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Leading Mathematics in Urban Districts
Opportunities and Challenges
Cathy Seeley
Charles A. Dana Center
The University of Texas at Austin
February 4, 2009
Leadership
• Communicating a Vision
• Using the Power of People
• Pacing Yourselves
Communicating a Vision
STANDARDS
All students doing meaningful mathematics
using appropriate tools
All students doing meaningful mathematics using appropriate
tools• Equity and access
• Engagement
• Important mathematics
• Resources
• Learning
Customizing the Vision
• State and federal mandates
• Community issues
• How big? How many?
• Where the schools are in the process
• Resources available
Using the Power of People
Using the Power of People
• It’s not just your job.
• If/when you’re gone, who will be left?
• What will make it sustainable?
Using leadership networks
• Give them opportunities
• Arm them
• Support them
• Trust them
Pacing Yourselves
Things I have learned about life as a leader and change facilitator…
• Opportunities rarely present themselves in ideal circumstances.
• They probably aren’t going to retire or die any time soon, so you might as well find a way to work with them.
• One reason you probably are still an educator is because you care whether, what, and which students learn.
Staying the course
• Patience
• Perseverence
• Public Relations
Can we do what do we ask of teachers?
• Don’t tell everything
• Focus on developing problem solving and thinking
• Talk with your students and listen to what they say
• Help students learn to reflect on their own and their
fellow students’ work
• Encourage, nurture, support students
Can we do what do we ask of teachers?
• Don’t tell everything
• Help teachers act from a professional knowledge base
• Talk with your students and listen to what they say
• Help students learn to reflect on their own and their
fellow students’ work
• Encourage, nurture, support students
Can we do what do we ask of teachers?
• Don’t tell everything
• Help teachers act from a professional knowledge base
• Talk with your teachers and listen to what they say
• Help students learn to reflect on their own and their
fellow students’ work
• Encourage, nurture, support students
Can we do what do we ask of teachers?
• Don’t tell everything
• Help teachers act from a professional knowledge base
• Talk with your teachers and listen to what they say
• Help teachers learn to reflect on their own and other
teachers’ work
• Encourage, nurture, support students
Can we do what do we ask of teachers?
• Don’t tell everything
• Help teachers act from a professional knowledge base
• Talk with your teachers and listen to what they say
• Help teachers learn to reflect on their own and other
teachers’ work
• Encourage, nurture, support teachers
• What is one other thing we ask
of teachers that you can
ask of yourself as a leader
with teachers?
Can we do what do we ask of teachers?
CHALLENGES…
Challenges we (all) face…
• Not enough community support
• Not enough administrative support
• Not enough resources
• Not enough trained teachers
• Too much pressure about THE TEST
• Politics
Issues and Challenges
• For your school, district or region, identify
a challenge (an obstacle) to improving
mathematics teaching and learning.
• Choose one challenge from your table.
What is something that you’re
pretty sure won’t work to address
that challenge?
Leading for Results
• Effective Leadership
• Efficient Leadership
• Getting Results
Effective Leadership
Actions/Interventions that – are appropriate—what they
need when they need it– are personal– take the long view– are strategic
Efficient Leadership
Actions/Interventions that don’t
– waste time (yours or teachers’)
– waste energy (yours or teachers’)
– waste resources (yours or teachers’)
Efficient Leadership
Doing a good intervention at the wrong time or with the wrong
people is inefficient.
Efficient Leadership
Investments vs. Expenses
Investments
• Building relationships is always an investment.
• We need to spend the time to let things happen.
Leadership for Results
Leadership to get– what you want
– what your community demands
– what your teachers and students need
What does it take from you?
• Courage
• Action
• Personal Leadership
Courage
• Changing what you do is hard and scary.
• Changing what you believe is
harder and scarier.
• Changing what others believe is
even harder and scarier.
31
Action
• One thing you will do by
Monday
• One thing you will do
long-term
32
Personal Mastery
• Telling the truth
• Personal Vision
Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline, 1994
Personal Mastery
• Telling the truth
• Personal Vision:
– What’s important to you?
– What do you care about?
– What drives you, motivates you?
– What are you passionate about?
– Why do you put up with all that stuf?
Personal Leadership
• to seek out knowledge about what works
• to imagine what is possible
• to advocate high quality mathematics learning for every student
• to actively reach out beyond your classroom, institution, or school system
Your Leadership• Helping teachers develop their personal leadership• Being an effective change agent/facilitator• Being …
Your Leadership• Helping teachers develop their personal leadership• Being an effective change agent/facilitator• Being sensitive, perceptive, persistent, politically
savvy, inspirational, visionary, hard-working, invisible, smart, trustworthy, selfless, respected, courageous, enthusiastic, committed, provocative, compassionate, patient, accepting, challenging, creative, tactful, versatile, professional, provoking, enabling, encouraging, resourceful, goal-focused, insightful, assertive, organized, pleasant, truthful, strategic, effective, efficient …
Sometimes it just takes a match…
Sometimes it just takes a match…
You can make it happen…
You’re a leader.You’re a leader.
You can make it happen…
E-mail me for a link to a pdf of the slides or to get information on the
book: [email protected]
Check out my website on Burkina Faso:
http://csinburkinafaso.com