“Bureaucratic Schools versus Learning Organizations” Please respond to the following:

• Select two of the characteristics of learning organizations depicted in Table 3.1, located in Chapter 3 of the textbook. Provide two examples that depict how these characteristics can be realized in a school setting of your choice.
• From the e-Activity, determine one goal of learning individuals and one goal of learning organizations that you agree with the most. Propose five ways that you could transition your current teaching style to one that is geared more toward supporting a learning individual.

Peer Response-

• Select two of the characteristics of learning organizations depicted in Table 3.1, located in Chapter 3 of the textbook. Provide two examples that depict how these characteristics can be realized in a school setting of your choice.

The principal is expected to be a leader of leaders within the school as well as a member of the administrative team.

Being a leader of a school, most principals want and expect their schools to be flexible, responsive, and have a strong commitment to learning. In my school the principal encourages supportive learning environments for all students. He invites input from staff in regards to providing opportunities to share knowledge, information and resources. As a staff we feel valued and appreciated to offer new ideas and options. As a leader he guides his staff on the importance of collaboration and dialogue. Because of this we learn about learning together, each person can address their challenges, and think collectively. During meetings he strives for balance amongst his staff. Within his role the goals of school are set, by managing curriculum guides, monitoring of lesson plans, and evaluating teachers to promote student learning and growth.

Have a supportive organizational culture.

In a real school setting having a supportive culture is important for the district as it directly impacts the ability to for empowering students and ensuring they feel comfortable ultimately resulting in bringing out the best in all students even when dealing with adverse circumstances.

From the e-Activity, determine one goal of learning individuals and one goal of learning organizations that you agree with the most. Propose five ways that you could transition your current teaching style to one that is geared more toward supporting a learning individual.

From the readings it explains how individuals learn best when the content is meaningful to them. One goal of learning individuals that I most agree with includes need feedback. One goal of learning organizations has challenging yet achievable shared goals.

5 ways that I can transition my teaching style towards supporting a learning individual:

1. Provide strategies and feedback. 

2. Continuously improve students’ ability to gather information as they learn to use it to make decisions.

1.   Correcting and directing.

4. Coaching students to critique their own efforts.

1. Affirming what they did well.

Schlechty, P.C.  (2009). Leading for learning: How to transform schools into learning organizations. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Initial Post

“Social Control” Please respond to the following:

• Compare and contrast the three types of social control. Provide one best practice for each type of social control, noting how power, authority, and influence play a role in each. (Share a personal example, if applicable.)
• Select the type of sanction you would use to establish and maintain social control in a school setting and explain why. Select one of the remaining two sanctions and provide an example where that type of sanction would best apply.

Peer Response

I have to say that I even though learning organizations is where want our organization to be as a whole, there are times when some type of social control other than influence, needs to be used. I know examples of power and authority are needed in situations where students have been non-compliant. In addition, I am not saying that if kids have serious issues that we should not inflict this disciplined structure on them, but sometimes it is important in order to control chaos.

I really thought that power and authority were the same things because they both sound like an aggressive way to rule or demand productivity. The lecture states that power “is the ability to gain acceptance of directives and support for norms that are crucial to the life of an organization” where are “authority implies the right to exercise power” (slide 5). The lecture (n.d.) on this week also sums up that power and influence “have to do with the ability to gain acceptance of directives and support for normal activities vital to the life of the organization” (slide 6). Influence is a great thing to have, but sometimes (I believe) you may have to go into situations where you have to use your authority until people start to see/believe or buy into your influence on a system or new implementation. I am not saying that this is a practice that anyone should make a habit of; a school in our district hired a principal who came with our new superintendent and after a year, the principal had the highest turnover rate and ended up being terminated at the end of that school year. I am saying that it is imperative, at times, for some to go in with the authority and the influence (because they have knowledge and plan) to transform a school, program, situation, etc. Power and authority are used in a bureaucracy are used as “tactically to develop personal influence” (slide 6). I am not saying that anyone should be calculating for personal gain alone, but I do believe that calculation and a strong leader is key to making any type of change-it does not always mean that everyone has to be on board with you because they have history with you. It does mean that leaders should be approaching into any situation with a certain level of expertise in getting buy in from even the most stubborn of people. I have seen where a leader was successful at being influential and authoritative all in one initial meeting. In this situation, a principal had been brought into a school to turn things around from budget, to the learning environment, teacher effectiveness, and discipline, so on. In one meeting, I watched a man, who we had never met, present the vision, give strategic guidelines/expectations and capitalize on our strengths without making us feel as if he was being condescending. He was able to get buy in and lead because the majority of us had a desire to follow his plan. In a learning environment leaders “view personal informal networks as a means for establishing social control” (slide 6).

In a perfect world, I would lead by a considerable amount of influence. We are not always promoted this way in the education vocation. The lecture states, “people with a considerable amount of influence may in turn gain some authority because of the responsibilities assigned to them” (slide 6). Often times we see great teachers leave the classroom because of this. They go on to become coaches and go to the board of education. I had a career and technical teacher friend who taught graphic design who moved up to a position at the board. She is able to lead the rest of us because she had great leadership skills during her time as a teacher.

REFERENCES:

Brandt, R. (1998). Powerful Learning, retrieved from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/198179/chapters/Schools-as-Learning-Organizations.aspx

Lecture, (no date). Retrieved from:https://blackboard.strayer.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/EDU/558/1212/Week2-1212/Lecture1/