Program Administrator: Architect Of A Learning Organization (Slideshare Version)
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The document outlines the key elements needed for an educational institution to succeed as a learning organization. It discusses how the roles of an administrator include promoting good communication, helping staff develop personal mastery and clarify mental models, aligning personal and institutional visions, and using team-based approaches to problem solving. The document also summarizes Peter Senge's five disciplines of a learning organization: systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning.
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Program Administrator: Architect Of A Learning Organization (Slideshare Version)
- 1. ARCHITECT OF A LEARNING ORGANIZATION THE PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR: Lic. Silvia Laborde Academic Director Alianza Pocitos-Pta Carretas Montevideo, Uruguay [email_address] TESOL's 44 th Annual Convention, Boston 2010
- 2. Session Outline: Setting objectives Why does everybody talk about change? What is the complexity of our time? What are the complexities in our institutions? What do we need to succeed as educational institutions? What do we need to succeed as administrators ? Final remarks
- 3. Why does everybody talk about change? What is the complexity of our time? Changes in technological, socio-economic, and political dimensions Continuous variations in our environment
- 4. “ The only things that can evolve by themselves in an organization are disorder, friction, and mal performance.” Peter Drucker http://www.crystalpointsolutions.com/CPSSolutionPG2v5.htm l
- 5. ERA: SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRAITS: EDUCATION: 60's and beginning 70's Modernity: progress, reason, science, order Progress and optimism, economic growth, more resources for education Larger body of students. New priorities: planning, managing, administrating. Aimed at leveling different socio-economic strata
- 6. ERA: EDUCATION: Mid 70's and 80's SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRAITS: Economic crisis, high inflation, uncertainty about the future, lower salaries, changing family structure, increased migration. Social and leveling objectives of education to second place. Articulate students' education with the work world, professional levels certified nation-wide, new concerns about curricular design.
- 7. ERA: EDUCATION: 90's Post modernity: uncertainty, insecurity, flexibility, relativity, ambiguity SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRAITS: Economy without borders, globalization of comm & info, scientific & technological development, migration, deeper social changes, work diversification, unemployment, ideological and moral plurality. Need for permanent education. Cultural, ethical, and religious integration without assimilation. Challenge in curricular design.
- 8. ERA: EDUCATION: XXI century New challenges: Societies that learn Search for quality in education Concern with equality Rediscovering classroom practices
- 9. What are the challenges in our institutions & classrooms? Lack of professional management Reacting to change rather than planning change Poor communication at the institutional level Lack of articulation among the members of the educational community (teachers feel “outsiders”) Individual efforts that are not empowered by team work Lack of educational marketing INSTITUTION Lack of understanding of the processes that take place inside a classroom Curricular design not responding to sts’ needs Objectives not clear to sts or even teachers; teaching “content” Lack of articulation between objectives and contents Sts are not owners of their own learning projects: not subjects but objects Poor assessment and evaluation of teaching and learning CLASSROOM
- 10. What do we need to succeed as educational institutions? MANAGE Plan Organize Coordinate Evaluate
- 11. THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION “ An organization where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patter n s of thinking are nurture d , where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. ” Peter Senge (1990) Senge, P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
- 12. FIVE DISCIPLINES Systems thinking Personal mastery Mental models Shared vision Team learning Senge, P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
- 13. SYSTEMS THINKING It’s a conceptual framework. It is a way of seeing and analyzing events that surround us as being interconnected in a unique pattern. As we come to understand the full patterns more clearly, we can learn how to change them effectively. Senge, P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
- 14. Role of the Administrator: To ensure good communication channels To democratize information To use informal communication channels carefully
- 15. PERSONAL MASTERY It’s the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively. Senge, P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
- 16. What drives me? Individually, complete one or more of the following: I wish I were had could ... owned Have a partner ask you “What for?” A PRACTICAL IDEA: Adapted from: Senge, P. et. al. (1994) The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
- 17. Role of the Administrator: To act as mirrors on which others reflect themselves To give staff chances to explore who they want to be professionally and why To help staff visualize ways in which they can reach their professional goals.
- 18. MENTAL MODELS "Mental models" are deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action. The discipline of working with mental models starts with turning the mirror inward. If we become aware of our mental models and understand how they shape our decisions, we can also change how we see and do things. Senge, P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
- 19. A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE: T: Susan, I feel that we shouldn't have end-of-the-year evaluation visits. You know how hard we've all been working on the portfolio for months now, and you also know that many of us have been doing plenty of team teaching. So, I was thinking that maybe this year's evaluation could be based on that. D: (Sighs) Do you disagree with the institutional evaluation policies? T: Not at all. But a couple of us feel that since we have been working so hard on our portfolios and doing team teaching, we'd rather be evaluated through them. D: Do you feel the portfolios would offer us the same kind of information as an evaluation visit? Let me make a few notes on this. T: No, no. Actually, no. But we've been working so hard...well, maybe it's not such a good idea after all. D: Have you talked to all the teachers about this? T: No, of course not!!! It's not like I want to boycott the visits or anything. On second thought, let's just forget it. I'm sure the visits will be just fine.
- 20. Inference Ladder Observable data Personal interpretation Adopt beliefs Act based on sequence of inferences Adapted from: Senge, P. et. al. (1994) The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
- 21. Administrator thought: Admin. said: Adm. sighs because this is a topic that concerns her a great deal. She believes that the institution should revise its evaluation policies. (Sighs) Do you disagree with the institutional evaluation policies? Admin. is very impressed that teachers feel that portfolios are so representative of their work. She feels that this teacher must have very good insights on portfolio writing. Do you feel the portfolios would offer us the same kind of information as a final visit ? Let me make a few notes on this. She feels this teacher’s experience could be very valuable in helping the whole Institution reflect on the topic as well. Have you talked to all the teachers about this?
- 22. QUALITY COMMUNICATION Ask others to clarify their own thoughts Make our thoughts clear to others Reflect on our thoughts as we speak
- 23. Mental Models discipline Teacher: Reflect on our own thoughts, ask for clarification I get the feeling that this is a sensitive issue for you. Do you feel I shouldn’t question the evaluation policies? Make our thoughts clear to others Would you like me to write down some of my ideas on portfolios? I could even write about the advantages of portfolios over visits for teacher evaluation. Reflect on our thoughts, ask for the other person’s thoughts No, not really. But it would be a good idea to see where others stand on this. Do you think it’s good timing to bring it up?
- 24. Role of the Administrator: To clarify communication To help others clarify communication To become skillful communicators ourselves
- 25. SHARED VISION The practice of shared vision involves finding shared "pictures of the future" that foster genuine commitment and the discovery of the principles and guidelines that will lead us into our future. Senge, P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
- 26. Role of the Administrator: To help articulate the individual visions with the organizational vision.
- 27. TEAM LEARNING The discipline of team learning involves the capacity of members of a team to suspend assumptions and enter into a genuine "thinking together." DIALOGUE DISCUSSION free and creative exploration of complex and subtle issues, a deep "listening" to one another and suspending of one's own views. different views are presented and defended and there is a search for the best view to support decisions that must be made at this time. Senge, P. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Bantam Doubleday.
- 28. What’s in a square? Make 4 squares of the same color and size. Cut each one up into 4 pieces. Mix them up. Get 4 volunteers to sit around a table and form the 4 squares. They can't talk and they can't ask for pieces. They can only give pieces. Have the rest of the team observe the interaction. Afterwards discuss the different roles, how negotiation took place, and which attitudes helped solve the problem. A PRACTICAL IDEA:
- 29. Role of the Administrator: To bring people together through team building tasks with clear purpose to give sense of direction. To learn to “read” all kinds of communication in order to improve it. To capitalize on the natural talents that arise to boost motivation. To help people develop potential talents.
- 30. What do we need to succeed as administrators? Webster’s Dictionary defines architect as: “1. One who designs buildings and advises in their construction. 2. One who plans and achieves a difficult objective.” Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. (1983). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc.
- 31. Ensure good communication channels. Be the mirrors on which others “see” the best of themselves. Help others clarify their own thoughts. Contribute to align personal and institutional visions. Start by developing all these “disciplines” ourselves.
- 32. Final Remarks: We must become learning organizations that are alert to the complexities of our time and are ready for and manage change construvctively .