Week 4: Publishing Leadership Project

I have witnessed in my working environment that English as a foreign language learners lack a lot of fluency, especially in speaking.  Part of that is do to the lack of opportunities they have to practice real conversation English outside the classroom and the limited hours they practice inside the classroom too.  Therefore, EFL learners are aware of their lack of fluency and are not confident in speaking English inside the classroom.  What I want to achieve with this action research is to increase my EL learners’ confidence and fluency.  After 2 Cycles, I've realized that it's necessary to do a Cycle 3 to help my students feel more confident in their English literacy skills in their EFL class at school.

Links to Think out loud blog:

http://nereydavalleemd.blogspot.com/2011/03/week-4-publishing-leadership_27.html
http://nereydavalleemd.blogspot.com/2011/03/week-4-publishing-leadership.html


Link to Leadership Project:

files.me.com/nereydavalle/7ec30t

Week 4: Publishing Leadership Project_part 1

At first I did not want to present my project in a conference because I felt that there is still a lot of work to do to get my APR just right.  However, I know that the research I did for the project would help many EFL  teachers in increasing their students English literacy skills and confidence in speaking.  I've talked to several of my colleagues about my project and they all said that they would be interested in hearing about the project.  I had one teacher propose that I could give the presentation there at the high school and another teacher proposed to give it in the Centro de Profesores y Recursos.  I really received a lot of support from my colleagues and this support has truly gave me more confidence in the research I did (that I still have to work on).  I know that I can really help my colleagues and other teachers in integrating technology into the classroom locally to start.    

Week 4: Comment to Dena

Dena's post:

I enjoyed Zander’s remarks about lighting a fire in others.  I feel like I was born with the ability to do this and see it as a big responsibility to my students as well as my family and friends. The way he described enrollment as the ability to give yourself as a possibility to others and to be ready to catch their spark really hit home with me. He has so many inspiring lines in this book that I want to remember. I felt a strong reaction to his discussion of taking “no” less personally and myself less seriously and in doing that being able to see the opportunity for enrollment.

I also really felt a connection with Zander’s idea of being the board in your life, not reacting to the other players, but taking control in your life and transforming your entire circumstance. Making room for all the moves, as Zander puts it. What a revelation for most of us to stop seeing life as a blame game. When you look back, it’s so interesting to see how measurement in it’s many forms completely rules our existence. We have been trained to think that way.

Reading the steps in chapter 11 about vision and being a leader of possibility inspired me to write them down and carry them with me. Lately I feel as though I am always trying to overcome the downward spiral so it’s going to be a key part of my outlook to get into the practice of focusing on what is possible. Whether it’s because of a certain student or faculty member that I’m having an issue with or if I’m just plain tired that particular day, the goal is to stay focused on realigning myself. If I keep the concept of the framework in my mind, hopefully it will more easily allow me to bounce back when I get pulled down.

As I begin to head back to school this coming week after spring break, I feel that I have a renewed sense of purpose in what I do. Part of it, yes, is simply taking some time off, but the other part is finishing the last few chapters of this book.  For me, the WE story truly communicates why I work at a community college and sets the framework for me as a teacher and as the interim coordinator for the center for teaching and learning. I have learned many valuable lessons and want to plaster some of Zander’s quotes on the walls of the school. It also makes me think about my role as a mom and wife and how I can set the framework for all the relationships in my life.


Comment to Dena:
I'm also a fan of Mr. Zander and his practices!  You are an amazing person and am sure you will definitely light the fire in others where ever you go.  I also agree with you that measuring things completely rules our existence.  This way of thinking traps us into a down spiral thinking and acting, so I wish you all the power and strength to fight against this and create infinite possibilities.  

Week 4: Art of Possibilities

Reading Mr. Zander’s insights on lighting the fire and enrolling people to new possibilities was truly inspiring.  It’s a difficult not to be caught in the downward spiral, but that’s the challenge we have to fight against.  I love how Mr. Zander speaks in plural; WE have to work hard to keep our spark alive and ignite others on the way.  WE have to find the possibilities for all the “no’s” we are given to continue to grow and learn.  To take control of the situations we are found in and make the best out of every situation. 

There has been many lessons learned throughout my journey as a Full Sail student, and thanks to all the people that have lit the way for us we can now see the light to a new journey.  I wish all my fellow classmates the best of luck in their new journey.

Week 4: Comment to Tamika

Tamika's Post:

My comment:
Great analogy!  We are the future that has to work hard to maintain that fire burning and unite with others to make our fire bigger.  That's the challenge we have, and we can definitely make extraordinary things happen as we spread our light.  I too wish you the best in being the change you want to see in the world!

Week 4: Publishing Leadership Project_part 2

Centro de Profesores y Recursos (CPR) is a place for teachers and resources.  CPR is a place that’s specifically designed for teachers to give or take workshops, classes, and conferences.  This center is local and is always willing to hear what you have to offer to local educators.  I think this is a great place to present my APR.  When local teachers present at the CPR and receive a lot of good feedback from the audience, they can be invited to present in other local places or schools.  Anyway, I'm really excited about having the opportunity to do it in the CPR.  Further, I've also taught at this local center and have often heard teachers talk about integrating technology into their classrooms.   Therefore, I think my project will definitely interest many teachers.

Week 4: Free Choice

I've shared this video with many of my ESL students and has always been a success.  It has a powerful message and as we are now coming to the last course of our Full Sail journey I want to share this video.  It's a truly inspirational video and as Steve Job's said, "Stay hungry, stay foolish."  I wish this for all my online classmates!