Focus Group Facilitator Workshop
Understand deeper issues by learning how to lead workplace wellbeing focus groups with staff across your school district.
Join education leaders from across Canada for our next workshop.
Dates: To be confirmed
Facilitated by: Dianne McConnell and Gail Markin
Successful workplace wellbeing initiatives recognize and respond to the specific needs of staff. While employee surveys are helpful, focus groups reveal the lived experiences of staff members in their own words, providing deep insight into the ways in which their wellbeing is impacted and could be improved.
Workshop sessions will include approaches to:
Design and facilitate workplace wellbeing focus groups in your school district. Gain the knowledge and confidence to lead meaningful discussions with various employee groups that get to the heart of the issues.
Apply ethical guidelines to all phases of the process. Solidify your role as a neutral facilitator who builds trust with staff members by ensuring a high level of commitment to confidentiality, anonymity, and accuracy.
Document, compile and analyze key themes that emerge from your focus groups. Gain a clear sense of staff members’ concerns and insights while ensuring that both majority and minority perspectives are considered.
Report and communicate your work. Identify ways to build momentum for your initiatives.
Craft your initial priorities. Use your data to identify concrete next steps that improve workplace wellbeing.
Delivered virtually in English. Available in all provinces and territories.
Dianne McConnell, Well at Work Facilitator
Dianne began her career as a teacher with the Parkland School Division. She has completed her PhD in Special Education and is also a registered psychologist. She has worked as a Vision Consultant (Teacher for the Visually Impaired), Director of Student Services at multiple school divisions, led the Alberta Provincial initiative for inclusion (Setting the Direction) and was the Associate Superintendent with Parkland School Division for eight years. While her list of career accomplishments is indeed extensive, perhaps more important has been her role as a parent. She is also the mother of three children, two of which have complex health conditions, including vision loss. She has been involved in advocacy in the field of Blindness and Visual Impairment at both the provincial and national levels for over 30 years. Dianne brings a unique perspective to this subject matter. Through her experience as an educator and a parent of children with severe disabilities, she is well-versed on the ongoing challenges families and practitioners face in dealing with complex situations. She has worked as a service provider and has also been the benefactor of service provision. She has been a dedicated advocate throughout her career and is passionate about making a difference for children and their families.
Gail Markin, Well at Work Facilitator
Gail began her career as a social worker, a family counsellor and a parent educator. After becoming a teacher, Gail worked as a school counsellor in many different schools before moving to a district role supporting health and well-being for students and staff. She now works as an educational consultant, with an ongoing focus on health and well-being.
Gail is the Chair of Social Emotional Learning BC and part of the steering committee of the BC School Centred Mental Health Coalition. Gail is part of two amazing communities of practice that have helped shape her work, the K-12 Staff Well-being Network and the Compassionate Systems Leadership Network. Gail has written articles for the BC Superintendent’s Association, the BC School Counsellors Association, the BC Principal’s and Vice Principals Association and the EdCan Network. Gail has recently co-authored a book chapter for new school administrators and has a new book, Beyond Self-Care: Leading a Systemic Approach to Well-Being for Educators coming out in November.
Gail has two bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees in psychology and education. She is currently working on a Doctorate Degree in Leadership and Policy at the University of British Columbia.
TEAM
Two or more workshop participant registrations for your school district.
Build support for your initiatives through online participation in 2 three-hour workshop sessions for a total of six hours.
Save $50 per person when registering as a team.
$549 per person*
(includes staff and board members of School Districts and National and Provincial Professional Associations/Non-Profits)
INDIVIDUAL
One workshop participant registration.
Online participation in 2 three-hour sessions, for a total of six hours.
$599 per person*
(includes staff and board members of School Districts and National and Provincial Professional Associations/Non-Profits)
* EdCan members get at 10% discount. Prices do not include GST/HST.
Refund and waitlist policy
A full refund of registration fees paid can be provided up to 14 days before the first day of the workshop. After the cut-off date, your registration fees will be non-refundable; however, we will accept registration transfers if you would like to invite another participant to attend in your place.
In order to keep the workshop to a reasonable size, we will be capping registrations at 20 participants maximum. If you are unable to find a spot in the workshop, you will be placed on the waitlist. From there, we will inform you at least 10 days before the workshop as to whether space is available. If space is not available, we will suggest alternative dates for you to attend the workshop, or we can process a full refund of your registration fees paid.