How has your definition of leadership altered or been reinforced? Your definition of teacher leadership?
My definition of leadership hasn't been altered but instead reinforced. According to dictionary.com, leadership is defined as "a person who guides or directs a group" which is what I view a person in a leadership position to do. The book, "How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader," describes the essential characteristics of an influential leader, some of which include being honest and ethical, organized, empathetic and supportive, resourceful, fair, accepting, and forward-thinking. When picturing a positive leader, these are all characteristics that I would hope the person would possess. My definition of teacher leadership has changed throughout this course. I had mostly viewed leadership with the educational setting as a principal or other administrator. The text pointed out many positions that teachers can take on in leadership roles without going into administration like a grade level or subject area leader, mentor, peer coach, host teacher, technology leader, and many more.
Has your opinion of your leadership potential changed?
As discussed in other previous blog posts and forum discussions, I think the way many schools select their teacher leaders might not be the best way, as also described in the text. Many department chairs get that title from having the most seniority and not necessarily because they would be the best person for that role. With all of the various ways teachers can take on leadership positions, each can find a role that will best fit their interests and capitalize on their skills.
Do you agree with our textbook's assertion about "improving education from within"? If so, what will you do to help?
I think improving education from within is certainly a fine statement to make. The administration and the teachers they lead are what make the school run. If changes are going to be made and made to stick, they are going to need to happen from within with the teachers' support and buy-in. Within the past year, I've really taken the initiative to be the technology leader for our system. I am serving on the technology committee as well as the technology coach for the system. With the tech coach position, I am able to carry out professional development opportunities for the teachers to learn more about technology and integration into the classroom. I will also continue to serve on our 1:1 initiative committee as our system is researching the best options to fit our needs. I'm excited to be part of this fast-paced, always changing area of education!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
CEDO 565 Week 5
The part in Chapter 6 that I could relate the most to was "Map the Curriculum". "You were hired right out of college, obtained a job a few weeks before the school year started, and were told that you would be teaching 9th & 11th grade. You were given copies of the state and local objectives, teacher editions, and maybe even paired with a mentor. But when all was said and done, you needed to develop lesson plans, activities, and assessments for a curriculum that was largely unfamiliar to you." This scenario was actually more than I was given as I started my teaching career. I was given the very rough, incomplete lesson plans from the previous teacher for one class and nothing for the other 4 classes I was responsible for teaching. I had to contact the textbook publishers so I would at least have a few teacher editions and student textbooks so I could pull resources and ideas from. It was very scary. Now that I have a good handle on the content for each of the courses, I have been able to put together a curriculum map for each course. Like the book said, I think of it as a working document. It isn't something that I feel pressure to stick to exactly in regards to doing the same activities but I do cover the same objectives each time I teach the course but how I get from A to Z sometimes varies.
Another key point I pulled from this chapter is "Make work meaningful." That is SO important. I hate feeling like I have to do an assignment just to do something or fill time and I don't want my students to feel like that. By making the material something that the students can relate to on some level makes it come alive and the learning is brought to a whole new level.
Finally, the last two points - "communicate frequently with parents" and "involve the guidance department" are two things that are very much stressed at our school. It is expected that as soon as we see a dip in grades, motivation, behavior, etc, that we contact parents, as well as copy the guidance counselor, learning services, and the associate principal on the parent email. The idea of customer service and parent communication is one of the key foundations for us as teachers at our school.
Another key point I pulled from this chapter is "Make work meaningful." That is SO important. I hate feeling like I have to do an assignment just to do something or fill time and I don't want my students to feel like that. By making the material something that the students can relate to on some level makes it come alive and the learning is brought to a whole new level.
Finally, the last two points - "communicate frequently with parents" and "involve the guidance department" are two things that are very much stressed at our school. It is expected that as soon as we see a dip in grades, motivation, behavior, etc, that we contact parents, as well as copy the guidance counselor, learning services, and the associate principal on the parent email. The idea of customer service and parent communication is one of the key foundations for us as teachers at our school.
Monday, September 12, 2011
CEDO 565 Week 4 Reflection
Boy, did the break in class come at a great point. With school starting it was so chaotic and I can't imagine having to thinking about Stritch homework/responsibilities as well as the start of school responsibilities. Things are still pretty crazy but hopefully starting to settle down here soon.
Thinking back to the last week of class, the simulation/game was interesting and frustrating. Our group worked really well together and had some thoughtful, meaningful conversations when trying to make our decisions. We thought we were on track and then would get slammed with negative feedback. It was frustrating to say the least but definitely simulated many examples of change in real life. The process in the simulation seemed to go so slowly. When I say that, I'm not referring to how quickly/slowly Louis got around to each group to give the feedback but I'm talking about the order of steps/actions taken to move each of the individuals from the beginning to the end. It was a lot of prep work, awareness building, communication with all of the stakeholders (to get them informed and on board), team building, and training. It certainly parallels real-life, that's for sure!
Our group was able to move many of the individuals about halfway through the "change" process. It seems like we would have needed double the amount of time to get everyone where they need to be. Now that we know the beginning steps needed in order to advance, we might be able to move a bit faster from the start but I really wonder how you could get everyone from A to Z in only the 3 year time period. Has any group ever been able to do so?
Thinking back to the last week of class, the simulation/game was interesting and frustrating. Our group worked really well together and had some thoughtful, meaningful conversations when trying to make our decisions. We thought we were on track and then would get slammed with negative feedback. It was frustrating to say the least but definitely simulated many examples of change in real life. The process in the simulation seemed to go so slowly. When I say that, I'm not referring to how quickly/slowly Louis got around to each group to give the feedback but I'm talking about the order of steps/actions taken to move each of the individuals from the beginning to the end. It was a lot of prep work, awareness building, communication with all of the stakeholders (to get them informed and on board), team building, and training. It certainly parallels real-life, that's for sure!
Our group was able to move many of the individuals about halfway through the "change" process. It seems like we would have needed double the amount of time to get everyone where they need to be. Now that we know the beginning steps needed in order to advance, we might be able to move a bit faster from the start but I really wonder how you could get everyone from A to Z in only the 3 year time period. Has any group ever been able to do so?
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