Laura Stenger

Taking a learning point from Warren Bennis's list on what good leaders do, I am going to focus more on providing hope to my team.  I am a subordinate leader in an organization that has undergone constant change in leadership for the last three years.  The uncertainty about our efforts/mission has led to many folks to retire or leave for other opportunities.  I want to be more intentional about providing a vision for my team that reiterates our purpose.

I definitely lean towards being a leader.  My philosophy with my small team, many of whom are former military officers, is to approach each as the unique individual they are.  With a sudden change in our team leadership model, I was thrust into "leading" my team of peers through a very tumultuous year.  My first priority was to get to know each person on a more personable level and to conduct a "team" -assessment of our problem-solving preferences using the FourSight Assessment.  This tool highlighted each team member's preferences - clarifying, ideating, developing, implementing - in their approach to problem… >>>

In the current COVID-19 environment we have worked to flip a number of our courses.  The "classroom" time has now become the virtual meeting space.  Zoom has been a tremendous help and a number of our instructors have adopted the platform to assist them in executing their courses.

I appreciated breaking down applying the flipped classroom into three steps.  It seems less daunting to take a module, identify the methods of learning, create the activities and then assess the material - in a creative way.  

Both verbal and non-verbal cues are important in demonstrating active listening.  I have always had an issue with my facial expressions - communicating the exact opposite of what I intended. 

This module emphasizes the concept of student-centered learning.  The instructor's role is to maximize each student's learning journey - to assist each student in constructing knowledge.  To do that, an instructor needs to be engaged, to listen, to communicate,  to show genuine concern, and to treat students equitably. 

What I learned is adult learners are complex.  I consider myself more of a facilitator than a teacher.  Each student brings to the classroom their own experience, knowledge, and perspectives.  By being intentional about really understanding each student's unique circumstances I can better assist them in developing a personalized roadmap for success.