Author Archive

Leadership’s Greatest Posts in 2013

Friday, December 27th, 2013

During 2013 I posted over 300 links to leadership stories and advice for educators and parents. They are all available in the archive section on the left side of my home page. Today I present the best and most basic. They focus on how effective leaders behave along with good and bad examples to learn from. I suggest you read through this list quickly before you start to explore. As reading them all might take a while, consider having students and/or parents help.

11/27 Should student work be posted online for all to see? This article lays out the benefits and give suggestions for how to go about it. @Dunlop_Sue

11/23 Seven tips to overcome presentation anxiety – These are good tips for adults and teens. @GuyKawasaki

11/23 35 High Schools Worth Visiting – Check to see which one’s are near you and go visit. @Getting_Smart

11/21 Diane Ravitch supports boycott of common core tests. @JoieTyrrell

11/14 The Long Term Benefits of Music Lessons – @s_bearden @akmbirch

11/13 Seven Things Keeping Women Out of Science – Let hope this can change. @businessinsider @iEducator

11/9 Momentum Grows Against Zero Tolerance Discipline and High-Stakes Testing. @EdWeekTeacher @AnthonyCody

11/7 In Public Education, Edge Still Goes to the Rich. In some states, laws make the rich-poor gap bigger. Where does your state rate? @portereduardo

11/5 How to Ruin Kindergarten – Larry Cuban describes how the test-centric culture is impacting kindergarten. Read this and try to fight back. @LarryCuban

11/4 Five Ways You Might Be Undermining Your Authority – @EntMagazine @BrettRelander

11/2Is it time to ditch seat time as the criteria for awarding college degrees? This makes sense to me. @EDUBEAT

11/2 The Over Scheduled Child – How big a problem is this? Bruce Feiler Also see my comment. @LarryCuban

11/2 In 19 states adults can still hit kids in school. How stupid is this? Also see my comment. @edweek

11/1 Ten Ways to Make a Difference in Someone’s Life – @justintarte @Dwight_Carter

11/1 Suggestions for Dealing with Pornography in Sex Education Classes – I think this is something we need to take on rather than ignore. @guardian @SchoolsImprove

10/27 Children who paint more are more likely to become entrepreneurs. Those who went on to own patents or companies received up to eight times more exposure to the arts when they were in school. @Telegraph @SchoolsImprove

10/25 Six ways leaders diminish team performance. See if you fit into any of these types. @JesseLynStoner

10/25 Regular bedtimes benefits are tied to better behavior. Spanking’s link to bad behavior – Share with all parents you know. @NYTimes

10/21 Are video games better than drugs for ADHD? @dailydot @lemino

10/18 Ten Qualities of Great Teachers – how many do you or your teachers have? @justintarte

10/16 Is the increase in ADHD due to high stakes testing? This makes sense to me. @maggiekb1

10/16 Should preschoolers have nap time? Research implies the answer is yes. @thesleepdoctor

10/10 Banning Balls at Recess – What would you do? What do your students think? See my comment on the subject at Linked In. @Forbes

10/9 How to get high quality work from student projects. Even if you are not new to project-based learning (PBL) this should be helpful. @drmmtatom @edutopia

10/7 Ten strategies for promoting AP course completion – @Getting_Smart

9/29 Losing is good for you. Parents need to read this. @AshleyMerryman

9/27 How to nail the first 60 seconds of a presentation – This is pretty good advice that I always use. Go here to upload your presentation. @NowPossible

9/22 A simple way to leave your stress at work – @FastCompany

9/19 Ten things I wish I knew my first year of teaching. Be sure to share with any new teachers you know. @TeachThought

9/16 Advice for teachers who want to be principals. Be sure to read my comment. @joe_mazza @lynhilt @Larryferlazzo

9/16 Study shows that positive school climate boosts test scores. @EdSource @s_bearden

9/10 Students from rural, urban, Title I and high-need schools get outside and get ahead. @usedgov @Montberte

9/10 Why Every Student Should Be In a #1:1 Classroom – @EmergingEdTech @DyKnow

9/9 Fewer Rules, Better Schools – When I taught high school I never had rules. I just taught. Worked for me. @CoachGinsberg

9/8 Five recruiting habits of successful leaders – @MeghanMBiro

9/2 Ten Creative Scheduling Ideas To Provide Time for Face-to-Face Collaboration and Study – @InnovativeEdu

8/27 Ten reasons why walking meetings are a good idea – @brettgreene

8/20 Tips on building a positive school culture – @Getting_Smart

8/14 It’s time to stop averaging grades. @davidwees

8/13 The truth about homework in schools – Teachers should read this before they assign any more homework. @casas_jimmy @justintarte

8/10 The Five Biggest Skills Modern Teachers Need – See if you or your students can guess what they are. @ShellTerrell

8/3 The Dos and Don’ts for Integrating iPads – All school leaders and teachers need to read this. @Zite @dougpete

8/2 How to be more likable without being a phony – @GuyKawasaki

7/31 32 Characteristics of high performing classrooms. Some of this is pretty good.

7/8 Too Many Bosses – Not Enough Leaders Are you a boss or a leader? How about the people you work with? @fjohnreh @LeaderChat

7/4 Stop Penalizing Boys and girls for Not Being Able to Sit Still at School. Jessica Lahey – The Atlantic @edtechcoaching

6/27 Five Ways to Lead Through a Setback – @tedcoine

6/16 Five Things Rock-Star Leaders Do Every Day – @zite @8Amber8

6/5 Successful complainers make things better. Ten Ways to Complain Successfully – @Leadershipfreak

5/9 Ten Reasons To Try 20% Time In The Classroom: Google does it. Your classroom could too. Why not try it at least once? @colonelb

5/9 Should we continue to teach cursive writing? Elementary principal Rob Furman argues no. @DrFurman

5/2 Let teens sleep in for better grades. @NYPost

4/28 Avoiding the Six Temptations to be a Bossy Boss – @recoveringleadr

4/28 Should schools teach porn literacy? @Montberte @Telegraph @SchoolsImprove

4/26 Nine Leadership Mistakes That Kill Your Team – @fsonnenberg @MattMonge @LollyDaskal

4/17 Four Big Concerns About BYOD In Schools – @ShellTerrell

4/14 How to Destroy Creativity and Innovation – Nice poster on what NOT to do – @recoveringleadr

4/14 Bring inspirational speakers into your classroom via TED Talks. @SchoolsImporve @theguardian

4/12 Nine Leadership Tips Anyone Can Use Immediately – @zite @8Amber8 @LollyDaskal

4/10 Should we be surprised when teachers cheat? Bill Ferriter @plugusin @SBEducation @tomwhitby

4/3 Fifty ways to cheat on standardized tests. Which ones do you use? @prismdecision @washingtonpost

4/3 A field guide to the Meeting Troll – Share this with the people you work with and suggest that they try to avoid being the meeting troll. @thisissethsblog

3/25 Principal Qualities Most Wanted by Teachers – @SusanF95

3/9 Kill Your Conference Room. The Future’s in Walking and Talking. Most of us sit too much. @Wired @iEducator

3/2 Mastering Leadership Relationships – @Leadershipfreak @LollyDaskal

2/25 Top Nine Traits of the Principal as Student Advocate – @mccoyderek

2/16 Not enough physical activity in PE classes (UK) – What’s it like in your school? @SchoolsImprove @bbcnews

2/8 Leadership lessons from Henry VIII – and you thought he was a bad guy. @GuyKawasaki @jaykubassek

1/28 Why So Many Schools Remain Penitentiaries of Boredom – @POUSDSupt

1/24 Nine Mistakes In Technology Integration In Education – This is good for veterans and those just getting started. @Ktweetthis @teachthought

1/23 Change the Subject: Making the Case for Project-Based Learning. @edutopia

1/21 Three attributes of a great principal – Try to guess what they are before looking. Be sure to ask students what they think and share with your principal. @principalspage

1/5 Six habits of likable people – Ask staff/students to rate themselves. @oveucsj @terryheick

Share this:

Posted in Dr. Doug's Twitter Service | Comments Off on Leadership’s Greatest Posts in 2013

You Don’t Have to Be Religious to Embrace the Christmas Season by Elizabeth Reed

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

You Don’t Have to Be Religious to Embrace the Christmas Season
by Elizabeth Reed will help you focus on the real meaning of the season regardless of your religious beliefs. There is a good message here, especially for children who can often be more concerned with what they are going to get than what they might do for others.

Beyond Jesus

The holiday season is more than just celebrating the birth of Jesus. It’s more than participating in one of the biggest shopping excursions of the year. It’s about togetherness with friends and family and appreciating what you have as a whole. It’s not what you should want thanks to commercials or religious icons. The Christmas season can be embraced by others from all walks of life for reasons other than religious significance.

Family and Friends

From the end of October, the spirit of the holidays wafts in the air like the smell of a freshly cooked spice apple pie. It is the time of year when you want to surround yourself with those you love and appreciate them for who they are. Anyone regardless of spiritual beliefs can appreciate that aspect of the season. You don’t need to be any denomination of Christian or any other faith to embrace those who are dearest to you. Although this should be a year-round event, the holiday season seems to put more emphasis on this aspect of existence. Perhaps its the candles, music, festive decorations or a combination of all of them.

Fellow Humankind

The holiday season also brings out the very best in humanity without a religious undertone. People who normally don’t bother with transients throughout the year find themselves donating money or handing those less fortunate a blanket in order to keep warmer through the winter. It is the embodiment of goodwill towards humankind. It’s the one time of the year when those belonging to higher social groups are more likely to lend a hand to those in need. It is the spirit of giving to the world that is embraced – not the religious belief structure that is tied to the holiday. You find yourself giving gifts to complete strangers because they look like they could use a friend.

Festivities

Although there is a great deal of religion in the medium of Christmas, there is almost an equal balance of entertainment for those who don’t wish to involve themselves with religiousness. Some of the most memorable moments in people’s lives are those of Christmas parties either at home or in the office. It is the act of enjoying each others company that makes this time of the year special. Traditions can easily be created adding more to the atmosphere. None of it requires a religious aspect in order to be appreciated. Christmas is a celebration of life to many and not simply because of Jesus, but because the message that is being conveyed to those willing to participate. You don’t need to be holy to decorate the home in holly.

And To All A Good Night

Although there is nothing wrong with having a religion and believing in other meanings for Christmas, the season doesn’t merely have to be for those who believe as you do. It doesn’t matter who or what the figure head is as long as the message is relatively the same. Not being of like-minded beliefs shouldn’t have a bearing on what the holiday season brings to everyone. Instead of being locked away and denying Christmas because of its religious affiliations, why not embrace the season for what it truly reflects – love, respect and harmonious balance between the people of this planet. Regardless of your religious tenancies, we are all still of the same species with similar desires and needs.

Elizabeth Reed

Elizabeth is a freelance writer and a resident blogger at Livenanny.org. She particularly enjoys writing about parenting, childcare, health and wellness. In addition, she is an expert consultant on issues related to household management and kids. You can reach her at elizabeth.livenanny@gmail.com.

Share this:

Posted in Guest Posts | Comments Off on You Don’t Have to Be Religious to Embrace the Christmas Season by Elizabeth Reed

Free Thinkers by Joshua Davis – Inspirational Case Study

Monday, November 25th, 2013

Free Thinkers by Joshua Davis from the Nov. 2013 issue of Wired Magazine tells how a teacher in a Mexican border town converted his classroom from the factory model of the 1800’s to one drawing on modern research with amazing results. It’s an inspirational case study featuring a special teacher and student that all school leaders need to pay attention to. The author (@JoshusDavisNow) is a contributing editor for Wired and has written 30 feature articles for the magazine.

The Setting

José Urbina López Primary School sits next to a dump in Matamoros, Mexico. It’s a city of almost half a million, and a flash point in the drug war. Shoot-outs are common as are bodies in the street. The school was known as a place of punishment. Students sat in rows and listened as teachers doled out knowledge that they were expected to parrot back. Sergio Juárez Correa taught such classes for five years when he realized that they were a wast of time.
In 2011 he started to experiment. He was inspired by the work of Sugata MItra who gave children in India access to computers without instruction. What he found is that they were able to teach themselves a surprising variety of things. Even though Sergio had no computers, he was still able to give his student much more control of their learning.

Problems With Our System

The current system in the US generates hundreds of thousands of dropouts, and one third of those who do graduate from high school are not prepared for college. The dominant model of public education is rooted in the industrial revolution that spawned it. Conversely, children are motivated by curiosity and playfulness and teach themselves a tremendous amount when left to their own means. In sort, human cognitive machinery is incompatible with conventional schooling. Children soon learn that their questions don’t matter, which is not the way natural selection designed us to learn. If you don’t control your learning, you simply won’t learn as well.
Since schools were invented, the top three skills have been reading, writing, and arithmetic. Today in the real world, they are teamwork, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. In response, a new breed of educators are inventing new ways for children to learn, grow and thrive. Knowledge is no longer a commodity that is delivered, but something that emerges from exploration. The idea is to create ways for children to discover their passion.

Share this:

Posted in News that matters | Comments Off on Free Thinkers by Joshua Davis – Inspirational Case Study

Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge From Small Discoveries by Peter Sims

Saturday, November 16th, 2013

Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge From Small Discoveries by Peter Sims explains the qualities that set innovative people apart from the pack. He summarizes a great deal of research that makes his points convincing. While this is an ideal book for high school and college students, it’s never too late for adults to take advantage of these valuable lessons. Click at the bottom of any page to purchase copies for yourself and people you work and live with.

Peter Sims

Peter is the founder of BLK SHP Enterprises, which works with Fortune 250 organizations. He is a former teacher at Stanford Business School where he established a popular program in collaboration with the School of Design. He is also a former venture capital investor with Summit Partners in the US and UK. With Bill George his is the author of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership. He worked with General Electric, Innosight, and his own Fuse Corps to grow entrepreneurial leaders and promote their service to grassroots projects.

Introduction

Anyone can spend a portion of their time and energies using little bets to discover, test, and improve new ideas. This is at the heart of this book. From comedians to big companies, success is preceded by many survivable small failures. While some prodigies can create something that works, the rest of us can use little bets to unlock creative ideas. Most successful entrepreneurs don’t begin with brilliant ideas, they discover them along the way. As examples Peter points to companies like Google and Amazon. In both cases, their exploratory mentality spawned continual breakthroughs. These people are less likely to try to avoid errors or surprises and more likely to be poised to learn from them. As far as Peter can see, the essential concepts spelled out in this book generalize to just about any field.

Share this:

Posted in Book Summaries, Business Books, Education Books, Leadership Books | Comments Off on Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge From Small Discoveries by Peter Sims

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell

Sunday, November 3rd, 2013

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants is Malcolm Gladwell’s fourth best-selling book to be summarized here. I’ve been a big fan ever since I summarized The Tipping Point. If you like to give books as gifts, please click below and get copies for yourself and your favorite bookworms.

Why Goliath was the Underdog

In the story of David and Goliath, it turned out that it was Goliath’s size that made him a better target for David’s sling. Warfare of the time featured cavalry, infantry, and a third group that fired projectiles like arrows and rocks. The infantry represented sitting ducks as they were relatively stationary compared to the cavalry. The humble infantryman, however, had better odds taking on a charging horse with a spear to the belly. Calvary could take on the projectile boys as they were moving targets that were much harder to hit. This is like a game of rock, paper, scissors were the odds depend on the matchup. For Goliath, facing a slinger like David was like facing a modern rival with a handgun.

Use Your Assets, Hide Your Weaknesses

Gladwell uses the David and Goliath story as a metaphor for how we should not always assume that the people who seem to have the upper hand really do. He tells a number of stories of how people who didn’t seem to have a chance won the day. One features a man from India who decided to coach his daughter’s basketball team. His girls were not especially tall or skilled, but he changed the odds by changing how the game was played. He realized that the other teams didn’t defend over half the court. When he put in a full-court press that lasted the entire game, he found that there were enough turnovers which lead to easy baskets to allow his team to triumph over superior talent.

There is also the story of Lawrence of Arabia whose troops were successful because they took advantage of their main asset, which was speed. This showed that material resources are not always an advantage. Rather than trying to improve on your weaknesses, sometimes it is better just to hide them.

Even wealth can be a disadvantage when it comes to raising kids. Malcolm tells the story of a successful businessman who worked in his father’s scrap metal yard. It was hard, dirty work and it made him realize that he needed to work hard to make sure he would enjoy a better future. It was his family’s very lack of wealth that gave him the qualities that allowed him to be wealthy today. Ironically, he now has a problem as his kids want for nothing. He fears they won’t develop the qualities that made him successful. While poverty can be stressful and debilitating, it seems that just enough wealth can make you relatively happy while still letting you develop desirable qualities. The same also seems to work for class size as classes that are too big or too small have their own downsides.

Share this:

Posted in Book Summaries, Business Books, Education Books, Leadership Books | Comments Off on David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell

« Older Entries

Newer Entries »