EMDT613 Week 3 - Publishing_Leadership Project

Screen Shot of my email

The journal I am submitting my article to is The National Association of Special Education Teachers  http://www.naset.org/799.0.html  Here is the link to my publication article:  https://files.me.com/cyoho/rbc9r5  For publication purposes, I've removed the pictures of students.  I am hopeful to have a submission response soon! I chose this publication because of its focus on special education. My hope is that by publishing here, at a time when schools are doing more and more inclusion, I will be able to show how that can be successful, even though my research was only in math.  My ARP group consisted of 2/3 regular education students and 1/3 students with a learning disability. The success they had could also be replicated in other subject areas. If teachers are aware of this, they may be more accepting of inclusion for these students.

If I am not accepted for publication here, I will submit to Edutopia. I like the way the site is broken down by grade levels, core standards, various communities in education, blogs, etc. This seems to offer a wide range in which to find material and respond to it.

Here are the links to my Think Out Loud posts:

http://cyoho.blogspot.com/2011/02/emdt613-week-3-present-or-publish.html

http://cyoho.blogspot.com/2011/02/emdt613-week-think-out-loud-2-of-2.html

EMDT613 Week 4 - Comments Post #2

@ Pam

Week 4-Blog Post 2-The Art of Posibilities Ch. 9-12

This weeks reading was very good. I would have to say the whole book was very good I liked how it talks about like possibilities from every angle imaginable. I really enjoyed chapter 10 talking about our life being a game board. It seems like my students over the past couple of years have this sense of "entitlement" there is no self responsibility anywhere. I have noticed students will say "that teacher gave me an F" instead of "I earned an F in math." This generation of kids are looking to blame someone every time something goes wrong in their life. I like how the booked refers to life a board and we are going to make choices and mistakes, but we have to learn from them. Sometimes we have to put our pride to the side and say "yes this is my fault how do I fix it?" I try to teach my students you are not entitled to anything the successes you get in life are earned, but so many students think that they are going to make millions of dollars have a perfect life without hard work. I hate to say this but that is not reality.  People in general want to blame diffrent people for hardship and bad things, but the ugly truth is sometime we make mistakes and have to learn from them. I lost my brother four years ago to this "game" called the choking game. I was so heartbroken over the lose of my brother. I just wanted to blame the kids that showed him how to "play." I wanted to blame the God, but I didn't want to blame him for doing it. I guess we never want to blame the people we love for bad things that hurt us. The ugly truth was my bother made the choice to play and the consequence was that he died at 19-years-old. I guess in that first year of losing my brother I just wanted life to stop and people to just piety my situation. I got alone with God and my Bible and realized life hasn't stopped people will not continue to piety my situation. I began to think OK this has happened know what can I do to make a difference. My family and I began to give speeches to youth groups in churches in the area about the dangers of the "Choking Game." My family and I didn't want this to happen to another family so we are trying to make a difference through educating parents and teens on the deadly game. My challenge to everyone is this when God allows bad things to happen to you use it to help others. God allows bad things to happen to good people because He knows that we can handle the bad thing and use it for His Glory.

Catherine Yoho said...

Pam, Your comments on how students (and many adults) today feel a sense of entitlement rather than feeling they have to earn what they receive. I am glad Jacqueline included formal definitions of the two in her comments on your posts. I think we are all in agreement! Everyone is ENTITLED to certain rights. They may not be the same in every country, state, community, or family but are consistent within those individual entities. However, earning a grade implies effort was put forth. I am also frustrated with students who would prefer to not put forth effort but, instead, blame a teacher for "giving" them a certain grade. This holds dire consequences for society as these children grow into the adults of the future. I almost said mature, and that is what I HOPE happens. Mature would imply that their knowledge grows and they understand the effort they will need to put forth for their successes. By owning our failures, faults and mistakes, we put ourselves in a position to learn from them. Learning equates to growth. I hope that all of our children become able to embrace this philosophy. Thank you for sharing about your brother. I can't imagine how difficult it must be. With a teenage son who is struggling to find his independence from parents, I worry about "games" such as this. I hope we have taught him to not fall for such tactic, but the next few years will still be scary for us.

February 27, 2011 1:05 PM

EMDT613 Week - Think Out Loud #2 of 2: Decison

I've decided that my presentation will  be a publication. Decision made. I've chosen one journal ...

The National Association of Special Education Teachers  http://www.naset.org/799.0.html . This journal is devoted to special education. I chose it because my research project took place in a regular education classroom which  included students with learning disabilities. As more and more students rely less on pull-out services for students with special needs, I find it very important to highlight strategies that can improve the success these students have within the regular education classroom. The strategy I employed would be beneficial to all students, but especially those needing additional tools to assist them with learning and recalling information. If I am published, I hope I receive feedback from other teachers who have employed music. I would even welcome suggestions! The journal states that responses to requests for publication are made within 2 weeks. It's time to sit tight and wait.

EMDT613 Week 4 - Comments Post #1

image from Microsoft clip art

@Jacqueline Jones: 

Chapter 9. Lighting a Spark. It’s not about us. It’s about them. What are you doing to pay-forward from your universe of possibility?

My immediate response to this question is “not enough.” This is a great question because pursuing a higher degree puts you in a position to think about your personal achievement or advancement. Chapter 9 lets you know that if the focus is on others, your own advancement will most likely be a by-product of pay-forward actions. I started a company about 5 years ago providing instructional design services to corporate clients. As most companies in these economic times, my primary focus has been on increasing profits. About two years ago, I started investigating converting my company to a not-for-profit to service Charter schools or private Church affiliated schools. Now that we are approaching the end of the EMDT program, that concept has resurfaced in my mind. Last year, a golfing buddy of mine was involved in starting the first all male Charter school in Georgia. I thought that would be a great starting place. Chapter 10. Being the Board: It’s not them. It’s not the circumstances. It’s me. It’s my choices. Now what do I do? Life is all about choices. Someone said that making the same choices and expecting different outcome is insanity. So, in my efforts to avoid insanity, it is important to review previous choices and the results before making quick, uncalculated decisions. As mentioned in Chapter 10, sometimes we (me included) get caught up in the need to maintain a certain level of control over our life almost to a fault. The Zanders point out the importance of turning relationships into partnerships. I don’t think it should stop there. I think the quality of the partnership is just as important. This will require my spending the right amount of time to nurture the relationships into quality partnerships. Sometimes that means doing something for nothing. When I took over the management of the jazz club in Ghana, it was in financial trouble and owed money to suppliers to the point they refused to make deliveries unless the account was brought current. My first act in my role as General Manager of the club was to visit all of the vendors. They were shocked that I made that effort and viewed me as a partner rather than an unpaid account on their books. The results? They extended the credit until I could pay it off while continuing to service the club. Those relationships also lead to sponsorships for special events at the club.

Chapter 11. Creating Frameworks for Possibility: How do I take this flash of insight and make it into daily thing? And how do I share this with others?

Nelson Mandela’s words quoted at the end of Chapter 11 are very powerful. My favorite line in that speech is: “Your playing small doesn’t serve the world” (p. 178). It is so tempting to be content with the status quo. I think reminding myself daily of this powerful truth is a start. In terms of sharing it with other, I believe it is important to encourage others with the knowledge we have gained from this book when the opportunity presents itself. Our society is bombarded with negativity through news, for example. Making it a habit to encourage others positions us to personally stay encouraged opening many doors of possibility.

Chapter 12. Telling the WE Story: I told you it wasn’t about you. Have you been able to tap into the power of combining your expertise and passions with someone equally gifted? Have you had the pleasure of lifting a teammate, student, stranger up enabling them to realize their dreams and exceed anything that you could have imagined?

One of the things I loved about training leadership in the corporate environment for many years was the opportunity to participate in seeing someone work toward personal dreams. I have watched individuals transformed in front of my eyes. That is amazing. I have absolutely had the opportunity to tap into others who are equally gifted and it is amazing as well. I think the hardest thing is to let go and welcome the input of others. Creative people sometimes get totally caught up in their passion and do not realize we need others for inspiration sometimes. Teamwork is so important. As an instructional designer in a very high energy develop shop, we are constantly collaborating to make sure we release the highest quality product possible. That is the bottom line. The return is not limited to a job well done. It sometimes creates a paradigm shift in how you will move forward.

Coda: Now what do we do? The most important message is to get self out of the way. Be open to the passion and talents of others and be prepared to be amazed with the possibilities. 

Catherine Yoho said...

Jacqueline, I really like how you set up the question each chapter posed and then brought it home to yourself and what you do in your work (past and present). It seems that you have a firm grasp of the art of possibility, employ it and see how to increase it's implications as you move forward into the future. Your quote from Mandela was so "on". Nothing changes if nothing changes. Stagnancy occurs and with that is often discord. I often reflect on the downward spiral of negativity, how quickly it gains in strength. The same can happen with the positive, but we must be willing to use our strengths to climb upward rather than falling into the downward plunge which requires so little effort.

February 27, 2011 12:16 PM

EMDT613 Week 4 Reading: Chapters 9-12

On the hill with thousands - listening, sharing

The crowd as seen from 2 blocks away

I found these chapters very interesting and I am looking forward to implementing the ideas presented in them.

Right away, in chapter 9: Lighting a Spark (p. 123), I connected with the story of Ben's father saying that "Certain things in life are better done in person." How true, especially as Wisconsin teacher unions are under the pen of the governor. Following this advice, my husband, son, and I headed to Madison yesterday to join in the protest. It was cold. It was snowy. We all had many other things that would benefit from time spent on them. But this was something that needed to be done in person. About 80-100,000 other people agreed with me yesterday. The turnout and spirit were inspiring. Will we change Gov. Walker's mind? I don't know. But the need to stand up IN PERSON conveyed the importance of the situation.
     Being the Board  presented a whole new concept to me. Situations are not about blaming and victims, but opportunities, reflection and collaboration. It stops finger pointing and moves forward by doing so. The blame and victimization is taken out of the equation. I think the reflection of being the board is key. By reflecting, it is possible to become more objective about realities of a situation, rather than getting caught up in the abstract of "what if " and the "should of/ could of" that do little to solve a problem but keep you mired in the emotionality of it. I think that an attitude of being the board will be very useful to me as I work with others to develop their Individual Education Plan, based on current information rather that how previous parties addressed the same situation. I really appreciated the story about Cora quitting the orchestra and Ben's letter about deserving an A. Reflection and opportunities can move us past mistakes and into new relationships of growth and collaboration.
     Creating Frameworks for Possibility again brought me to the current situation in Wisconsin. On line hit home and I wish Gov. Walker  were aware of it.

"Leadership is a relationship that brings this (creative powers and connectivity) possibility to others and to the world, from any chair, in any role. This kind of leader is not necessarily the strongest member of the pack ... The 'leader of possibility' invigorates the lines of affiliation and compassion from person to person in the face of tyranny of fear."(p. 162)

     Telling the WE Story helped me to reconsider a situation I am in with a teacher at school who is telling two stories about how a student with Down Syndrome is being welcomed into his classroom. One story to the parents and one story to colleagues.  I found myself confronting this teacher last week, very angry at his differing stories. He was immediately put on the defensive and the result was detrimental to both the student's situation and a professional relationship between the other teacher and myself. After reading the chapter, I realize how important it is for me to meet with that teacher again. Not to confront what he or I thinks the situation is and our individual solution, but to write the WE story of how we can build a connection that appreciates the individual contributions of everyone involved, especially the student. Reconciliation. I have also ordered a copy of this book to share with him and other teachers, and our principal, in the desire to create an environment of creativity, understanding, and growth for our school.

Cold and snow - we still stand strong!  2-26-11

EMDT613 Week 4 - tutorials

The road I live on ...

I just finished watching some of the tutorials for EMDT613. I had watched several during the first week of class and then was off working on assignments. Much of the information I have learned through other courses, but it was still helpful. I did subscribe to the film riot podcasts and look forward to viewing them. They provided refresher instructions and good points to remember. Now, I have move options with video, audio, and pictures in my posts and other project.