What causes people to do great things? Ask yourself that. Sometimes it takes inspiration and perspiration on our part, but sometimes it takes the inspiration and perspiration on part of a good leader.
A good leader is not necessarily the institutional leader who is situated in a hierarchy assigned to make life-influencing decisions for others, although they might be. I am talking about people who have inspired us to be the best people we can be. What I am saying is, good leadership comes from everyone. On the Pulling Together Journey 2010, that I was honored to be a part of, one of the youths said something profound. He said, “To be a good leader is to be a good follower and let others take the lead.” A powerful statement from a 17-year old boy from Prince George, and it has stuck with me.
Good leadership means being able to recognize people’s gifts, allowing them to thrive, and then follow. In essence, good leadership breeds good leadership. Similarly, fear also breeds fear. There are two ways to view leadership. It can be something we share with others to prosper or something that we keep from others to subordinate. Self-doubt and lack of trust make it difficult to see another person’s leadership potential.
So, be thankful to your mom, dad, teacher, coach, tutor, friend, relative, student, employee, sibling, colleague, or whomever in your life who offered you good leadership. How do you know? They empowered you to be a good leader too.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, July 13th, 2011 | Comments Off on Good Leadership – January 11, 2011
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I love the Christmas holiday season. It’s a time to be with family and friends… EAT… and, of course, shop. Weeks before Christmas, there are plenty of craft fairs to attend. This is a big hobby of mine. Not making crafts, but talking to the vendors and listening to their stories. What I mean by ‘story’ is not the sales pitch. The story I am referring to is their personal journey, genuine interest, or passion for their craft. As a souvenir of my enlightened experience, I would purchase an item or two. I must admit, I bought several crafts I did not need, but loved the story.
Going to the Circle Craft in Vancouver a few years ago with my sister was a memorable event. My cousin’s wife is a vendor in Circle Craft and she invited us to come visit. I was enamoured by her sheer determination and passion for her art and jewelry. I bought a silver ring. Later, I spoke with a man who made wooden nutcrackers. He drives from Saskatchewan to Northern Ontario to scout for a particular type of wood. My brother-in-law now owns one. Another man spoke to numerous people about his Indian spices and I just stepped in line to buy a couple of boxes of butter chicken. Finally, a young woman chatted about hand selecting, cutting, and painting pieces of fabric to make unique and fashionable hand bands. I have one and worn it once.
What’s my passion? I love listening to people talk about their passion and I am fascinated by their stories. I call this, “The Jam Effect.” How did they choose their passion? Why did they choose to pursue it? What is their pay off? What is the jam? All that I know is, they are happy, excited, and enthusiastic people, and their excitement makes me excited. They understand the “goods internal” and “standards of excellence.” Ultimately, they have a strong belief in themselves that they will succeed.
Assessment for Learning (AFL) has been a recent buzzword in education (next to 21st Century Learning). In my experience, the school district I was formally affiliated with has been trying to implement the ideals of AFL for a few years and the Catholic School Teachers in Vancouver (a group I am currently working with as a consultant) have been implementing AFL for more than four years and continue to do so. Implementation takes time, patience, and persistence by all stakeholders to make it happen for everyone. “No Zeros”… “Retests”… “No Participation Marks”… What does this all mean?
Successful implementation requires complete understanding by the primary implementers: the teachers. What does it look like? How will this work in my class? Why should I change?
I had started to question my assessment and evaluation practices more than five years ago, well before the province-wide initiative. I met a teacher during a round table session at a MetroSeries regarding Understanding by Design (UbD). As per usual, the best professional development is when you get a chance to talk with other teachers about your practice. We chatted about marks and grades. The question posed, “Why does everything count?” After a full-day of quality gab, I simmered with the question.
This person changed my practice and I am grateful. I feel a deep connection with my assessment strategies, my instructional practices, and my students. The three realms work in harmony. There is a clear distinction between grades, work habits, and behaviour. Although one area may influence the other, I could report out an “A,” a work habit of “S,” and a comment about attendance or attitude to best reflect the student’s learning experience. Conversely, I could give a student a “G” for work habits, “Happy Holidays” as a comment, but an “I” or an “F” with respect to the learning outcomes.
For more Edu-Gab about AFL in Secondary (Math) Classrooms, stay tuned to my blog…
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, July 13th, 2011 | Comments Off on Assessment for Learning – December 23, 2010
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A teacher’s educational philosophy is often guided or tainted by past experiences. Lortie (1975) calls this phenomena “Apprenticeship of Observation.” From kindergarten to grade 12 and beyond, we have been observing many teachers for thousands of hours over a 13 to 18 year period. We have favorite teachers, we have teachers we did not like. All in all, it is easy to understand why public education is often under scrutiny because people, in general, have many years of experience observing teachers.
One of my ‘beefs’ about education is TOKENIZED LEARNING. My defining moment did not occur with a teacher, but with my father. In high school, I was a competitive curler and my curling team was on our way to the provincials. My dad baited me with a walkman (yes, I’m dating myself) to enhance my performance and motivate me to win. We were runner-up and I walked away empty handed. I wanted to win for the wrong reasons. I wasn’t focused on playing well, I was focused on winning.
In education, learning is often tokenized. Do this assignment, it’s worth marks. Act in a particular way, that’s worth more marks. The learning process becomes more about accruing marks versus learning for the sake of learning. The drive is a pull, not a push. Teachers take on this responsibility. As a result, “learners” become more motivated by the extrinsic rewards and not by passion, genuine interest, or curiosity. Life-long learning is not about acquiring “the token,” it’s about the love.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, July 13th, 2011 | Comments Off on Tokenized Learning – December 22, 2010
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What is the best part about teaching? Some people might say the best part is the summer, spring break, and winter vacation. Teachers are like Energizer Bunnies. They keep going and going, and going… and yes, they need time to recharge. Breaks are needed to do the job that teachers do. What else? I loved the people I worked with. The teachers, support staff, custodians, administrators, and parents were all fantastic. But, so what?
The Best Part About Teaching are the STUDENTS. They are the best part. I may have taught hundreds of high school students something about math, how to learn math, and maybe even like math. What I appreciated the most were the relationships and engaging with them. Teachers have a strong influence on students and get the opportunity to be a significant part of their journey. I enjoyed making math exciting and I think they did too. What I love even more are the connections I still have with them. Thank you.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, July 13th, 2011 | Comments Off on The Best Part About Teaching – December 18, 2010
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