The lesson I have in mind would be for an Art Appreciation class. I have chosen famous artists from around the world. I have pinpointed them on the map according to their native country and included information on each artist. On the Picasso one, I was also able to embedd a famous painting that he drew. I would continue and embed pictures for each artist along with their biographical information. I would hope that seeing a famous drawing along with a description and also seeing where in the world they are from would be an interesting art appreciation lesson.
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Reflections on Chapter 21: Trends and Issues in P-12 Educational Change
The first issue that particularly hit home with me was when the chapter talked about creating strategic alignment. One of the three things that strategic alignment accomplishes is it ensures that everyone is working toward the same goals and vision for the district. Secondly it “weaves a web of accountabilities that makes everyone who touches the educational experience of a child accountable for their own part in shaping that experience”. Thirdly, “it forms a social architecture that is free of bureaucratic hassles, dysfunctional policies, and obstructionist procedures that limit individual and team effectiveness”. Not only would school districts benefit from such a strategic alignment, Universities need to have the same goals and vision for its institution. Everyone from the superintendent (or president of a University) to the maintenance staff need to be accountable to every child they encounter in a learning environment. Everyone needs to have the same vision and be responsible to carry out that vision as part of their job description. If you’re not on board with the goals and vision of the district then you need to check out. If a person’s goals don’t align with the goals and vision of the district in which they are employed, then there is going to be hassles and dysfunction going on within the institution. It is not pleasant to work in an environment that is filled with dysfunctional policies and obstacles. Once strategic alignment is achieved evaluation must take place to measure everyone’s effort to educate children. It takes a strong and dedicated leader to sustain improvement and continuously manage the performance of the school district. I wholeheartedly agree with the statement that “achieving high performance is a lifelong journey for a school district.”
Another important issue in transformation would be involving the community. When the Decatur Township initiated a systemic change in their district one of its first steps was to involve as many stakeholders as possible. The widely held publicized meetings were to get as many students and community members on board with the change. Systemic transformation can also be very expensive and the district may have to seek financial support from outside sources. Once funded, it will still need a permanent budget in order to sustain the transformational process. In today’s economy and with so many school districts’ losing enrollment and therefore losing funding, systemic reform will just not take place….maybe piecemeal isn’t effective, but it may be the only affordable alternative available.
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3 comments:
I absolutely agree with you when you said,"If you’re not on board with the goals and vision of the district then you need to check out." All too often, student's educational experiences can be tarnished because a teacher is not on board with their school and is so busy fighting their own fight that they cant help students with theirs.
When reading about the Decatur school district, I also really stuck to the fact that they held, not just one, but many community forums in an effort to include the community and show that every person in the community had a responsibilty and a hand in whether or not their schools, and their children, were successful. I definitely "takes a village" when it comes to making a change for the better.
I think that in a school district that wants to make changes, there needs to be strong leadership from the top. If the superintendent is a big flip-flopper or is indecisive, the staff and community have no guidance. The staff needs to know that they have support and that they are all working towards a common goal.
I really like your idea for your map project. The art teacher at our school and I work together on a lot of things, and she is always trying to implement more computers into the class, this would be great for her.
Betsy
Following suit with many other 'respondants' I agree with the need for strong leadership and consistency when it comes to implementing change. Getting everyone to 'be on the same page' is a task in itself. Teachers are like students, all with different backgrounds, attitudes, visions and goals.
I liked your map idea. Sounds like you had fun producing it!
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