Leadership Strength Finder

The Clifton StrengthsFinder

As you may know, the Clifton StrengthsFinder measures the presence of talent in 34 categories called "themes." These themes were determined by Gallup as those that most consistently predict outstanding performance. The greater the presence of a theme of talent within a person, the more likely that person is to spontaneously exhibit those talents in day-to-day behaviors. Focusing on naturally powerful talents helps people use them as the foundation of strengths and enjoy personal, academic, and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.

Below are my top five themes of talent, ranked in the order revealed by my responses to the Clifton StrengthsFinder.

How well do you think these themes describe me?

Woo

People who are especially talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

Achiever

People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

Communication

People who are especially talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

Significance

People who are especially talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.

Positivity

People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.


8-25-2012

Describe your definition of leadership:  
Someone who asks questions that guide you to answer your own questions... turns obstacles into opportunities, turns problems into possibilities, wants to see you succeed, encourages risks, creatively criticizes  

Who are leaders in my life “ board of directors”: Knowledge, Skills, and Disposition
Ryan Krohn - connections
Dana Monogue - knowledge
Mark Hansen - wisdom and evidence
Charlie Smith - positivity
Jane Gennermann - examples
Dan Krzysik - encouragement  
Laura - Inspiration ,advice
Emily- Affirmation
Lisa- honesty

KEK 2012


Community,leading, and learning

Highly Effective teams: challenging, encouraging, pressing on , similar philosophies, want to invest time, get out what you put in, strengths, flexible

Goals - Joe Schrader
Efficiency
Effective
Wholeness

If the function is...
Then we will create a new design...











Strength Finder
The Clifton StrengthsFinder

As you may know, the Clifton StrengthsFinder measures the presence of talent in 34 categories called "themes." These themes were determined by Gallup as those that most consistently predict outstanding performance. The greater the presence of a theme of talent within a person, the more likely that person is to spontaneously exhibit those talents in day-to-day behaviors. Focusing on naturally powerful talents helps people use them as the foundation of strengths and enjoy personal, academic, and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.

Below are my top five themes of talent, ranked in the order revealed by my responses to the Clifton StrengthsFinder.

How well do you think these themes describe me?

Woo
People who are especially talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

Achiever
People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

Communication
People who are especially talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

Significance
People who are especially talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.

Positivity
People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.












8-26

My 6 word sentence
*Inspire authentic, genuine, and passionate leaders.

Group Activity

1.Share Strengths
WOO,Achiever, Communication, Significance, Positivity
2. Which one defines you : Significance
3. Which one do you need to manage? Achiever


Research InTasc and ISLLC standards

InTasc

ISLLC

Summary of Standards

1. Promote success for all
2.Culture conducive to learning for all
3. safe environment
4. collaborating with families  and community
5. integrity and fairness
6. success of all through awareness and action


Look at appendix C.. and look at your strengths and where are the intersections?
What does it mean, and what does it look like?
“a 4 is a good place to visit, but it’s not a place to live”
accept feedback and seek it out

Why can’t I connect with other’s in my community about education unless I work or have class with them????







Define and Redefine

College:  courses, systems, syllabus, pre-req, number, prescriptive path
Curriculum : limited, pre-designed, no student voice, department directed
Education : same for all, piece of paper, cookie cutter, coursework doesn’t prepare you for the    profession.
Degree: Lack of real world/time connections to field
School : old, cell like,

College: opportunity, collaboration, open for change
Curriculum: Student directed,  objectives are stated but how to reach them is based on students needs
Education: personalized, adaptive to … is there a way to loosen the definition of course
Degree: resume, evidence, representation of work you have done ( portfolio)
School:


List of Opportunities:
Community:partnerships
Building:Learning Spaces
Teacher:Team teaching...pushing and taking risks ( common core)




Deliverables for September:
Buy: School Leadership That Works by Marzano
    Reframing Organizations 4th Edition

Read: School Leadership that works complete Marzano
             5-7 page paper APA

Do: I will put “Team Teaching” in the light and model that it can enhance student engagement/success in a multiage settings

Snack and contribution



9-15-2012

lenses and frames

Teacher lense:  Get a list of teacher actions you could take to prevent a crayola curriculum in you school.

Leadership lense:

• adequate professional development ( resources)
• Monitor and evaluating - impact of teachers
• communication
• visibility
• Affirmation
• focus/priorities
• optimizer

Audits: building learning walks using the “look fors”  
    this may provide good conversation for teachers to “coach one another”
Resources...
Authentically engage kids , look for and promote good discussions
Accountability piece: setting routines, expectations
We unintentionally stand in their way
Why did we do this...

“Leading from the center”

Why do you think leaders do not come in classrooms?

• the reality is overwhelming
• they may not have the answer
• lack of confidence
• just say you dont know

leadership in action!
   

Challenge: Well and bombed and analyze it

Identify a leadership challenge, be a leadership consultant, examine the leadership/change, identify effective and ineffective leadership actions, create an improvement plan with a suggestion.


First Staff meeting with 2 new principals

Missed Opportunity ( change agent, culture, intellectual stimulation, optimizer, resources)

• lack/no mention to vision
• No speak of future
• no voice of staff heard
• logistics took the place of possibilities

Opportunity: Focus,

• Ted Talks video
• Reflective survey

Plan:

• send a survey out to staff to see what our driving questions are
• don't pre plan everything for our staff meetings, allow for flexibility, voice, and opportunity
• become more familiar with our vision
• create opportunites
• let us fail and learn

Deliverables for October

Rubric
Send Action Research Paper
Website- create and maybe use for portfolio
20 interview questions and find principal 2-3 page paper
Read leading in a change of culture

Well hello again !

So we meet again school! I have decided to join the Master's Of Leadership program, facilitated by Dana Monogue and Ryan Krohn.... Our first assignment was to pick a quote from  this video Leadership Video. We then had to share our "story line" of how we got "here" to this class and what our hopes and inspirations are for ourselves when we finish this program. My presentation Prezi focuses on my childhood and when looking back I was always a natural leader ( sometimes it may not have looked like "leadership", but that was my intention. While listening to my classmates present, I found myself reflecting on so much...leaders in my life, leaps I've taken, jobs I've interviewed for, people I've met, classes I've taught, and so much more. It's hard to put my storyline in such a small presentation.

Overall, I am here for a reason. I am excited about this journey and I KNOW I will blossom as the teacher, student, and leader that I was meant to be.

My Professional Development Plan

My PDP

Welcome

My Professional Journey

Mrs. Houk was my first grade teacher. I remember her warm embrace each morning, laughing while learning, and always feeling apart of the classroom. Every day was exciting, we read a lot of books, got our hands dirty in craft projects, and learned how to share. Mrs. Houk always made the effort to be on our level, both mentally and physically. I never forgot Mrs. Houk, as I have her to thank for everyday inspiring me to be a teacher. Here I am, 12 years later, making my dream come true. I am currently coming to the end of my third year teaching and can I just say wow, time flies.
I did my student teaching in the Milwaukee Public School systems, and I graduated with honors in December 2006 with a degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Like the rest of my classmates, the day after graduation we rushed to get our applications in to sub where ever we could. From Mukwonago to Big Bend, to East Troy to Whitefish Bay I just knew I had to get my foot in the door. Whitefish Bay was the first school to call me for a subbing position and I spent the most of the spring subbing for their school district. I had several interviews with different school districts but was not hired due to “lack of experience”. I knew a teacher who taught at Poplar Creek Elementary and she passed my name along to the principal and the next day I had an interview! I was hired the next day and started teaching 2nd grade the fall of 2007. After my first year teaching, I moved up to 3rd grade and couldn’t be happier. I have a supportive team that guides me in the right direction and gives me ambition to do more.
I wanted to further my education, I wanted to be challenged and pushed professionally and personally and that is the idea of Graduate school came into the picture. I never anticipated that a master’s program would help me grow so much, professionally and personally. As I continue to do some needed deep self reflection, I have decided to leave my options open and look for other districts to become a part of.
As the school year ended, in my school district, I did not feel that I was being held accountable for anything. I felt that the only important factor was the numbers and how they looked on paper. For a while, before grad school, I was feeling unmotivated and questioning myself if this was the right career choice for me. I was losing the passion and love for what I was doing. As I continue to reflect on my working environment, I am not sure if my school fosters best practices, and I feel as if at times it lacks leadership. We keep getting books and articles on PLCs but unfortunately at this point we are very far from a true PLC. The negativity in the building from my co-workers and unfortunately it is beginning to consume me and interfere with my passion and reason for becoming a teacher! I love the kids, I love to see them learn, grow, interact, and be creative. I love scaffolding children and helping them become lifelong learners. So, in the last month of the school year I closed my doors to all that is negative and opened a positive environment for my students and me to learn from.
In doing this, I was really able to connect with my student’s one on one. I was not comparing myself or my students to others around me. I wanted to find and provide what each of my students needed to achieve at the highest level. I was reflecting personally and professionally on a daily basis. I was using my observations to improve my areas of weakness, identify my strengths, and target areas where I needed to continue to focus on. If I came to a point where I needed additional resources, advice, or some input I would seek it out from those who I looked up to and considered leaders and professionals. Some of these leaders were in my building, but most of them were part of my Learning Community. The wealth of knowledge and high level of professionalism that is evident in our Learning Community is overwhelming and I feel so fortunate to have a group of people at that high of a caliber surrounding me.
As I continue into my second year of grad school I feel a change in myself personally and professionally. I feel myself growing as an educator and wanting to expose myself to new literature and research based teaching strategies. As I continue to interact with other professionals, I find myself finding the creative inspiration and drive I have been looking for. I am connecting on the same level and beginning to collaborate new ideas to implement innovative teaching techniques in the classroom. The more I read professional texts and reflect with others in my profession, the more I find myself having “A-Ha” moments. My small successes now will be big accomplishments later when the school year starts.
As I continue to explore literature and experts in my area of focus for my action research, I am beginning to establish my concrete philosophy for teaching. My “question” has helped me to define my beliefs about teaching and help me reflect personally and professionally. As Debbie Miller said, “When teachers have a set of beliefs that guides our work, we know where we’re going”. I know where I am going next year, and it is such a great feeling. All the commotion seems to be calming down, as I continue to put each puzzle piece its place.
For example, I know what I want my classroom to look, feel, and sound like. My action research is focused on building a community. For the past 3 years, my classroom was always decorated perfectly for open house. Name tags on desks, reading posters up, and rules were written. By doing this, I sent a very strong message to the students that this is “MY” classroom, and I am in charge. I now know that I want my classroom to be our classroom. I want the children to “own” the classroom and be in charge of it just as much as I am. Therefore, the first week of school will be dedicated to all of the children building the classroom. They will decide where the reading section will be, they will vote on rules, and they will put things in their place because this is their learning environment. In addition to this, I also replaced all desks with tables. Children will not have assigned seating but choose what work space is best for them. I am aligning more and more of my teaching practices with the constructivist approach, and loving the new ideas and creative thinking that comes out of it!
In preparation for the 2010-2011 school year, I am also creating goals and targets that are based off of the state standards. I want the students to know what they will be learning and be able to know when they have mastered the material. I want them to be prepared for what’s up ahead, and be part of the process. I may have all of the teacher guides and tests, but I want my students to play an active role in their teaching and learning. This year the students will be actively involved in creating rubrics to grade and reflect on projects and papers. I also want the students to assess unit tests and have discussions on how we, or I, can improve the material to better fit their learning styles.
Grading, for me and my students, will also be very different in the years to come. As I mentioned before, I want my students to play an active role in their learning. I want them to be part of the academic process and go “behind the scenes” so they truly understand their achievements, areas of strengths, and their areas of weaknesses. After reading, How to Grade for Learning, I really started to reflect on the meaning of grades and asked myself the following questions; Do my students know what grades are? Do my students know what grades mean or represent? Do I know what the grades mean or represent? Do the parents know what the grades mean or represent? Should grades be a surprise at the end of each quarter? Why am I grading this? What am I grading? Should I be grading this? Am I communicating the grades to the parents so they understand? These are just a few of the questions, and I anticipate there will be a lot more as the year goes on. I hope that I can answer these questions, well some of them at least, so I can provide my students with the most meaningful feedback for their learning and know that what I am doing is having a direct affect on my student’s education. Over the past few years, I have honestly found myself putting grades on papers “just because”. Just because they had to have a grade, or just because the parents wanted a grade, or just because it was report card time and it had to have a grade on it. Well goodbye to those “just because” days! My goal is to use feedback as a form of formative feedback in hope that it will help my students enrich their learning and help them determine areas of strength or weaknesses. The grades will be given as a summative assessment, at the end of a unit, project, or final paper as way to record what they have learned over time.
At this very moment in my teaching career, going into my second year of grad school and third year of teaching, I am feeling refreshed, refueled, and prepared to take on the school year. The books I have read, the articles I have researched, and the relationships I have built with others in my professional community over that last year have given me the confidence and boost of energy I needed! At this point in my professional career, I feel like I am in the right place at the right time and I am excited for what the 2010-2011 school year brings. I feel much supported by those around me in my learning community and look forward to another year of challenges, successes, and lots of smiles 

Inspirational Videos

Dalton Sherman

Video


Amy Mullins



Video

Salman Khan




Video

Adora Svitak



Video


Sir Ken Robinson



Video


Changing Education Paradigms



Video