What are Learning Exchanges?

Learning Exchanges (LEs) support ambitious, equitable, and durable schooling outcomes that prepare children and youth as workers, citizens, and family and community members.

LEs focus on learning from and with each other to act collectively. Leadership in the learning exchange lexicon is a function of many, not solely invested in a person or a group of persons. Leadership is collective and relational, not individual and top down. By focusing our efforts on relational trust, dialogue, and reciprocal learning as indispensable prerequisites of effective change, LEs amplify and accomplish a balanced set of academic, social-emotional, and civic outcomes. 

Our theory of action: teams from schools, and community organizations experience and practice LE processes, and then customize and transfer those practices to the larger learning community.
​Lynda Tredway

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Creating Gracious Space

We have grounded our work in that done first by the Centre for Ethical Leadership, that focuses on cultivating leadership and change capacity which advances social change. We too wish to support individual, institutional and community transformation necessary to creating healthy, just and inclusive communities. 

Within international schools we have teams of well-meaning people who still have significant differences in cultures, values and beliefs. Ethical Leadership requires the creation of spaces that engage conversations and give voice and value to all those within the communtiy.

What is Gracious Space? 

Spirit

Gracious Space has many elements, such as welcoming, compassion, curiosity, humor, that we each embody. When we bring these elements with us into relationships, we are “being” Gracious Space. 

Setting

Gracious Space has a physical dimension that can support or impede our ability to feel productive, healthy and connected with our work and with others. What is gracious about the room you are in right now? 

Invite the stranger

Gracious Space moves into a “systems” perspective when we invite the “stranger.” Borrowed from Parker Palmer, the term “stranger” refers to any individual who is not typically involved in the conversation; someone with a different background, perspective, skin color, gender, geographic orientation, or any other quality that may make him or her seem different. We need the “stranger” when we are considering complex and new ideas; we need multiple perspectives to broaden our viewpoints before decision making lest we take actions that are too narrow-minded or short-term. Inviting the stranger is a strategic decision that is not always necessary. And it’s good to remember that we are each the stranger to someone else. 

Learn in public

The second “systems” approach of Gracious Space is to apply deep listening and learning to the diversity you have gathered into Gracious Space. Learning in Public requires humility, a willingness to explore assumptions, let go of the “right way” of doing things, and being willing to change one’s mind.

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