Main Ideas: Chapters 7 and 8

Chapter 7: Creating a Shared Vision

Who should the vision of what education can look like today appeal to or be compelling for?

•  Not just students, but also teachers, leaders, and the overall community

What needs to be included in order to establish this vision?

• The articulation of the desired characteristics of the learners and the optimal learning environment

Who is going to be most likely to embrace the vision?

• The people that helped to set up the vision and mission

Why?

• To go beyond engagement and into empowerment, where people have both ownership and autonomy, everyone needs to be involved and they will more likely embrace it if they were a part of setting it up

A New Vision

What does creating a new vision entail?

•  Involve (engage and empower) the entire community: staff and students, leaders, parents, and business leaders
• Consider the benefactors of the new vision; it is not just for the students, but rather for learners which means the leaders and teachers as learners too
•  It should be unique to the community it serves and lack “generic-ness”

What actions are required to execute this new vision?

• The vision statement should be clear and direct enough to memorize
• The vision statement needs to be able to connect with each and every person in the organization (school system)
• The larger vision needs to be understood and explainable so that it works in the classroom and in the learning process
• The mission needs to be broken down into small, achievable steps for individuals within the school system; this builds confidence and competence along the process which leads to success in individuals and benefits the whole organization

8 Elements for executing and encouraging a successful vision:

ELEMENT	EFFECT
1. Voice	-Empower students to speak up and use their voices effectively because learning is social and co-constructing knowledge empowers them
2. Choice	-Concerns both how and what they learn and allows students to build on strengths and interests to make learning relevant and fulfilling
3. Time for Reflection	-Taking to time rally think about and understand what they have learned allows for deeper learning
4. Opporunities for Innovation	-Important to create ongoing opportuniites in all areas where students are encouraged and provided time to develop and pursue innovative ideas rather than just during special events
5. Critical Thinking	-To teach learners not to be compliant -Teach students to respectfully ask questions and empower them to challenge the ideas of others to move forward -To teach them to be able to discern truth from fiction with the abundance of information out there and the importance of considering the source
6. Problem Solvers/Finders	-Important to develop problem solvers and finder (previously discussed in chapter 3)
7. Self-Assessment	-Teaching students how to assess themselves instead of doing it for them gives them more opportunities for reflection and they take ownership of their learning - Helps them to understand their strengths and areas of growth (ex. use of portfolios)
8. Connected Learning	-Teachers can design and activate powerful learning experiences for students to engage with content experts and apply their learning to create new knowledge and ideas -Technology provides access to people we could not ever imagine being part of the classroom before; utilize this capability

Part III: Unleashing Talent

Chapter 8: Strengths-Based Leadership

The author propses the following question at the beginning of this chapter:

What if schools stopped operating on a deficit model that focuses on a learner’s weaknesses and started working on a strengths-based model that builds on the learner’s strengths?

In order to empower our students:

1.      We must help them find what they love
2.      We must create learning experiences that encourage them to develop their strengths

      Examples:

• If students do well in writing, create more opportunities for them to write.
• If students are excited about science, provide more opportunities for them to explore that passion.

FOCUSING ON STRENGTHS does not mean IGNORING AREAS OF WEAKNESS

·         Strength-based models:

o   Can encourage students to improve in their weaker areas

o   Lead to success which builds competence and confidence

o   Can lead to harnessing the power of a student’s newly developed growth mindset

Leading for Better Teaching- And Better Learning

“We cannot forgo a focus on our strengths for the sake of only emphasizing the areas where we struggle.” (p. 199)

• ·          The deficit model forces administrators and educators to overcompensate in the areas that need to be “fixed”.
• ·         An environment where the message is always that they aren’t good enough can be demoralizing and counterproductive
• ·         People are more engaged in their work when managers focus on their employees’ strengths

“Great leaders practice balancing trust and autonomy while providing strong mentorship.” (p. 201)

• ·         To lead doesn’t mean just telling people what to do or how to do it
• ·         It often requires pushing others’ thinking and abilities by asking questions and challenging perceptions
• ·         It requires you do to the above without micro-managing
• ·         Unleash your people’s talents by bringing their strengths to life, not ignoring them
• ·         Give people the freedom to take risks by delving into their abilities to help create a space where innovative ideas and learning flourish
• ·         Model taking risks so that educators are more likely to try their ideas and stretch themselves and through them, their students also
• ·         Don’t limit your leadership skills to just apply to this year, but also help to create opportunities for a team member’s future as well
• ·         Empower your staff and give them ownership in leading the direction of your school or organization