Earlier this week I spoke to our principals about the need for them to think in terms of being transformational leaders. I shared that the more predictable and safer leadership style is transactional. Briefly, a principal who has a transactional leadership style will maintain the status quo through give and take relationships. Unfortunately, transformational leadership in schools is extremely difficult to do. It requires a relaxing of the traditional levels of self-interest that guide us so that the staff can embrace the greater needs of the school as a whole. This is of course easier said than done. Later in the week however, I encountered two examples of students working in a way that is a part of a transformative culture.
The first was at Nikiski North Star where some of the primary teachers have recognized the limitations of traditional instruction with their young male students and in response, incorporated movement into their lessons. The floors of some of the classrooms are covered with cards that serve as learning stations. Students move during the lesson, as though rotating in a volleyball game, for short snippets of instruction or work. The second was Saturday morning at the Challenger Center where I visited the Regional Qualifier for the First Lego League Robotics tournament. The event showcased teams of students’ innovative technical designs to make life easier for seniors. We often read that our economy needs graduates with the skills to be problem solvers. This event was evidence that a portion of our students are being prepared in this way. Unfortunately, it is done as an after school club. As we look for ways to transform things beyond the status quo, we need to embrace the creative teachers in Nikiski and look for ways to make problem solving a standard part of our curriculum.
Moving beyond the status quo
Earlier this week I spoke to our principals about the need for them to think in terms of being transformational leaders. I shared that the more predictable and safer leadership style is transactional. Briefly, a principal who has a transactional leadership style will maintain the status quo through give and take relationships. Unfortunately, transformational leadership in schools is extremely difficult to do. It requires a relaxing of the traditional levels of self-interest that guide us so that the staff can embrace the greater needs of the school as a whole. This is of course easier said than done. Later in the week however, I encountered two examples of students working in a way that is a part of a transformative culture.
The first was at Nikiski North Star where some of the primary teachers have recognized the limitations of traditional instruction with their young male students and in response, incorporated movement into their lessons. The floors of some of the classrooms are covered with cards that serve as learning stations. Students move during the lesson, as though rotating in a volleyball game, for short snippets of instruction or work. The second was Saturday morning at the Challenger Center where I visited the Regional Qualifier for the First Lego League Robotics tournament. The event showcased teams of students’ innovative technical designs to make life easier for seniors. We often read that our economy needs graduates with the skills to be problem solvers. This event was evidence that a portion of our students are being prepared in this way. Unfortunately, it is done as an after school club. As we look for ways to transform things beyond the status quo, we need to embrace the creative teachers in Nikiski and look for ways to make problem solving a standard part of our curriculum.