WoodleWords ~ A blog by Annie Woodle
Wk3 Wimba Session: Art of Possibility
There are so many things to say about this book, and about the comments of my classmates that I'm not sure where to begin. I did attend for at least half of the Wimba this time, even though it was hard to answer some of the question that came up. The book does have a certain feel like "voices" or "flashbacks" from the past, appearing again to help you find your way. In the Wimba, it was mentioned that change is good and that we shouldn't become the "veterans." But there are educational workplaces that are experiencing a lot of change, and when a "veteran" disappears, everyone suffers for it. I haven't given up, and I feel possibility within me, but I can see when that possibility disappears from the workplace.
I wish there was a chapter about revitalizing the workplace and its employees, including the ones that would never read the book, or that are prideful. Instead of possibility, I think humility is even more important in certain situations. There are a couple of chapters that I liked, specially "Being a Contribution" and "Rule Number 6." I always feel as a contribution to others, and I always feel that I get too serious, and have to tone it down. I could say that these could be life goals.
I have a small support system at work, but it's mostly shoulders to cry on. And I have only found a very limited system with my classmates, as I sometimes feel like we are worlds apart, and most don't ever check my posts. I try my best to stay positive and helpful, but it's hard when some individuals don't acknowledge your existence. I'll go on and look for possibilities where I can find them, and think on the ones they just missed...
Posted by David Cheng at 1:43 AM
My husband is an amazingly talented artist in many realms. He paints, draws, sings professionally, writes his own music, and gives seminars. He’s also his own boss. I’m an artist of a different sort. I write, play two instruments, act, and love to make my physical environment an inspirational place to be. We’ve been “self-employed” for years, and we’ve also been “self-UNemployed” many of times. Because we often have to pursue opportunities for income, it’s easy to feel frustrated and loose passion about the big vision. Or sometimes it’s easy to get so caught up in the big vision that we can’t see the next step. My husband has encountered endless obstacles in his musical career, and during the past two years, we have butted heads many times over what his long-term goals should be. My biggest desire for him is for him to be able to use his talents and abilities in their maximum expression. Obviously, he wants this, too. The question is how to get from here to there. In my opinion, the discussion and conflict that has revolved around this topic has been very healthy for both of us (even when it’s been hard). We’re still working through the details on some life-changing decisions, so I was extremely inspired when I read this remarkable quote in Chapter 11: Creating Frameworks for Possibility: “The foremost challenge for leaders today…is to maintain the clarity to stand confidently…no matter how fierce the competition, no matter how stark the necessity to go for the short-term goal, no matter how fearful people are, and no matter how urgently the wolf may appear to howl at the door. It is to have the courage and persistence to distinguish the downward spiral from the radiant realm of possibility in the face of any challenge.” (Zander, p. 163)
Week 3 Reading Blog Post
Chapter 5: Being a leader doesn’t mean being a dictator. I enjoyed this chapter because the authors learned that from experience. When you are good at something and want to teach others you don’t have to boast or make them feel inferior because they aren’t up to your expected skill level. I admire leaders who treat people as equals and mentor with honesty and integrity. I also like people who really know what they are doing. I try to put myself in my student’s seat when I teach. I don’t want to talk down to them or make them feel stupid for not learning or being as excited about learning as I expect them to be. You should know your audience and try to find a common ground. As for listening to people who can help you succeed, the key word is “listen”. Few people do that anymore. They think of a response as you are still speaking to them. Listening is a huge factor in success.
Chapter 6: I totally wrote down Rule number 6 – don’t take yourself so seriously. My husband used to tell me when we worked in sales together and I got so upset when a delivery went wrong, or someone cancelled an order “don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff.” A calm voice from a friend, coworker or a gentle inner reminder can often help a situation go from drama to calm and professional. Avoiding conflict and strife, whether it’s caused directly or indirectly allows you to pursue goals more clearly and successfully.
Chapter 7: Most of us want to succeed and advance yet only some of us will actually get there. Getting there is part luck, part knowledge, timing, and patience. While you shouldn’t accept your fate like the cow, having a good attitude like her is key. Panic and frustration reflect in your work and personality. Taking the time to learn how things flow, who everyone is and what role they play before pursuing your road to the top can make it a much smoother ride. It also would be wise to seek out a mentor from the “barn” that your are joining. You may be overlooked, but with the right attitude, good work ethic, and a few barn fans you’ll get there eventually.
Chapter 8: Sometimes it’s easier to shut out how your feel so you don’t get hurt. Even in the classroom you can come in on some days and are just off. Your defenses are up and it projects in your presentation. I’ve done that for whatever reason. A day gone bad, the cafeteria menu was not what I expected, my students didn’t do their homework… and every time my students pick up on it and ask “Mrs. Holm, are you in a bad mood today?” That totally snaps me out of it. There is no reason to bring your negative attitude to work or to the classroom. Your performance will always suffer and so will the respect of your peers and students. That being said, sometimes my students just don’t care. It would be easy to not care back, but I tend to do the opposite and work harder to find an element in the lesson that will spark their attention. The enthusiasm and energy I feel toward the topic will usually win them over. I try really hard to not let anyone leave my classroom with a negative experience.
MAC, Week 3, Reading: The Art of Possibility
18 05 2011
I had a good laugh as I read through Chapter 4: “Leading From Any Chair” (The Art of Possibility by Rosamund & Ben Zander)! Ironically, the same day I read the chapter, my boss at the ESOL language center where I teach called me into her office. “I’ve gone by your classroom recently, and I’ve noticed you sitting a lot while you teach. None of the students have complained, but…try to stand more. You can always lean on your chair if necessary. But other than that, everything is fine!”
I nodded and said, “Ok.” (Not going to pick that one to battle!) Then I proceeded to ask her about my current group of students. When I got them, they had just failed Level 3, so I was assigned to re-teach the material. Some of the new students were ready to re-take the test even though we hadn’t finished all of the material because I had tailor-designed the classes so that their test taking would be more successful (and ultimately so that they would learn more English). “Can they re-take the test on Monday?” I asked.
“They don’t re-take the test,” she said, surprised at my question.
“They don’t?” I asked, even more surprised.
“No,” my boss responded, “Because what if they don’t pass the second time?”
Then they have a pretty rotten teacher! I thought to myself. I didn’t say anything but finally understood how my students got to Level 3 when they didn’t know many things that Level 2 students had mastered.
Later that day, I read “Leading From Any Chair”. I remembered my ESOL training through Cambridge University and how in one practice round, the trainer corrected me because I was towering of my students instead of crouching down to their desks. So which way is better? Do I stand or do I sit? Well, I stand while I teach when I need to write on the board or when the class activity naturally requires it. Otherwise, I feel honored to be “at the same level” as my students. What’s so important about standing? Is it to exert an aurora of leadership? If I’m an effective teacher, can’t I teach well from any part of the room? Evidently, standing up = effective teacher or energy or good communication or established authority for my boss. I, on the other hand, measure my success “from the twinkle in their eyes” (Ben Zander). I know that relating to my students (who are often far more accomplished or wealthy than I am) and respecting them as individual people gives me a connection with them and opens the gates to their hearts so that they will be motivated to listen to me talk about the fundamentals of English grammar. I also don’t need to stand to get control or to grab their attention. I can whisper, and they’re all ears because in the midst of the most complex grammar formula, I can insert content that touches their hearts and arouses their curiosity…and makes the keep coming back for more.
To keep my job, I’ll be sure to stand every time my boss comes around and CERTAINLY when the content inspires it. To keep my students, I’ll keep making their eyes twinkle.
Wow, I’m actually a little in awe at this textbook. The first two chapters remind me of my favorite quote, and a quote I try very hard to live by each day.
"The remarkable thing is that we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude
we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the past... We cannot change
the fact that people will act in a certain way... We cannot change the
inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have and that is
our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I
...react to it. And so with you..."
I had a big move in front of me a few years back, where I had to leave everything behind and start anew. I could either be depressed by the unknown and the vast options of my future, or I could be excited or inspired by it. I chose the latter, and I’m so thankful that I chose that path because it led me to some really great things in my life.
In the third chapter, the author talks about giving everyone an A, and embracing mistakes as a learning tool instead of a negative part of the students music. I teach my students in Art a similar way, and using this quote often to enforce my ideas; “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” In art, mistakes can bring you to some of the most fascinating parts of your piece. Developing those mistakes can sometimes bring an ordinary piece of art into the extraordinary. Most students make mistakes, recognize it, become very negative and sometimes give up hope and consider themselves a failure. I try my very hardest to turn their mistakes into something they can work with and develop from. The hardest part is teaching them to like something they had not planned on creating. They tend to have ideas in their head of what they want to create, and when they cannot reach this goal, they get very disappointed. The art for me, is trying to get them to see the amazing qualities of what they made, not what they were supposed to make.
As far as contribution, I think we would do everyone in our lives a huge favor if we look at everyday as a gift, and every moment we are with others as a gift to ourselves and them. Going through your work week looking forward to Friday is no way to live life. Using this idea to look at how you are contributing to others everyday would make your life so much more fulfilled.
As I was reading this, my boyfriend asked me what I was reading. I said a textbook, which brought the question what it was about. I narrowed it down to a self help type textbook, and that it was actually very interesting and quite a good read. (I’ll admit, I teared up for parts of it, connecting to the stories by the author and others….call me a girl.) I’m going to go live by these 4 chapters, and return to read the rest after making my mom mother’s day dinner.
Thanh Kirby Said.....
Benjamin Zander’s TED talk on classical music is one of my favorite TED videos. I can’t remember when I first saw this, but I have seen it on numerous occasions and have enjoyed it each time. As I started reading the book, Art of Possibility, I thought I would get a jump on the reading before reading the introductory assignment page in FSO. My plan of action was to discover what the purpose of the book was and how it was connected to the class as quickly and efficiently as possible. I had blinders on trying to figure what concrete lesson the book was trying to teach. In my haste I missed who the author was and why we were reading this book. So in that frame of mind I had difficulty understanding the purpose and connection of the book to the class. It wasn’t until I took the time to read the assignment completely in FSO and then finally discovered that Zander was the same person who co-authored the book, it made total sense. Chapter One Learned: It’s all invented.
As I continued reading through the book I found Chapter 3 to be especially applicable to my everyday life and teaching. The stories that the Zanders tell do a great job at illustrating the point of Giving an A, as well as to give concrete examples of how to apply these practices in real life. Personally, as someone who tends to be a little bit of a perfectionist, this chapter provided the perfect anecdote to free me from the chains of creative block that has often stalled me from making further progress on a variety of projects. So what I take away from this chapter is that by giving yourself an A you are in a sense taking away the fear of failure. Eliminating this fear allows you to explore the boundaries of creativity and expand the realm of possibility. Often times you just need this extra push of confidence to overcome small mountains.
In band you can’t really ignore things when they don’t go well. The kids know when they completely bomb because often times they know how a certain piece should be played. So sugarcoating a bad performance is not effective at improving performance. What is important, however is to get the kids to realize what mistakes were made and how to fix them. It is through this concept that the ideas of Chapter 3 take flight. Allowing students the safety net of not being afraid to fail will allow them to try harder pieces, explore the range of their musical abilities and teach them persistence despite adversity. (In a performance, despite how bad things might be going the idea of continuing through but being able to adapt and adjust on the fly is crucial) Giving the students the freedom to do this is important.
Week 1 BP 1 The Best of Intentions
I can't say that I agree with the copyright laws or the definition of what is and is not fair use, but I am sure that the laws were set up with the best of intentions. Seventy to a hundred years seems excessive. It seems that the bulk of the protection needs to cover only a few years and that some rights and protections should drop off sooner. With such an extended period, even the ability to locate the copyright holder would be diminished.
Perhaps my logical analytical side is running on overload, but when I look at the definition of fair use, I have to wonder if it is really possible to justify usage under the current definition. If the test is, if you are teaching a unit and you are using copyrighted material, can you teach the lesson without the material, then I doubt it is all that common. Educators, by nature, are extremely resourceful individuals and there is usually more than one way to skin a cat. (Mathematicians tend to think a lot like attorneys.) However, many laws, established with the best of intentions, fail to see the full picture. I for one, find the stoplight quite useful, except in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, when I have been sitting at a light waiting for it to change. As I see it, the best alternative is permission, so make it easier to get or more people will break the law.
Creative Commons is like a flashing red light in the middle of the night. It doesn't mean you don't have to obey the law, it just adds a little common sense to the situation. Creative Commons is a good solution for all those concerned. Most of us want to share our work, but we don't want to be taken advantage of. CC makes it possible to share, but still retain some control over your work. It would be wonderful if more artists would voluntarily submit to this common sense approach.
Posted by Anne Alsup's Anecdotes at 9:24 PM
Wk1Readings_KristiSwartz_Post1
