A New Perspective...

After going through this course, and more importantly, the simulation activities, I have gotten a new understanding of the in's and out's of leading a school and/or district. It helped me see where all of the talk, talk, talk comes from and goes, but also, helps me see where it doesn't happen and should be. If I get put in the position to be a leader in the school, I have a greater understanding of how talk needs to be directed and who needs to be involved in the discussions so that progress is made.

The Power of Simulation

While frustrating at points, I really enjoyed the opportunity to interact with a lesson through simulation vs. having a traditional (however traditional an online class can be) lesson. I definitely took things away from the activity on how to build understanding and develop a team with work and effort, but it also had me doing some serious reflecting on my own classroom. For the last two years, I have had my students participate in an interactive simulation based around the trip across the Atlantic by the Pilgrims. Teams work together to complete tasks with determine their success with travel, food & harvest, and building shelter. It is a very powerful and meaningful activity that has seen a lot of success and enjoyment. I am looking to include more activities like this in my classroom to emphasis student involvement and community to accomplish academic understanding.

The Cheese

At the beginning of each new school year, my principal finds one or two clips or short videos that aim to inspire our school's staff and serve as a bolt of energy to get our engines going. After watching the cheese video, I thought about how our staff would react to that video. It would be a great motivator and reinforcer to those who are active and proactive, but would the people who sat back and waited really get the point? I am not sure if we have ever been asked to really self-reflect on our weak areas. In many ways, we have a very strong and positive school. We spend time reflecting as a staff and as teams, but I don't really think that we spend much time thinking about ourselves as individuals. The one time that does happen is during an administrative review, but it needs to happen more often, with focus on improvement. However, who really wants to hear about their faults?