Primary School Principal, Hong Kong Academy
Virginia Lockman Hunt is the Primary School Principal at Hong Kong Academy. She believes that children make sense of their world by constructing meaning in an inclusive and authentic environment where students have opportunities for experiential learning by interacting with their social and natural world. She values diversity and the range of gifts students and adults bring to a learning environment. Virginia prides herself on the development and support of collaboration and self-directed learning in teachers and students. She values the IB curriculum framework and feels it empowers schools to prepare students for the world they are growing into. Virginia is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World Leader Trainer and a Next Frontier Inclusion and Council of International Schools Reviewer, and is currently in the process of becoming an Adaptive Schools Trainer through the Thinking Collaborative. Virginia holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and an Advanced Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership for Change.
The presentation will showcase how a culture of respectful dialogue can be cultivated using the "Seven Norms of Collaboration" from Thinking Collaborative. These norms serve as a foundation to empower students and educators to have rich, thoughtful conversations and maintain respectful dialogue.
The key points covered in the presentation include:
- The Seven Norms of Collaboration provide a structured protocol to promote genuine inquiry, clarification of thinking, and expression of one's own ideas and perspectives.
- Implementing these norms helps raise awareness and understanding of different perspectives and experiences among students and educators.
- Through dialogue and discussion guided by the norms, students are able to delve into relevant, real-world issues, critically analyze actions and outcomes, and reflect on their own roles and responsibilities.
- Developing a culture of respectful dialogue using the Seven Norms of Collaboration enables students and educators to have meaningful, productive conversations on important topics.
The presentation aims to demonstrate how these collaboration norms can be effectively applied in educational settings to foster an environment conducive to open-minded, thoughtful exchange of ideas.