Our VLC seems to be trustworthy. Teachers tend to be idealistic and "team players". Play ball!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Week 3 Blog 2 - Tito, Teambuilding, and VLCs
Chapter 2 has plenty of resonance for me. The Red Sox manager being fired because the team didn't care enough. I really admire Terry Francona for the class he exhibited as he left, consistently saying that he was responsible, if the team underachieved.
Different classes and teams that I have worked with - never "came together". I have read several books and attended many workshops and conferences for teaching and coaching. I will lik to some of my favorites below.
Some of the common threads about getting a group to reach its potential keep resurfacing.
"Groups, or cohorts, are just collections of individuals. Learning communities happen when those groups transcend the normal boundaries of purpose and engagement. They become something special, something more, and this is at least partly due to recognizing a collective ownership of their learning."
So how to transcend? Some qualities, listed below, are all valid and important.
hospitable
forgiveness
authentic
resilient
multifaceted
boundaries
life cycles
But the goal quality for any group that really wants to perform is:An Oldie, But a Goodie
Trust
If you have experienced a group with it, you always remember it. You feel stronger. You work harder. You are willing to sacrifice.
Our VLC seems to be trustworthy. Teachers tend to be idealistic and "team players". Play ball!
Our VLC seems to be trustworthy. Teachers tend to be idealistic and "team players". Play ball!
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Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, you hit the nail on the head with "collective ownership of their learning!" As adults, we are taking this course because we want more and have that intrinsic drive to get more. The trustworthy component for me comes into play with being able to think my thoughts through before "saying" them and having that time to process. I also think it's awesome that the 4 of us are in this VLC. How do we take it to the next level with our school? Could we get more on board with another book club like last year and have a wiki to go with it that we all can edit??? (Is Wanda reading this?? hint hint)
As for the students, one thing we continue to question is how to get that intrinsic motivation for those students who are so hard to reach. Will technology at some point become enough of an incentive that we can reach these kids? Will technology be the key so that students don't fail for 4 years of middle school and still go to the high school without retention? Those are the pieces I struggle with and wonder if new technology and philosophy will be enough or is it just another "fad" and those students will continue down a path destructive to themselves? Will our students ever get what you stated "Trust If you have experienced a group with it, you always remember it. You feel stronger. You work harder. You are willing to sacrifice."?
By reading your post and Stephanie's comments, I struggle with this concept in middle school and in this graduate class! I am the one they mentioned at the beginning of the ebook (the one with their eyes closed imagining a wonderfully connected special place where everyone is happy and loves each other). That is me. I somehow think that I can reach and save them all. I somehow have taken responsibility for all of my middle schoolers and graduate students learning. Silly me! I try to hope there is intrinsic motivation, yet there will never be intrinsic motivation in all. I guess if we knew the answer, we would be billionaires with our theory, traveling all over the world telling everyone we knew! So, hopefully with technology, it will help to engage those who are really unmotivated. We can only hope to get a few more on board and the rest, we can just do our best and try to create the best community we can.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the issues/ concerns that virtual learning communities are facing are quite similar to the issues we face in a personal learning community. step mentioned going through a thought process before responding. Boy, there is evidence of people not doing this in a face- to- face learning community as well.
ReplyDeleteSteph, let's look at a new book for a book club!! I love the wiki component!!! :)
Kim, any suggestions for a really engaging book to hook staff into using more web2.0 tools in the classroom?
Speaking of using wikis in the classroom.... Jim, amazing work with your student wiki pages!! They are going nuts with this format. You should talk about your
trials and tribulations with this process!!
I agreed,good team players with a good team leader can reach its potential. This Blog is so much informative.
ReplyDeleteYou can be a good team player by doing various teambuilding programs or activities.