Keynote: Stretching at Your Collaborative Edges

Collaboration is one of the most frequently used words in education—and one of the least explicitly taught. Our ability to work well together and engage respectfully with one another directly impacts the health of a school community and the well-being of everyone within it. How do we stretch at our learning edges and model the professional behaviors we hope to see in others? How do we take responsibility for our communication, suspend certainty when needed, and build the resilience required for healthy collaboration? Based on Jennifer Abrams’s book, Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work, this session explores five essential mindsets and skill sets that help educators become stronger collaborators, communicators, and contributors to their school communities.

About Jennifer Abrams

Formerly a high school English teacher and a new teacher coach, Jennifer Abrams is currently a communications consultant and author. Her many publications include Having Hard Conversations and Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work. Jennifer has been a featured columnist on growth and change for The Learning Professional as well as The International Educator, and she keynotes, facilitates, and coaches at schools worldwide. She was honored to be named one of the “18 Women All K-12 Educators Should Know” by Education Week’s “Finding Common Ground” blog.