Team Work...

As I reflect on the many conversations I've had this past year, I come back to reflect on a very simple book we studied as a team, Price Pritchett's book called TeamWork. It's an easy, quick read, only 65 pages long, but it's packed full of real examples of how successful teams accomplish their goals. His table of contents seems like a good road map.

• Push for High Quality Communication.
• Bring Talent to the Team.
• Play Your Position.
• Turn Diversity to the Team's Advantage.
• Back Up Others Who Need Help.
• Practice.
• Be Prepared to Sacrifice for the Team.
• Help New Teammates Make Entry.
• Play Down Yourself and Build Up Others.
• Spend Time With Your Teammates.
• Help Drive Discipline Into the Group.
• Make Sure You Make a Difference.
• Give Attention to Group Process.
• Help Create a Climate of Trust.
• Strengthen the Leader Through Good Followership.
• Be a Good Sport.

I am also reminded of this quote from "The Power of Full Engagement"

We can derive as much value from studying and understanding our failures as we can from celebrating and reinforcing our successes.

And Peter Senge who writes about a harmonization of our thinking and moving into action that can be a foundation.

It's this coming together to think together because we know only then can we act together.

I leave you with this question from Henry Jenkins work at MIT, he asks:

What has to change with our academic institutions in order for them to capitalize on the strengths that the current cultural changes/opportunities are creating?

A Time of Reflection......

This post is a mash-up of more thoughts than should go in one post. I'm inspired right now by the books The Speed of Trust, The Power of Full Engagement, Bernajean Porter's work, my social networks, and the work of our district LTT.

The start of a New Year causes me to reflect not only on my own personal and professional growth, but also on the growth of our organization. Over the next month or so, we should all focus on reflection.

Last night's teacher laptop class was an example that we do not, on a regular basis, initiate good conversation as a whole. However, our staff development model has used the power of video and Tanya's opening movie last night accomplished the task of empowering voice. No longer is it acceptable to be ignorant. It was a good night, but we continue to have non-participants whom we can not reach. Sad.

Reflecting... As usual, I have more questions than answers. What do we, the "LTT", stand for? What is lacking in the area of 21C skills, thinking, and knowledge among those we teach and work with? How do we "bridge that gap"?

Are we Innovating? Inspiring? Assessing???

Are we teaching the skills that teachers need in the new media landscape? Do we agree on those skills? Are we remembering, among all the distraction technology brings, the power of the Socratic method?

I started the school year with an email full of questions that we have not formally addressed. Aimee brought them back to us a couple of months later with her own thoughtful answers. I challenge each of us to do the same.

My team works very hard and our district is blessed. I am nothing without my players.