
THE BIG QUESTIONS INSTITUTE
An immersive, two-day experience to explore, imagine, and strategize around the opportunities and challenges of school in 2020 and beyond.
With Homa Tavangar and Will Richardson
Philadelphia
November 15 & 16
9am - 3pm
Atlanta
January 10 & 11
9am - 3pm

Welcome to the Big Questions Institute, two compelling days among passionate educators exploring the leadership and learning questions you know you need to ask but never seem to have the time or brain space for.
"The beauty of new questions is that they change the framework of our thinking; they also take everyone beyond their own wheelhouses. And that tends to make people less rigid, more respectful, and more cooperative." ~Rex Miller, Humanizing the Education Machine
The Big Questions Institute tackles the issues that will distinguish leaders in the longer run, that nurture future-ready students, and that are much harder to devise quick fixes to. Facilitated by experts in school change, culture, globalization and technology, the Institute offers a space free of evaluation, where curiosity and creativity, informed by research and experience, guide inquiry.
Provocations, deep dives, and best practices will explore four broad categories:
- preparing students for a decidedly different future of life and work
- situating our practice in the current contexts of culture, equity, and globalization
- strategies for dealing with the complex yet urgent pull toward institutional change.
- using questions as powerful tools for exploration of mission, vision, and culture.
A DEEP DIVE INTO THE FUTURE OF LEARNING AND BEING
We are thrilled to offer this powerful new professional learning opportunity featuring two of the preeminent authorities on learning and thriving in global contexts. Join Homa Tavangar, award-winning author and adviser to diverse organizations and schools around the world on culture, diversity, innovation and globalization trends, and Will Richardson, a globally recognized leader in modern learning systems and practices and change leadership, as they take you on an exploration into the most important questions of our time in education. Along with the questions YOU bring, we’ll consider questions like:
- What does it mean to be “literate” today? How can we make sure we ourselves are literate enough to guide our students?
- What leadership skills are needed to navigate an uncertain future? How do leaders stay abreast of change?
- How do we situate equity, diversity and inclusion more centrally in our work, and integrate EDI into global competence?
- How might we foster an environment of cultural competence across curriculum and community?
This workshop will challenge you. It will inspire you. And you’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of what this moment requires of us and of our students as they face an increasingly complex and uncertain future.
What They're Saying About the BQI





What you'll take from this experience:
- A deeper understanding of modern literacy and the ways in which we need to upskill ourselves and our students.
- A clearer sense of what global and cultural competence entails and how to build it in classrooms and school culture.
- A framework for building relevant and sustainable change in your school or district.
- Tools and strategies for building equity, diversity, and inclusion into all aspects of your work.
- Connection to a global community of modern leaders asking these questions and others on an ongoing basis.
- An opportunity to reflect and recharge; then return home to nurture a culture where asking big questions is encouraged.
Who should attend?
- School superintendents, principals, and heads who want to engage in high level conversations around preparing students for a fast-changing, more complex future.
- Teachers and leaders interested in building a greater understanding of racial, cultural and global competence.
- School Board members supportive of different ways of thinking about existing school models and practices.
- School community members who see the urgent need to begin and sustain conversations around modern change in schools.
- Individuals engaged in considering the needs of a school or district over the next 5-10 years, for strategic planning purposes.
Lab Details
TIME: Check in and continental breakfast at 8:45 am. Session runs 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Cost: $499
($425 per person for groups of 5 or more)
Price includes continental breakfast, drinks all-day, hot lunch buffet, and afternoon snacks each day. Participants should bring a laptop for hands-on activities. (Attendance is limited to 30 maximum impact.)
Schedule Overview:
Day 1
- Introductions and student empathy walk
- Our burning questions
- Modern contexts as a lens for inquiry
- Meta Changes
- Global Competencies
- Learning in the Modern World
- Interrogating your story
- Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry
Day 2
- The “Big Four” inquiries
- 5D Appreciative Inquiry Cycle
- Working through the cycle
- Planning for a practice of inquiry
- Reflections on our “radical” selves
Questions? Please email Will Richardson.
PHILADELPHIA LAB
Date: November 15 & 16
Location:
The Shipley School,
814 Yarrow St.
Bryn Mawr, PA
ATLANTA LAB
Date: January 10 & 11
Location:
Atlanta International School
2890 North Fulton Dr. NE
Atlanta, GA

DEVELOPING POWERFUL MODERN LEARNERS
Boston, MA - Dec. 2
BIG QUESTIONS INSTITUTE
Philadelphia - Nov. 15 & 16
Atlanta - Jan. 10 & 11

About Modern Learners Labs
Modern Learners Labs are intensive, interactive, and interesting one and two-day workshops designed to push your thinking and your practice to help you see what's possible for classrooms and schools in the modern world. Facilitated by the experienced, passionate team at Modern Learners, our Labs are small in number by design, but they are big on practical strategies for today's most important educational opportunities and challenges.
For additional information, please email Will Richardson.
Philadelphia
November 15 & 16
9am - 3pm
Atlanta
January 10 & 11
9am - 3pm
Register today!
Philadelphia
November 15 & 16
9am - 3pm
Atlanta
January 10 & 11
9am - 3pm
Meet your Modern Learners Lab coaches
We're uniquely positioned to lead your journey.



About Modern Learners Labs
Modern Learners Labs are intensive, interactive, and interesting one and two-day workshops designed to push your thinking and your practice to help you see what's possible for classrooms and schools in the modern world. Facilitated by the experienced, passionate team at Modern Learners, our Labs are small in number by design, but they are big on practical strategies for today's most important educational opportunities and challenges.
For additional information, please email Will Richardson.