SYSTEMS CHANGE FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD: BECOMING A CHANGEMAKE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Compass Education Level 2 Online Course

About the Course

Upcoming Dates in SY 2024-2025

  • 28 October – 15 December 2024
  • 31 March – 18 May 2025
Coming soon!

Course Fee

Product Price
Single Registration USD $419
School Cohort of 3-5 people USD $399/person
School Cohort of 6+ people USD $379/person

Note: Learn more about the Level 1 and Level 2 package here. Scholarships are available for public schools in developed countries and by application.

Who Can Participate

This course is designed for educators who have completed Compass Practitioner (Level 1) Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable World: A Systems Thinking Approach course and want to learn more about how to create systems change in their community.

Facilitators

This course is facilitated by certified Compass Facilitators. Check out our team of Compass Facilitators here.

Other Info

  • This course consists of blended synchronous and asynchronous learning that typically requires 2-3 hours per week. The course must be completed within seven weeks of the start date.
  • This course uses the Pyramid Lite process to help you create an action plan for taking action in your community. You will also learn about new systems thinking tools like Pyramid Lite, the Ladder of Inference, the Amoeba of Change, and more.
  • This is a Compass Educator (Level 2) certification course. After the course, interested educators will be eligible to apply for certification. To gain Compass Educator (Level 2) certification it is necessary to complete all activities to a satisfactory level and complete a final project that includes creating an action plan using the tools.

This course is also available as an on-site workshop at your school.  Click here to request info.

Please reach out to [email protected] if you need to discuss alternative payment options.

Course Overview

Do you want to make systemic change in your community? In this course, participants explore the challenges and means of integrating sustainability values, principles and practice into education. Special emphasis is placed on the use of systems thinking tools to bring about change and enhance teaching and learning. Systems thinking tools and methods will be demonstrated and participants will have the opportunity to explore their practical application within their own subject disciplines and as agents of change for school transformation

This is a seven-week cohort-based, asynchronous, facilitator-guided course, using both independent and collaborative learning methods.

Change-making and learning are both enhanced when working together with others! We highly encourage teams of teachers to sign up for this course together so that they can collaborate to deepen their learning and use it to create sustainable action plans they can implement together in their community.

Learn with your team

  • Build a shared language in your community for sustainability
  • Create lesson/unit plans with a partner
  • Have a thought partner (in addition to your facilitator!)
  • Use the money you save towards future sustainability projects! 

Cohort Pricing:

  • $369/person, 3-5 people
  • $329, 6+ people

Learning Outcomes

In this course, you will…

• Analyze their community as a system.
• Learn a structured process they can use to make sustainable systems change.
• Gain new tools for their systems thinking toolbox.
• Apply their learning to reflect on a “Central Challenge” in their context.
• Connect with a global cohort of like-minded educators working as agents of sustainable change.
• Explore real-world examples of tools in action from Compass Educators around the world.
• Receive personalized feedback to support their learning.
• Create an action plan for initiating systemic change in their community.

What will you take away from this course?

• A deeper understanding of systems, systemic change, and systems thinking.
• A step-by-step process for making systemic change in your community.
• An array of strategies useful for change-making.
• New systems tools that can be used to support powerful student learning.
• An action plan for bringing systems change to your community.
• A global professional network of educators working towards greater sustainability.

Certifications

Qualify to apply for Compass Education Level 2 “Compass Educator” Certification which can lead towards certification as a Compass Trainer (if all requirements are complete).

Who should participate?

Educators who have attended Compass Practitioner (Level 1) course and want to learn more about how to create systems change in their community.

Time Expectations

We suggest that educators set aside 2-3 hours per week to do the readings, participate in the discussions and complete the suggested exercises. The course is designed to be immediately applicable in your context and the exercises often relate to your school environment, which is a win-win in the implementation and use of the tools in your classroom.

In addition to the asynchronous participation in the course, you will be invited and strongly encouraged to participate in four optional synchronous sessions with your facilitators. We will do our best to accommodate timing for different time zones.

1-1 Facilitator Support

This course is unique from many online courses because of the focus that we place on supporting our participants in their learning journey. Every participant will be assigned a mentor/facilitator whose educator experience most aligns with theirs. Your facilitator will accompany you throughout, providing personalized feedback and the opportunity to dive deeper based on your context.

Lesson Outlines

Lesson 1: Engage Your Systems Thinking Toolbox

By the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

Identify the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Re-engage with the Sustainability Compass as a tool for analytical thinking.
• Re-engage with other systems thinking tools from the Compass Practitioner Course.

Lesson 2: The VISIS Pyramid

By the end of the lesson, you  will be able to:

Understand the basic elements of the Pyramid (VISIS) model as a sustainable action planning process.
Identify a personal “central challenge” to tackle with the Pyramid.

Lesson 3: Vision and Indicators

By the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

Create a personal vision of change for your community.
Identify indicators for understanding trends within your professional context.
Understand “What’s happening?” in your community regarding your “central challenge”.

Lesson 4: Systems

By the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

Recognize various systems archetypes.
Use a simulation to reflect on the difficulties associated with managing common resources.
• Create a systems map for your context.
• Understand why trends you notice surrounding your “central challenge” issue are happening.

Lesson 5: Innovation

By the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

Recognize your spheres of influence for making change.
Find potential leverage points to tackle your “central challenge”.

Lesson 6: Strategy

By the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

Understand the basic principles of innovation diffusion theory.
Use the Amoeba to develop strategy for introducing new ideas into group cultures, communities, and organisations.
Apply the Ladder of Inference to surface your decision making process.
Strategize how to achieve your sustainable action plan.

Lesson 7: Action Planning

By the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

Create an action plan that utilizes one or more of the tools/processes/ideas shared in this course in a contextually appropriate format.

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Facilitators

Laurence Myers

Compass Facilitator

Kath Lane

Compass Facilitator

Gitanjali Paul

Education Program Manager, Compass Facilitator

Kate Doré

Compass Facilitator

Elaine Reimann

Compass Facilitator

Caitlin Barnum

Compass Facilitator

Questions? We’d love to hear from you.

F.A.Q.

Yes!  Compass Education offers several opportunities for larger numbers of participants in both virtual and in person formats.  Please get in touch. 

The course is designed to run asynchronously but participants are encouraged to keep up a pace of one module per week.  Two to three additional live meetings are scheduled (optional) for interested participants who would like to dive deeper or speak directly with their facilitator. 

You can expect to feel comfortable using several new systems tools and integrating them in your classroom lessons.   There are quite a few other outcomes depending on how you show up for the course and what most captures your interest. 

Yes, we offer the same course as a two day onsite workshop.  See the professional development pages of our website. 

You can actively participate in the Level 2 course as long as you are able to identify a central challenge that you want to address using the new systems thinking tools (and familiar) that you will learn. As long as you choose a central challenge that you can still work on in your current context, you should also still be able to begin implementing your action plan which is the prerequisite for applying for Level 2 (Compass Educator) certification.

To become certified by Compass Education as a Compass Educator, you must:

Yes, in most schools this course would qualify.  Every school is different so please check with your school and reach out to our admin team if you have any questions. 

During the course you are encouraged to reach out to your facilitators with questions or with requests for individual support at any time.  We have several options to continue to learn and get support after the course is completed. 

We understand that unexpected situations can arise that detract from your energy to focus on learning with us.

  • If you defer your course before it begins, we can re-enrol you in another course scheduled within 1 year from your initial registration date.
  • If you re-enrol after the course has begun, we will charge a $100 re-enrollment fee to help cover the cost of our facilitators' energy, effort, and administrative costs.
  • If you are almost done with the course (more than half through/Lesson 5) when the course dates conclude, we may be able to arrange special accommodations to help you finish the course without re-enrollment.

We encourage you to communicate your needs with our team, if a situation arises that might lead you to defer.

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