School Support Brainstorm

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Exchange concrete support practices and recognize achievements across school teams before an upcoming break.

Use it when: Use in communities of practice, staff meetings, or educator peer networks near the end of a school term or semester.

Skip it when: Skip during acute crisis interventions or early term planning when retrospective reflection and break planning are irrelevant.

Group arrangement: Individual silent reflection, then small breakout groups of 3 or 4 (or pairs as needed), ending with whole-room sharing.

Timing: UWT suggested timing based on a standard 3-prompt breakout and plenary harvest.

Materials and tools

• 1 printed reflection sheet or blank paper per participant
• 1 pen or pencil per participant
• Chart paper or digital whiteboard displaying the three prompt columns
• Sticky notes (optional for posting shared themes)

Before participants arrive

1. Write the three prompts clearly on a wall chart or shared screen: 1. Supporting Students & Families over Break, 2. Supporting Yourself & Staff, 3. Grateful or Proud of from Last Semester.
2. Ensure participants have paper and writing tools or access to the shared board.

Say this to open

Welcome. As we near the break, we want to share concrete ways we are supporting our school communities and each other. We will use three prompts. Take three minutes on your own to jot down your thoughts. Write only what you want to share. After that, we will talk in small groups.

How to run it

1. Introduce prompts and reflect silently 4 minutes

   Read the opening script. Point to the three prompts. Participants spend 3 minutes writing individual notes on student support, staff well-being, and semester reflections. Example: under student support, someone might write 'Distributed food pantry resource list before Friday dismissal.'

2. Discuss in breakout groups 10 minutes

   Divide participants into groups of 3 or 4. If the group has 4 or 5 people, they can work as a single group or split into pairs. Each person takes roughly 2 minutes to share notes across the prompts. Groups note common ideas and practical resources.

3. Harvest key takeaways as a whole group 7 minutes

   Bring everyone back together. Ask each small group to share one practical support tip and one success or gratitude point. Take up to 2 contributions per prompt so the room stays within time.

4. Debrief and close 4 minutes

   Facilitate a brief debrief using the provided questions. Invite participants to note one practical idea they can apply this week.

Debrief questions

• Which support idea shared today is most feasible for your context before the break?
• What common challenge did you notice across different classrooms or roles?
• What is one positive practice from this term that you want to maintain next semester?

Finished output: A shared list of practical break-support actions and documented staff celebrations.

Remote

Display the three prompts on a collaborative board (such as EasyRetro, Miro, or a shared document). Participants type individual cards for 3 minutes. Send participants into breakout rooms of 3 or 4 for 10 minutes. Reconvene in the main room and have a spokesperson from each room highlight one idea per column.

Hybrid

Pair in-person participants with in-person peers and remote participants with remote breakout rooms. Use a single shared online board for all written entries so both cohorts see the full set of ideas during the plenary harvest.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may share verbally, contribute via written notes, or participate as an active listener without speaking.
• Sharing personal reflections is completely voluntary; participants may focus solely on logistical school resources without personal disclosure.

If the session gets stuck

Conversations turn into venting sessions about systemic burnout rather than constructive support.

Acknowledge the heavy workload plainly, then redirect focus: 'Those systemic challenges are real. For our remaining time, let us focus on what is within our direct control this week.'

One participant dominates the small group time.

Before breakouts begin, ask groups to use an informal timekeeper and ensure each speaker gets roughly two minutes.

Terms used here

• Community of Practice: A group of practitioners who meet regularly to share concerns, solve problems, and learn from each other.