Classroom Layout
For the past three years, I have been very interested classroom layout, and how that plays out in student learning. During my Masters Program, a professor briefly mentioned the effect a physical layout can have. Recently, I was asked to help a teacher reorganize her room to remove the pods and place the tables against the wall (so students do not work with or even look at each other). It created a more “ordered” environment, but at the same time reduced student interaction and cooperation. When I was first learning to teach, the classroom layout was something that I never...
read moreFinal Reflection
In my first course with Johns Hopkins, I learned a great deal about my self and my approach to leadership. Not everything that I learned was good, but almost all of it transformed me in ways that I did not even know were important. As we progressed through the class, we examined a wide variety of leadership strategies and methods that can be used to support school and student achievement. The most challenging aspect of school leadership, in my opinion, is that in order to be an effective leader, administrators need to be students of and constantly analyze leadership theory and practice. It...
read moreFitzjarrald – Self-Assessment
This past week, I took a 21 point self-assessment to determine my strengths in areas of leadership. Within the first minute of the assessment, I could tell exactly where my strengths and weaknesses were, but it took me almost a week to digest them. The most striking discovery was that I am considerably weaker in areas that lead to increased student acievement (according to Fig 4.2, p. 63 of Marzano). Over and over again, I was marking myself low in areas of Situational Awareness and Flexibility. Some of this is definately tied to my own self-image as a young educator (which I can tell by my...
read moreFitzjarrald – Transformational Leadership
I believe that transformational leadership can be used to instigate change at all levels of education administration and leadership. Transformational leadership is the ability to enhance a follower’s morale and motivation. This type of leadership can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, but always focuses on improving the situation and innate potential of the followers. A leader can best integrate transformational leadership by focusing on four distinct areas: Individualized Consideration, Intellectual Stimulation, Inspirational Motivation, and Idealized Influence. I like to think of...
read moreOrientation Course…
This post is going to be a bit interesting, especially for those of you who are used to my normal posts. Instead of talking and reflecting on my everyday life, I will be reflecting on a set of questions that were posed for my Administration and Supervision Certifciate program. As you read on, the questions will be highlighted with my response below. What are your expectations for this program? What do you hope to accomplish? I am very excited about the JHU/ISTE program in general. My expectation is that it will be challenging. The program will definately test my ability to manage time, and...
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