Leadership in the classroom. Leadership in the school
At Rhode Island College, I'm enrolled in the Individualized Masters Program meaning I get to design my own path of study. I have centered my studies on civics education and youth leadership in the public school system. Because of this, it was a logical decision to focus my final project on my students' leadership skills --- or lack thereof due to the school system through which they learn.
At Nathan Bishop Middle School, there are plenty of opportunities for my students to enhance their leadership skills. We have a robust partnership with Providence After School Alliance. This allows the students to stay after school and explore their interests while also developing as a leader. Save the Bay allows students to be environmental activists and advocates. We also have the Civics Education Club that takes eighth graders to D.C. during the school year. On top of these programs, our students have started their own clubs that excuse them from class to meet during the school day.
What stands out to you about these leadership opportunities?
Did you notice that all of these programs happen outside of the classroom? AfterZone happens after the school day. Sorry, I guess, to my students who have to take care of younger siblings or cousins after class. Well what about the Civics Education Club? This club is amazing but it literally takes students out of class for a whole week during exam season. In order to participate in the student-created clubs, students must leave the classroom and miss out on instruction. What does this tell us about how we view student learning and student leadership? Should we just accept that students with other responsibilities should miss out on formative experiences with leadership and advocacy? These questions demonstrate that the ways in which schools and curricula are set up pit leadership and learning against each other. It forces students to choose one over the other. Do students miss the lesson about persuasive writing in order to attend the Student Advocacy Group meeting in the cafeteria? How can a student be a great advocate if they don't have strong persuasive writing skills? Therein lies the contradiction and flaw of excluding leadership lessons in the curriculum.
Think back to the leadership opportunities you enjoyed during your PreK-12 education. Were any of these experiences built into the curriculum, or did they happen outside of the classroom? If you did have in-class opportunities, did they happen during high school? Middle school? Elementary school? I would argue that high school curricula are more likely to include in-class leadership opportunities than middle or elementary schools.
Once the problem is stated, it's glaring! The explicit teaching of leadership and advocacy skills does not happen in the classroom --- and it's more likely to be missing from middle and elementary schools. My 6th grade ELA curriculum, for example, does not mention the word leadership once, despite claiming to be a culturally responsive curriculum. Because of that, we fail to reach potential leaders. By the time some students reach high school, they could have already become jaded by the oppressive education system. So much so that the sudden influx of leadership opportunities may not appeal to them. As educators, we must demonstrate the need to middle school curriculum developers that targeted leadership content is vital for our students' development.
Underlying belief, intended actions, and utilized technologies
Being a technologically-fluent leader allows students to connect to other problem-solvers around the globe. Because of this, I ask the question: How can we incorporate more leadership and advocacy opportunities into middle school curricula?
My belief, here, is that all students are leaders and they need opportunities in the classroom to develop their leadership and advocacy skills. The action I want to take is to use Zoom to facilitate connections between my students and advocacy nonprofits during the school day. Using Zoom to connect to people and groups around the globe is a techno-constructivist form of teaching that centers the student and allows them to learn both content and leadership skills during classroom instruction. This has already been achieved in an elementary school classroom (see Section 1.7 of the ISTE Standards), and I believe the model in that class should be generalized to middle school rooms.
Hi Jett, I love this idea of connection! Zoom is a great way to meet with others outside the classroom during class time. We did a few classes like this with our students to connect them with people working in certain job fields. Students were able to ask questions and learn about careers of interest to them. Letting students talk with others in leadership roles and learn about advocacy work is a wonderful opportunity for them!
ReplyDeleteHi Jett, I really liked your post and how you articulated the need for middle school students of color from lower socio-economic backgrounds to learn leadership skills without cutting into instructional time or necessary demands on their time after school. I think you have really hit upon something since it is so important for this underrepresented part of the population to have voice. I think it's a wonderful idea intergrating Zoom into the curriculum. It connects students with community leaders and community organizations doing important work and models for them what is possible. If you were looking for an added layer you could include some Zoom sessions with leaders of color and/or multilingual leaders, leaders of different gender identity, religion and so forth so students also can further see what is possible and also understand how diverse collaboration within a community can be an important leadership skill as well. Looking forward to hearing how your project develops. Again, great post!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Dan. I haven't yet decided what groups or people I would invite into my classroom, but it's vital I consider a diverse array of perspectives and identities. I want my students to see themselves reflected in the leaders they interact with. I also want them exposed to identities that they don't share --- or maybe some they've never even heard about!
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