A Week of Enduring Purpose at the Learning Summit 2024

It's an exciting week for us at GOA as our annual Learning Summit kicks off at the University of British Columbia. From July 9-12, we're welcoming over 90 educators and school leaders from 33 schools around the world to Vancouver, Canada for four days of collaboration, learning, and reflection. It's a diverse group, with teams from schools like American Community School of Abu Dhabi, American School of Johannesburg, Christ Church Episcopal School, Dalton School, Durham Academy, Kamehameha Schools, and UPrep, among others.

This year's theme, "Enduring Purpose," emerged from our team's ongoing conversations about education's big challenges today. With all the rapid changes in our field – artificial intelligence (AI), the focus on wellness, keeping students at the center of learning - we wanted to create a space for educators to reconnect with their core purpose.

The summit is designed as a retreat-like experience, offering a variety of learning opportunities. Each participant is paired with a GOA Learning Coach and has the freedom to choose sessions that resonate with them. Some are diving deep into AI in education, others are focused on student wellbeing, and many are exploring new approaches to leadership.

We've organized the sessions around three main strands: Think, Do, and Lead. It's about reflecting on our purpose as educators, putting ideas into practice, and guiding our school communities with intention. Some sessions generating a lot of interest include "AI Policies and Possibilities," "Workflows for Wellness," "Empowering Student Voice," and “Purposeful Action: Decoding Strategic Planning.”

These sessions reflect the complex challenges schools are facing today. As we explored in our recent article, Empowering Instructional Leaders: The Key to Driving Educational Change, instructional leaders play a crucial role in translating educational theories into effective classroom practices. This summit is designed to support these instructional leaders, offering a space for educators to collaborate, share insights, and develop strategies they can implement in their own institutions.

By bringing together diverse perspectives and experiences, we're fostering an environment where educators can become catalysts for change within their schools. Participants will leave the summit equipped with new ideas and practical tools to drive meaningful improvements in teaching and learning.

As we continue through this week, we invite you to follow along on our social media channels for updates and insights. We also encourage you to explore our upcoming professional learning offerings, which continue the work begun here at the summit.

For more, see:

GOA serves students, teachers, and leaders and is comprised of member schools from around the world, including independent, international, charter, and public schools. Learn more about Becoming a Member. Our professional learning opportunities are open to any educator or school team. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. To stay up to date on GOA learning opportunities, sign up for our newsletter.

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