Conferences are always a good opportunity to meet new contacts and share ideas. In July 2016 we attended the World Appreciative Inquiry Conference in Johannesburg. It was an opportunity to get involved in a myriad of appreciative conversations, with fellow practitioners from around the world. Two of the people we got talking to were Dr Matthew Moehle at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and Professor Lindsey Godwin (at the David Cooperrider Centre for Appreciative Inquiry, Champlain College, Vermont USA).
Matt is an associate professor and was one of the editors of an edition of AI Practitioner which we sponsored, on Intergenerational Appreciative Inquiry in Conversation and in Action. He manages a student programme at SNHU, and asked whether Appreciating People would host and organise a teacher study visit – he was particularly interested in his teacher students learning about teaching in urban and inner city situations. Their visit is part of a field-based graduate education programme, with 14 teachers from SNHU arriving in Liverpool this week.
The party will be visiting the Studio School Liverpool and Stockbridge Village Primary School in Knowsley, plus enjoying some Beatles-themed Liverpool tourism. Teachers will share practice and build relationships with students and teachers – we’re hoping it will generate ideas and future exchanges and learning opportunities. Appreciative Inquiry is responsible for bringing us all together, and of course will permeate the programme.
We created How to be More Awesome – our appreciative journal for young people – with students at the Studio School, who co-designed and co-created using Appreciative Inquiry.
The Studio School welcomes US graduate teachers on a visit to Liverpool…
Stockbridge Village Primary is involved in the Headstart Programme – a Lottery funded programme to support young people’s resilience and strengths. We’ve worked with our partners at UCLAN (University for Central Lancashire) and Liverpool University on Knowsley’s Headstart Project, to co-design a strength-based resilience assessment tool.
As part of the trip we’ll also be hosting Lindsey Godwin and her family. This gives us an opportunity to continue the generative partnership conversations between Appreciating People and the David Cooperrider Centre for AI, Champlain College, while exploring the delights of Liverpool. We’re
Professor Lindsey Godwin (left), with David Cooperrider…
really pleased that the Champlain College AI certification programme is using our AI essentials resources, and their students are giving them great feedback on how useful the materials are to them.
We’ll be speaking to some of the teachers on the trip to hear what they make of Liverpool and the schools they’re visiting, so keep an eye out for our update after the trip…
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