Thematic Group Sessions & Harvest
Leading Professional Learning: Revisiting and Reimagining Moral Purpose
Three-Day Protocol
Overview
At the end of each day, groups engage in a 15-minute synthesis process, narrowing their collective insights into 3–5 priority questions or themes. These are recorded on Post-its and submitted to a shared Google Doc. By the close of Day 2, facilitators and/or the steering committee/advisory group review the submitted questions and identify overarching themes to structure Day 3.
Key Roles
All roles rotate each dialogue session so that different group members have the opportunity to engage with and across different responsibilities.
Host
- Brings a reflection, question, or challenge from their school site or professional context
- Provides context, focus, and goals during the first 5 minutes of each dialogue
- Poses reflective question(s)
- Closes each dialogue with a 4-minute spoken reflection on what was learned
Facilitator
These are members from the Steering Committee & Advisory Board
- Keeps time and ensures adherence to the 40-minute Dialogue Protocol each session
- Guides transitions between protocol steps
- Supports equal participation; participates as a Consultant
- Coordinates with the group Scribe/Synthesizer at the end of each session
- Steers dialogue toward the symposium’s overarching theme of revisiting and reimagining moral purpose in relation to leadership and professional learning
Consultants
All other participants
- Actively listen during the Host’s context-sharing (Step 1)
- Ask clarifying questions
- Engage in focused discussion, helping the Host toward their goals
- Contribute 1–2 emerging themes or questions at the end of each session
Scribe / Synthesizer
- Takes rich notes throughout each dialogue session; participates as a Consultant during the dialogue itself
- After each dialogue, identifies 1–2 themes to carry forward
- At the end of Day 1 and Day 2, consolidates group notes into 3–5 overarching questions/themes
- Writes each question on a Post-it to be entered into the shared Google Doc/Form
- At the end of Day 2, participates in the Theme Harvest to inform dialogue topics for Day 3
Day 3 — Regrouping Around Chosen Themes
On Day 3, participants break from their home groups and self-select into new theme-based groups of approximately 8–10 people. These groups are organized around the themes that emerged from Days 1 and 2. Participants engage in deeper dialogue around their chosen theme, prepare a final synthesis, and share key reflections, questions, and outcomes with the full group during the Closing Session.
Symposium Logistics
Activities & Workflow
Dialogue & Reflection:
Each participant takes a turn hosting a dialogue. After each dialogue session, the group takes a moment to reflect on major themes, takeaways, or implications. For example, if two people host the dialogue on Day 1, different members of the same group will host on Day 2.
Documentation:
All insights, learning, and research questions are documented in a Google Doc.
Thematic Mapping:
Groups use a “sticky note” method — writing one theme per note — to allow them to move ideas around and organize their thoughts.
Content Focus:
The groups are “honing it down” by navigating school visit experiences, negotiating tensions, and identifying “threads” that warrant further exploration within the context of the theme: Revisiting and Reimagining Moral Purpose.
Group Structure & Timing
Session Breakdown
There are three small-group sessions totaling 4.5 hours:
Day 1:
One session from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM (90 minutes)
Day 2:
Two sessions — one from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM and another from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM (90 minutes each)
Dialogue Pacing
Within each session, dialogues are structured into two roughly 45-minute blocks.
45-Minute Dialogue Protocol
Each dialogue session follows the LFPL Symposium’s modified School Reform Initiative protocol (lfplsymposium.org/dialogue-protocol/). The five steps below total 25 minutes; the remaining time allows for organic discussion, transitions, and group reflection. (Note: Confirm intended use of remaining time.)
| Step | Phase | Time | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Context, Focus & Goals | 10 min | Host provides an overview of context, focus, and goals. Draws on research, evidence, theory, or professional experience. Consultants listen actively. |
| 2 | Clarifying Questions | 5 min | Consultants ask clarifying questions to gain sufficient understanding for meaningful feedback. |
| 3 | Reflective Questions | 5 min | Host shares additional context and poses reflective question(s). Pause for consultants to examine materials. Consultants consider: What have we heard? What questions arise? |
| 4 | Discussion | 15 min | Consultants review and discuss what was shared. The group defines a plan, reframes issues, and offers alternative strategies. All gain new insights. |
| 5 | Host Reflection | 10 min | Host verbally reviews key learnings from the session, notes anything that resonated, and explores new ideas that arose. |
Required Materials
Staffing Recommendations
Group Structure and Timing
Days 1 & 2
Synthesizing Activity: Detailed Guide
After the dialogue sessions, each group’s Synthesizer leads a 15-minute consolidation process:
Review
5 minutes
The Synthesizer reads all themes identified at the end of the individual sessions. The group listens for repeated ideas, tensions, and surprises.
Cluster
3 minutes
The group categorizes ideas into 3–5 clusters on chart paper.
Draft Questions
5 minutes
Each cluster becomes a question. Write one per Post-it in clear, concise language.
Submit
2 minutes
Enter questions into the shared Google Form (auto-populates spreadsheet). Bring Post-its to plenary.
Guided Reflection Questions (for Non-Synthesizer Participants)
While Synthesizers prepare Harvest materials, remaining participants engage in a facilitated whole-group reflection:
Level 1
Noticing
- What have you heard over the two days that stands out?
- What did you observe or note?
- What surprised you?
Level 2
Meaning-Making
- What does what you heard mean for your work?
- How does it connect to what you brought from your professional experiences?
Level 3
Forward-Looking
- How will you explore or apply this tomorrow and beyond?
- What question do you most want to carry into Day 3?
| Activity at 2:30 PM | Notes |
|---|---|
| Small Group Session (40 min × 2) | Small groups (6–8 people). Host shares context & goals → Clarifying Qs → Host poses reflective question(s) → Discussion (host listens) → Host reflection. |
| Break | |
| Small Group Synthesis (5 mins x 2) | Each group selects a Scribe/Synthesizer team. Roles may rotate each session or be shared by two group members. The Scribe records key themes, emerging questions, and updates to the running theme list during the session. Afterward, the Scribe and Synthesizer(s) review the notes together. The Synthesizer(s) lead the group in narrowing themes into 3–5 priority questions, writing each on a Post-it, and entering them into the shared Google Form or Google Doc. |
| End of Day 1 Discussion Block | Note: Schedule continues per full symposium agenda. |
The Goal of Day 2
By the end of Day 2, the home groups transition into a Whole Group Harvest. This dialogue aims to make sense of what emerged across all rooms re Leading Professional Learning: Revisiting and Reimagining Moral Purpose.
Finding Connections: The facilitator helps find connections between different rooms (e.g., “Theme 3” in one room might be “Theme 1” in another).
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 10:30 AM–12:00 PM (90 min) | Small Group Session 2 (40 min × 2) | Small groups (6–8 people). Host shares context & goals → Clarifying Qs → Host poses reflective question(s) → Discussion (host listens) → Host reflection. |
| Scribe Notes (10 min) | ||
| 1:00–2:30 PM (90 min) | Small Group Session 3 (40 min × 2) | Each group selects a Scribe/Synthesizer team. Roles may rotate each session or be shared by two group members. The Scribe records key themes, emerging questions, and updates to the running theme list during the session. Afterward, the Scribe and Synthesizer(s) review the notes together. The Synthesizer(s) lead the group in narrowing themes into 3–5 priority questions, writing each on a Post-it, and entering them into the shared Google Form or Google Doc. |
| Small Group Synthesis (10 min) | Note: Schedule continues per full symposium agenda. | |
| End of Day 2 Discussion Block | Affinity mapping and regrouping for Day 3. Themes will be submitted to a Google Form, but also brought to the Whole Group Harvest on sticky notes. | |
| 3:00-4:00 PM | Whole Group Harvest | Throughout the small group dialogues, participants synthesize themes, questions or wonderings from the dialogues, which are used to inform new dialogue topics for the final day of the symposium. |
Organizing Day 3
Following discussion with the steering committee/advisory group, key themes will be identified from the Post-its. These themes serve as the organizing principle for Day 3, when participants leave their original home groups and join new sessions based on the theme they are most motivated to pursue.
Day 3
Thematic Small Group Dialogues
Day 3 reorganizes participants into new groupings based on chosen themes drawn from Days 1 and 2. Groups engage in a deeper, extended small-group session, then conduct a final synthesis to prepare materials for the Day 3 Closing Session.
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Activity | Notes |
| 9:00-10:00 AM | Day 3 Welcome & Re-grouping | Full group. Facilitators announce the themes. Participants self-select into theme groups of 8–10 people. Roles are reassigned within each group, including new Hosts, Facilitators, and Scribes. |
| 11:00 AM–2:00 PM | Theme-Based Dialogue | Groups explore the chosen theme. The Host grounds the conversation using field context from a specific school site or work environment. |
| 2:00–2:30 PM | Break / Networking (30 min) | |
| 2:30–4:00 PM | Thematic Groups Report Out & Closing Session | The full group reconvenes. Facilitators briefly share 3–5 questions from each group. Participants begin an affinity mapping activity, organizing Post-its on chart paper by theme. Synthesizers or group representatives prepare brief reflections and outcomes for a final share-out. |
Closing Session
Day 3 concludes with all participants coming together for the Closing Session from 2:30–4:00 PM. This session includes a structured share-out of themes, insights, and questions gathered across Days 1, 2, and 3, a whole-group response, and a closing. Depending on the number of thematic groups, each group will have a designated amount of time to present key reflections and outcomes. The session may also include affinity mapping, whole-group synthesis, closing reflections, and a call to action.
