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Friday, March 19, 2010

Thing 10 - Admin & 11 - Teachers

Posting on blogs is an important way to think, reflect, and have potential conversations. I find worthwhile the dialogs that are respectful in the midst of disagreement. It is an opportunity to understand another's perspective and, perhaps, grow our own. It's what Stephen Covey describes as Seek to Understand before being Understood and Think Win-Win. In the first, I strive to see the other perspective, which helps me communicate more effectively and show that I am "hearing" the other. The latter is about not one upmanship or "attack" another's view to beat them. Rather it's about finding a place of understanding. From there grows mutual respect.

There are several people who try to model after in terms of how they respond to others in such conversations. Rick Wormeli and Carol Tomlinson. Both do a remarkable job of communicating effectively.

We can help students develop this craft for respectful dialog in discussion and blogging. In their learning, they can impact their families. In modeling, the teachers develop a similar practice when addressing difficult and often passionate issues in school improvement. Administrators can do this by maintaining a positive and constructive attitude in what they blog. Transparent communication is good, and it also can be draining when some responders use hard or harsh language, and speak in absolutes. But it's worth it...


FranklinCovey's The Leader In Me Video Preview: Thoughts on The 7 Habits

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4 comments:

  1. DanutaMarch 21, 2010 at 12:21 AM

    Covey for Kids - what an interesting idea. It wasn't clear to me (I may have missed it) but the school featured in Decatur (Illinois or Alabama?), how long have they run the program? Furthermore, is there any long term data collected on the Covey program? We have had the PBS system in place at our middle school and the 6th graders who came in this year had it in their 5th grade. However, it seems that these 6th graders haven't been significantly impacted (yet?) and their behavior has stymied and challenged all of their teachers (and administrators). Seeing the elementary students' interviews on the other video you provided makes one wonder if the Covey system would make a more profound and long term impact on the children lives than the PBS (and the anti bullying program).

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  2. RickMarch 21, 2010 at 7:40 PM

    This is very interesting. I had not seen this before. The idea of Covey for kids makes sense. This will prompt me to explore.

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  3. WB4ALLMarch 23, 2010 at 5:59 PM

    Hi Danuta,
    The school is A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary in Raleigh, NC. It's an intriguing program to explore. This is different from PBS as much of the work is internal, rather than external reward system. I've written further about it at:

    http://wb4all.blogspot.com/2010/03/leader-in-me-7-habits-based-schools.html

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  4. WB4ALLMarch 23, 2010 at 6:01 PM

    Hi Rick,

    It's definitely worth exploring. The Covey organization, according to Dr. Covey himself, has people responsible for supporting the work in each state. Well worth exploring. I posted their 800 number at:

    http://wb4all.blogspot.com/2010/03/leader-in-me-7-habits-based-schools.html

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