This one is on Servant Leadership – providing students with capacities and competencies…
“Through their programs schools can provide the opportunity for the development of capacities and competencies, that enable young people to get started on the path of acting with a sense of civic responsibility. Through programs of community and “service” learning, student leadership programs, peer mediation and coaching, mentoring programs, and student decision-making groups, schools can provide the opportunity to students to develop a sense of commitment to others and a sense of service to further the interests of all groups in society.”
Page 431 Quote from International Handbook on Lifelong Learning, Chapman & D. Aspin , Edited by David N Aspin, Judith Chapman, Michael Hatton, Yukiko Sawano, (2001) Hingham, MA: Kluwer Academic
(I look at Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness
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Peter Senge writes on Creative Tension and moving from Reality to Vision.
Leadership in a learning organization starts with the principle of creative tension. Creative tension comes from seeing clearly where we want to be, our “vision,” and telling the truth about where we are, our “current reality.” The gap between the two generates a natural tension. Creative tension can be resolved in two basic ways: by raising current reality toward the vision, or by lowering the vision toward current reality. Individuals, groups, and organizations who learn how to work with creative tension learn how to use the energy it generates to move reality more reliably toward their visions.
Peter M. Senge, The Leader’s New Work: Building Learning Organizations
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Michael Fullan on Knowledge Sharing – we have a ways to go in Education.
It is ironic that schools systems are late to the game of knowledge building both for their students and for their teachers. Most schools are not good at knowledge sharing within their own walls…”
M. Fullan (2001), Leading in a Culture of Change
Originally posted: May 7th, 2006Reflection upon re-reading and re-posting: Until my blog address changed from elgg to eduspaces, this was the most Google-searched link on my blog. The idea of Servant Leadership is an incredible way to get students involved in their school, in their community, and with the greater world at large. The selfless nature of this kind of leadership is something we should all aspire to pass on to our students. Recently teachers in our district have started using Kiva, and I have worked with Free the Children. It is wonderful when we can get students to show compassion on a global scale! – – – – – The idea of creative tension is interesting when looking at technology integration. I think there are shifts in the tide between the current reality of what can be done using the resources and technology available, and the vision of where things need to go. Waves of elation and frustration flow through the blogosphere. – – – – – Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration! Whether it is within the walls of our schools or not is unimportant. What is important is that we don’t waste valuable time and energy reinventing things that are easily shared. Teachers are not islands! Why is it that I have a more intimate understanding of what some teachers around the world do in their classes, (thanks to their blogs), than I know about the teaching practice of someone I taught across the hall from for 6 years? Trustees, Superintendents, Administrators, Teachers… make more time available for collaboration |