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The DPS Skills program offers a variety of workshops designed to support all DPS team members. During these workshops, you will have the opportunity to focus on personal and professional development while sharing experiences with your teammates from across DPS.
2023-24 Skills Workshop Dates
Disrupting Bias
This session provides experiences in exploring the topics of equity, bias and its impact on school communities and work environments. The content includes the comparison of implicit, explicit and oppression based bias with opportunities for participants to learn about the development of bias and to reflect on their personal bias. To learn how to disrupt bias, participants will discuss and practice the Detect, Reflect and Reject strategy.
- January 15, 2025 In-Person 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Bias 2.0
Implicit and explicit biases are impacting our relationships with self and others every minute of every day. This training is designed for individuals who have already participated in the Disrupting Bias training, as we will continue to build on the self-awareness tools shared in that session. Learners will have the opportunity to examine bias within themselves and the environment they live in. We will then explore strategies to recognize and manage bias. Everyone will leave with action steps to support their work with students and colleagues.
- February 5, 2025 In-Person 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Micro-Aggressions
Micro-aggressions are subtle yet offensive comments or actions directed at a non-dominant group that are often unintentional and can unconsciously reinforce stereotypes. This workshop provides learners an opportunity to explore micro-aggressions at a deeper level through engaging discussions and activities, and provides tools to help you spot and counteract them in your everyday life.
- February 12, 2025 In-Person 1:00 - 4:00 PM
LGBTQ+
Participants will begin to understand the experiences and identities of our LGBTQ+ students and colleagues. We will enhance our ability to create a more inclusive DPS through the language we use, the identities we create inclusion for and the self-awareness of our privilege.
- January 29, 2025 In-Person 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Communicating with Influence
The ability to communicate effectively is an important skill for everyone. Communicating with Influence is a skill that adds the dimension of empowerment, i.e., empowering self and others to act in such a way that change occurs and/or results are achieved. During this workshop, we will discuss theories of communication and style, as well as the driving principles of communication and how being more aware of your communication style and the styles of others can lead to achieving your desired results. Using these skills, you will build and role-play strategies to communicate with influence in your professional and personal lives.
- April 23, 2025 In-Person 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Leading with EQ
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to recognize and manage emotions to enhance our ability to build relationships and strengthen our capacity to make good decisions. Learners will explore theories and models of EQ, as well as the physiology of emotions. We will learn how to identify "triggers" and apply tools to successfully manage interactions with others.
- April 9, 2025 In-Person 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Navigating Change
Change is constant and is the one thing we all experience in our personal and professional lives. For some of us change can be challenging, yet for others it can be a welcomed opportunity. During this workshop learners will discuss those things that drive change, as well as the role of transitions play in change. Learners will develop and improve their skills to help lead change at DPS.
- March 12, 2025 In-Person 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Building Cultural Competency and Consciousness
This workshop provides individuals, or teams upon request, with the opportunity to build and grow in their cultural competency and consciousness. Participants will gain skills to be more conscious of biases that exist in our world and our work. By the end of this workshop, participants will grow a deeper understanding of the levels and archetypes of culture, navigate conversations with empathy, and learn how to include culture and cultural competence principles within the scope of their work. Participants are asked to take the IDI Assessment as a part of the workshop. Once you register you will receive an email with IDI Assessment information. If you have completed the IDI assessment within the past year, you will not need to retake it.- March 19, 2025 In-Person 1:00 - 4:00 PM
LGBTQ+ 2.0
***PRE-REQUISITE - You must have attended DPS LGBTQ+ 1.0 SKILLS within the last 3 years.
This PD is an opportunity to reflect, look inward and consider what needs dismantling and rebuilding within yourself and your department/team in order to create spaces for LGBTQ+ students can thrive.
The LGBTQ+ 2.0 workshop centers the voices of our students through a documentary film produced over the 22-23 school year. Through the stories and perspectives of 16 students in 13 DPS high schools, Reclaiming the Narrative, reframes commonly held stories about LGBTQ+ youth and celebrates their intersectional identities.
- February 19, 2025 In-Person 1:00 - 4:00 PM
