NOLA Urban Elementary School Leadership Training High Level Agenda 10 August 2013 Session Plan crafted and facilitated by: Nicole M. Williams, Aspiring Principals Program Director Greater New Orleans

Connecting Communicating Collaborating Concentrating

Life Maps Objectives:

To give participants an opportunity to learn about one another and what they have in common

To provide participants an early opportunity to see themselves as a team

To set the stage for more in­depth leadership activities

To begin to know people’s names and something about each one

To give participants an opportunity to reflect on important

Constructivist Listening Dyads Objectives:

To create a safe space to become better at listening and talking in depth

Key Concepts: Communicating, trust, leadership development Framing (5’)

Introduce the concept and purpose of constructivist listening (2’)

Provide clear instructions and address clarifying questions (3’)

Marshmallow Challenge: http://marshmallowchallenge.com/Welcome.html Objectives: Key Concepts: Barriers to team building; identifying the “marshmallow” for the team ­ common goal Framing (10’):

Introduce the Marshmallow Challenge (5’)

Provide instructions and address clarifying questions (5’)

Airtight Activity (18’):

Participants engage in marshmallow

Focus Ring: http://www.teachmeteamwork.com/teachmeteamwork/2006/12/teambuilding_ga_2.html Objectives:

To focus the attention of the team to accomplish an important/challenging task

Framing (5’)

Introduce the Focus ring challenge (2’)

Provide instructions and address clarifying questions (3’)

Airtight Activity (15’)

As a whole group, allow the participants to complete the task

elements in their lives and present them to others

Key Concepts: leadership development, self­awareness, community building Framing (5’)

Introduce Life Map, objectives and connection to the day’s activities

LifeMap Creation (30’)

Members use time to create life map

30 minute playlist created for activity

Whole Group Share­out (35’)

Each team member shares out the created lifemap

Whole Group Share­out (5’)

Each participant will address LifeMap questions at the end of the task before we move into next activity.

Airtight Activity (6’)

Participants engage in a debrief conversation following the minefield activity

Participants address the following prompts:

What would you do if you were not afraid?

When did you not speak up when you should have?

Why do you matter? What big lesson can

people learn from your life?

In the haste of our daily lives, what are we not seeing

Based on your current daily actions and routines, where would you expect to be in five years?

Are you holding on to something that you need to let go of?

What do you sometimes pretend you understand

challenge in teams of two and one team of three (18’)

Reflection (10’):

Participants watch debrief TED video at http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower.html (7’)

Allow participants to reflect on their experience in anticipation of large­group share­out (3’)

Sharing/Group Think (10’):

What were your initial reactions after completing this activity?

How did completing this activity push or challenge your thinking around how your team has worked together on school improvement in the past year?

What is the marshmallow ( for the

(10’) As a whole group,

engage in conversation around strategy using verbal start/stop/continue (5’)

Apply the Learning (10’)

In two teams and as a small group, allow the team to complete the challenge activity (10’)

when you really don’t

Whole Group Share­Out (4’)

What came up for you using this structure?

What came up for your reflecting on the prompts?

What worked for you? What was difficult for you?

What purpose do you think it might serve?

leadership team’s work in ‘moving Myrtle Thibodeaux to the next

LifeMap Time: 70 minutes Dyads: 25 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Focus Ring: 35

Every Person Has a Story to Tell Objectives:

To give participants an opportunity to learn about one another and what they have in common

To give participants an opportunity to reflect on important elements in their lives and present them to others

To help build the trust container within the team

Minute to Win It: Objectives:

To bring the temperature down in the room

To have some silly fun Framing (1’)

Participants will engage in two silly games as competition

Apply the Learning (8’)

Participants will engage in the following two minute to

Whole Day Debrief: 15 minutes Provide challenge homework assignment

Key Concepts: trust, leadership development, vulnerability Framing (5’)

Introduce the concept of storytelling and it’s impact on leadership and team development ­ reference the Leadership Challenge and how activities such as these help to encourage the heart

Provide guidelines: Airtight Activity (13’)

Each person is given two minutes to think of the word that they were given and to prepare to share a story.

Each person must share their story and speak for the entire 1.5 minutes.

All participants must provide undivided attention to the speaker

win it games in two rounds:

Whole Group Share­out (11’)

Participants will debrief the morning ­ they will identify key takeaways as well.

Story Time: 20 minutes Shake it Off & Shimmy: 5

Break: 10 minutes Lunch: 60 minutes Break: 15 minutes

Minefield Objectives: Brainstorm and share

communication strategies to guide a partner in the minefield

To provide suggestions and listen to ideas about traveling through the minefield

Rely on others to get through the maze

Discuss the experience and their feelings

Key Concepts: leadership development, trust, communication, perseverance Framing (5’)

Teams will be

Picture Perfect: http://www.freshtracks.co.uk/2012/01/free­team­building­activity­perfect­picture/#more­3163 Key Concepts: Barriers to clear communication, alignment of vision and actions by departments or individual teams Framing (10’):

Introduce Picture Perfect (5’)

Provide clear instructions and address clarifying questions (5’)

Airtight Activity (30’):

Participants engage in the Picture Perfect challenge as individuals with Freda acting as liaison to encourage alignment

Start Stop Continue http://www.gogamestorm.com/?p=645 Objectives:

The object of Start, Stop, Continue is to examine aspects of a situation or develop next steps

Key Concepts: Collaboration, Leadership Development, Team­building Framing (5’)

Connect the identification of the team’s marshmallow to how this structure can be used to examine and develop next steps

Airtight Activity (10’)

.Lead the team through completing a minute to win it game. They are given two minutes to complete the task.

We stop do a start, stop continue map

They address the task

introduced to the objectives and rules of the minefield game.

Teams will be broken down into pairs and a tethered triad

Airtight Activity (30’)

Participants engage in the activity

Whole­group sharing (10’)

The entire group will verbally debrief the activity:

How did you feel while you did the activity?

Discussion point: Landmines are metaphoric problems the group faces either personally or as a team. They are everywhere in life (personal & public). Some landmines are big and some are small, but hey all do damage when we hit them. What are the landmines in your life that you are choosing to avoid?

Debrief Activity (15’) Participants will

debrief the activity with guiding questions leading the conversation

Reflection (5’):

Allow participants to reflect on the activity individually

One thing that surprised me most about myself during the activity

One thing that surprised me most about my team throughout the activity

One key takeaway that I hope to guide my steps in my work this year:

Whole Group Share­out (5’)

Participants who would like to share one takeaway or reflection with the

again Whole group reflection on

process In teams, the group completes a more challenging minute it to win it task following the same structure Apply the Learning (10’)

Team completes a start/stop continue sheet re: the team’s marshmallow (10’)

Whole Group Reflection (3’)

eam to assess their work around the RPR structure. Are there any burning next steps they feel that they need to make? (3’)

Individual Reflection (5’)

Participants silently reflect on the activity in their journals using the following prompt:

We can go through life trying to avoid obstacles, but it’s easier when we have help. Where do you get help in real life? Are you effective at asking for help? Are you good at accepting/giving help?

How do you know?

whole group is welcome to do so at this time.

Minefield Time: 50 minutes Picture Perfect: 65 minutes Start Stop …: 30 minutes

Team Building resources: http://issuu.com/freshtracks/docs/ft_teambooklet_cover_5_merged