Me, Involve Me? Practices from Northern Gateway o Research in Action: Transforming the Learning o Exploring Teacher Leadership o Action Anchored to Vision o Student Directed Flex Program at Mother Margaret Mary o Connecting to Our Community -A Daunting but Worthy Challenge! o Re-engaging Students in Literacy o Turning Teachers into Researchers o One School’s Journey Towards a Balanced Literacy Model – Coalhurst Elementary School o Leading by Example o Be Brave. Be Bold. o The Elephant in the Room and Andy Hargreaves o Innovation in Times of Prosperity o Dr. Andy Hargreaves

Several comments emerged from the conference feedback indicating delegate interest in using keynote and session video to stimulate thinking in their home jurisdictions or to frame actions they undertake.

Digital projectors and laptops in every salon were necessary to this year’s presenters. Although not all presenters submitted presentations (i.e. PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, other), it should be a consideration that all presenters submit material in support of their session for online sharing.

Sound capability was not expressly requested or offered this year. However, this element was implicitly expected by participants and we were able to add sound speakers to all salons on the morning of the first day.

Student Performances, Meals, Facility and Conference Organization:

A small number of comments noted appreciation and compliments for student performances and the quality and frequency of meals. Comments related to the facility and organization of the conference reflected delegate satisfaction with the location and set up. There were some general comments on the new addition of networking time and space in the main hall after the closing keynote address and lunch. This format was unexpected, received mixed responses and was generally well received. A few delegates noted suggested changes insofar as this time could be more structured to increase effectiveness and that servers should delay clearing tables to increase delegates’ ability to hear and be heard.

The Value and Impact of the Conference In addition to Twitter and Session blogs, delegates had three opportunities to comment on the impact of the conference: video interviews conducted during the two-day conference, a two-question, open-ended survey conducted electronically two days post-conference and a second mixed-response reflective survey conducted electronically two weeks later. Comments included reflections about the ongoing impact the conference made on

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their thinking and practice, the lateral networking in which they have engaged, and the professional dialogue inspired by the conference. In the first electronic survey 78.8% of respondents perceived that the conference would either have a moderate of significant impact on their practice. Two weeks later, a majority of respondents continued to express this sentiment. The second electronic survey showed that 59% of respondents deemed the AISI conference was either valuable or essential to their AISI team and work. Across both surveys, consistent themes reflected that delegates anticipated and confirmed that the conference inspired their practice through the sharing of ideas, fielding and asking questions of colleagues engaged in similar or complimentary work, establishing networks of communication (and presentation) that persisted weeks after the event, immediate idea implementation into the classroom as well as sharing of these practices with colleagues and a shift in perspective towards teaching, learning, and student engagement. While the second survey did not reveal many specific elements delegates felt directly impacted student learning, responses across both surveys showed delegates perceived that an impact on student learning would / had emerged from contacts delegates had made at the conference, new or renewed networks this allowed them to connect with and collaboration time in which they engaged both during and after the conference conclusion. A video edited from interview footage with delegates tells a powerful story about the impact of the AISI conference as well as the overall sense of the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement’s impact on the face of provincial, national and global education. AISI Conference 2013: Transforming the Learning is available at http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/aisi/leaders/conferences-and-events/conference-2013.aspx. The positive responses highlighted in the quotations and tables below taken from the second survey deployed two weeks after the conference are indications of the lasting impact the conference had on delegates. The overall value of conference participation to AISI teams is not included in the data below as it is no longer relevant to the conference planning team subsequent to the discontinuation of AISI overall. Demographic information requested in this survey shows that the majority (78.4%) of respondents were certificated teachers, the main target audience for this conference. What connections with others did you make during the AISI Conference that resulted in enhancements to your project and / or practices in support of student learning?

Cumulative result:

• 44.6% of respondents reported that they had made connections with others at the conference that resulted in enhancements to their project, practice or student learning either significantly or moderately

Answer Count Percent

I made extensive connections which enhanced our project / our practices 15 18.1%

I made moderate connections which enhanced our project / our practices 22 26.5%

I made a few connections which enhanced our project / our practices 42 50.6%

I made no connections 4 4.8%

Not answered 0 0%

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Which statement best reflects your thoughts on the conference materials provided on the AISI website? Cumulative result:

• 65% of respondents reported that conference materials on the AISI website were either highly or moderately valuable

Answer Count Percent

I found conference materials to be highly valuable 31 37.3%

I found conference materials to be moderately valuable 23 27.7%

I found conference materials to be somewhat valuable 17 20.5%

Conference materials were not valuable 2 2.4%

I have not been to the website 10 12.0%

Not answered 0 0%

Attending the AISI conference stimulated my professional conversations with others engaged in supporting student learning?

Answer Count Percent

significantly 44 53.0%

moderately 27 32.5%

somewhat 10 12.0%

not at all 2 2.4%

Not answered 0 0%

Cumulative result: • 85.5% of respondents reported that the conference stimulated their professional conversations either

significantly or moderately Selected responses:

• Numerous opportunities during the day to dialogue with other teachers, administrators, etc. from other Districts regarding their AISI projects.

• Throughout the conference I also met individuals who were interested in our District's AISI Cycle V project and the results that we are already experiencing in our schools.

• I valued the conversations had during table conversations at various sessions. I also valued the opportunity to share learning from sessions with my colleagues who attended the conference with me.

• I have directed many to the materials and the keynotes (esp Andy Hargreaves) • I am very excited about the "ning" and the opportunities to continue conversations that were started

at the conference. To what extent has the AISI conference inspired your practices?

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Answer Count Percent

significantly 35 42.2%

moderately 34 41.0%

somewhat 9 10.8%

not at all 5 6.0%

Not answered 0 0%

Cumulative result:

• 83.2% of respondents reported the conference inspired their practices either significantly or moderately

Selected responses:

• I was greatly inspired by the work of other school boards around learning coaches. Took a great deal of information with me to use at my school.

• There were many strategies and classroom practices from AISI Cycle IV projects that were pertinent to

our current district goals in Cycle V. Took back some great ideas that I have already shared with the lead teachers in our schools.

• This was one of the best conferences I've attended in a long time and I came away truly inspired. There

are so many good education initiatives happening in Alberta. Let's celebrate and promote them!

• We received many questions and requests for more information about our presentation. That adds significantly to what we have viewed as the value of our project - collaborative assessment in writing.

• Each year I go to sessions that I believe will advance my work, and each year I find colleagues who are

doing incredible work and are willing to share. This conference is the only forum that gives me opportunities to meet other professionals from all over the province, there isn't any other conferences that have built on-going learning communities at a provincial level. Hats off to all of you for accomplishing such an incredible feat. This is why I am completely inspired each year and go back to my district with a multitude of ideas.

To what extent has the AISI conference challenged your thinking?

Answer Count Percent

significantly 25 30.1%

moderately 43 51.8%

somewhat 14 16.9%

not at all 1 1.2%

Not answered 0 0%

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Cumulative result:

• 81.9% of respondents reported the conference challenged their thinking either significantly or moderately

Selected responses:

• Andy Hargreaves always gets me thinking! He is not afraid to put it all on the table for us to question, think and respond. I love that about him!

• It was very evident after two days of sessions that many districts are exploring the idea of Universal

Design for Learning. As our District's AISI Cycle V is centered around Differentiation, it was interesting to learn about the premise behind Universal Design for Learning. After learning about UDL, I took opportunities after returning home to learn more about it, and how some of its principles could be applies to our Differentiation project.

• It has inspired me to challenge myself in the classroom but also see the school as a bigger community

of learners. • AISI challenges me to dig deeper and consider the alternative ways that topics have been approached. • This year especially, I found myself brimming with thoughts on the information presented, especially

about engagement.

• I believe that the AISI conference challenges our thinking. It is a chance to challenge our assumptions regarding education and empowers us to make a difference.

How many AISI conferences have you attended?

Answer Count Percent

All of them 6 7.2%

Between 6 and 10 9 10.8%

5 or fewer 31 37.3%

First one 37 44.6%

Not answered 0 0%

Cumulative result:

• 81.9% of respondents have attended between 1 and 5 annual AISI conferences

Summary of Conference Recommendations Since the majority of AISI Conference 2013 delegates represent teachers across Alberta, specific recommendations for improvements to a teacher-focused conference reflect teachers’ feedback. While keynote speakers whose messages are motivational and broad in scope, teachers’ interests focus more on session presentation content and delivery. Organizers recognize that presenting to one’s peers is a challenging thought, yet, it is important to note

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that quality, engagement, innovation and transferability of the learning are primary concerns for this group of delegates. Teachers expect high caliber presentations with strong session content that addresses innovative tools and ideas. They want the information presented in an engaging fashion that meets their expectations for transferability of learning and allows for further collaboration opportunities. They also expect that sessions meet their context and needs (i.e. grade level, teaching role, subject area, scope of implementation). In considering teachers’ needs, conference organizers need to redesign the session application processes and expectations. Session submission criteria needs to include the following sections: (1) intended audience, (2) practical applications of session content, (3) statement describing how presenters will “show” rather than “tell” their stories, (4) statement describing inclusion of student voice OR presence, (5) statement describing content innovativeness (6) require submission of presentation materials prior to the conference (7) audio requirements. Organizers need to extend session deadlines to allow for a rigorous session review and selection process by a diverse committee of educators. Organizers should provide presenters with explicit guidance and resources that reflect the quality demands delegates expect. This guidance could take the form of video clips from previous presentations that were well received by delegates, tip sheets of the “dos” and “don’ts” of presenting to an adult audience, speaking coaching / consultation with organizers, and / or other relevant resources appropriate for high quality conference presentations. Session descriptions in programs need to include grade, context and content details. Each session should include a mechanism for immediate feedback. This latter recommendation could be achieved electronically to reduce the environmental footprint of the conference while increasing the likelihood that presenters will respond to audience feedback expediently. Lastly, should Alberta Education undertake similar conferences where teachers are the primary presenter and audience of multi-year project initiatives, careful consideration should be given to the timing and frequency of project sharing across the province. This consideration should allow for optimal transferability of lessons learned and improvement of students’ educational experiences.

AISI Website and Post Conference Resources The AISI website provides easy access to information and resources supporting the work of AISI. It includes video clips from AISI projects, a Publications Search Tool, thematic pages with links to government and external resources, as well as stories from school authority AISI projects. Pre-conference resources were accessible on the website that included: draft conference agenda, conference program, link to registration portal. Post-conference resources are accessible on the new website. Links available to support delegates as they engage in professional dialogue and continued learning after the conference include:

• Opening and Closing keynote recordings and presentation slides o Dr. Andy Hargreaves – The Five I’s of Educational Change o Dr. Nat Kendall-Taylor – Breaking Guessing Machines: Using Frames to Change Policy and Build

Coalitions • Student performances • Conference video recap – Learning Forward • 18 Showcase session recordings • Session handouts and presentation slides • Video interview with conference delegates

Post conference resources: http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/aisi/leaders/conferences-and-events/conference-2013/showcase-sessions.aspx

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Appreciation Sincere appreciation is expressed to everyone who contributed to the AISI Conference 2013:

The Deputy Minister Keynote Speakers Education Partners Steering Committee Student Performers Showcase Presenters Session Hosts Gallery Walk Contributors Conference Delegates Education Partners / Affiliates AISI ConferencePlanning Committee School Research and Improvement Branch

To cite this report: Alberta Education. Alberta Initiative for School Improvement. (2013). AISI Conference Research in Action: Transforming the Learning—Conference Report. Edmonton, AB.

This report is available on the AISI website at http://education.alberta.ca/aisi

Contact Us School Research and Improvement Branch Alberta Education 44 Capital Blvd. 10044 – 108 Street Edmonton, AB T5J 5E6 Telephone: (780) 427–3160 Fax: (780) 415–2481

Copyright © 2013, the Crown in Right of Alberta, as represented by the Minister of Education.

Permission is given by the copyright owner for any person to reproduce this publication or any part thereof for educational purposes and on a nonprofit basis.

School Research and Improvement Team