Collaborative Teams with Kurtis Hewson

Collaborative Teams with Kurtis Hewson

From The Principal's Handbook by Barb Flowers

March 10, 2026 · 51 min · Episode 136

About this episode

Barb Flowers discusses effective collaborative teams with Kurtis Hewson, focusing on meeting structures that enhance teacher collaboration.

In this episode, Barb talks with Kurtis Hewson about what makes collaborative teams truly effective and how principals can build a culture where teachers solve problems together. Kurtis shares simple meeting structures that increase psychological safety and shared ownership, like clear norms, roles, and a predictable agenda. He breaks down the “Collaborative Team Meeting” format that helps teams focus on key issues, swap strategies, and leave with one clear action to try. You’ll also learn how this approach connects PLCs and MTSS and reduces reactive meetings over time. Connect with Kurtis at Jigsaw Learning Download the Free Toolkit for Collaborative Teams Check out Barb's resource for Navigating Challenging Team Dynamics Learn more about today's sponsors, Renaissance, Playworks and IXL: Learn more about Renaissance: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching…

People in this episode

Host: Barb Flowers

Guest: Kurtis Hewson

Topics covered

  • collaborative teams
  • effective meetings
  • psychological safety
  • teacher collaboration
  • problem solving
  • educational leadership

Keywords

  • collaborative teams
  • psychological safety
  • meeting structures
  • educational leadership
  • teacher collaboration
  • PLCs
  • MTSS

Sponsors

Renaissance, Playworks, IXL

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Jigsaw Learning

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