I am experienced education leader, workshop presenter and consultant and have successfully worked with schools and presented at conferences across the Asia-Pacific region and now expanding services to North America, Eurpoe and the Middle East. For inquiries about presentations, workshops and consultations, please contact me at rgbruford@gmail.com

My vision is to assist and develop school leaders to play a vital role in shaping successful schools that promote challenging, exciting and engaging learning opportunities that prepare students for the world beyond school and encourages them to make a positive contribution to society. School leaders are instrumental in developing the healthy school cultures the lie as the base of a successful school. It is vital that we provide supportive networks and professional learning to all school leaders that enable them to make a sustainable difference in their schools. I have been fortunate to work with some wonderful educators, students and parents who are intent in making change that sticks to improve learning in their respective school communities. Making a positive impact in the education of both children and adults is truly rewarding.

Considerable expertise is available to your school through presentations, workshops or consultation in in the following areas:

Building a culture of collaboration in your school – developing collaborative teams

This workshop (2 or 3 days) focuses on the importance of collaboration as a vital element the school improvement process and developing a healthy school culture. The workshop begins with an examination of what makes an effective team and moves on to analyse the role of leaders in building strong collaborative teams. Consideration is given to how leaders need to understand, appreciate and balance the needs of both individuals and the team. The challenges of working with adults are identified and strategies are discussed in overcoming the barriers to building an effective team. The workshop begins to explore (2 day workshop) or explores in detail (3 day workshop) how leaders address conflict and tension between team members to ensure productive and successful working relationships for student and school success.

Pedagogical leadership for new and experienced school leaders

This 3 day workshop deepens the understanding of philosophical and pedagogical implications of implementing your school’s curriculum. The use of inquiry-based approach to review your school’s current program is explored as a vital step prior to commencing plans for improvement. The complex nature of change is examined in detail along with the role of pedagogical leaders in planning for and implementing change. The importance of developing a collaborative school culture to bring about systemic and sustained change is discussed. Leaders are encouraged to examine how the diverse ways people think, learn and work affect how their learning communities function.

Strategic planning and an inquiry-based approach to school evaluation and improvement

Does your school have a forthcoming inspection or evaluation? Is your school looking to implement a new program? Is your school looking to write a new strategic plan? Richard can provide 1 or 2 day workshops that focus on school self-study and self-assessment that forms the basis for strategic and action planning designed to help your school improve and achieve its goals. The practicalities of setting up a self study are explored in detail, including using an action-research approach to self-assessment prior to action. Participants will also learn the key factors involved in the process of writing a focused strategic plan coupled with associated implementation strategies to monitor success.

Mapping your school’s curriculum

This 2-day workshop considers the reasons for why backward mapping and developing coherent vertical articulation of the curriculum are essential foundations for student success. Discuss centers on how teachers incorporate content, skills, values and attitudes into a fully articulated curriculum; illustrated through progression charts and sequences. The practicalities associated with using vertical articulation documents effectively to plan, reflect and review teaching units and assessment tasks is demonstrated. The implementation of review cycles for written curriculum is discussed as part of improving the collaborative planning process in schools.