Please post by midnight October 14, 2012- respond to TWO of your classmates posting.
Chapter 3: Crafting a Blueprint for Leadership
A.B. Combs continued to refine their leadership approach by researching the best ways to teach students the skills needed in the 21st century. This chapter identifes their methods and their blueprint for success.
1. Why is it important for the vision and missin to be visible to everyone? (integrate both Peters and Covey's thoughts on this)
2. What do "quality tools" bring to the table?
3. What are the key benefits of using Data Notebooks?
4. A.B. Combs uses a foundation of 7 Habits and Baldrige Tools. However, they stay abreast of new educational methods and incorporate them if they align with their vision and mission. List and define three educational strategies that you think would benefit A.B. Combs Elementary School. Explain why you would share those strategies.
5. Locate a school (you can choose one in the book or another) and email a teacher or administrator. Develop a few questions to ask. Share your findings here. To find more Leadership schools go to www.theleaderinme.org.
Chapter 4: Aligning for Success
1. How would placing the word "leader" after a title impact a person's image of himself or herself?
2. Why was it important that all saff, not just teachers, be trained in the 7 Habits the first year?
3. Many change efforst in schools fail. A.B. Combs paused to review four components and it made all the difference. What are the four components? Why would reviewing each of thse make a difference?
Chapter 3: Crafting a Blueprint for Leadership
ReplyDelete1. Why is it important for the vision and mission to be visible to everyone? (Integrate both Peters and Covey's thoughts on this)
Mission and vision statements simply state what you plan to do and how to plan to accomplish them. Covey says that it is intended to remind you of why you come to school every day. According to Peters, mission statements lead schools into the path of success, but if they are not collaboratively written they will not deliver results.
2. What do "quality tools" bring to the table?
The principles of quality tools are intended to help leaders improve their decision-making, problem-solving, efficiency, and innovation skills. The tools also help students who learn visually. The teachers felt that the quality tools and principles would enable them as teachers and as a school to better analyze, measure, and track their progress toward key goals.
3. What are the key benefits of using Data Notebooks?
Data Notebooks provide students with constant feedback and because the information kept in the notebook is students specific; it keeps the students from comparing themselves to other students.
4. A.B. Combs uses a foundation of 7 Habits and Baldrige Tools. However, they stay abreast of new educational methods and incorporate them if they align with their vision and mission. List and define three educational strategies that you think would benefit A.B. Combs Elementary School. Explain why you would share those strategies.
Service learning is a type of teaching that combines academic content with civic responsibility in a community project. The learning is structured and supervised and enables the student to reflect on what has taken place. I think this would be a great educational strategy because Combs is school that enjoys collaborative effort. A community project would also be a great way to break off into small groups and give everyone a chance to be a leader.
Interdisciplinary teaching involves combining two different topics into one class. Instructors who participate in interdisciplinary teaching find that students approach the material differently, while faculty members also have a better appreciation of their own discipline content. I chose this strategy because it resembles the ubiquitous strategy. This strategy could also maximize instructional time by making room for a something that there was no room for before.
http://pedagogy.merlot.org/TeachingStrategies.html
Integrating Technology is a excellent strategy for not only Combs but any school because technology is the ever growing and ever changing way of tomorrow. Technology is everywhere so to put it into the classrooms where students spend the majority of their time will help them to use it in a positive way.
http://www.gmu.edu/resources/facstaff/part-time/strategy.html
5. Locate a school (you can choose one in the book or another) and email a teacher or administrator. Develop a few questions to ask. Share your findings here. To find more Leadership schools go to www.theleaderinme.org.
I contacted Sheri Schjolberg from Stanton Elementary School in Fenton, Missouri. I am awaiting her response.
Jameon, you did such a good job with very precise answers! What a skill! I liked the three strategies you presented. I hadn't thought about service learning but that is an excellent strategy, one that involves giving and receiving. This will also tie the students and community to each other and help strengthen both. I will be interested to hear what the elementary school in Missouri has to say when you hear back.
DeleteJemeon I love your strategies that you use especially Service learning and Integrating Technology. I would have never thought about using a service learning strategies in the classroom. Also I like integrating technology because technology is the fasting growing topic in education and you can do so much with it instead just a boring lectures or writing. You can have your student make podcast, magazines, wiki, and videos to catch the interest of students.
DeleteChapter 4: Aligning for Success
ReplyDelete1. How would placing the word "leader" after a title impact a person's image of himself or herself?
I believe that placing the word “leader” after a title would positively impact their image of themselves. Placing the word “leader” after anyone’s title would give them a since of entitlement and responsibility. They would feel proud to carry that word behind their title and feel as though they had a duty to fufill. Some of the students in the book proved that someone who isn’t on the right path could change for the better by having the word leader placed after their title.
2. Why was it important that all staff, not just teachers, be trained in the 7 Habits the first year?
It is important for all staff to be trained in the 7 Habits because Together Everyone Achieves More which is an acronym for team. In order for any team to succeed, everyone must play their integral part. Without the entire staff onboard there is no way something as important as the 7 Habits would work.
3. Many change efforts in schools fail. A.B. Combs paused to review four components and it made all the difference. What are the four components? Why would reviewing each of these make a difference?
The four components that A.B. Combs reviewed were mission, vision, strategy, and leadership. Your mission statement tells your purpose, the vision tells what you want to accomplish, the strategy tells how you plan to accomplish the two, and leadership is the way you implement your strategy. These four components build from one another and they are a major part of any establishment’s foundation. Reviewing the components makes a difference because by doing so the original purpose is remembered and you continue to achieve.
I'm sure the title "leader" would prove very powerful to the person bearing it! I have titles beside the names of some of the people in my email addresses and they have commented to me how important it makes them feel when they gets emails from me with the words "Exceptional" or "the Great" attached to their names. It puts a smile on their face and makes them feel loved. I'm sure the title "leader" has the same effect.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHaving a mission, vision, strategy, and leadership also helps in not just business but a person's personal relationships. This would be especially true in a family unit. Having these elements in the family unit gives the family a sense of purpose.
DeleteI wonder what your thoughts are about the clerical, bus drivers, custodians and cafeteria workers being involved in the type of PD. This is not how it has typically worked...
DeleteChapter 3 -#1. Why is it important for the vision and mission to be visible to everyone? (Integrate both Peters and Covey's thoughts on this)
ReplyDeleteOne reason it is important to have the vision and mission visible to everyone is so everyone knows what they are. Another reason to have these posted is to have a visual reminder, continually, on what is most important. Covey shares that these provide clarity and have true value and meaning. The students know how they can contribute to make the school a success. Peters states that a shared vision provides direction, that students and leaders must “see” the vision to achieve it. Leaders that can clearly articulate the direction are more likely to get others to follow their path. I think of vision and mission as “where are we going and how are we going to get there”, similar to beginning with the end in mind. Visualization is a great tool for success.
Chapter 3 - #2. What do "quality tools" bring to the table? The quality tools that are being used in The Leader in Me schools are techniques that have been used and proven in the business and industrial world. In this way, A.B. Combs did not have to “re-invent” the wheel and start from scratch. By using these tools, (fishbone diagram/cause and effect chart, checklists, and other visual charts and graphs) the students were able to effectively collaborate and solve problems.
Chapter 3 -#3. What are the key benefits of using Data Notebooks? Data notebooks serve as personal records of goals and achievements. The notebooks are also a tool students can use to share their achievements with others. A key benefit is that the notebooks provide students with timely feedback which helps to drive achievement. Notebooks represent only one student so the student is not being compared to others, good or bad. The notebooks also serve as visual cues for the students of where they are going and how far they have come already.
Chapter 3- #4. A.B. Combs uses a foundation of 7 Habits and Baldrige Tools. However, they stay abreast of new educational methods and incorporate them if they align with their vision and mission. List and define three educational strategies that you think would benefit A.B. Combs Elementary School. Explain why you would share those strategies.
One strategy I would recommend would be “match mine”. Two students are paired together. The first student draws and then describes the drawing to the second student. The second student must try to reproduce the first drawing using only the verbal description provided by the first student. I would recommend this strategy because it incorporates both hemispheres of the brain at the same time and uses higher order thinking skills. Students are speaking, listening, moving/drawing, creating, communicating, and problem-solving and developing relationships.
A second strategy I would recommend would be work studies/apprenticeships. This would provide students with real-world experience and application. Dr. Tate presented this as one of the brain-based learning strategies. Students stay engaged and learn from these experiences. Students can also develop leadership characteristics in different capacities.
A third strategy the use of construction of three-dimension models, especially in science, social studies, and math. This strategy involves the brain in thinking and creating as well as problem-solving. For example, designing a cell phone case that has improved feature(s) over current cases available or learning about weight distribution by making models of different kinds of bridges to see how different structures support weight.
Chapter 3 - #5. Locate a school (you can choose one in the book or another) and email a teacher or administrator. Develop a few questions to ask. Share your findings here. To find more Leadership schools go to www.theleaderinme.org.
Please see seperate post. Thanks!
I also believe that having the title leader allows for a person to have a sense of responsibility and accountability. This will lead them into building better decision making skills and help them work on interpersonal skills.
DeleteRebecca,
DeleteI thought your interview with the teacher in Decatur was thought provoking and informative. Many schools in that area have been involved for quite some time with the Seven TLIM. I liked that they were taking their time and loved her honesty. When reading the books it seems so easy to implement and duplicate. I have heard some WONDERFUL stories of how this has changed the lives of not only the students but their families as well.
ABSOLUTELY love your strategies.
Rebecca,
DeleteYou mention that they did not have to “ reinvent the wheel” when they decided to use the “quality tools” because these tools have already been proven in the business and industrial world. I actually have had some experience with Dr. Deming’s strategies. My Bachelors degree is in industrial engineering and we studied Dr. Deming’s strategy called Total Quality Management. I worked at United Defense in Anniston where they were supposed to be using Total Quality Management, but unfortunately they were not. In Total Quality Management everyone is supposed to work together to provide information that will make all processes run smoothly and more efficiently. The top managers listen to the recommendations of the people that work on the line and actually make the parts. In the education world it would be nice if teachers could take advice from students on how to teach a class and superintendents of education would listen to the classroom teachers’ advice on how we should teach the students.
It is really nifty that you have first hand experience with the quality tools. I agree, it would be nice for teachers to receive input from students and superintendents to receive input from teachers. Maybe when Dr. Alexander gets her all-boys school set-up, we can go teach there and she will allow input from teachers and students, after all, it IS supposed to be an ideal setting!
DeleteChapter 3 - #5. Locate a school (you can choose one in the book or another) and email a teacher or administrator. Develop a few questions to ask. Share your findings here. To find more Leadership schools go to www.theleaderinme.org.
ReplyDeleteI was able to visit Falkville Elementary School, a Title 1 school in Morgan County, which is in their second year of being a Leader in Me school. I spoke with Anna Henderson, a fourth grade teacher with over 25 years of teaching experiences. Among the questions I asked were: Do you feel the Leader in Me (LIM) program makes a difference? Have you seen a change in the students? and Would you recommend this training to other schools?
From our discussion I learned that the entire school, K-12, is involved with the LIM program. Mrs. Henderson is a strong proponent of the Leader in Me system and the 7 Habits. Her school started slowly and spent most of last year learning the program and teaching the students the vocabulary. This year they have added the words throughout the halls and placed their tree at the entrance to the school. Next year, the school plans to add the use of data notebooks. LIM training is incorporated into everything they do and teach, from lesson plans to discipline. Mrs. Henderson hears the children use the terminology from the 7 Habits all the time in conversing with others, such as “let’s think win-win” or “begin with the end in mind”. Mrs. Henderson says the LIM principles are readily adapted and learned by the students but it is the teachers who are have more difficulty learning how to incorporate the principles into lessons and teaching. She also stated that the 7 Habits have carried over into her personal life and it is a wonderful improvement. The students also use the 7 Habits outside of the classroom.
She said "The 7 Habits just become a way of life!"
I enjoyed your interview, I like that you chose someone who was an experience teacher that has been in a class before the 7 habits was implemented in to her school or even around. She was able to tell the difference that the program has made from her honest opinion.
DeleteChapter 4 -#1. How would placing the word "leader" after a title impact a person's image of himself or herself? The word “leader” would cause a student to pause and think about what a leader was and how he or she could be a leader. This is the power of suggestion in action! I liked what Justin Osterstrom, a fourth grade teacher, said about what giving leadership roles did for the students. Osterstrom said it “empowered the students”. What a positively commanding concept, empowerment!
ReplyDeleteChapter 4 - #2. Why was it important that all staff, not just teachers, be trained in the 7 Habits the first year? For the organization to be the most successful, EVERYONE needs to be on board. The 7 Habits are about changing the culture of the school and the community. It is not just about the time spent learning in the classroom. If the students only saw the teachers involved and did not see all the support staff on board, the idea would be conveyed that this is only important in the classroom and not elsewhere.
Chapter 4 - #3. Many change efforts in schools fail. A.B. Combs paused to review four components and it made all the difference. What are the four components? Why would reviewing each of these make a difference? The four components are vision, mission, strategy, and implementation. All of these components have to work together to take the school in the right direction towards success. Over time, values and priorities change in any culture. It is important to review these components to make sure the school and culture are still on the right track. Each component has a distinction role to play in successful schools and is dependent on the other components for optimal success.
I love the model of clerical, custodial and bus drivers on board. It says EVERYONE is valued.
DeleteI like the way you answered question number two. Everyone mingles with the students during the day at some point so everyone should be trained so the students can see the importance of leadership all over the school.
DeleteChapter 3
ReplyDelete1. Why is it important for the vision and missin to be visible to everyone? (integrate both Peters and Covey's thoughts on this).
Leadership is a word that has many elements some suited for elemntary children. The ones that are suited for children are having a vision, having specific goals and actions and a mission. They must have a clear strategy/blueprint.
2. What do "quality tools" bring to the table?
quality tools are that help students to practice principles such as good decision making, problem solving,efficiency and innovation skills. Example of the tools are the venn diagram bar graphs and force field analysis.
3. What are the key benefits of using Data Notebooks?
Data notebooks is a tool that ties together 7 habits and the quality principles. the students would record data in a three ring binder to record personal and academic goals and chart their progress. These provide the student with ongoing timely feedback in which they were able to compare themselves and not other students. It was also used to track students as a class and their progress. It gave everyone a sense of accomplishment and pride.
4. A.B. Combs uses a foundation of 7 Habits and Baldrige Tools. However, they stay abreast of new educational methods and incorporate them if they align with their vision and mission. List and define three educational strategies that you think would benefit A.B. Combs Elementary School. Explain why you would share those strategies.
- rigor,relevance and relationships- this emphasis on using real world authentic tasks over worksheets. I would use this strategy because it seems to allow kinestic learners to excel and also would be good for future vocational success. I would use hands on exercises for these type of learners
- 7 correlates of effective schools reflects a clear and focused mission , a safe and orderly environment, a climate for high expectations, frequent monitoring of students progress and positive home-school relationships. This strategy is an involvement of both community and individuals providing an environment for the schools success. I would divide the class into groups to perform certain subjects such as social studies and have them do a small play of their area of content.
- Emotional intelligences- invites students and teachers to bring 100 % of their energy and excellence to whatever they do. It covers such topics as trust, quality, living well, learning from one another and staying calm under pressure. This strategy , in my eyes, is fundamental to any success due to interpersonal relationships. Again, I would use group sessions to do a subject but I would have the group describe what might a character maybe feeling from a story or a person or group of people might feel during a certain time in history.
5. I tried to contact the Principal at Falkville Elementary School Mr. Pat Smith but I didnt get a reply.
Per Pat Smith
DeleteIam glad to help. I will number my answers below to match your 2 questions.
1. There have been no surprises in the process. We are implementing The 7 Habits and are in year 2. The book study was the first step in this process.
2. The most challenging part of implementing the book study was time to meet and do the required work. Our staff worked well together and continues to in the implementation of The 7 Habits. The students vocabulary is changing along with the overall look of the campus. It is neat to see leadership quotes around the campus and student work posted reflecting it. Students are beginning to take a more active role in the leadership process through morning announcements, PTO events, and raising the flag.
Have a good day
On Fri, Oct 12, 2012 at 3:09 PM, William Smith wrote:
William Smith
309 Indian Creek rd.
Huntsville, Al 35806
706-992-5033
Williamsmith12390@gmail.com
Dear Mr. Pat Smith,
Good afternoon sir, I am a graduate student at the University Of Alabama A and M. I am presently reading the book “The Leader in me” as part of my class assignment. I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions for me if you didn’t mind? Also, could you please thank your secretary for me? She was very helpful and a very delightful person.
My questions are as follows:
1) What was the one change in your school that surprised you the most?
2) What was the most challenging part of implementing the principles of the book into your school?
I really do appreciate your limited time in answering these questions.
Thank you,
William,
DeleteI am not sure I understand your answers to # 1 and #4. Please see me at your convenience.
Dr A
Glad you were able to contact Mr. Smith.
William,
DeleteIt's important for a mission statement to be visiable because it reminds people of what the mission/vision is. The mission/vision being visiable is important also because it tells people who might not know the mission/vision what it is.
I was somewhat lost on your response to number one; however, I know how it is when you know exactly what you want to say but you are disconnected when it’s time to convey your thought. I think I know what direction you were headed in.
DeleteI found it funny how quality tools were just a fancy name for something we’ve already had in place. Sometimes people need that subtle change-up to try something that they otherwise wouldn’t. It’s like when advertisers change the packaging of a product and it says, “Same product, Great New Look!”
I think Data Notebooks are a great idea! The school that my son attends uses something like the Data Notebook called Star Folder.
chapter 4
ReplyDelete1. How would placing the word "leader" after a title impact a person's image of himself or herself? it allows the teacher, students and staff to be accountable for thier area of responsibility. it is also good for the students because it builds their confidence to handle bigger projects, and build relationships with their peers
2. Why was it important that all saff, not just teachers, be trained in the 7 Habits the first year? Because all would be leaders and all would be interacting with the students. It also help with the staff members individual lives and not just dealing with the students and lastly, it unified the training generated for the staff as a whole.
3. Many change efforst in schools fail. A.B. Combs paused to review four components and it made all the difference. What are the four components? Why would reviewing each of thse make a difference?
- alignment of the right people in the right places and instituting a philosophy of empowerment
- Training - the leaders/administrators would provide training for the right people in those areas.
- Rewards- they established a reward system in place that would support and sustain their efforts
1. Why is it important for the vision and missin to be visible to everyone? (integrate both Peters and Covey's thoughts on this)It is important to have the missin statement visible because it helps to remind people what the missin statement is. Also for those who don't know what the mission statement if its visiable it makes it easy for people to learn what the mission is.
ReplyDelete2. What do "quality tools" bring to the table? Quality tools help teachers step out side the box and teach students in a new way that will motivate them.
3. What are the key benefits of using Data Notebooks? Data notebooks help students learn how to set goals and it gives them motivation to want to achieve their goals. The data notebooks also help students to see their progress on a weekly bases.
4. A.B. Combs uses a foundation of 7 Habits and Baldrige Tools. However, they stay abreast of new educational methods and incorporate them if they align with their vision and mission. List and define three educational strategies that you think would benefit A.B. Combs Elementary School. Explain why you would share those strategies. Self-questioning strategies, Visual imagery strategies, and first letter mnemonic strategy.
1. The self-questioning strategy helps students to recognize their own motivation for reading. They create questions in their minds, predict answers and then find the answer as they read.I would share this strategy because A.B. Combs believes in motivating their kids and this strategy helps to motivate students to want to read.
2.The visual imagery strategy- Students read passages and then visualize them. Students visualizze the scenery and characters in the passage while reading.The students also describe the scences from the passage they are reading. This strategy helps students comprehend what they have read. I would share this strategy because comprehension is important and this is a good way to help with comprehension.
3.First letter mnemonic strategy- students make a list of important information, categorize the information into several groups, name each group and create a mnemonic device for each group. Students write them on flash cards and use them to memorize the information. I would share this strategy because this is a good way to help children to remember important information that teachers have taught them.
5. Locate a school (you can choose one in the book or another) and email a teacher or administrator. Develop a few questions to ask. Share your findings here
The school is chose was James L. Cowart Elementary and the teachers name is Christy Dale.
1. What is your schools mission and vision? Our mission statement is "We Live to Learn and Love to Lead" and our Vision Statement is:
Caring Attitude
Organization
Work Ethic
Accountability
Respect
Teamwork
2. How long has your school been a Leader in me School? This is Cowart's 3rd year of implementation
3. What changes have you seen in your school since it has became a Leader in me School? The changes in Cowart's students have been tremendous. Students have become more responsible, they are able to set their own goals and work to achieve them, and the discipline problems have decreased. The confidence in our students is amazing. I have had 2 students in particular that have changed the most due to the program. Parents of both children have said that this program and their time here at Cowart changed their lives. This is a wonderful program and I am so thankful that my school is a "Leader in Me" school!
Vanessa,
DeleteWehre is Cowart Elementary? I like that you integrated one of Dr. Tate's strategy. I wonder how you will be able to use this information for you ultimate goal in Reading. Begin thinking about that as you continue reading.
James L. Cowart Elementary is in Athens, AL.
DeleteThat is interesting that the school you picked is also in the East Limestone area. I was wondering if the whole county was doing it so I did a little research.
DeleteI found a newsletter from Athens State University's Regional In-Service Center. They are training over 50 schools in "The Leader In Me" process. There were two
regional workshops open to everyone this past summer. I’m sorry I missed it.
http://www.athens.edu/inservice/ASU_RIC_Newsletter2012.pdf
Vanessa I really liked all of your strategies that you discussed. The self questioning seems like such a great strategy. This really encourages a student to think and be involved in the activity. I am not sure this is great terminology but I think this strategy could provoke higher level thinking and not just surface level thinking.
DeleteYour self-questioning strategy is a great one to use for students who are self-starters and independent workers. Some students may also benefit from this strategy by using a graphic organizer to write down their predictions instead of keeping them in their minds. There are some good organizers for predictions and inferences at this link: www.pfsd.com/uploads/GraphicOrganizers.pdf
DeleteChapter 3
ReplyDelete1. Why is it important for the vision and mission to be visible to everyone? (Integrate both Peters and Covey's thoughts on this)
According to Covey, it is important to have a vision statement that is clearly stated. Students need to be able to relate to the vision statement in a way that will allow them to focus on specific goals. Mission and vision statements should inspire the teachers and the students. Peters stated that the mission and vision statements should portray the essence of the goals of the school. These statements should also provide a link between inspiration and goal achievement.
2. What do "quality tools" bring to the table?
At A. B. Comb the “quality tools” provided the opportunity to analyze, measure, and track students’ progress towards accomplishing goals. The “quality tools” will allow teacher to pay more attention to student scores on an individual basis. The tools have been used in business and industry for many years to help set goals. It is also used to improve decision making, problem solving, and self- monitoring skills.
3. What are the key benefits of using Data Notebooks?
The Data Notebook is a tool that provides a way to bind the 7 Habits and the quality principles together. It is used to keep track of and record personal and academic goals. It can act as a communication tool to help inform parents of student progress. The ability to get feedback in a timely manner allows students to evaluate their progress and make adjustments in order to accomplish their goals.
4. A.B. Combs uses a foundation of 7 Habits and Baldrige Tools. However, they stay abreast of new educational methods and incorporate them if they align with their vision and mission. List and define three educational strategies that you think would benefit A.B. Combs Elementary School. Explain why you would share those strategies.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_07.htm
Edward de Bono describes a strategy to use when making a decision in his book 6 Thinking Hats. When faced with a problem one should look at it from a various perspectives. If you have on the white hat you should use the data that is available and your own background knowledge. The red hat represents relying on your intuition and emotions to make a decision. The black hat represents looking at what the negative aspects of choosing a specific decision might be. The yellow hat represents thinking positively and seeing the benefits. The green hat represents using your creativity to solve problems. And the blue hat represents process control to tie all the other hats together.
I think this would be an effective strategy to use because it would help students develop their problem solving skills. It allows people to stop and think about the different aspects of solving problems.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/nov94/vol52/num03/Empowering_At-Risk_Students_to_Succeed.aspx
I read an article called “Empowering at-risk students to succeed” written by the principle of Centennial High School in Fort Collins, Colorado. In this article he talks about different strategies that are used at his school to help at risk students succeed at school. One strategy he talked about was alternative scheduling. At their school they have a specific time set up that they call “zero periods”. The students work on assignments that they missed or retake test. They also have time to work with teachers to receive additional individualized tutoring. This would provide students with the opportunity to meet the goals they have set for themselves.
http://www.techedmd.org/docs/DMALEY.PDF
The Ingenuity Challenge teaching/learning strategy provides students with an opportunity to develop problem solving skills while using their creativity. This strategy connects prior knowledge to new information. Ingenuity Challenge helps develop teamwork and allows students to be individuals. The steps used in the Ingenuity Challenge include the input step where the teacher defines a problem. The process step includes brainstorming and selection of the solution. The output step shows how the solution worked or did not work. The feedback step tests the performance of the solution, and the process step allows for adjustments to refine the solution to the problem. All the steps are outlined in a flow chart. This strategy allows students to define a goal and come up with their own solution.
5. Locate a school (you can choose one in the book or another) and email a teacher or administrator. Develop a few questions to ask. Share your findings here. To find more Leadership schools go to www.theleaderinme.org.
ReplyDeleteI decided to contact someone at Creekside Elementary school when I found out they are participating in the Leader In Me program. I am looking for a new school district for my daughter to attend because we are unhappy at her current school. I have heard many positive comments about Creekside Elementary. When I found out that they are a Leader In Me school it impressed me that they are striving to better their school by using new methods of educating their students.
I contacted Nona Adams the assistant principle at Creekside. She was kind enough to help me by answering a few short questions. Below are the questions and her responses.
1. Why did your school decide to use the Leader in Me program? Because we wanted to promote a positive school climate and build students' leadership skills. We truly feel that every student can be a leader; they just need a little help seeing it within themselves.
2. Does the Leader in Me program support your mission statement? Why or why not? It does now. Our old mission statement had all of the needed components and was very positive, yet no one could remember what it said due to the wordiness. We now use the Leader In Me mission statement "Developing leaders, one child at a time." Each student and teacher can remember and use this statement.
3. What differences has the Leader in Me program made on your school so far? Teachers and students are very positive each school day. Many teachers are not only implementing the 7 Habits in the classroom, but also “How Full is Your Bucket?” and “The Energy Bus”.
If you look at the Leader in Me website and click on BLOG, you will find the latest blog is from Mr. Scott, the Creekside Principal. He states, "My name is Matt Scott and I am in the principal at Creekside Elementary in Harvest, AL. Creekside Elementary is a K-5 school with 1,050 students. This is our 1st year to be a Leader in Me school.
This is an email I recently sent to my staff:
I am VERY proud to share.......
First 5 weeks of school 2011-12 school year = 83 discipline reports
First 5 weeks of school 2012-13 school year = 30 discipline reports
That is a 64% improvement!
THANK YOU for putting the 7 Habits in place in your classrooms!
THANK YOU for Developing Leaders in your classrooms!
THANK YOU for driving your ENERGY BUS in a positive direction every day!!
I am very proud of students, staff and our community for embracing the 7 Habits. At Creekside we are "Developing Leaders, One Child at a Time"."
Chapter 4: Aligning for Success
ReplyDelete1. How would placing the word "leader" after a title impact a person's image of himself or herself?
Calling someone a leader gives them the feeling of ownership and responsibility. The students see how others take responsibility for their leadership roles and feel accountable for their role as a leader.
2. Why was it important that all staff, not just teachers, be trained in the 7 Habits the first year?
Everyone involved with the students has an influence on the students. When a student witnesses someone doing a good job it encourages them to do a good job as well and vise versa. By training the entire staff it also provided a sense of unity to the school.
3. Many change efforts in schools fail. A.B. Combs paused to review four components and it made all the difference. What are the four components? Why would reviewing each of these make a difference?
The four components are vision, mission, strategy, and implementation.
The vision and mission statements must convey the goals of what the school hopes to accomplish. They must be clear, concise, and attainable. If the vision and mission statements are faulty it will be useless to try to implement them. The strategy must be aligned with the mission and vision statements in order to ensure that the goals are being meet. After reviewing the mission and vision statements and the strategies that will be used, leadership will show how you plan on implementing this process on a daily basis.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIt is such a simple thing to add leader to someone’s title but it can have such an impact. Again I feel this reinforces Peter’s idea that simple things can have so much value. Just that simple title can be such a confidence builder for a student
DeleteChapter 4: Aligning for Success
ReplyDelete1. How would placing the word "leader" after a title impact a person's image of himself or herself? Placing the word leader after a persons title could give the person a overwhelming feeling at fist. The word leader being added to a title could also make a person feel a great sense of accountabilty. It might also make a person feel important and like they are capable of leadership.
2. Why was it important that all saff, not just teachers, be trained in the 7 Habits the first year? The staff mingles with the students just like the teachers do and everyone is becoming leaders so staff needs training to.
3. Many change efforts in schools fail. A.B. Combs paused to review four components and it made all the difference. What are the four components? Why would reviewing each of thse make a difference?
1. bringing people "on board" with the new theme.
reviewing this component helps everyone to be on the same page and to understand the new theme.
2. aligning the school's struture to match the strategy.
Reviewing this makes a diffrence because if the structure isn't matched with the strategy then the strategy is no good because it want work.
3. Getting people trained
Reviewing this is important because if you don't train people right the program you are trying to implament will not be a success.
4. aligning the reward systems so that the right outcomes would be reinforced and sustained.
Reviewing the reward system is important because you may need to rethink how you are celebrating success.
I’m glad I chose to read your response; you gave me a total different perspective on how someone would react to having the word leader placed after their title. I guess as opposed to being uber excited about the new position a person could become engulfed in stress.
DeleteI concur that everyone that has any interactions with children should be properly trained in the 7 habits. As I said in my response, together everyone achieves more (TEAM).
I’m not sure which of us is right but the four components you chose seem to be essential for a positive change.
I totally understand your point of view about adding “leader” behind someone’s name can be overwhelming. Yes, this can happen. Hopefully, in a Leader in Me school there would be the support system in place to help the student realize their potential. This gets back to why everyone needs the training and to be on board with the program, everyone meaning teachers, staff, parents, and community. In a nurturing environment, a student should feel support on every hand. We do not want to overwhelm anyone or place someone in a position where success is not obtainable but the culture created by the 7 Habits should help the student to realize there is a leader in everyone.
DeleteChapter 3 Crafting a Blueprint for Leadership
ReplyDeleteA. B. Combs continued to refine their leadership approach by researching the best way to teach students the skills needed in the 21 century. This chapter identifies their methods and their blueprint for success.
1. Why is it important for the vision and mission to be visible to everyone? (Integrate both Peters and Covey’s thoughts on this). Covey feels that it is important for the vision and mission statement to be visible to remind everyone why they come to school everyday. The visual of the statements are a good reminder of what they are trying to accomplish. Peters states that the vision statement needs to be clear.
2. What do “quality tools” bring to the table? Quality tools were developed by variety experts to help organizations be more effective and efficient. They are intended to help leaders with their decision-making skills, efficiency and innovation skills. The quality tools are beneficial to teachers and students. The teachers can use the tools analyze, measure and track their progress toward their goals. The quality tools can help students set goals, make better decisions, problem solve and monitor their progress. These quality tools are useful to today’s business leaders so students could use these tools throughout their life.
3. What are the key benefits to using Data notebooks? The key benefits to using Data notebooks are that the students can record personal and academic goals and to chart their progress. Another key benefit is that student’s get ongoing, timely feedback. So the data kept in the notebooks can be an encourager for the students.
4. A.B. Combs uses a foundation of 7 Habits and Baldridge Tools. However, they stay abreast of new educational methods and incorporate them if they align with their vision and mission. List and define three educational strategies that you think would benefit AB Combs Elementary School. Explain why you would share those strategies. The first strategy that I would share is the gallery walk which is a cooperative learning strategy in which the instructor devises several questions/problems and posts each question/problem at a different table or at a different place on the walls (hence the name "gallery"). Students form as many groups as there are questions, and each group moves from question to question (hence the name "walk"). After writing the group's response to the first question, the group rotates to the next position, adding to what is already there. At the last question, it is the group's responsibility to summarize and report to the class. This a good group strategy that helps to build team skills. The jigsaw strategy is another technique that could be used. The jigsaw is an effective way of engaging students both with course material and with each other. The peer teaching aspect requires that each student understands the material well enough to teach it to others (individual accountability), and each student is required to contribute meaningfully to a group problem-solving component (group goals). Research on this and other cooperative learning techniques shows significant benefits for students not only in terms of level of learning but also in terms of positive social and attitudinal gains. Problem-based learning is a strategy in which the students learn the problem drives the learning. Students are presented with the problem and then decide what skills are needed to solve the problem. This would be in relation to the problem solving strategies foundation of 7 Habits.
5. Posted Below
5. Locate a school and email a teacher or administrator. Develop a few questions to ask. Share your findings. I spoke with Mary McCollum, a first grade teacher, from Somerville Road Elementary school in Decatur. They received Leader In Me Lighthouse status in May 2011.
ReplyDelete1. What changes have you seen in your school from the Leader In Me program? There have been very positive effects from the program. The teachers and students are more 7 habits conscious. Everything that is done is built around the 7 habits from lesson planning to instruction time. Even the looks of the school reflects the 7 habits. The mission statement is posted in the school, achievements that have been accomplished are posted and there is even a Leader In Me room inside the school.
2. Have the students responded well to the program?
Yes, the students are very receptive to the program. The students are very motivated about the program. It sometimes surprises me how quickly the children memorize the habit. There are times when I can’t think of one of the habits and the students are quick to remind me of the word. One of things I have enjoyed is listening to the children discuss amongst themselves about the habits. All of my classes have been very positive and receptive of the 7 habits.
3.Was it difficult to implement the 7 Habits in your class? I have to admit I was not completely sold on the idea when I was first introduced. I had my reservations about it working but after the training I began to get excited about it. Then to see the students so motivated and excited about their accomplishments I could not help to get motivated myself. It has had such a great impact on the school and on me professionally.
Other things that we discussed about the 7 Habits at Somerville Road-
o Mrs. McCollum said that in just the last week that the teachers have been asked to post their personal and professional goals, plan of action and their celebration method when they have achieved their goal. The leaders want the students to see how the teachers use the 7 habits in their lives.
o Also Somerville Road has decided that students should make their goals more specific.
o This year they are implementing the student lead conferences. Mrs. McCollum said that she excited about this implementation. She did admit that she is a little anxious about just because is a new way of having a conference but she is sure that it will work out to be good.
o Mrs. McCollum stated that Somerville Road has alot of visitors to come through the school since they have become a Lighthouse school. There is a Lighthouse team that provides tours of the school and there will be students apart of the Lighthouse team. The students will begin giving the tours this year.
o The Leader in Me Program
I enjoyed the information you presented about the Somerville Road School and the 7 Habits program. I agree with Dr. Alexander, the book makes it seem so easy. From your comments and the ones from my interview, it seems like the program works and as people are receptive and experiment, enthusiasm increases with electrifying results.
DeleteChapter 4 Aligning for Success
ReplyDelete1. How would placing the word “leader” after a title impact a person’s image of himself or herself? Placing the word leader after a person’s title can impact a person’s image of their self positively. Having leader in a person’s title can cause them to feel a sense of responsibility and empowered by this title.
2. Why was it important that all staff, not just teachers, be trained in the 7 Habits the first year? It was important to train all the staff in the 7 Habits because it would be difficult to expect the staff to teach the students the 7 Habits if the staff was not applying it to their own life. Also the team building aspect of the training is a big advantage.
3. Many change efforts in school fail. A.B. Combs paused to review four components and it makes all the difference. What are the four components? Why would reviewing each of these make a difference? The four components that make all the difference are vision, mission strategy and implementation. Each of these components is crucial to the success of the efforts. It is important to review these components to make sure that they are fully implemented into the plan.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteChapter 3: Crafting a Blueprint for Leadership
ReplyDelete1. Why is it important for the vision and mission to be visible to everyone? (integrate both Peters and Covey's thoughts on this)
It is important to have a vision and mission visible so everyone can know what they are and also to have as a reminder of what is important in your school. Covey’s said that a vision and mission should be visible to provide a worth and meaning also to let the students know their expectation for success. Peters talks about having your vision statement visible to see the path the school is going into. I believe having a mission that is visible to everyone shows you goal for the school. It allows the staff and student to know the purpose for being and being successful.
2. What do "quality tools" bring to the table?
The principles were intended to help leaders improve their decision-making, problem-solving, efficiency, and innovation skills. The teachers felt that the quality tools and principles would enable them as teachers and as a school to better analyze, measure, and track their progress toward key goals.
3. What are the key benefits of using Data Notebooks?
The key benefits of using Data Notebooks is that the provide students with an ongoing, timely source if feedback, which is a known key driver of students achievement. Having the data notebook helps the students compare their own work also allow them to compare their work.
4. A.B. Combs uses a foundation of 7 Habits and Baldrige Tools. However, they stay abreast of new educational methods and incorporate them if they align with their vision and mission. List and define three educational strategies that you think would benefit A.B. Combs Elementary School. Explain why you would share those strategies.
• Be Proactive-
Critical Thinking-Critical thinking is a collection of mental activities that include the ability to intuit, clarify, reflect, connect, infer, and judge. It brings these activities together and enables the student to question what knowledge exists. http://pedagogy.merlot.org/CriticalThinking.html
a read aloud, The Little Engine That Could. Talk about the “I Can” message.
• Think win-win-
Team-Based Learning is a fairly new approach to teaching in which students rely on each other for their own learning and are held accountable for coming to class prepared. Research has found that students are more responsible and more engaged when team-based learning is implemented. The major difference in TBL and normal group activities is that the groups are permanent and most of the class time is devoted to the group meeting: http://pedagogy.merlot.org/TeamBasedLearning.html
Read aloud book about cooperation or teamwork. Give each student a block. Tell them to build a tower. Have discussion that students will each need to bring their resources together to build a tower.
• Seek First to Understand
Collaborative/Cooperative Learning Cooperative and collaborative learning are instructional approaches in which students work together in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal. They need to be carefully planned and executed, but they don't require permanently formed groups. http://pedagogy.merlot.org/CollaborativeCooperativeLearning.html
-“Do We Match?” activity. Give students pattern blocks, and have them sit back to back. One student gives verbal directions to the other for making a design. Then face each other and discuss how much easier face to face communication is.
5. Locate a school (you can choose one in the book or another) and email a teacher or administrator. Develop a few questions to ask. Share your findings here. To find more Leadership schools go to www.theleaderinme.org.
The school is chosen was Austinville Elementary in Decatur, al and the teachers name is Wendy Hamilton. I am still waiting on a response from Mrs. Hamilton.
Chapter 4: Aligning for Success
ReplyDelete1. How would placing the word "leader" after a title impact a person's image of himself or herself? A leader is a person who rules, guides, or inspires. By placing the word leader to someone’s title can make an impact on their image now this gives them role of responsibility.
2. Why was it important that all staff, not just teachers, be trained in the 7 Habits the first year? Having everyone that works at the school to collaborate in the 7 habits can have an influence on the students. Everyone can make a difference the Liberians, janitors, cafeteria workers, and even the school secretaries. Training the entire staff allows the school to be on one accord.
3. Many change efforts in schools fail. A.B. Combs paused to review four components and it made all the difference. What are the four components? Why would reviewing each of these make a difference? The four components are vision, mission, strategy, and implementation. Having these components in a school makes a major difference in the effort to change a school. The vision and mission statements must express the objectives of what the school hopes to achieve. The strategy must be arranged where schools can meet the goals of that in the mission statement. Leadership of that school must show how they will plan on implementing this process to their school.
just realize i ease ch. 4
Delete