Assertive Communication Course

Term 3 week 6:
Last week, I went for a 2 days course on "Assertive Communication Course".
Why I signed up for this?
Although I can be firm and fair with pupils, I had found myself having some difficulty to say 'No' assertively to colleagues or to be telling them off in a assertive way. People have known me to be the "Mr Nice Guy"/ the "Mr Yes Guy", willing to help people but I think it's a neccessary skill I need to learn to be firm with colleagues.

I also chanced upon this quotes from an iPhone apps "100 ways to motivate others" by Steve Chandler and i thought it's an important note for me to self check as a leader:

"Unconsciously, managers without leadership habits will often seek to be liked. Rather than holding people accountable, they let them off the hook. They give the feeling that everything's fine. They seek approval rather than success. But this habit has a severe consequence. It leads to a lack of trust in the workplace. A true leader does not focus on trying to be liked, but on the practices and communications that lead to being respected."

I ask myself "Am I like this?" mmmm... not really. But not being assertive in my expectation of work may degrade me to this.

From the course, there is a revelation of my tendency of being of a Personality Style of "Dominance and Steadiness" (DISC) and a more "Idea-Oriented" & "People-Oriented" Communication Styles, giving people space for ideas rather than either Action-, or Process-Oriented type. I have also got to know that I need to balance between "Task (Productivity)" and "Team (Morale)" to be a successful boss.

I will determine to be more communicative and be firm in terms of work.... and say "no"," not good" whenever neccessary.

Always ask ourselves Q1 and Q2 first

Term 3 Week 4. I shared with Mr Chin and Mdm Rina about my learning in Naval Base Secondary School in the SAPD and wanted to make some changes in the school programs and deployment eg. Camp Week for all levels, form task force to critique Alive Program etc. Every time I went ahead with the program proposals stating the nitty gritty operational bits, Mr Chin would stop me and pose the Questions 1 and 2:

Question 1: What's the purpose/ Objectives? What pupil outcome are we trying to achieve through this program/ action?

Question 2: How can we see this outcome being demonstrated? How do know this intended outcome is achieved? How do we measure that?

We have the tendency to go straight to Question 3
Question 3: The nitty gritty operational things.

Through that session, I have learnt to think AfL again and the importance of it so that programs recommendation are well thought through so that they are always aligned with school goals.

Thanks Mr Chin.

Reflection about DDSN Mrs Yu ST

DD's message:
- Pastoral Care: if ever, should be the 1st KPI
- Pupil first! Pupil first!
- Again: the pupil don't care how much you care until they know how much you care.
- Show them care and they on their own will excel
- never let the assessment drive the decision, but rather the outcome driving the decision.

So should we change the order of KRA in the teacher's Work Reveiw? - the key being PC and then follow by Quality Learning?

But yet again, a caring teacher will care to give Quality teaching, isn't it?

My message:
What did I said, what I regret saying, what i had wished to say?

- I brought up about MOE should set C2015 assessments to shift to PC outcomes and priorities, but I was immediately 'shot down' . Initially, I regretted bringing it up. However, thinking back very soon I was glad that it has brought about Mrs Yu sharp 'chiding' that I should not wait upon MOE assessment to decide to do what is right. questioning about why is there changes in assessment assessment driving decision, "never let the assessment drive the decision, but rather the intended outcome driving the decision"

Further thoughts and probing questions to the SMC:

- "it is school leaders who will make the correct shift towards Pastoral Care and Pupil Development as opposed to Exam-oriented"

- are we, the management especially the IP HODs ready to take risk, to change Teachers' priority from Quality Learning to Pastoral Care/ Pupil Development?

- if we shift to priority to PC, what does it look like operationally in a typical subject class?

Reflective Skillful Teacher

Summarised from reading portion shared by Stephen on 5th July 2010 from "Skillful Teacher 2nd Edition"

Informed Actions:
1. Can be explained and justified to ourselves and others2
2. Are Researched
2. Has good chance of achieving what it intended to

4 lenses of Critical Reflection:
1. Pupils
2. Colleagues
3. Literature
4. Own

3 Purposes of Critical Reflective Stance:
1. Increase chance that our classroom actions are based on accurate and valid assumptions
2. Model the way to pupils the very skill we wanted to impart
3. Reenergize our teaching

2010 Term 1 Week 6 Encouragement & Praise

Wow.. Time flies.. CNY is over.

Been busy with many things on my plate. Mapped out 'My Jobs' and it was like spider web. Whoa... God grant the grace to handle these things or else i will fail.

Anyway... my reflection for last week.

I completed another D&T project for 2NT acrylic freeform project.

Well, felt quite proud of it: It's basically a thermoformed red man running on blue waves (symbolising water). Once I have done it, I brought it down to Mr Lee to ask him to put on display to hopefully inspire some idea for other D&T teachers and pupils to learn that there are many possibilities in Acrylic Thermoforming projects.

Reflecting on this, i was kind of like behaving like our kids: when we come with a good piece of work, we want it to be recognised, I hope to be praised. Often times, as adults or teachers, we set our expectation so high and when pupils or children come to us to hopefully get some praise, we failed to give them encouragement, and that deflated them some times.

Another example of our lack of praise causing discouragement in kids:
A boy was sharing to me last year; after being punished for wrong things he did, he showed disgruntle because "I do many good, no one praise. I did one wrong, and eveyone start condemning me"

We need to remind ourselve: A exemplary practice of a good leader "Encourage the heart"

Facilitation Pointers Workshop

My first workshop per se yesterday. Facilitation pointers.. to bless.. not to impress. Giving colleagues some keys to start off their facilitation journey.

Yesterday some 30 colleagues who were assigned or volunteered to be PLC facilitators attended a PLC facilitators workshop. I have suggested during the previous SMC meeting that it may be good to give the colleagues some simple tools to start off while the Staff Development Dept work out a course for them. I had really meant to give some simple pointers to start them off. Today, Thursday 11th Feb Staff Time is their first PLC session that they will be facilitating.

While I believe that probably they might somewhat have certain experience in leading discussion, but I think the workshop session would have given them some insight to certain "Art of Questioning". Having said that, personally felt that I could have done better in preparation to do a better presentation as I felt the demo facilitation was not as good as I wish it to be.

Nevertheless, let's remind one another some keys:

"I do not all the answer", "Active listening", "Engage everyone", "Open Questions", "Close Questions", "Practice, Practice, Practice"

We'll be getting together again to share our facilitation experience at least once every 2 months to review and feedback.

May we have a fruitful journey in facilitation in our PLC. For the betterment of our school.

using Mindmap to reflect or plan

I have getting the hang of mindmap inclusive of iPhone free apps "Thinking Map Lite". Getting more intuitive in thinking in mindmap form. Here are two:

1. Best Class Award Presentation done last Monday Assembly: Was thinking about what to put in and thinking about flow at the same time, thought mindmap will help to shape the presentation. So whippped out the iPhone and one sitting, completed this.

(click to see larger view)

2. Today during the staff meeting, while discussing about Facilitator's training, I tried to recall also the key take aways from the Facilitator Training I went last year, I recorded in Thinking Map Lite:

(click to see larger view)

Mindmap has been really useful.

Thinking Map Lite for stringing thoughts

This year heas been terribly busy..with thinking. [Not that i have been a-mused (non-thinking)all this while, but more so this year]

Shared with people that at the end of the day, I'll be going home with more headache..literally..due to the portfolio of HOD Pupil Development ...enlarged.

Compared to the last 3 years I have been having to do more walking, running, caning pupils being more as Discipline Master. But this year, having to co-ord more units, more thinking has to be put into the crafting of framework, co-ordinating with different colleagues, all having different personality, different strength and weaknesses, different personality, different querks. More process and structures must be thought through with different people... So got home with headache..almost everyday in Term 1 Week 1.

So what now?

The iMindmap software that was installed in my laptop has helped me to get very comfortable with mindmaps as a tool to string thoughts, being a man of few words.

And also having gotten a free mindmapping apps from Apps store in iPhone, "Thinking Map Lite" I have been able to map thoughts also while i'm away from the laptop. It has really been helpful.