Drive Discussion: Final Session

We had our final discussion on Daniel Pink's Drive last week.  This session concentrated on Type I ideas for parents and educators.  A lengthy discussion occurred over the appropriate use of homework.  The concept of "guided autonomy" and student choice were major points.  Below is a handout I provided to facilitate the discussion.

Drive

Discussion Points

Type I for Educators page 174

          Homework

          Allowance/Chores

          Praise

          Big Picture

          Students as Teachers

PLC on Superintendent's Conference Day

On Tuesday, November 2, 2010, high school teachers participated in a Professional Learning Community activity led by the principal.  The two hour block consisted of a discussion and strategy session on the Common Core State Standards.  We viewed the website http://www.corestandards.org/ to learn about the standards.  We began the session by watching a video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeeT1_P1hAI of NYSED Commissioner David Steiner.  We discussed the importance of the "Triangle" which consists of standards, curriculum, and assessment. 

Our teachers next analyzed student achievement data from regents exams over the past eleven years.  We worked in groups to list teaching methods that differ today in comparison to the late 1990's.   We followed this discussion by brainstorming what we can do differently today and in the future.  Both discussions were thought provoking and worthwhile. 

Our closing activity consisted of two steps.  First, we grouped by department to create department goals for the current school year.  This led to great dialogue in each group.  The second step was for each teacher to create a set of individual goals for this school year.  Our teachers worked individually on this task and will keep a written copy in a safe place.  We will use the individual goals for self-reflection throughout the school year.  All of the other lists generated including department goals, will listed on our common drive.  The day went well and I was impressed by our teachers' level of engagement.

Drive Discussion

This week I led a book talk on Daniel Pink's Drive.  I was pleased with the effort of the twenty plus participants.  The book seemed to resonate with everyone.  The conversation was rich and clearly more sessions will be needed.  I scheduled a follow-up session.  One teacher asked if we could have even more meetings because she found the book and the discussion valuable.  Below is the outline I used to facilitate the discussion.

Drive

Discussion Points

Sawyer Effect page 36

Carrots and Sticks

Day-Care Late Fee page 52

Seven Deadly Flaws page 59

Motivation 2.0 and Motivation 3.0 page 77

Type X à Extrinsic, Theory X, Type A

Type I à Intrinsic, Theory Y, Type B

Autonomy

          Interdependence not Independence

          FedEx Day

          Players/Pawns

Mastery

          Control à Compliance à Motivation 2.0

          Autonomy à Engagement à Motivation 3.0

          Flow/Goldilocks

          Mindset, Pain, Asymptote

Purpose

          Profit Motive/Purpose Motive

ImpaQT Training

This week I attended a two-day conference sponsored by the American Society for Quality.  The six topics were Leadership, Strategic Planning, Stakeholder Focus, Using Data/Process Management, Building Capabilities and Staff Development, and Getting Results.  These topics led to some great discussions.  One concept that stood out was the fact that the process used to implement an initiative is just as important as the initiative itself.  Often, a decision is made with little regard to the process needed for successful implementation.  It was refreshing to discuss the importance of process management.

Another concept discussed was the use of professional learning communities when building the capacity of your staff.  The value of the PLC approach was a focus.  Educators working collaboratively have a positive impact on student learning.  A focus on learning combined with teachers working interdependently impacts instruction.