It’s ALL About Relationships

I am excited to finally have the final member of my doctoral research team on this episode of the podcast. Christine has a phenomenal background in education and walks us through some of the lessons we have learned during our journey in our research to discover why it is so important to strive towards building a learning organization. She continually connects to the essence of servant leadership by reminding us that it is all about the people and the relationships we make. Christine uses some great examples to teach the building blocks of a learning organization (supportive learning environment, concrete learning practices, & leadership that reinforces learning), illustrates the value of establishing a community of practice, and emphasizes the value of doing one thing with precision. 

Don't get too focused on the forest that you forget to see the trees as you listen. There are some great insights provided throughout this episode from our research and experience that are applicable across many disciplines and organizations that can transform a reactive training organization into a proactive learning organization. You can build processes that recognize the value of the individuals. on your teams and build practices that reinforce the ability of everyone to learn from one another. 

Christine Kresge is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Montrose Area School District where she is responsible for K-12 curriculum, Federal Programs, and grant writing. Prior to her nine years as a curriculum director, Christine was a middle school reading specialist, a fourth-grade teacher, and a seventh-grade teacher. She also spent time as a social worker working in a therapeutic capacity with children diagnosed with behavior disorders.

Christine holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work, a Master of Art in Teaching degree, a Principal K-12 certificate, and a Reading Specialist certificate. She is currently a third-year student at the University of Miami where she is pursuing her doctorate in Applied Learning Sciences.

Resources:

David Garvin, Amy Edmondson, & Francesca Gino - Is Yours a Learning Organization? 

is-yours-a-learning-organization

Mary Winkler & Saunji Fyffe - Strategies for Cultivating an Organizational Learning Culture

strategies_for_cultivating_an_organizational_learning_culture_2.pdf

Etienne & Beverly Wegner-Trayner - Introduction to communities of practice 

https://www.wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/