Leader-to-LeaderLeader-to-LeaderLee MeadowsLee Meadows

Director, Alabama LASERDirector, Alabama LASER

Leader-to-LeaderLeader-to-Leader

Changing Their Minds without Changing Their Minds without Losing Yours!Losing Yours!

From Deep Inside What’s tough about leading change?

The Challenge In the face of Florida’s adoption, what

are your most strategic leadership moves for the next 3 months?

Example ideas (to stir our thinking)?

Leading Inquiry Leading Inquiry ReformsReforms

Lee’s Unique ExpertiseLee’s Unique Expertise

Science Teacher Educator

UT Masters (& reform)

UGA Ph.D. (& reform)

UAB School of Education (& reform)

Reformer

Classroom Teacher Sabbatical as 9th grade regular teacher Do-it-yourself inquiry during first

semester Active Physics & Chem during second

semester

Leading ChangeLeading Change

Successful StrategiesSuccessful Strategies

Advocate Inquiry Thinking Skills

“My kids can’t think” Teamwork

“Kids today have zero social skills” Info Management

“Students can’t read” Problem Solving

“Kids today aren’t ready for the real world”

Inquiry & the NSES

www.nap.edu/bookstore, then Search All Titles for “Inquiry” (or later master web site)

Best resource for inquiry theory

Open book

Lead to Exemplary Curriculum Has it been through an R&D process?

NSF-label Is it guided inquiry?

Open-ended is scary! Other key features

PBL Cooperative learning Relevance/Science Literacy

Resources

http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~lmeadows/rescutting.html Links to exemplary curriculum (elementary,

middle, and high) Links to elementary inquiry assessments 5 Essential Features book

Alternative Pathway: Google search “Lee Meadows UAB”

Attend to the Obvious Materials

purchase, storage, management, & replenishment

Professional Development Support Teacher Change

Assessment Changes Aligning assessment with instruction

Avoid an Inquiry Ghetto Tech-prep only Gifted only Special needs students only Average students only Not for ESOL

The Human Factor Take care of yourself

What good is a burned out (or dead!) leader?

Listen to your teachers Except for the resistors

Think long term, but communicate crisis Workforce development AND literacy

through science Use CBAM’s Stages of Concern

CBAM’s Stages of Concern Awareness

What’s inquiry? Why should I use it? Information

How do I prep to use inquiry? I don’t know enough science? What’s exemplary curriculum?

Management All my time is going to studying the teacher

guide and managing stuff! Routine Use & Refocusing

Nurture Leaders Innovators

The ed fad of the week Leaders

Trusted & trustworthy Early Majority

Follow the leader Late Majority

Looks like a resistor Resistors

The black holes of reform

Don’t Solve Their Dilemmas High-stakes tests vs. inquiry Students lack of process skills vs. prep

for life & work Lack of material funding vs. our poor

workforce

Taking it HomeTaking it Home

The Challenge In the face of Florida’s adoption, what

are your most strategic leadership moves for the next 3 months?

The Bottom Line Leadership is tough Leadership is the missing link in

educational reform Leaders need a support network, and

that may not be possible from the people you lead

Leadership is deeply rewarding

It’s About Time (888.698.8463) Middle school earth science High school physics, chemistry, and earth

science Materials kits Professional Development

Alabama LASER (205.934.8347) Strategic planning Reform coaching