Activity 1.1 | Shared Leadership and Peer Mentorship

The way we frame our questions and statements plays a crucial role in fostering a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and respect in shared leadership and peer mentoring. 

When we shift from judgment to curiosity, we create space for open dialogue, deeper reflection, and mutual understanding.

Examples of ways to start a conversation with a colleague when you may not understand or agree with a decision or action that they made:

Instead of saying: 

"Why did you take away Sue's special blanket? She was so upset."

We could frame it with curiosity: 

“What was your idea behind putting Sue's blanket away?"

This small shift invites conversation rather than defensiveness. It assumes positive intent and opens up an opportunity for learning and reflection rather than blame.

Similarly, how we talk about children shapes how we perceive and respond to them. Instead of:

"He is such a problem when we head outside."

We can reframe with curiosity: 

"I wonder what is happening with George when we get ready to go outside?"

This shift moves from labeling a child as a "problem" to exploring the underlying emotions, needs, or challenges they might be experiencing. It encourages us to approach behaviours with empathy and seek solutions collaboratively.

A colleague puts away a toy because children were fighting over it: 

“Why did you take that toy away? The children were having fun before that!”

We can shift to be curious: 

“I noticed you put the toy away, what were you thinking in that moment?”

This reframing acknowledges the colleague’s action without assuming a negative intent. It opens the door for them to share their reasoning, which could lead to a discussion about guiding conflict resolution rather than removing the toy altogether.

Reflect on a recent incident that you could view from a different perspective, and write about it in your journal to help contextualize the experience.