New Leadership Lenses for a
Post-Pandemic World

A Five "Workinar" Series to Frame the Future of Schools

Our next cohort starts soon!

We've survived a forced reconfiguration of school.
Now the question is, how do we thrive in the future?

"Your summer leadership session which focused on an inquiry based approach was outstanding on many levels: relevant and timely content, structure and format. Your sessions were my monthly ‘opium’!"

~Suelyn Cheong, Principal, Unionville High School, Markham, ON

Superintendents, Principals, Heads of School, Board Members, and Other Leaders Seeking to Make Sense of This Moment

Seeing Schools in a Different Light

The events since the pandemic have created an unprecedented moment in world history. COVID-19 has impacted our collective lives in ways that no one could have expected just a short time ago. And the numerous deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement in the US feels like a turning point at last for long simmering social and racial justice issues around the world. Those events coupled with changes in global economies, political instability, and the looming threat of climate change have brought us to a critical moment of change.

It's likely that history will show that social and institutional norms that have held sway for centuries are being irrevocably upended.

And school is no exception.

While many, many questions remain, there's no doubt that as educators and as parents, we must now begin to re-orient the ways in which we think about the role of schools, the markers of success, and just what it means to be educated today. Creating a new future of schooling requires school leaders to see the world as it is, not as it was. It requires understanding new contexts, and building new lenses.

In this series of five "workinars" (webinar + workshop), we will push you to set aside what’s comfortable and embrace the new realities of the post-pandemic world. Each will help you frame new questions and conversations that are fundamental to creating an experience of school for kids that will help them thrive in whatever future they inherit.

These conversations can't wait until the world seems a bit more settled. We need to start them, and facilitate them now. Join us in that work.

New Leadership Lenses

Join Homa Tavangar and Will Richardson for these five engaging, cutting-edge "workinars" that will help you see the world as it is today to make better decisions for your students tomorrow. Highly interactive, practical, and provocative. Five 90-minute sessions over consecutive weeks. All sessions recorded and archived for later viewing.

Workinar #1 - PURPOSE

How do we reorient our mission given the turbulent, uncertain future that we are facing? What aspects of our purpose were challenged by our response to the pandemic? How might we infuse purpose into student work so that learning sticks and students find fulfillment? We'll interrogate many of the ways that the foundations for our work have been inexorably changed.

Workinar #2 - CHANGE

Not all change is CHANGE. Adding technology, reducing curriculum, changing or eliminating assessments may create the appearance of transformation. But real change in schools starts with culture, equity, power, and redefining roles. We'll look at the foundations that are required for real change to stick, and how to identify the changes that best benefit learning.

Workinar #3 - WORLD

Global mindsets, global competencies, global collaboration, global economic, environmental, and political forces - these all impact the outlook for learning in the post-pandemic world. Leaders who integrate and embrace the realities of our global present and future will nurture more inclusive communities and students who are ready for a future that might be uncertain, but is unquestionably “global.” We'll identify the new non-negotiables for our students to thrive as global citizens.

Workinar #4 - POWER

Traditional power relationships will not hold in a world where learners are taking more control and seizing more agency over their learning and their pathways. New technologies and new workplace expectations both point to greater self-determination. How do we navigate this shift in ways that reframe the relationships between students, teachers, leaders, parents, and policy makers? We'll peel back the layers of power in schools and provoke new ways of reorienting power tobetter benefit learners.

Workinar #5 - STORY

The world runs on story, and the story that we tell about schools is the same one we've been telling for centuries. But the COVID-19 crisis created a new story of school in the blink of an eye. Today, the larger narratives around education and schooling are changing. What parts of that new story do we want to promote? What parts of the old story do we want to cut loose? And how do we tell that new story in compelling and effective ways using traditional and modern technologies?

What They're Saying About the New Leadership Lenses Series

Hugh Alexander

Principal, Rutland Senior Secondary School, Kelowna, BC

"The collaboration between Homa and Will and their Five lenses are a wonderful pairing as they look at, as they say, 'the no normal' and how the education systems around the world need to respond to meet the needs of today and tomorrow because these systems are clearly designed for a bygone era. The BQI draw on current evidence and research to look at the world and how we as educational leaders need to lead the way as the world as we knew it will not return. This session focuses on conversations with people from around the world who are all looking to improve their work through inquiry. Well worth participating in this learning experience. Thought provoking, educational and motivating."

Rosemary Fatta Mari

Activities Director at The Lincoln School, Buenos Aires, AR

"New Leadership Lenses as presented by Homa and Will gave me the opportunity to reflect on a deeper level, while sharing with others with regards to what our school could look like once we are able to return. What should we take with us through the portal? And what should we leave behind?"

Check out some excerpts from our free webinar on the New Lenses:

THERE'S NEVER BEEN A MOMENT LIKE THIS FOR EDUCATORS

How will kids experience school in the future?

This five webinar series will help you clarify what comes next for your schools and classrooms. We are on the precipice of a profound reimagination of education. If you want to take a leadership role in that, this professional learning experience will make sure you have a foundation for moving forward.

Meet your Big Questions Institute Coaches

We're uniquely positioned to help you lead your journey.

Homa Tavangar

Best-Selling Author, Global Education and Inclusion Adviser

Read Homa's bio

Will Richardson

Author, Speaker, Facilitator and Leadership Coach

Read Will's bio

Here's What They're Saying About the Big Questions Institute!

Priscilla Bianchi

Principal, Valle Verde School, Guatemala City

"I was in today´s session and I need to tell you that it was awesome!! I´ve been an educator for 45 years, and since 2008 I´m the Academic Principal of a private school in Guatemala. I consider myself to be a creative, innovative person who´s always looking for new and better ways of doing what we do, that add value while preserving our essence and personality. But I must tell you that today´s session blew my mind! I appreciate your out-of-the-box futures thinking very much. I found so many things that are in sync with our way of thinking, and several aha! moments that opened my mind as to where to go next. Thank you, thank you!"

Rose Puffer

Superintendent, International School of Islamabad
Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA) Board President

"Being a member of one of the Mastermind sessions, hosted by Homa and Will, has benefited in ways I hadn't imagined. I rarely have the opportunity to learn from a different generation of educational leaders. Their experiences and strategies are reenergizing. Another benefit is to learn from the "masterful" skills of two incredible facilitators: Will and Homa."

Karl Poulin

Middle School Principal, American Community School of Abu Dhabi

"I want to thank you for your work and for your efforts to help educators challenge the future landscape of learning. You are both truly inspiring and have been a welcome light in 2020. Keep going!"

Joshua Garrett

Director, International School of Skopje, Macedonia

"Meeting with Will, Homa, and the rest of my Mastermind cohort is a highlight of my month. The depth of experience, the hard-gained knowledge, and the genuine camaraderie of the group ensure that I walk away with deeper insight into and a stronger commitment toward my vocation."

Nienke de Jong

Assistant Head, Malaysia

"Thank you for your webinar. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I watched many webinars about the afterlife of schools post pandemic, and they usually focus on details about specific situations. What a breath of fresh air to hear big picture thinkers speak about what really matters and cut through the clutter. Thank you; that was time well spent."

Anna Sugarman

Profesional Learning Coordinator, Shenendehowa (NY) Central SD

"I think that the work you are doing with people is very deep, planting seeds within for the future. While people are running around reacting to moment by moment changes, the two of you are holding ground for this critical work. It is visionary, and as usual, ahead of many who are not yet open to this type of thinking. I thank you again for your guidance, love and caring."

Suelyn Cheong

Principal, Unionville High School, Markham, ON

"I have attended several online professional development sessions offered both by local school boards and international organizations. Your summer leadership session which focused on an inquiry based approach was outstanding on many levels: relevant and timely content, structure and format. Your sessions were my monthly ‘opium’!!"

Contact Us

Questions? You can email us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Big Questions Institute

+1.908.824.0050

New Leadership Lenses Workinar Series

Download "One Foot in the Future" FREE ebook today!

New Leadership Lenses for a Post-Pandemic World