MAC Wk4 Response to Michael’s Reading Post
I have never heard enrollment described in the way that the Zanders do in The Art of Possibility. When people enroll in something, I imagine they seldom believe themselves to be generating any kind of spark, and certainly not concerned with sharing it if they do. The concept of taking “no” less personally really resonated with me, as I know from personal experience that that simple two-letter world can completely destroy all semblance of possibility for the party on the receiving end of it.
Being the board is a radical thought, one that requires a complete paradigm shift in an individual’s thinking. The emphasis on relationship building is certainly one that I think is extremely important but also becomes increasingly difficult as our society continues to “advance” and move away from the interpersonal relationships that define us as human and not machine. Advancements in technology always seem to be geared towards doing something faster, when, as the Zanders state, there are some things that just take more time, like building deep, meaningful relationships. It’s always good, in my opinion, to look beyond the obvious and see the things that connect us all, listening beyond what is said and hearing what is meant, and, digging even deeper, considering what lead up to this meaning.
I believe the greatest challenge of employing the thoughts, mindsets and strategies contained in The Art of Possibility derives from the persistence in society of a black and white perception and outlook for everything. The problem with this thinking, in most cases, is that it is too absolute; there is no middle ground. It’s easier and more convenient to discern between what’s white and what’s black, but the reality is, or perhaps, the strongest possibility, is that every situation is best perceived as some shade of gray.
My Response:
Michael – I’m curious as to how you viewed the concept of enrollment before reading the Zanders’ book and if you agree of disagree with their interpretation. I view this concept somewhat like synergy and empowerment. Usually people don’t truly believe in a leader if they don’t feel empowered by that leader and a good leader is always ready to learn from and join in the excitement of those they are leading.
I think your comment about the persistence of “black and white” thinking is spot on. Almost nothing in our lives/world is so simple as to only have two possible ways forward. Yet this is the lens through which many people choose to view the world. In many ways I almost feel like it is a defense mechanism because of an awareness of how complex everything truly is. For many it is just easier to only consider two possibilities rather than having to consider all factors involved. Unfortunately reality has many shades.
MAC Wk4 Response to Jenn Hollern’s Reading Post
The entire book is about reframing our perceptions on the world and, almost more importantly, about reframing how we interact and respond with the world. These chapters, though, really help us to buckle down and get into the nitty-gritty of what that looks like.
I really enjoy the stories that both authors share in Chapter 9 about doing some things in person. I’m a tech junkie, to be sure, but sometimes things just need to happen with face-to-face interaction. Honestly, to be completely relevant in this moment of the EMDT program, I sometimes wonder whether the frustrations our cohort has felt about the changes we’re experiencing in the CBR project would have occurred if this were a traditional classroom program. Explaining complex problems, discussing really emotional or personal matters, finding solutions and brainstorming – sometimes, there are just things we need to do in person.
Again, one of the authors shared the concept of “getting an A” before the semester even begins. I just love that. To encourage students (or anyone, really) to think far enough in advance and decide what needs to happen in order to deserve an A is just a type of thinking that our culture does not often encourage.
I wonder if this exercise could be repurposed for non-students and ask folks who may be in ‘crossroads’ type of positions to justify their ‘A.’ Could we ask our friends or families or coworkers who seem to be in a rutt to do this exercise – think about how it is that you’ll be happy again in a year – and write down how that happened for you. Hmmm…there are a few folks in my life who might benefit from these self-reflective letters.
My Response:
Jenn – Wonderful ideas! I think I might bring up your wondering about repurposing the idea of “giving yourself an A” to some people in my life as well. I know they don’t give themselves an A and as a result just accept the “rutt” that they are in as the way things are. Really they just need to reframe the way things are.
I also agree with you about some our CBR issues being diminished by a little face time with our facilitators. All our other classes required us to meet at least once a week with our instructors on Wimba and I think every instructor utilized video so that we could see them. I really think there is something to be said about the information people express through facial expressions and body language. We did not have this opportunity with our CBR facilitators. Except for a single session where Jason Gillett showed up they were the invisible guides. We had the option to meet with them in Second Life but this is really not the same. Interesting thought.
MAC Wk4 Leadership – Putting It All Together
As my CBR project revolved around the concepts of project-based learning, Career Technical Education, and career and college readiness I have decided on two publications to which I would like to submit my article. The first is, Techniques, a publication from the Association for Career and Technical Education. I chose this publication because the research was conducted in a CTE classroom. The second publication is Contemporary Issues In Education Research (CIER). This journal was selected because of my article’s focus on developing 21st century skills to prepare students for a variety of post-secondary environments. Remediation is becoming an increasingly common problem, and my research addresses this issue.
MAC Wk1 Leadership – My Inspirations
MAC Wk 3 – Leadership: Is That Your Final Answer?
MAC Wk4 Reading – It’s The End of The World As We Know It
Lighting a Spark
I fully agree the best way to get people motivated and on-board is to enroll them in the process. You can make them stake holders, you can give them a voice in the proceedings. It’s always better to ask someone if they can contribute their own unique set of skills rather than simply telling them what to do. However, I chuckled when reading this chapter about enrollment, particularly the section about the word “no” and reflected on my own situation with my 2 year old daughter (almost 3!). “No” is her favorite word right now and practicing enrollment is truly an art. It is extremely hard not to fall into patterns of manipulation, bargaining, bribing, or just accepting defeat. Enrollment is great when it works but it can be exhausting trying to find the right “In.”
This is always the hardest thing for me in teaching; when I get a student that I just can’t ever seem to enroll in my class. No matter the strategy, the amount of personal choice, anything; the bottom line is they would just rather be somewhere else. It is these students that usually draw the most of my energy, which I sometimes find unfair to the other students in class that are passionate but are already on board. So the question I always find myself asking is, “when do I stop giving these apathetic students so much energy and devote more of it to the students that want it.” I know this sounds like am giving up on them, but if we devote 80% of our energy on the 20% that don’t make an effort, is this fair to the other 80%?
Being the Board
This is another interesting concept, that in retrospect, has helped me throughout my life whenever I have something stolen, or have gotten ripped off. The initial reaction is always to go into self-defensive “lock-down” mode. I don’t want to trust anyone ever again. However, like the authors’ stated “Being the Board” isn’t about not having these feelings, it is about our ability to get back to our core beliefs and mode of operation before negative experience occurred.
This said, the bigger the road bump, the harder it is to regain control. I write this shortly after receiving news of an acquaintance whose 2-month-old son had a heart attack, and passed away. Unexpected deaths may be the hardest from which to recover, if you ever do. These parents will most likely never be the same people as they were last week. I know from my own experience of losing a girlfriend in a car accident in college that I came out a different person on the other side and it took many years to get back to some semblance of what I think I remember myself to be before the accident. These situations make it hard to be the board…
Creating Frameworks of Possibility
I enjoyed the section on vision-led goals and objectives describing goals more as markers to help define the territory. This has many similarities to the challenge-based learning we have been implementing this year. Students are encouraged to dream big and set goals, but they aren’t punished if the goals aren’t met. Instead they are asked to reflect on their process and given credit for making suggestions about how they can improve the next time. There is never a “losing” moment, always just a “learning” moment.
Telling the WE Story
I’ll start this last section by talking about some theories I have read about the end of the Mayan calendar. Some claim that rather than the world coming to an end in a blaze of fire, that the end of the Mayan calendar is simply a rebirth of sorts, in which we move a way from a state of dual consciousness that we have existed in for the last few millennia, back to a state of unified consciousness, or the WE. Their theories claim that our world is bathed in duality; right and wrong, good and evil, winners and losers. But, that we will be entering a world where these notions start to be seen as the farces they are and that we will enter of state of understanding of one another. Sounds kind of utopic, but I like it better than Planet X crashing into the earth, or having Yellowstone blow up in my back yard.
Another story comes to mind when I was having a discussion with my mother who has been a professional facilitator for many years. We were discussing our National Politicians and their inability to get anything done because of their inability to get off their separate soap boxes even come to the same table for a discussion. I made a claim that negotiations were about making compromises and that sometimes, difficult sacrifices had to be made. She corrected me by saying that negotiation is not about compromise, true negotiation is about intelligent people working together to problem-solve a solution so that everyone at the table gets what they want. This is “wishing inclusively” and setting the framework for possibility.
MAC Wk3 – Response to Sahpreem’s Reading Post
Sahpreem’s Original Post:
Rule number 6 is hilarious because it tells us to not take ourselves so GODDAMN SERIOUS. A life without laughter and joy is a life not worth living. Far too many people are a stick in the mud and wallow in misery like pigs in slop. This behavior is detrimental to the welfare of society because it is like a cancerous growth poisoning the well being of prosperity and hope. Doom and gloom is not the way and when we prepare for the worst we sometimes get exactly what we prepared for. Man must be able to laugh at his own pitfalls, shortcomings, and gaffs. People must realize that no matter how important you think you are, to the next person you are not more important than them picking up their dry cleaning after work.
Chapter 7 reminds me of an automatic out. To bring you up to speed, an automatic out is when you discount yourself, efforts, chances, or prospects before all the polls are in. You give up the fight before it even begins. More or less, it is a sense of despair and the opposite of a can do attitude. What’s the use? Things are always going to be the same! That’s just how life is! These are all terms a person who practices this thinking says in some variation or another. Perception is reality and based on how we are built and programmed is how we see the cup-half empty or half full.
When I was in the military I had a drill instructor that used to say that there were two kinds of motivation.
My Response:
Sahpreem,
Great thoughts on this weeks reading.
I totally agree with your assessment of leading from any chair. Jordan was a great individual player but he also played on one of the greatest teams ever, and was a great team player himself. I always chuckle at really great players who trade from one team to the next thinking their presence is going to make all the difference only to fall short of the championship year after year. In the end they usually end up losing to teams that do not depend on a single player, but work together as a team.
I also couldn’t agree more with your comments about the Rule Number 6. Your last thoughts make me think about all these Wall Street execs and CEO’s giving themselves 10’s of Millions of dollars in bonuses, especially when they are leading a failing business. I find myself wondering, “Really? You think your presence is so much more important than all of the employees that you pay 100’s of times less than yourself?” It’s laughable really. I can’t ever imagine doing anything so revolutionary or important that I would deserve to earn as much money as they do in a year.
Your comment about automatic outs also made me reflect on a situation I had with my Admin during Phase 1 of my CBR. I basically got reamed out and reminded of how I was leaving myself open to all sorts of litigation for allowing my students to have some freedom outside of the classroom. All he could see was a group of students that was going to use that freedom to, as he said, “go get high.” I on the other hand saw a group of students that were actually engaged in their learning for once in their lives and who were producing good work. He had the downward spiral thinking, and almost dragged me down with him. Fortunately, I felt too strongly about the work the students were doing and I had to adopt the BTFI thinking, jumping through all sorts of hoops to allow them the freedom that I thought they needed.
MAC Wk3 – Response to Del’s Leadership Post
I have attended GACTE conference for the past 5 years and the breakout sessions are great but all the years I have been attending no breakout session has ever been about implementing an LMS into a construction program. I would like to present at the summer GACTE conference and share my experience with my CBR. I would like to talk about the benefits of implementing an LMS in a construction class. The conference has program specific areas for attendees.
The other conference I am interested in is the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaCTE). I like this conference because they are looking for presenters in Emerging Tech for Education. I would like to spread the word about implementing new technology into a construction program. Another area they are looking for presenters is flipping the classroom. If I had a prefect phase 3 it would be flipping the classroom. I would like to video my lectures and demonstrations and post them within my LMS for students.
My Response:
Del – I think it is great that you want to share your experience of implementing an LMS into your construction program at a CTE conference. I just had the opportunity to attend the Region V ACTE conference that was being held here in Jackson. It was very inspirational and I listened to a lot of great presentations by teachers that were, like you, expanding the scope of their classrooms through new and innovative instructional strategies. I will say though that I too did not hear from any construction teachers who were utilizing online tools in their programs. I think this would be a great presentation to deliver because I think it would really tear down some walls of perception about where online tools can and should be used.
I also love the idea of flipping your classroom. Two of my co-workers recently completed their Masters in a similar program to ours (one actually teaches our construction program too) and their capstone projects were to video tape all their lessons and put them on a Schoology site as well. I think this is as far as they went with their LMS’s but from what I understand it has really helped out students that miss class due to other school activities or absences.
I commend you for attempting to change the perception of what a CTE course is all about, because personally I think our classes tend to be some of the most valuable for students.
MAC Wk 3 – Leadership: Is That Your Final Answer?
After digging a little deeper into all of the journals I listed in my last post I determined that I was way off the mark. The old adage is true, “never judge a book by its cover.” Most of the journals I found last week were either tied directly to a University and had limited, if any type, of distribution outside of the campus boundaries, or the focus and scope did not match my research.
So I started over and after a period of struggle where nothing seemed to be the right fit, I finally decided on the following two periodicals.
1. Techniques – Techniques is the primary publication of the Association for Career and Technical Education. I’m drawn to this publication for a number of reasons. First, my CBR was implemented in a CTE class. Secondly, they have an entire series within the publication dedicated to career readiness. This topic is directly related to my literature review, and much of my data indicates the challenge-based learning process enhances career readiness. I also had the opportunity attended a regional ACTE conference last week, and listened to many great presentation and participated in a number of excellent round tables. So needless to say I am still feeling a bit euphoric and would love to add my voice to this organization.
2. Contemporary Issues In Education Research (CIER) – This publication appears to be a bit more formal than the first but a few elements interested me in the CIER as well. The CIER has an open access policy based on the principle “that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.” I was turned off by many of the “members only” policies I found at many of the other journals I encountered. This makes me think of a bunch of old academics that close-minded to anything outside of their own research, so the open access policy of the CIER was a welcome relief. I also believe that my research about the CBL process along with career and college readiness fits nicely with their goal of “understanding cutting edge issues in education.” The only down side I discovered about this journal is the $60 submission fee and the $250-$450 publication fee. I suppose if they deem my article worthy this is a small price to pay to add my voice to the evolution of human discovery.
MAC Wk 3 – Reading
I took a number of take-a-ways from this weeks reading. I really resonated with Rosamund and Benjamin Zander’s discussion about childlike behaviorisms following people into adulthood. All to often you encounter people who exhibit questionable behavior due to insecurities. They posture and put up fronts of power, many times becoming extremely stubborn unwilling to relent that they have made a mistake or are wrong, simply because they fear that this admonition will diminish them from the perspective of others. Good leaders must learn humility, be willing to learn, and extend their trust to those that they depend on. This behavior tends to make hypocrites of people as well.
They will persist in a way of thinking even after changing circumstances force them to take actions that are completely contrary to their supposed beliefs.It reminds me of the term “flip-flopper” used so often as an insult in politics. I hate this term because a person, especially a policy maker, should be able change their mind as new information presents itself. This does not necessarily make someone untrustworthy or indecisive, it makes a person lucid.
The authors’ comment of leading from any chair tie right into the work my school has been doing to shift the focus of our classrooms from teacher-centered to student-centered. It is an amazing thing to witness a group of students learning from not just one teacher, but the 15-20 other teachers that are in the class with them. There is almost a palpable change of energy in the room when it takes place. You can sense a feeling of empowerment and mutual respect from all.
Tesla Coil at NIMBY
by Willivolt
Unfortunately it does not always work for everyone. Benjamin Zander describes empowering all of his musicians by viewing them as “glorious lovers of music.” However this is an obvious truth. Why else would they have pursued this career? I have to say that high school students do not always have even a slight amount of passion as many times they feel forced to participate either by law or the pressures of parents or requirements to graduate. They did not make the choice to be in a particular class and as a result simply do not have an interest. For these students the first battle is helping them to make some sort of personal connection to the subject matter and igniting even a small spark of passion.
I absolutely love the Rule Number 6. If the super egos of the world could get out of the way I truly believe there would be greater understanding amongst all. Plain and simple.
The authors’ concepts of being present to the way things are shares many similarities to the philosophy of yoga. Yoga teaches you to be present in the moment. When things become difficult you it is important to focus on your breath and breath through it. As long as you are aware of your struggle, you are in control of your struggle, which enables you to persist through it. Once you make it through you will find yourself stronger and more flexible, ready to take on even greater challenges.
The Dog Ate My Homework
by mygothlaundry
I also believe one of the keys to achieving this type of growth is, as the authors stated, eliminating denial, blame, or other escapes from your thinking. This could very well be favorite behavior of a typical high school student. If something goes wrong it is always someone else’s fault. It’s the classic, “the dog ate my homework.” Even students that have obviously misbehaved immediately try to shift blame by questioning other’s behavior rather than reflecting on their own. This may be one of the most frustrating aspects of working with high school students for me. They look like adults; they want to be treated like adults, yet most are still very much under the influence of the childlike behaviors of the calculating self.
As for chapter eight I have always giving way to passion. When I have committed to something I have always been fully committed. That said, this idea has been shed in a new light since I have become a teacher. My goal for every day is for every student I teach to exist in a state of passion while they are in my classroom. Alas, this is not the reality. However, this perspective has been one of the driving forces throughout the last year during my own educational journey. Many of my friends gave me hard time about the amount of work I put into this program. They would question whether I always had to do “A” work or if I couldn’t just do enough to get by. But that has never been a question for me. I am all in.
Wk2 – Comment on Ana’s Leadership Post
Ana’s Original Post:
Should I publish or should I present? That is a great question. I have decided that my leadership project will be a presentation. By doing the presentation I will be able to share the process I went through with my Challenge Based Research project. By sharing the project with others, they will be able to learn ways they can use the information provided to better their instruction. This project will give me confidence as a speaker. It will provide me with an open door so people will get to know me and what I am capable of accomplishing. My role model Kelli Erwin has done many presentations at different conferences like ISSTE, TCEA, Region 4, at the district level, and others. My goal is to follow in her footsteps step by step. My first step was be part of the EMDT program, which I am about to complete and the next step is to present the CBR project to TCEA or Region 4 in Texas.
My Comments:
Ana – You, like some others in class, have provided good reasoning for choosing a presentation. I think that presenting your CBR adds the human element and will probably helps to inspire those in attendance to give it a try themselves more than a journal article ever could. I also think that a presentation lends itself well to presenting our CBR work because of all the multimedia that was involved. I also like that it appears you are choosing to present to help advance your own skill set by improving your confidence as a speaker. Having a good role model is important as well. I was attending a conference just today and was marveling at the keynote speakers abilities to engage the audience for over an hour straight with clear articulate language. It gave me something to shoot for as well.
Wk2 – Comment on Michael’s Reading Post
Michael’s Original Post:
The Art of Possibility by Rosemead and Benjamin Zander has been an interesting read thus far. I’ve found that their work has put many of my personal feelings about education and life in general into writing and have articulated these concepts and many more in an intriguing and honest way.
“It’s all invented.” This is a powerful statement that in and of itself can cause a paradigm shift in one’s thinking or the thinking of others. I believe meditating on this phrase can lead to a great deal of questioning, with one question in particular taking the forefront: Why? Why do we think the way we think about things? What is the source of our preconceived notions about life in general, education specifically? Why do we concern ourselves so with managing perceptions of who we are, when our true selves have yet to be revealed even to us? The quote “it’s all invented” certainly lends itself to an out of the box approach to life’s many questions, but it goes even a step further in leading one to ask the question: was there ever a box in the first place, or was that simply a preconceived notion based on past experiences?
The existence of a universe of possibilities would indicate that there is a box, or a barrel, or open space, or any number of other possible containers or non-containers. In our current mode of thinking, strongest consideration defaults to the concrete and the tangible, when the very fiber of creation and creative activity almost exclusively derives from the abstract and intangible. Relationships and our thinking about them create the atmosphere for the creation of the concrete and tangible, or the transformation from abstract to concrete and intangible to tangible. One has to move away from looking at what’s there to truly see what’s there: look into the other person’s eyes and consider what’s going on behind those eyes, hear one’s words and listen to what’s really being said, “feel” where a person is coming from, empathetically, not physically.
I have long had a strong disdain for grades. I didn’t like them in grade school (pardon the expression), didn’t like them in undergrad and probably would not assign them in my learning environment if I were not required to do so. I agree with the quote, “…Grades say little about the work done.” To go even further, I believe that grades typically are not indicative of learning or even true knowledge, but are instead more indicative of obedience and following directions. If student does A, B and C as instructed, the student receives an A or other “passing grade”. Sometimes passing grades are signs of passing interest in a subject of content. In an ideal teaching scenario, one could assess individual students based on their own growth, not a generalized standard that seldom applies to specific life and professional situations and outcomes. If we could give real A’s in education in all contents and environments, students would reap tremendous benefits on a personal level as much as a professional one.
My Comments:
Michael – As I indicated in my own post I am a torn soul when it comes to grades. When I was in primary school and secondary school I loved grades, and I loved pursuing good grades. Unfortunately for me, I think your assessment is correct that most of the time grades are simply about obedience and the ability to follow directions. I say unfortunately because I got very good at being able to figure out exactly what I needed to give back to a teacher in order to get a good grade, but I don’t really think that I ended up learning very much in the long run.
Now as a teacher, grades are also not my favorite thing. I agree that an ideal scenario would be to assess students on their individual growth but we are never going to be able to escape some sort of grading system because students will always have requirements that they need to complete. However, I also think that if you design your lessons right that this can be achieved to a certain extent. I think that much of the challenge-based learning model can achieve this by shifting the assessments away from how much information students can regurgitate and to focusing on the process they took to learn it and their ability to present what they learned in a cogent manner. In this way not all students may learn exactly the same thing, some might learn more, some less, but they all undertake a journey of discovery and hopefully what each of them do learn will be retained because it is more personally relevant to each of them.
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