“The Best Teacher Teaches by Heart” (by Genilyn)

          Our discussion about the Competency Based Teacher Standards (CBTS) was so enriching because it gives us teachers an idea of how important a standard of giving our children the best learning’s they could possibly have. This standard helps us teachers to be an effective and efficient one. When our school head observes us, we are using this kind of standard so that we can be helped on how to perform better as teachers to our pupils.

          Everyday in our life as teachers, we would always try to give our best for the good of our pupils. Through this kind of standards; we would be transforming into globally competitive teachers. If we wholeheartedly give the best teachings to our pupils then we become the best teachers because we teach from the heart.

          The Department of Education now a days is really serious on producing a teacher that can give a competitive graduate through giving them massive trainings and seminars for them to become the best teachers they can be. The traditional way of teaching that depends solely in books has slowly been changed into a minds-on, hands-on and hearts-on way of learning. It is now focus more on pupils’ discovery and cooperation for them to learn. The “chalk and talk” way of teaching and learning has long gone because of these set standards which we have to follow.

Genilyn L. Mercado

The Making of an Ineffective School

The Making of an Ineffective School

by Fiona

How then is the process of making an ineffective school? What shall school administrators build? What do the teachers share? How do the students learn? Well, these questions will all be answered as everybody proceeds to the making of an ineffective school. But since it is ineffective, its board of trustees must perform something to make it better. Pause for a little while and take a glimpse of the making of an ineffective school.

An ineffective school is a school wherein negative aspects are presented. Basically an ineffective school will experience the following: (1) students do not achieve high standards that they can use in their future education or the workplace; (2) a school where students do not feel safe and happy; (3) it does not promote those values that will help pupils or learners to become good and responsible citizens; (4) does not enable them to become involved in their community and become good family members; (5) low educational system which does not perform well in the assessment of learning; (6) ineffective teachers as reflected in the poor performance of the students; (7) the environment is not conducive for teaching-learning process; (8) administrators, teachers, staff, students do not exhibit improving behavior; (9) the leaders do not create right learning environment or opportunity to learn and student time on task; (10) the school does not achieve personalized learning in practice; (11) it does not practice target-setting or frequent monitoring of student progress; (12) right structure among head teachers  were not observed most especially in making decisions; (13) isolation or not sharing this means, not relying on collaboration most especially on outside linkages; (14) it has no future plans this defines that the school does not consider set of new expectations that most students will continue education in a coherent and planned way that means collaborating to other schools and colleges; (15) school context is not strategically situated and does not accept students in various religion and tribes;  (16) running a continuous day is not practiced, that means it does not have a clear schedule of classes and breaks that will have space and free time;  (17) it does not engage teachers in promoting positive values; (18) it is not empowering leadership or strong leadership or instructional leadership this means the leaders will not understand and apply the characteristics of instructional effectiveness in the management of the instructional program; (19) it does not have a clear school mission which defines the staff do not share an understanding of and commitment to instructional goals, priorities, assessment procedures and accountability; (20) the school does not set high expectations for success this means the staff believe and demonstrate that all students can attain mastery of the essential content and school skills, and the staff also believe that they have the capability to help all students achieve that mastery; and (21) it does not practice home - school relations, meaning parents do not understand and support the school's basic mission and are not given the opportunity to play an important role in helping the school to achieve a mission.

If everyone will take a closer look of all the factors exhibited, basically the opposite is what makes the school effective. Though a school may not be perfect for it will always have its flaws and weakness, but striving for the better is very achievable and even for success. This should be manifested to the leaders who will be leading the school. It is looking for the positive, better, progressive, and moving school that will serve its clients the learners.

Genilyn's Reflection

“90% of all leadership failures are character failures”

          Our discussion with our subject Management of Instruction was so nice because I learned a lot about effectiveness to greatness. To integrate what we learn into our life. This particular line struck me at this moment because this has been what I am trying to do since I entered the Graduate School of Capitol University. What I learned from all our subjects in my Masters Degree, I tried to apply it in my own station for the good of our school and my pupils. For To know and not to do, is really not to know, to learn and not to do is not to learn and to understand something and not apply it is really not to understand. My schooling and my degree really improves me in many different aspect of my life as a teacher.

With all my learning’s from this institution and the experienced I have in our field of work, I really realized that leadership really depends on the character of a leader. He/ she may be an intelligent person but the character was so bad that nobody wants to be beside him/her, 90% of the group’s mission and vision would be in failure. That is why I always wish that those administrators who has very high IQ but very poor EQ because they cannot treat their teachers kindly, would hopefully enroll in Graduate School of CU for them to know what is real leadership or the difference between leadership and management for them to know where they belong and hopefully change for the better.

Now that I am already venturing on the higher level of education, Ph.D. on Educational Management, I know that I would be learning more and I am so excited to apply all my learning’s in my own workplace. Soon, if I am given a chance to be a leader I would gladly use and apply all the things I’ve learned from my CU family and give my best for the good of my organization. 

Aileen's Reflection # 2

            June 23, 2012.Our discussion started with a couple of inspirational quotes from the power point presentations prepared by the professor.” Integrate what you learn into your life”. This is one quote that caught my attention because sometimes we have learned so much from our experiences, lectures and seminars, but we still have difficulty integrating / applying it into our lives. In organizations, belief says that achievers are made not born of which I strongly agree. Like for instance, if teachers are given opportunities to lead and given responsibilities, slowly they will develop the culture of excellence and being an achiever is next to natural thing. Portion of the presentation talked about the journeys we have in life. As we go along our journey, we have our own roads to take. Others go for the road most people travel.Easy, moderately difficult but less rewarding. The road less travelled is a rough, rocky, stiff and difficult road. Yet, it is the most rewarding / breath taking road one travels. I was             touched by this comparison because it seems I’m travelling on this side of the road. I say I am in the road less travelled because I chose to sacrifice in exchange of my education. I say it is a sacrifice because I chose not to be with my family on weekends, burn my midnight candles to do my requirements, cut off my budget for the family’s need and my tuition and many others. Apparently, I was challenged by this journey because I know at the end of the road, it will make me a better person, fulfill my dream and will give my family a better life, hopefully.         

  

            On the other hand, the Lord Almighty gave us birth gifts. These gifts give us freedom and the power to choose of who we will be in the future. With this, we are bestowed with different kinds of intelligence that is our instrument to advance ourselves in the future. Among of the gifts are: Personal Quotient,Intelligent quotient,emotional quotient,social quotient.It is in our own assessment which intelligence we possess. As an instructional leader, we must see to it that we set direction to which road we are going to travel,demonstrate positive personal character, know how to mobilize individual commitment, build teams, organizations, among others.Accordingly,90% of all leadership failures are character failures.Hence,leadership is the capacity to translate. Translate means, as we accumulate learning, as we pursue higher education, people also expect as to act, speak accordingly. Culture of professionalism and preparedness is expected of us. As instructional managers, we are to build a school culture that reflects total quality management and total quality education .At the outset, enhanced teaching and learning will be achieved.

Aileen's Reflection # 1

                           

          JUNE 16, 2012. Today is the first day of our class in graduate school. Met with old and new classmates.I was surprised enrolees in graduate school in CU are overflowing.Some subjects were closed.Am glad our group were enrolled earlier and we still manage to be together. Management of instruction subject talks about the real work of a principal.Accordingly,supervision is the main function  of the principal.The principal must make a  monthly supervisory plan / schedule for her teachers.I was refreshed that as a school head we have to use the STAR Situation,Task,Action,Result) technique in making a remark every after observation. Comments should be reserved during the post conference and if there are negative comments about the observation, it should not be reflected in the observation form.I also learned that school heads should know how to manage resources:material and human.These resources should be processed through assessment,evaluation and inventories using varied strategies.Outputs will be measured through achievement and performance results. Truly, the role/task of a schoolhead is not easy.You have to take/perform multiple functions in order to be able to manage a school.As I continue to fulfill the functions of a schoolhead, I will do my best to perform my duty as as an instructional manager.Managing instruction is a critical task for me.I have to be very careful in assessing the performance of the teachers under me.Anything I will say can make or break the teachers’ performance in the school.

Fiona's First Day of Class

On the First Day of Class

          What is school? What is leadership? These might be some of the queries raised on a first day of class. Since all the students under Doctor of Philosophy major in Educational Management program are academician, then everybody could definitely relate. Everyone could have their share of outpouring their ideas and thoughts about the topics.  Though one might consider all as very huge and broad topics, but like many other students, these two gigantic topics are very interesting and exciting to delve with for the entire semester. A student may be knowledgeable of these two topics since they are involved in school or they are even the administrators of their own school. But one very good thing with studying a degree like Ph. D would make a student humble. Provided with ones experiences would be enhanced by the given knowledge through the intelligent and educative professors offered.

School Leadership as subject uses an innovative leadership model to prepare students to assume dynamic roles leading transformative change in schools. This offers through the professors as instrument, a coherent sequence of courses and practicum experiences that grounds students in the centrality of teaching and learning, and helps them understand and navigate the different structures and cultures of charter, pilot, and district schools, and the systems that support them. It focuses on the levers of improvement—how school leaders create conditions in start-up schools, or transform them in existing settings to support high quality teaching and learning for all students. At the same time, it is intensely personal, focusing on the leadership development of each participant—his or her sense of purpose and commitment, skills in working effectively with other adults, and courage in tackling one of the biggest challenge they face—providing the knowledge, skills and social development all of the students’ need.

          Now, defining terminologies are important for clarity of purposes. School is an institution where learning would be provided and it is the home of facilitators. The learning is usually taken care of by teachers. This constitutes classrooms, buildings, playground, and others. There are facilities provided by the administrators for the students to enjoy using while learning.

On the other hand, successful school leaders delegate responsibility to others and develop and support those individuals so that they can successfully fulfill their responsibilities. It is the core of responsibility in leading when one knows when and how to have “crucial conversations” with others in the school community. Basically, these are the leaders who are leading the school. Their roles and responsibilities are never easy, since they are the ones to be blamed if there are flaws done in the school.

Then, one may recognize the need of alignment on student, teacher, and leader is fixed once there is cooperation. As it goes, schools that are filled with teachers who possess growth mindsets have principals with growth mindsets. These principals believe that the quality of both teaching and student learning can be continuously improved through teachers’ learning, teamwork, and sustained effort. Likewise, system leaders with growth mindsets believe that the leadership ability of principals and teacher leaders can be developed through leaders’ learning, teamwork with their leadership colleagues, and effort. In this simple way the system is aligned. Because “intelligence,” teaching skills, and leadership abilities are not fixed traits with which one is born. They can be steadily developed over time with persistence, patience, and generous amounts of support.

Fiona Mary M. Cabrillos                                                               June 30, 2012

PhD – EDMAN                                                                    Dr. Olga C. Alonsabe

Fiona's 1st day in school

How is the first day of school?

          This would be another subject worth the attention. What are the differences when one says leading and managing? What does instruction mean? Who or what are to be instructed?

One would absolutely agree that a teacher’s job is to ensure students’ learning—that is, all students will speak, think, understand, and act in new ways. Teachers begin with the learning and well-being of students in mind and design outward, employing a variety of methods that make a sustained cognitive demand on learners to ensure learning. Teachers continuously make adjustments until students have mastered the understanding or skill. In successful classroom, students are active in reconfiguring their own brains. That’s why there is no profession or calling more important than teaching. It is both a title and job description that can be worn with pride, even in the midst of a great deal of public criticism of schools and teachers. Therefore, in order to offer students the kinds of experiences that reformers want them to have, teachers need to immerse themselves in similar experiences.

In addition, teachers are challenged to possess an essential skill in conducting conversations and that is the ability to formulate simple declarative sentences that offer an observation, declare a value, state an assumption, explain an idea, or make a request and to be willing to learn and be changed by the views of others. Many teachers as leaders, however, default in such situations to asking questions rather stating their points of view. One can see that teachers as leaders in a class if to produce a well-phrased and appropriately-timed question can pique interest, focus attention, establish an extended line of inquiry, and deepen understanding, questions can also be veiled forms of advice giving (“Have you ever thought of . . .?”) or indirect expressions of points of view. Sometimes questions raised by the teachers as leaders are the best way to open a difficult conversation, particularly when the questions are open and honest. In addition, teachers as leaders may choose to ask questions so as not to unduly influence the direction of a conversation by offering their views prematurely.

Then, the fundamental purpose of professional learning is to ensure that all students in all schools experience quality learning every day and are surrounded by supportive relationships. The achievement of certain goal, requires that teachers and leaders themselves experience quality learning and supportive relationships as part of their daily work. Such learning affects educators’ beliefs (world views, mental models, conceptual frames), the depth of their understanding about important issues and subjects, their habits of mind and behavior, and the type and amount of social support they receive in their daily work.

Now this reflection may end through this statement by Jim Knight:

A teacher with a fixed mindset sees his students as pretty much already where they will be.  If every child’s qualities are carved in stone, then every child’s potential is limited or fixed.  However, a teacher with a growth mindset sees his students as coming to class with enormous potential. Every student holds within him or her an amazing potential waiting to be unlocked. And to this kind of teacher, one of the great joys of teaching is to find the key to unlock that potential.

Fiona Mary M. Cabrillos                                                               June 30, 2012

PhD – EDMAN                                                                    Dr. Olga C. Alonsabe