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January 27, 2005

What Every Teacher Should Know

The following definitions have been extracted from: Tileston, D. W., (2004). Learning, Memory and the Brain. London, Sage Publications.

Active Learning
Active Learning means that students are processing information and using knowledge. "Examples are decision making, inquiry, investigation, problem solving, compare/contrast, and more." (p. 63).

Cognitive Development
This is learning through memory, your senses and your memory.

Constructivism
Learners construct meaning through "exploration, reasoning and discussion." (p. 65).

Declarative Knowledge
The "what" of learning. It "includes steps, facts, concepts, understandings, and generalizations." (p. 65). Students will be able to give examples and tell the differences and similarities between things.

Heuristics
Generalized rules as opposed to rigid rules and steps for "implementing processes such as decision making, experimental inquiry, problem solving, investigation, reading, speaking and listening." (p. 68)

Metacognition
Thinking about thinking. Reflections and journaling would fit into megacognition. Questions like: What have you learned? So what does it have to do with you? Now what is a way that you can use this information?

Posted by Marj at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2005

Facilitative Leadership

I found an interesting article on Facilitative Leadership today - Becoming a Facilitative Leader, By: Schwarz, Roger, T+D, 1535-7740, April 1, 2003, Vol. 57, Issue 4.

The first line in the article is: "The path to positive outcomes can be counterintuitive." Followed by: "Leaders often help create the consequences they try to avoid."

Essentially, the author has created a quiz which includes questions like "what would you do if ...". I took the quiz and failed on every count. The author goes on to explain what happens if you select any of the other answers and it makes sense to me now that I could possible be aggravating a situation by trying to be too caring and protecting.

For example - In a situation where I would have to give negative feedback to someone, I chose to ask the person how they think they are doing. Apparently, this could create defensiveness, concern and embarrassment. The author suggests that "people don't need to be protected from negative feedback". By providing information to them, the chances of reaching an common understanding are far greater.

Posted by Marj at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2005

Distance Learning in Community Colleges

My research on leadership has led to an article in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice by Deborah L. Floyd entitled Distance Learning in Community Colleges: Leadership Challenges for Change and Development.

She describes how leaders must facilitate change in order to transform faculty "into "technology-savvy" 21st century instructors".(p. 339).

She goes on to say:

First, these leaders need to seek to understand faculty unease by listening to them. Paulson (1998) suggests that leading others in a changing world requires skills of cultivating the "listening edge" by absorbing the feelings being expressed and coming to understand the issues. ... If their colleges are going to successfully adapt to the new technology and use of modalities of distance learning effectively, community college leaders must incorporate effective change leadership strategies, listen, and invest in the success of their faculty colleagues.

From Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner (1995), The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations.
Challenging the Process
1. Search out challenging opportunities to change, grow, innovate, and improve.
2. Experiment, take risks and learn from the accompanying mistakes.

Inspiring a Shared Vision
3. Envision an uplifting and enabling future.
4. Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to their values, interests, hopes, and dreams

Enabling Others To Act
5. Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust.
6. Strengthen people by giving power away, providing choice, developing competence, assigning critical tasks, and offering visible support.

Modeling the Way
7. Set the example by behaving in ways that are consistent with shared values.
8. Achieve small wins that promote consistent progress and build commitment.

Encouraging the Heart
9. Recognize individual contributions to the success of every project.
10. Celebrate team accomplishments regularly.

Posted by Marj at 01:32 PM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2005

Leadership Quotes

Leadership Quotes

I've been searching for leadership quotes that will help form my vision for personal leadership. One quote (by James O'Toole writing in the foreward of Max DePree's book "Leadership is an Art") struck me as particularly significant:
'liberating people to do what is required of them in the most effective and humane way possible'
He goes on to say that the leader is a 'servant' of those he/she leads. What a tremendous way of looking at leadership - as a servant of others.

On a website dedicated to Leadership Quotes, I found another reference to this:
John Maxwell
The first step to leadership is servanthood.

Attempt at a leadership quote:
To be able to provide guidance and vision to those that follow, the leader must demonstrate integrity, understanding and loyalty while encouraging others to develop and grow. A good leader must be able to stand alone when taking responsibility for errors in judgement and stand as a team when celebrating successes.

From Laurie
"Leadership is a way of being. It gathers together the qualities of self-reflection, empathy, support and encouragement of others, positive action and thinking, teamwork, solution orientation, growth, and openness to change. Excellent leaders have strong personal values and moral ethics, a sense of fairness, and are visionary. They are able to motivate and encourage others to move beyond their expectations, and are able to challenge themselves and others positively." (Royal Roads posting)

Posted by Marj at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2005

Emotional Intelligence - Dr. James Parker

Today, I attended a lunchtime seminar on "Why Good Students Fail?". It was more of a research results presentation; but essentially, the researcher found that first year post secondary students succeed or fail based on their Emotional Intelligence. He has found that 40% of post secondary students remain in post secondary education until graduation and that grades from high school are not predictors of success in post secondary education. The researcher is Dr. James Parker from Trent University.

It was interesting to hear some research about EI as it relates to post secondary education since I've been reading about it's effect on leadership qualities.

Competencies:

4.8 Evaluate and enhance own leadership style as it applies to DL environments.

4.9 Apply systems thinking to problem solving and managing change in DL learning environments.

Additional Competencies:

1.4 Develop and support a learning community.

4.5 Manage change in a learning technology environment.

4.7 Apply leadership concepts and theories to DL contexts

Posted by Marj at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)