Thursday, November 20, 2014

My dad's an alien | Business Car Manager | Blog

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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Being a Humble Leader

7 questions to practice humility:
  1. How can you make others look good?
  2. How can you take responsibility?
  3. How can you connect?
  4. How can you serve?
  5. How can you be better?
  6. How can you remain open?
  7. How can you address the concerns of others?
Every time you step into dangerous seas, ask,  “If I was a humble leader, what would I do?”
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Saturday, July 19, 2014

Dr. Eric Mazur--From Questions to Concepts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYRfPPfjBbc


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Differentiation Graphic


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Monday, July 14, 2014

Tips for Great Presentations



SECRETS TO GREAT PRESENTATIONS

Leaders who present well, extend their influence, broaden their impact, and advance their careers.
Great talkers have an advantage.
orangutan

Two questions:

Ask the most important question presenters forget to ask. How do you want your audience to feel about themselves? If they feel good about themselves, they will feel good about you. You’re so consumed with style and content that you forget about the most important people in the room, the audience.
Ask the second most important question presenters forget to ask. What do you want them talking about when they leave the room? Talk about what you want them talking about.

Get busy quickly:

Begin like you know where you’re going. A slow, wandering beginning drives an audience to boredom. Uncertainty in a speaker makes an audience uncertain.
Eliminate traditional opening remarks. Ask yourself, does the audience really care? Include only the essentials when you begin. Make them feel like you’re on a mission.
Create momentum by telling your audience where you’re going and quickly getting there. Don’t allow your audience to wonder how long you will talk, for example.

It’s in the eyes:

Use the three count rule for eye contact. Look at someone on the left and count to three. Look to the middle and count to three, and so on. Don’t scan the audience. Scanners disconnect. Tip: Don’t keep looking at the power people in the audience.
Be visual. There are 72 slides in my 40 minute presentations, only seven or eight have words.
Use the remote control or the “B” button on your keyboard to turn the screen black. Every eye turns to you when the screen goes dark. Drive home your most important points while they’re focused on you.
What irritates you about presenters and presentations?
How can leaders be great presenters?
Category : Communication, Influence, Personal Growth
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Sunday, July 13, 2014

11 Habits of an Effective Teacher from Edutopia

11 Habits of an Effective Teacher

More Related Discussions
Carrie Lam , Academic Director & Teacher, Maple Bear Global Schools from Canada
Posted 07/05/2014 10:12AM | Last Commented 07/11/2014 9:29PM
11 Replies 3021 Views
I really appreciate teachers who are truly passionate about teaching. The teacher who wants to be an inspiration to others. The teacher who is happy with his/her job at all times. The teacher that every other child in the school would love to have. The teacher that kids remember for the rest of their lives. Are you that teacher? Read on and learn 11 effective habits of an effective teacher.
1. ENJOY TEACHING.
Teaching is meant to be a very enjoyable and rewarding career field (although demanding and exhausting at times!). You cannot expect the kids to have fun if you are not having fun with them! If you only read the instructions out of a textbook, it's ineffective. Instead, make your lessons come alive by making it as interactive and engaging as possible. Let your passion for teaching shine through each and everyday. Enjoy every teaching moment to the fullest.
2. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
There is a saying, "With great power, comes great responsibility". As a teacher, you need to be aware and remember the great responsibility that comes with your profession. One of your goals ought to be: Make a difference in their lives. How? Make them feel special, safe and secure when they are in your classroom. Be the positive influence in their lives. Why? You never know what your students went through before entering your classroom on a particular day or what conditions they are going home to after your class. So, just in case they are not getting enough support from home, at least you will make a difference and provide that to them.
3. SPREAD POSITIVITY.
Bring positive energy into the classroom every single day. You have a beautiful smile so don't forget to flash it as much as possible throughout the day. I know that you face battles of your own in your personal life but once you enter that classroom, you should leave all of it behind before you step foot in the door. Your students deserve more than for you to take your frustration out on them. No matter how you are feeling, how much sleep you've gotten or how frustrated you are, never let that show. Even if you are having a bad day, learn to put on a mask in front of the students and let them think of you as a superhero (it will make your day too)! Be someone who is always positive, happy and smiling. Always remember that positive energy is contagious and it is up to you to spread it. Don't let other people's negativity bring you down with them.
4. GET PERSONAL.
This is the fun part and absolutely important for being an effective teacher! Get to know your students and their interests so that you can find ways to connect with them. Don't forget to also tell them about yours! Also, it is important to get to know their learning styles so that you can cater to each of them as an individual. In addition, make an effort to get to know their parents as well. Speaking to the parents should not be looked at as an obligation but rather, an honour. In the beginning of the school year, make it known that they can come to you about anything at anytime of the year. In addition, try to get to know your colleagues on a personal level as well. You will be much happier if you can find a strong support network in and outside of school.
5. GIVE 100%.
Whether you are delivering a lesson, writing report cards or offering support to a colleague - give 100%. Do your job for the love of teaching and not because you feel obligated to do it. Do it for self-growth. Do it to inspire others. Do it so that your students will get the most out of what you are teaching them. Give 100% for yourself, students, parents, school and everyone who believes in you. Never give up and try your best - that's all that you can do. (That's what I tell the kids anyway!)
6. STAY ORGANIZED.
Never fall behind on the marking or filing of students' work. Try your best to be on top of it and not let the pile grow past your head! It will save you a lot of time in the long run. It is also important to keep an organized planner and plan ahead! The likelihood of last minute lesson plans being effective are slim. Lastly, keep a journal handy and jot down your ideas as soon as an inspired idea forms in your mind. Then, make a plan to put those ideas in action.
7. BE OPEN-MINDED.
As a teacher, there are going to be times where you will be observed formally or informally (that's also why you should give 100% at all times). You are constantly being evaluated and criticized by your boss, teachers, parents and even children. Instead of feeling bitter when somebody has something to say about your teaching, be open-minded when receiving constructive criticism and form a plan of action. Prove that you are the effective teacher that you want to be. Nobody is perfect and there is always room for improvement. Sometimes, others see what you fail to see.
8. HAVE STANDARDS.
Create standards for your students and for yourself. From the beginning, make sure that they know what is acceptable versus what isn't. For example, remind the students how you would like work to be completed. Are you the teacher who wants your students to try their best and hand in their best and neatest work? Or are you the teacher who could care less? Now remember, you can only expect a lot if you give a lot. As the saying goes, "Practice what you preach".
9. FIND INSPIRATION.
An effective teacher is one who is creative but that doesn't mean that you have to create everything from scratch! Find inspiration from as many sources as you can. Whether it comes from books, education, Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, blogs, TpT or what have you, keep finding it!
10. EMBRACE CHANGE.
In life, things don't always go according to plan. This is particularly true when it comes to teaching. Be flexible and go with the flow when change occurs. An effective teacher does not complain about changes when a new principal arrives. They do not feel the need to mention how good they had it at their last school or with their last group of students compared to their current circumstances. Instead of stressing about change, embrace it with both hands and show that you are capable of hitting every curve ball that comes your way!
11. CREATE REFLECTIONS.
An effective teacher reflects on their teaching to evolve as a teacher. Think about what went well and what you would do differently next time. You need to remember that we all have "failed" lessons from time to time. Instead of looking at it as a failure, think about it as a lesson and learn from it. As teachers, your education and learning is ongoing. There is always more to learn and know about in order to strengthen your teaching skills. Keep reflecting on your work and educating yourself on what you find are your "weaknesses" as we all have them! The most important part is recognizing them and being able to work on them to improve your teaching skills.
There are, indeed, several other habits that make an effective teacher but these are the ones that I find most important. Many other character traits can be tied into these ones as well.
LAST WORD: There is always something positive to be found in every situation but it is up to you to find it. Keep your head up and teach happily for the love of education!
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What kind of leadership do people really want?



10 WAYS TO BECOME THE LEADER PEOPLE FOLLOW

Yesterday I met with two new leaders in my organization. (I use “my” loosely) It was a get to know you and a where are you going pow-wow.
At the end of our exchange I asked, “What did you get from our conversation?”
see their future
They replied, “You helped us have purpose during our first weeks of involvement. It’s just what we’ve been looking for.”
It’s strange but the words of Jim Quigley, the former global CEO of Deloitte, popped into my head, “People want to be led.”
People want to be led. But they don’t want:
  1. Bossy leaders.
  2. Selfish leaders.
  3. Pompous leaders.
  4. Verbose leaders.
  5. Fearful leaders.
  6. Negative leaders.
  7. Manipulative leaders.
  8. Self-protective leaders.
  9. Dishonest leaders.
  10. Inconsistent leaders.
People want leaders who:
  1. They trust will help them build their future.
  2. Listen to them.
  3. Understand them.
  4. Give opportunities for them to shine – who give credit rather than taking it.
  5. Set direction – who know where they are going.
  6. Establish big targets and challenging goals.
  7. Give meaning to tasks by aligning them with bigger ideas.
  8. Create accountability.
  9. Are approachable.
  10. Have focus but are not hard-headed.
Bonus: People want leaders who can teach and be taught.
What type of leader would you follow?
How are you becoming the leader people want to follow?
Category : Communication, Influence, Leading, Listening, Marks of leaders, Taking others higher
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