NSRF Connections Online

Welcome to NSRF Connections!

Knowing that educators are some of the busiest people on the planet, we are offering Connections in bite-sized pieces, more often. Each post below shows a brief summary, so you can decide whether you want to click through to read the whole article, and each article is designed as a relatively quick read. We will add content often, but only email you with an “index” of recent posts about four times per year.

Please fill out the form to “subscribe” so you can be informed whenever the content is updated.

You can also read this and any other older issue on our Connections Archives page.

“The Importance of Belonging” by Better Leaders Better Schools with NSRF’s Michele Mattoon

Daniel Bauer of Better Leaders Better Schools and NSRF's executive director, Michele Mattoon, discuss growing up in cultures around the world, Critical Friends Group® work, the necessity of a "sense of belonging," and how NSRF's protocols can work to build this sense of belonging in classrooms and also in our professional meetings. (30+ min podcast)

Making Zoom more human, humane, inclusive, and equitable: A TEDx talk

Director of NSRF Virtual Learning, Luci McKean, spoke at TEDxBloomington in April 2021 on Making Zoom more human, humane, equitable and inclusive. Watch her talk here!

To mute or not to mute? by Michele Mattoon

Muting ourselves during an online meeting is often polite and expected, but there are times when being "unmuted" can grow a sense of belonging ...

Pecha Kucha talk at NAIS Conference, Feb 2020

Six and a half minutes on the basics of protocol use, CFG work, and why we have presenters "separate" in some protocols, delivered at the NAIS conference in Feb 2020. (2min read + video)

Job opening for an admin with CFG experience

Job opportunity for a CFG coach! Check it out.

Graphic Scribing in Critical Friends Group Training

Working with a professional Scribe added value for the participants of this CFG training, and for me! (6.5 min. read)

What’s new at NSRF since Spring Break (part 1)

Of course we're all looking forward to the time when we can visit your schools to train people on-site, and invite people to Bloomington, Indiana for open trainings again. But in the meantime there's a huge need for Critical Friends Group work to continue. NSRF has created NEW virtual Micro-Trainings and MicroCredential Trainings to support educators! (4 min. read)

What’s new at NSRF since Spring Break (part 2)

Today, getting support and assistance from your Critical Friends may be more critical than any other time since our inception. NSRF has jumped into action creating Virtual Critical Friends Group Coaches' Trainings and MicroCredential Trainings leading toward a new Virtual CFG Coach certification! (5 min. read)

Wilderness Training & CFG Coaches’ Training?!

Similarities between CFG Training and Wilderness Training! Who'd have thought?! (3.5 min. read)

Facilitating in Virtual Environments, by Kevin Mabie Ed.D.

When “stay-at-home” orders first went into effect this past March, I was not sure how I was going to manage ... (7 min. read)