The greatest accomplishments in life are not achieved by individuals alone, but by proactive people pulling together for a common good. Look behind every winner and you will find a great coach. Look out in front of every superstar and you will see a positive role model. Look alongside every great achiever and you will find caring people offering encouragement, support and able assistance. –John Murphy
I recently keynoted and helped to plan the Pennsylvania state conference for Classroom for the Future coaches. Whenever I keynote I always try and take the posture of learner and as a result I was struck by several key concepts that were shared at this conference.
First of all, I was exposed to the work of Jim Knight. http://www.radicallearners.com/
Who are the radical learners?
Radical Learners:
- believe we are here on earth to learn, so they are turned on
by every chance they get to discover something new
- use technology to learn, to teach, or lead (and because it’s cool).
- have hope because they know that to teach without hope is to
damage, but to teach with hope can save the world
- love the members of their PLN
- have mentors and coaches
- mentor and coach others
- are witnesses to the good
- are brutally honest about what is really happening in their
classroom and would welcome any visitor who could help them improve
- don’t blame others but accept personal responsibility
- infect everybody with their love of learning, most importantly
the children they teach
- make a difference
Are you a radical learner?
Mentors
Mentor relationships run the gamete. They range from informal encouragement to formal mentorship programs. While many of us have not been formally mentored, we cannot make the mistake of thinking that we arrived at our current position alone. This is especially true for those of us in leadership positions. Not one of us moved to a position of formal leadership without the assistance of others who encouraged us pushed us to work harder, dream bigger, or even formally took us under their wing and instructed us in the ways of the wise.
“Always two there are– a master and an apprentice.” –Yoda
Community Mentoring- Giving Back
In a community environment it is important to have various roles including that of coach or mentor. Mentoring needs to be intentional, a purposeful part of learning forward. For those doing the mentoring it is a way of paying back what you were given. For those receiving the mentoring it is important to remember that life-changing results only happen if you are willing to put in the challenging work required. Part of the mentorship process is accountability, follow- through, and responsibility. Mentoring is a two-way, active learning process. It is an exchange of value. Mentors give time and experience and those being mentored show up, work hard, and follow through on what they are being asked to do. Mentees need to honor mentors by acknowledging understanding of the value of the mentor’s time and knowledge. They need to show a commitment to learning through their participation in the community.
“You’ll only find what you bring in.” –Yoda
Relationship
Part of being in a mentoring relationship is a willingness to be vulnerable, to share strengths and weaknesses, to have hard conversations, and to hear the truth even when it it is difficult to do so. Without transparency, growth cannot occur. If we feel too comfortable, too relaxed, that is a red flag that we are not growing.
“If we are growing, we are always going to be outside our comfort zone.” — John Maxwell
The future is always changing and we have to be ready to move with it. This is especially true for educators. If we are going to prepare our students for success then we need to be ready to grow, stretch, change.
“True success comes only when every generation continues to develop the next generation.” — John Maxwell
By giving back through mentoring we are leaving our legacy.
Questions you can ask to start a mentoring relationship…
“I want to _______. What questions should I be asking and who should I ask?”
“One of my goals is to _____. I‘m getting a bit stuck with ______. If you were in my situation how would you approach getting things back on track?”
“Will you help me brainstorm a few ideas, even off the wall ones?”
“Can I share how I am approaching this project? I’d like to get your thoughts on whether I am missing anything in my approach.”
“I need a quick sounding board for an idea I’ve got, do you have a few minutes?”
“I would like to hear opposing ideas – the further from mine the better. Are you game?”
Questions mentors can ask….
Reflect upon the changes you would like to see.
– in yourself as a learner first, leader second
What specifically will you change?
– in your school as a learning organization
List at least 3 things you would like to see happen to move your school towards this goal
– in your teachers
What professional goals or targets would you put before them in terms of growth toward 21st Century change?
– in your students
What suggestions do you have for how students could learn more authentically in the classroom?
How can you use their voice more in decision making?
Photo Credit
http://managementcraft.typepad.com/management_craft/2005/04/get_great_coach.html
The greatest accomplishments in life are not achieved by individuals alone, but by proactive people pulling together for a common good. Look behind every winner and you will find a great coach. Look out in front of every superstar and you will see a positive role model. Look alongside every great achiever and you will find caring people offering encouragement, support and able assistance. –John Murphy
First of all, I was exposed to the work of Jim Knight. http://www.radicallearners.com/
Who are the radical learners?
Radical Learners:
by every chance they get to discover something new
damage, but to teach with hope can save the world
classroom and would welcome any visitor who could help them improve
the children they teach
Are you a radical learner?
Mentors
Mentor relationships run the gamete. They range from informal encouragement to formal mentorship programs. While many of us have not been formally mentored, we cannot make the mistake of thinking that we arrived at our current position alone. This is especially true for those of us in leadership positions. Not one of us moved to a position of formal leadership without the assistance of others who encouraged us pushed us to work harder, dream bigger, or even formally took us under their wing and instructed us in the ways of the wise.
“Always two there are– a master and an apprentice.” –Yoda
Community Mentoring- Giving Back
In a community environment it is important to have various roles including that of coach or mentor. Mentoring needs to be intentional, a purposeful part of learning forward. For those doing the mentoring it is a way of paying back what you were given. For those receiving the mentoring it is important to remember that life-changing results only happen if you are willing to put in the challenging work required. Part of the mentorship process is accountability, follow- through, and responsibility. Mentoring is a two-way, active learning process. It is an exchange of value. Mentors give time and experience and those being mentored show up, work hard, and follow through on what they are being asked to do. Mentees need to honor mentors by acknowledging understanding of the value of the mentor’s time and knowledge. They need to show a commitment to learning through their participation in the community.
“You’ll only find what you bring in.” –Yoda
Relationship
Part of being in a mentoring relationship is a willingness to be vulnerable, to share strengths and weaknesses, to have hard conversations, and to hear the truth even when it it is difficult to do so. Without transparency, growth cannot occur. If we feel too comfortable, too relaxed, that is a red flag that we are not growing.
“If we are growing, we are always going to be outside our comfort zone.” — John Maxwell
The future is always changing and we have to be ready to move with it. This is especially true for educators. If we are going to prepare our students for success then we need to be ready to grow, stretch, change.
“True success comes only when every generation continues to develop the next generation.” — John Maxwell
By giving back through mentoring we are leaving our legacy.
Questions you can ask to start a mentoring relationship…
“I want to _______. What questions should I be asking and who should I ask?”
“One of my goals is to _____. I‘m getting a bit stuck with ______. If you were in my situation how would you approach getting things back on track?”
“Will you help me brainstorm a few ideas, even off the wall ones?”
“Can I share how I am approaching this project? I’d like to get your thoughts on whether I am missing anything in my approach.”
“I need a quick sounding board for an idea I’ve got, do you have a few minutes?”
“I would like to hear opposing ideas – the further from mine the better. Are you game?”
Questions mentors can ask….
Reflect upon the changes you would like to see.
– in yourself as a learner first, leader second
What specifically will you change?
– in your school as a learning organization
List at least 3 things you would like to see happen to move your school towards this goal
– in your teachers
What professional goals or targets would you put before them in terms of growth toward 21st Century change?
– in your students
What suggestions do you have for how students could learn more authentically in the classroom?
How can you use their voice more in decision making?
Photo Credit
http://managementcraft.typepad.com/management_craft/2005/04/get_great_coach.html