Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States was often referred to as "the great communicator. President Reagan's economic policy was called "Reaganomics" and he often called the Soviet Union the "evil empire." These catch-phrases were easy for everyone to identify with and rally behind. When President Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987 and emphatically said, "Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall" the evil empire had been defeated and yet another Reagan quote would be remembered throughout history.
However, effective communication involves more than the capacity to speak eloquently and to provide a sound message. In communication 101, we learned that the process of communication involves a sender, a receiver and a message, (both verbal and non-verbal). If any element is missing, communication does not take place. The sender must have the capacity to formulate the message clearly and to present non-verbal cues that support the intended message. The receiver must have the capacity to receive and decipher the message. The capacity of receiving and deciphering a message almost always involves having the capacity to listen.
Making a sincere effort to become a better listener and developing one's capacity to listen will enhance and enrich the effectiveness of communication on an individual, organizational, state or even national level. Taking the time to listen to others and hear their point of view provides an opportunity to obtain a deeper level of understanding.
"The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them." - Dr. Ralph Nichols
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Students, parents and community members are invited to participate in an informal forum to discuss the future leadership of Saline HS. We are seeking input regarding the leadership qualities desired in our next principal. Feedback generated from students, parents & community members, teachers, staff and administration will used to create the principal profile and job posting.
Two separate forums will take place on February 1st. The HS student forum will run from 2:45 - 3:45 PM with the parent / community member forum running from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Both meetings will take place in the HS media center.
Additionally, we have created surveys to assist us in the collection of data. Please take a moment to complete the appropriate survey whether you can attend the forums or not.
The student survey can be accessed at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WLZHWCV
The parent / community survey can be accessed at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WVKGV8H
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Students, parents and community members are invited to participate in an informal forum to discuss the future leadership of Saline HS. We are seeking input regarding the leadership qualities desired in the next principal. Feedback generated from students, parents & community members, teachers, staff and administration will used to create the principal profile and job posting.
Two separate forums will take place on February 1st. The HS student forum will run from 2:45 - 3:45 PM with the parent / community member forum running from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Both meetings will take place in the HS media center.
Additionally, we have created surveys to assist us in the collection of data. Please take a moment to complete the appropriate survey whether you can attend the forums or not.
The student survey can be accessed at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WLZHWCV
The parent / community survey can be accessed at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WVKGV8H
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Friday, January 20, 2012
A Pink Way of Thinking
Author Daniel Pink discusses the concept of motivation in his 2009 book titled, "Drive." In this text Pink attempts to debunk the popular belief that if-then rewards, (if I do what is asked of me then I will be rewarded) are effective motivators. In fact, he shows that if-then rewards actually decrease motivation and productivity over time. It's worth repeating, Pink's research shows that the concept of providing incentives and rewards for performance and production actually has the exact opposite effect it is intended to. Allow me to provide a few examples.
When they are young, children actually ask to perform tasks like running the vacuum, doing the dishes, washing the car, cutting the grass, etc. They actually want to do those things, and there are even toy vacuums, kitchens, lawn mowers, etc. designed to replicate those activities! However, as the children grow older, the performance of those tasks is often tied to conditional rewards, if-then rewards. Do any of these sound familiar, "if you do your chores, we'll pay you your allowance." "If you do your homework, we'll let you play with your friends." "If you do well on your report card, we'll allow you to play video games." The obvious connection is if you do this, then we'll reward you with that.
Now anybody who is a parent knows from experience that teens do not ask to vacuum, do the dishes, wash the car or cut the grass. In fact, those activities that were initially viewed as play become unattractive obligations as soon as the if-then rewards were attached to them.
Think for a moment about this lesson and how it applies to education today. Everyone - students, teachers, parents, administrators and politicians want to improve education. How are the decisions made at the local, state and national level impacting the outcome? Is providing if-then rewards to students, teachers, administrators, school districts and even entire states going to motivate those involved and increase productivity? Conversely, will it turn the educational process once filled with eager anticipation, excitement, the thrill of new discovery and the joy of learning into an obligation that actually decreases motivation and productivity?
When they are young, children actually ask to perform tasks like running the vacuum, doing the dishes, washing the car, cutting the grass, etc. They actually want to do those things, and there are even toy vacuums, kitchens, lawn mowers, etc. designed to replicate those activities! However, as the children grow older, the performance of those tasks is often tied to conditional rewards, if-then rewards. Do any of these sound familiar, "if you do your chores, we'll pay you your allowance." "If you do your homework, we'll let you play with your friends." "If you do well on your report card, we'll allow you to play video games." The obvious connection is if you do this, then we'll reward you with that.
Now anybody who is a parent knows from experience that teens do not ask to vacuum, do the dishes, wash the car or cut the grass. In fact, those activities that were initially viewed as play become unattractive obligations as soon as the if-then rewards were attached to them.
Think for a moment about this lesson and how it applies to education today. Everyone - students, teachers, parents, administrators and politicians want to improve education. How are the decisions made at the local, state and national level impacting the outcome? Is providing if-then rewards to students, teachers, administrators, school districts and even entire states going to motivate those involved and increase productivity? Conversely, will it turn the educational process once filled with eager anticipation, excitement, the thrill of new discovery and the joy of learning into an obligation that actually decreases motivation and productivity?
Friday, January 13, 2012
New Year Resolutions
With 2012 now 13 days old, there is no doubt many us are struggling to keep our New Year Resolutions. Whether the resolution involved losing weight, exercising more, reading a book a month, or just spending more time with loved ones, New Year Resolutions traditionally represent lofty, (and sometimes unattainable) goals in areas where we are trying to make significant changes.
Where the tradition of creating New Year Resolutions started I have no idea, however the concept of being resolute is something that should appeal to everyone - especially those of us involved in education.
Where the tradition of creating New Year Resolutions started I have no idea, however the concept of being resolute is something that should appeal to everyone - especially those of us involved in education.
In adjective form, being resolute is defined as, being firm in purpose or belief; steadfast; determined. Schools today are faced with difficult challenges such as how to allocate their resources, what areas of the curriculum to focus on and how to recruit, hire, train and evaluate their teaching and administrative staffs. Having a firm sense of purpose, remaining steadfast in defending what we know to be educationally sound, and determined to provide the very best education possible for our children must remain our number one priority.
Remain resolute!
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