Synthesis Essay Madison Taylor
Educational Fusion
The following is a synthesis of the four classes that changed me the most as a person as well as a teacher. Importantly these classes not only taught me new information but ways in which to apply into my career. Words cannot express the many valuable lessons I learned throughout the Michigan State Master of Arts Program.
The first course I took in Michigan State’s Master of Arts program was EAD 801 with Jerry Jennings. This was my favorite class in the master’s program. The most important principle I gained from the course was the consensus decision making model. An example of this ideology is the founding fathers writing the constitution. James Madison authored the document but had multiple conventions as well as revisions until the constitution was finalized. This leadership technique involves different levels of leaders meeting together in order to form a strategic plan. Following the meeting the leader with the most authority then takes everyone’s ideas and comprises them into a plan. Then the leadership council meets again reviewing the plan until a consensus decision is formulated. The strength of this process is all people get a voice in the policies of an organization. Also this allows the major leaders to view decisions from multiple perspectives. This insight enables leaders to make more credible decisions in the eyes of their followers. I believe this model fits well in educational settings. Too many times educational leaders make decisions without consulting lower levels of leadership. Then the followers end up dealing with the leader’s decisions. In many cases followers dislike the decisions simply because their opinion was not considered in the process. Individuals working in an organization are investing their time into the organization’s mission. Therefore the stakeholder’s deserve a voice in determining and fulfilling the organization’s mission.
Another management tenant I learned in the course is effective transformative leadership strategies. One of the most difficult tasks is for a new leader to successfully change an organization. In the EAD 801 we examined the work of B. M. Bass. His ideas on new age leadership are founded in creating a healthy work environment through making everyone’s role important. Then as a leader one must motivate the employees into effectively fulfilling their responsibilities. Therefore the successful change of an organization is not just on the actions of a leader but how well the leader can get his followers to perform. In the world of education many times teachers are not made to feel significant. An administrator who makes teachers feel important will have a much better school. Regardless of how great the administrator is he/she cannot get the teachers on board the school will not fulfill its potential.
The ISLLC standards were the foundation for many of the activities in EAD 801. These standards are excellent benchmarks for me to follow as an educator. These standards provide a consistent framework for ethical treatment of students. Moreover they serve as an accountability system for individuals in education. As a teacher the most important standard in my opinion is number five from (NPBEA, 2007) proclaims an education leader promotes the success of every student by collaborating with faculty and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources. The longer I work in education the more I see successful school systems possess great community support.
Another class I took for my primary concentration area of educational leadership was EAD 867 Case Studies in Educational Leadership with Professor Assup. This class opened my eyes up toward the various challenges of being an administrator in the scholastic setting. The primary focus of this course was analyzing and reflecting on case studies of varying levels of education. These activities put me as the student in the leadership position. Through working from this perspective I learned a variety of difficult lessons. First and foremost leaders cannot keep everyone happy. As a result of this fact leaders are not always going to be liked or popular. Furthermore in making decisions a leader must always make ethical choices based on moral principles. Many times individuals not directly involved in the decision making process will not agree with leadership decisions. However in most cases someone is going to receive the short end of the stick. As a leader I must accept this factor and simply do the best I can in administrating decisions.
Throughout this particular course one individual leader came to mind. The greatest president in American History was Abraham Lincoln because he reunited the country. Lincoln’s quote as he accepted office was, “I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end... I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me." I have been in various leadership positions throughout my life and have made the mistake of making decisions for other people that I did not agree with myself. As a result of taking EAD 867 I learned the lesson of staying true to myself regardless of the circumstances.
In addition to staying true to oneself a point made throughout all the case studies was for every leader to find their own unique leadership style. Many individuals make the mistake of trying to lead like other individuals. In many cases this leads to unsuccessful ventures. Throughout the course work I learned as a leader I must find my individual strengths as a leader and build my headship around those qualities. Essentially, I know what I can do as well as what I cannot. Moreover through supplemental readings about personality strengths and weakness I learned two very important points. The first is individuals in regard to personality strengths will develop more in their strengths than improve their weaknesses. In many cases if I am not good at something then I never will develop that quality into strength. Secondly leaders must surround themselves with individuals who are good in areas where he/she is weak. This is why teamwork is a ubiquitous principle. A leader who knows who they are then can hire the correct team members to effectively lead an organization. A leader cannot succeed by themselves they must build a quality staff from the highest to lowest positions.
As one of my electives I took KIN 854 Legal and Administrative issues of Coaching. This was an excellent class for me because I currently work as a coach. Importantly this made an immediate impact on the way I operate my program. The course content showed me I was overlooking some basic responsibilities required by federal law. The foundation of the course is risk management in all areas of an athletic program. In all activities inherent risks exist and some of these risks are hidden. However by proactively managing a program many potential issues can be thwarted before they manifest themselves. Unfortunately many times individuals do not act until an accident has already occurred. Therefore the first lesson I learned in the course is its better to be proactive than reactive. Two major areas that demand forethought are sexual harassment and hazing. These two activities cause major problems in athletic and work places in America today. Clearly stated regulations and guidelines must be outlined in an employee manual and handed out. Therefore no grey areas exist within these issues.
The second lesson I learned was in order to effectively prevent accidents an individual must have policies and procedures intact and hold individuals accountable for their actions. In the end any event ultimately is the responsibility of the administration. Some policies may appear minuscule or unnecessary but they serve a clear point. One of the biggest policies I noticed in my school setting that is violated daily is supervision. Students should constantly be observed and supervised in all activities. In many cases a teacher/coach might look away or leave students briefly however a lot can happen in even a short time period. Another common breach of duty is effectively organizing facilities. After taking the course I completely reorganized our school weight room and PE gym. The rooms I altered were poorly organized with multiple hazards in the form of misplaced furniture or equipment. In some cases the equipment blocked supervision angles and could cause smaller children to fall or pull objects onto their body. However before taking the course I never thought anything was wrong with the existing floor plans.
The final focus of the course I learned about was Title IX legislation. One of my future goals is to be an athletic administrator so this information is vital for my career. Title IX is federal legislation regarding funding for women in athletics. Essentially funding for women as well as men’s athletic facilities must be equal. Also schools must offer an equal amount of sports for both men and women to participate. Many positives exist within these regulations but challenges are created for smaller institutions with lesser budgets. Through taking this course I am now more prepared to take this course.
A learning society was the focus of EAD 860 with Professor Weiland. This course began through examining resources on how students in today’s modern society learn. Through this section of the course I realized how much education has changed even since I was in the secondary setting in education. Importantly I learned how I as a teacher needed to change my methods in order to meet the learning needs of my students. Many of the things I learned I implemented immediately into my teaching methodology. Examples of this include utilizing as much technology as possible in teaching as well as assigning interactive projects students can essentially educate themselves through completing. We watched some films discussing the educational phenomenon of multitasking. Students learn and think at such a quick rate that lecture notes are no longer as effective a manner of educating as in past years. One of presentations explained how students used to enjoy seeing pictures but now students would be stimulated with videos. I have made an intentional effort to adapt to teaching in the digital age.
The next section of the course went into detail regarding learning on the World Wide Web. Skeptics say a student learning online is actually harming their brain. The logic behind this assertion is that students doing so many different processes at the same time train their brain to no longer focus on one activity. Moreover some of the information on the internet is flawed. This was a very interesting point but one I adamantly disagree with detractors on. Personally I have accessed so many different forms of information that I would have never encountered without the Internet. Moreover if teachers as a whole alter our instructional strategies then student learning will drastically improve.
Importantly something examined in EAD 860 was challenges that educators face in adapting to new learning styles. A major factor in school systems is funding. Many schools cannot afford new technologies due to tight budgets or lack of funding. Also many of the schools that can afford technology do not have the staff available to train teachers in utilizing new technologies. Furthermore a major gap exists between educators who utilize technological resources and those that want nothing to do with this equipment. As a school system one must commit personnel, time, money, and effort into infusing the school culture with new ways of learning.
On a more specific level as a class we examined specific online programs that help individuals communicate as well as learn. A major learning tool was Skype or webcams. The ability of students to do group projects or communicate with professors is unlimited with these tools. Additionally the class analyzed different note taking and book marking websites. These resources allow individuals to organize their web research and be more productive through their studies. Essentially technology put students in the driver seat of their educational experience.
