Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Finish Line

It was a good day of learning, folks.  Thanks for your thinking.  You made me a better educator and person by sharing so freely. 

Once you've responded to all the prompts as directed, you're done for the day.

You can go home, or stay home, or go to the bar, or stay at the bar, or...

We're done.  
nc

#14: Culture (3.0)

Last prompt regarding Culture.

We don't get to autonomously change/create/import a culture on a campus.  One existed long before we got there and one will exist long after we leave.  All we get to do is influence the culture while we're there.

List 2-3 specific things can you do in your first 90 days as a school principal (or assistant principal) to begin positively influencing the culture of the school you inherit.

#13: Culture Influencing

Please examine slides 29-50 in the June 17 Slides deck.

This is the part of today's content that I would have most preferred to discuss with you in a F2F environment.  Alas...


Which of those slides/ideas seems to strike a chord with you most?  Why?

Take a Break. Next Prompt Coming at 3:00 pm. nc

#12: Rattlesnake

You receive a call at your desk from the SRO about 45 minutes prior to your school starting bell. Fugitives who are considered armed and dangerous are believed to be hiding from police in the neighborhood of your campus. (School has not started yet, but students and teachers are beginning to enter the school).


How do you respond?

#11: Calendar Management

Please review slides 24-26 in the June 17 Slides.

Got a question for nc regarding the topic of or slides related to calendar management?

#10: Continuous Improvement (2.0)

Please review slides 8-23 in the June 17 Slides.

What experience have you had, to date, with continuous improvement processes?

#9: Continuous Improvement

Please review slides 8-23 in the June 17 Slides deck.

Which slide piqued your interest the most?  Por que?


#8: Wheatley Chapter 9

What spoke to you in Chapter 9 of Wheatley? (If anything)

Commentary Pause

Thanks for participating with gusto, group.  As I told you yesterday, this format is a bit clunkier than face-to-face but way better than asynchronous virtual learning (in which it is VERY difficult to accomplish engagement).

Just like the Ukranian artist and the retired NFL football coach, each of the special interest groups you all identified (and, yes, there are others you didn't identify) are "watching the same game."  Yet, they are doing so through completely different sets of lenses and filters.  Some are quite knowledgeable, some not; but ALL have an interest and stake in the school.  This is one of those Standard 6 areas where many principals stumble.  Understanding the variant interest groups which will want to influence the decisions you make (either directly or through political subversion) is critical.  Engaging them is important.  Communicating with them is imperative.  Having a clear vision, a congruent message (for all parties), and high passion for achieving your declared "mission" will make dealing with those complexities much more manageable (but never easy).

LUNCH!  I'll be tossing you new learning tasks at 1:00 p.m.

#7: The View

Slide #5 in the deck provides an interesting picture with a question at the bottom.  

Succinctly try to answer the question regarding the two individuals identified with the callout bubbles.

#6: Special Interest Groups

Take a few minutes, ponder, and try to identify 10 special interest groups that would have a "stake" in your PLE school campus.  The special interests can be internal or external to the formal school organizational structure.

Post 'em and take a look at what you classmates came up with, too.

#5: Micro vs Macro

You will find "June 17 Slides" in the Coulter Resources folder.

Slide #2 links to two short videos of thinkers who comment forcefully on our vocation/avocation.

Please identify two similarities you see/hear in their arguments about education.

Please identify two differences you perceive in their perspectives about education.

#4: Wheatley Chapter 8

Take a few minutes to peruse Chapter 8 of Wheatley.  

As a response to this prompt, please cite, word for word, the sentence or passage that resonates most with you from the chapter (tell us the page number, please).

#3: Rattlesnake

You are summoned to the campus front office.  An upset father is demanding to see his son immediately.  You quickly verify that he has the right to do so. 

You go get the student from class and tell him where the two of you are headed.  He then begins to beg you not to take him to see his father.  

After asking a few questions, you are convinced that the student is genuinely fearful of his dad, although you dont have concrete evidence of any abuse.


How do you respond?

#2: PLE Questions?

Let's have some brief Q&A regarding your PLE work.  

Fire away if you have questions.  (If no questions emerge by 9:30 am, I'll move on.)

#1: Final Exam

You already know (via the syllabus) what your final exam "looks like."

Briefly share here (in 2-3 sentences) what currently sits atop that hierarchical list.

Today's Learning Space Launch

Learnmeisters,  

This is our learning environment for today.  Please let me know that you can see and respond herein by commenting, somehow and briefly, to this post.

Thanks.
nc