Collaborative Response: Three Foundational Components That Transform How We Respond to the Needs of Learners

A school-wide model for addressing individual needs

The greatest goal of education is to ensure equity while enhancing learning and academic success for all students. And yet, it is impossible for one teacher to meet the extensive needs of all students in his or her classroom. The traditional schooling model cannot provide for this complexity and leaves educators perplexed. The solution is a collaborative approach where “every child deserves a team” to surround them with supports that recognize their strengths and challenges.

Collaborative Response offers a school-wide model for addressing students’ individual needs. The three fundamental components of the model are: collaborative structures and processes; data and evidence; and continuum of supports. In this book, readers will find:

• Entry points for beginning this work
• Potential pitfalls of the approach
• Case studies from schools that have adopted the model
• Access to a website with tools, templates, case studies, and more

With a focus on quality classroom instruction, this book shares examples from schools and districts that have transformed how they respond to the needs of all learners.

Kurtis Hewson has been an award-winning teacher, vice-principal, and principal, as well as taught at the post-secondary level. With over a decade of experience as a school administrator, Kurtis has championed the call for collaborative structures in schools to ensure success for all students. In addition to two finalist awards from Alberta Excellence in Teaching program and an Edwin Parr award recipients for excellence in his first year of teaching, Kurtis was an honoree for the ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award in 2010. Kurtis is one of five Alberta principals featured in Reflecting on Leadership for Learning: Case Studies of Five Alberta Elementary School Principals, addressing exemplary leadership practices in elementary schools in Alberta. He is the co-founder of Jigsaw Learning and currently works with districts and schools nationally and internationally establishing Collaborative Response frameworks and interacting with thousands of educators annually.

Lorna Hewson is a passionate educator who is co-founder and Lead Learner of Jigsaw Learning, a Canadian consulting company that provides support for educators. She is an engaging presenter, facilitator, coach and mentor and has served to support classrooms, schools and districts nationally and internationally. An Alberta Excellence in Teaching Award winner, Lorna has served diverse roles in schools and districts and has a wealth of experience in essentially every area of development in supporting the needs of districts, schools, staff and students. She has served in district leadership roles in curriculum, learning and inclusive services as well as experience in curriculum implementation and design at the provincial level and has had the privilege to serve as the chair of the Alberta Assessment Consortium. Lorna engages in a variety of support structures with systems, including coaching, mentoring, leading and facilitating schools and districts in Collaborative Response, designing and coordinating teams throughout systems, and building inclusive frameworks that ensure every child has a team to identify and meet their needs.