Presentation 2024

1. What qualities do
coaches need in
complex times?
Cameron Paterson

2. “Listen. Put the coaching hat on. Coaching conversations are really
important. How do you listen and give a little nudge? It comes down to
relationships. You can’t have these coaching conversations unless you
really know who they are. It is a slow burner process. Keep on trying
and keep on smiling. You change from the centre up, not top down.”
- Joel Bevans, Vice Principal, Canadian International School, Singapore

3. “Have a genuine desire to listen and learn, to see your role as not the
authority. Be truly curious about your learners, really care. Desire to
listen and connect in an authentic way. When someone sees you as a
human, that is really empowering as learner.”
– Nathalie Ryan, Senior Educator at US National Gallery of Art,
Washington, DC

4. “When I am trying to convince people, I sidestep by starting where
people are. What question are teachers asking that this might be the
answer to? Share your practice. Help me understand. I make sure that
the learner has agency. Let me start with you. Where do you feel that
little niggling feeling?”
- Tina Blythe, Project Director, Project Zero, Harvard

5. “If you are doing systemic large-scale change, you have to be focused
on the adult learners first, not the children. The biggest mistake is not
viewing adults as learners as well. If you don’t treat adults as
professionals, you are screwed.”
– Elise Heil, Principal, Sacred Heart School, Washington DC

6. “Always remember that an invitation is extraordinarily powerful - for
kids or adults. It’s so powerful to invite people into change instead of
telling them what they need to change.”
– Kristen Kullberg, Making and Design Initiatives Coordinator,
Washington International School

7. “I look for my toughest critics and start to build relationships.
Instructional design is an art. I show genuine passion for their art. You
have to be genuine. The art of listening.”
Jeff Evancho, Assistant Superintendent Secondary Education, South
Fayette School District, Pennsylvania

8. “I put my attention to people who really wanted to learn. I believe in
being really direct about what I’m seeing in the classroom. I spend 10-
15 minutes in the classroom and tell them what I see. Descriptive, not
interpretation. This can lead to fruitful conversations.”
- Jim Reese, Director of the Professional Development Collaborative,
Washington International School

9. The Race
• 400-600 miles, non-stop Primal Quest
Adventure Race
• Multi-disciplinary, expert teams
• Unknown terrain, multiple routes
• Challenges: mental and physical
exhaustion, navigational errors, injury
• 75-95 teams each year
• 55% of teams do not finish
• Avg age=37, Avg exp=5.5 yrs
• $250,000 purse

10. Day 1-2
Day 4-5
2004 Race Overview

11. 50%
70% Conditional
Claims
Assertive
Claims
Team
Performance
High
Low
30%
How do claims of knowing vary across teams?

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