This episonde is long overdue since John Clarke has been such a significant influence on me and on many others. John Clarke has been my mentor, coach and friend for nearly ten years. While John presents the Adaptive Schools Seminars, he also provides Cognitive Coaching seminars as well. I have benefitted from being on the receiving end of his cognitive coaching, leading me to sign up for the Cognitive Coaching training that John will be facilitating for BC principals starting in August 2023: (https://www.bcpvpa.org/professional-learning/workshops/cognitive-coaching John Clarke is a Training As ..read more

With pleasure, I bring you another Small Fires episode, highlighting a conversation with a cherished Thinking Collaborative leader, Carolyn McKanders. Carolyn’s background includes 28 years of experience in Detroit Public Schools as a teacher, counsellor and staff development specialist. Currently she presents seminars internationally on developing Adaptive Schools and organizations, and Cognitive Coaching℠. She also provides polarity management training, which supports organizations in identifying and managing competing tensions inherent in social systems. Carolyn McKanders is the former Co-D ..read more

Lucinda shares her reflections during three weeks of quarantine. The book, "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters," provided an opportunity for reflection, alongside her experience of being stuck in her room alone. She realizes she was hiding aspects of herself away, in pursuit of a more cookie cutter leadership approach and recommits to being true to her authenticity ..read more

Carolee Hayes has had a long career as an educational leader in both Cognitive Coaching and Adaptive Schools. She has also been a Co-Director for Thinking Collaborative. In this interview, Carolee shares her career journey and how when she was asked by Art Costa and Robert Garmston to lead the Cognitive Coaching work in its early years with Jane Ellison, it was the greatest honour of her career.  Carolee brings her graciousness, vision, and hopefulness to this episode, as she describes what she has learned about leadership, what has influenced her thinking, the importance of a non-evaluat ..read more

Bob Garmston, is co-developer of Adaptive Schools with Bruce Wellman. In this interview, he shares some of his highlights and challenges of his career journey. His life is certainly a story of resiliency and positive contribution.  ..read more

Andrea McComb is the Principal of Learning Services for the Coquitlam School District here in British Columbia as well as an Adaptive Schools Agency Trainer with Thinking Collaborative. In this interview, Andrea shares what gives her joy in her life, what brought her to pursuing the Adaptive Schools work and what influences she is noticing in her leadership with others as she engages in the work.  In the introduction, Lucinda mentions the work of Lisa Kirk, an artist in the Comox Valley, who facilitates Pure Process Art sessions as a way to engage in the deeper meaning of our lives, throu ..read more

In this episode, Lucinda shares her reactions after attending the Adaptive Schools Foundation Seminar and the realization that in order to develop her skills, she would need to consistently be intentional in order to improve ..read more

Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser are beloved educational leaders here in British Columbia, the Yukon and beyond. Their work promoting the spiral of inquiry, to guide collaborative work amongst educators, continues to be relevant to improve the learning for all students. In this interview, they share their journey from earlier beginnings, with the Network of Performance Based Schools, to the present with the Network of Inquiry and Indigenous Education. They share their highlights, challenges and on-going hope for the future. Such an honour to interview these inspirational leaders! For further infor ..read more

Paula Gosal is the Principal of Chilliwack Middle School in British Columbia. As a busy and experienced administrator, with a full life outside of school, she talks about what is important to her as she navigates her different life roles. An area of interest for Paula is how to support women leaders and provide safe contexts for them to express their thoughts, feelings and experiences. Currently Paula is enrolled in a doctoral program through Kansas University in Educational Leadership and Policy.  In the interview introduction, Lucinda refers to a "Women In Leadership Conversation" that ..read more

Doreen Miori-Merola is the Co-Director of Thinking Collaborative. Doreen talks about her journey in educational leadership and how the work of Cognitive Coaching and Adaptive Schools helped her develop skills in mediating others' thinking. Doreen highlights the importance of being able to engage in cognitive conflict, and how diverse perspectives are a positive aspect of effective collaborative groups. She also articulates the importance of using the Adaptive Schools strategies and processes in online meetings. Certainly relevant to our current Covid-19 reality.  ..read more