Turtles, Sharks and Owls

Are you are a Turtle, a Shark, a Teddy Bear, a Fox or an Owl when it comes to dealing with conflict?  I was at a course the other day where these conflict types were discussed and I found it a really interesting concept (you can read another post about the other things I learnt here).  I learnt a lot about conflict, the types of ways people deal with it and how to help students to learn to work through it in a positive way.  All good stuff.

The animals associated with how people instinctively deal with conflict:

Turtle - quiet, retreats from conflict by withdrawing and refusing to talk about the issue.  The turtle avoids conflict at all costs.  They tend to stay away from conflict and avoid the people they have conflicts with.

Shark - aggressive, 'my way or the highway'.  Sharks do not shy away from conflict.  Instead they try to force their opinion or way onto the person they are in conflict with.  They are determined to 'win' and like to compete.

Teddy Bear - does what is expected of them to avoid conflict.  They accommodate and make sacrifices to keep harmony.  A Teddy Bear tries to smooth things over and will put others before themselves in an attempt to preserve their relationships.

Fox - makes compromises, negotiates.  They give a little to get a little.  They are willing to sacrifice and maintain balance for the greater good.  Foxes do not avoid conflict but also don't seek to fully resolve the issue to the satisfaction of both parties.

Owl - comes to solutions that suit both parties, reasons, remains calm.  Owls are collaborative and place great value on goals and relationships.  They like to problem solve and work through a conflict fully to make sure that all parties are satisfied with the outcome.

The point of discussing the conflict types at the course wasn't to decide on which way of dealing with conflict was 'better' but more to allow people to realise the positives and negatives of the way that they operate in a situation where conflict in involved.  Depending on the situation, a person who has developed good conflict management skills may choose to behave in any of the conflict styles to get the outcome that is desired.

As a side note for those of you who read my Maker Time post, Miss Four was looking at her 'cake' earlier and as she was rummaging around in it found a M n M chocolate.  I cannot hazard a guess as to how long it was in there for or what it was touching (a dead cicada or lump of gravel perhaps).  It was promptly eaten.  Awesome.

Reference must be made to the Cool Schools Mediation programme where I heard this information, it is however, written in my own words and I do not claim any ownership over the concept.

Be Inspired, I Am

My brain is feeling a little tired tonight.  More than a little inspired though.  I attended my very first educamp today.  #educamprotovegas.  A room of such amazing talent.  I was so inspired.

A network of professional learning partners - in the form of Twitter, or face-to-face - is so incredibly powerful.  Such power to change, to motivate, to support, to learn.  There is truly nothing else that comes close.

I put my hand up at the end of last year to run our region's Year 4-8 Teachers PLN.  It's a little daunting, but I'm also dreadfully excited.  I ran this same group a couple of years ago and hadn't yet experienced the power and beauty of a great PLN, but this time will be different.  Connecting with my neighbouring colleagues is something I've always been passionate about.  We share a common catchment of students, experience a lot of the same hardships, challenges, celebrations and successes.  Who better to meet with on a regular basis and hash things out?  What untapped talent is lurking just below the surface in our group?  I am dying to find out.

Attending #educamprotovegas today gave me a lot of ideas of how to establish, support and grow this PLN baby, to nurture it into a strong connected group of like-minded educators with a passion for making a difference and collaborating for the goal of student success.  Top of my to-do list is providing a warm and inviting environment for us to meet in - my classroom (best I get tidying!!), establishing a sense of mutual trust and respect, giving opportunities for everyone to share (or to just listen if that is what they need), good food (a must-have in my book!) and hot coffee.  It will be our first meeting of the year and I want everyone to leave the room as I left educamp today... wanting more.

More connectedness, more learning, more collaboration.  More.

Did I mention that I was excited?  Inspired?  I am.

As a side note... to all those I met today face-to-face at #educamprotovegas - you inspire me daily on Twitter and you have now inspired me in real life.  I was in awe of the talent and sheer passion that exuded from the room.  Thank you.

Pipeline Leadership

Teachers are like most professionals in other vocations.  They want to grow throughout the course of their career in education.  This might be in formal leadership positions or in skill and knowledge - both admirable aspirations.  Teachers often want to stay at their current school but are not given the opportunities to grow as leaders or broaden their skill set in a way that fulfils their desire to move ahead with their career .  How many teachers do you know of that have moved onto other positions within new schools because their career aspirations or opportunities to advance are not addressed?

Pipeline Leadership is a model for growing the people you have within your organisation into the leaders you will need in the future.  We have such untapped talent in many of our schools.  Do we really know what our teachers aspire to?  Where they see their future in education?  Initiatives such as ACET here in New Zealand are trying to provide some recognition and incentive for teachers who are excelling in their careers to remain in the classroom, at the coalface in front of our greatest asset - our children.

Pipeline Leadership minimises the need to look outside of ourselves for new leaders, instead growing the skills and knowledge base within the staff already in the school, providing a firm platform for future growth and leadership.  Effective Principals recognise the need for advancing student achievement and hand-in-hand seek to cultivate the leadership talents of their teachers.  Building leadership teams, ensuring a meaningful delegation of responsibility and developing future school leaders have to be the most effective ways of managing a school effectively (http://www.newleaders.org).  

The Pipeline Leadership model seeks to develop leadership skills at every level in an organisation which means that the knowledge and mindset required to lead at the next level is successfully developed in the people moving forward into new leadership roles.

How might this work in a school setting?  What sorts of conversations and Professional Learning opportunities would we be seeing if we were seeking to develop the leadership talents from within?  What feedback and feedforward would be given freely out?  How would we be supporting and mentoring each other?

I will leave you with a quote from Tom Peters: