"Support flows downhill like water."
- Robert Evans, February 3, 2018

Categories
Leadership
Technology
Changing Minds




Leadership

"Establishing norms is one way of building both a sense of identity and a sense of trust in a group." - Journal Entry Dated September 2, 2017

"I want to be a leader that can cite studies to back up my decisions." - Journal Entry Dated November 8, 2017

"Concentrating all the decision making in a few people runs the risk of creating an echo chamber in which the same ideas are used over and over again to support the expected conclusions." - Journal Entry Dated January 21, 2018

"I feel as though I am getting stronger at leading meetings in which all parties have some stake. One of the most important things I've learned is when to listen and when to interject. I always try to validate each participant's comments. And I try to elaborate on the comments that are most aligned with the goal of the meeting. I've learned to use 'I wonder' statements as a form of disagreement and/or feedback - like, 'I wonder what you think would be the best way to implement that policy.' For future meetings, I intend to continue to structure the meeting in a circle with no obvious hierarchy. I also want to continue opening the meeting with a sharing/updates session so that we can touch base on a personal level before diving into business. This is something I never would have thought to do before I learned that some people ('harmonizers') prefer to connect before the start of a collaboration." - Journal Entry Dated February 1, 2018

"It just goes to show that a good leader can always surprise you." - Journal Entry Dated March 12, 2018

Technology

"Technology alone does not make good pedagogy. There needs to be a curricular framework in place through which technology can serve a purpose." - Journal Entry Dated May 15, 2018

"The National Science Teachers Association Position Statement on Scientific Inquiry (2004) states that 'Regarding students' understanding about scientific inquiry, NSTA recommends that teachers help students understand...That there is no fixed sequence of steps that all scientific investigations follow. Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations' (p. 2). That is key. Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. That's where integration of technology is key to scientific inquiry. Students and teachers need to have the tools to follow a line of inquiry as it arises in the classroom. Having computers available to all students allows students to graph, chart, research, write, edit, and pursue information in whatever ways the investigation requires. Technology opens the doors to these different kinds of scientific investigations." - Journal Entry Dated February 16, 2018

Changing Minds

"Evans (2009) says, 'The real target in a confrontation like Ed Stone's is not the recalcitrants themselves but everyone else, particularly those teachers who have committed themselves to innovation' (Kindle Location 3772). I'm not trying to win over the resistors. Rather, I'm trying to clear space for the innovators." -Journal Entry Dated February 1, 2018

"All this to say, getting students and adults to think logically is difficult work." - Journal Entry Dated October 13, 2017

"It just goes to show that when the school puts it full support behind you, real change can happen." - Journal Entry Dated February 1, 2018

Throughout the 2017-2018 school year, I mentored a new teacher, and I had to work to change his perspective on his own teaching. Download my reflection on mentoring a new teacher.