When reading research, it is of utmost importance to consider its application. Otherwise, the researcher’s purpose, to instruct practice, is lost and the results of his or her research have not met full potential. The results of research contain the power to inform instruction and create more meaningful experiences for the learners. Difficulty does arise for the professionals practicing in the field of education, as the plethora of educational research conducted grows in expansiveness and time to digest new material dwindles. The validity of research needs to be apparent to garner value in the eyes of today’s ever-occupied educator.
The reflective and personal style of Elena Aguilar in The Art of Coaching Teams (2016) facilitates the implementation of easily-digestible information and self-contemplation. Aguilar is real and honest about her experience and suggestions and asks questions that encourage real and honest answers of her readers.
I truly appreciate the level of reflection that Aguilar encourages in her reader. The role of leader is never an easy one, and one whose expectations cannot be fully met without the investment of all participants. Devotion to the mission of a group is greatly enhanced by a leader’s understanding and commitment to cultural competence, or the “awareness of one’s own cultural identity and the ability to understand and appreciate people of other identities and work effectively with them” (Aguilar, 2016, p. 22). The nuances of cultural understanding are not completely foreign to me as I have personally dealt with frequent relocation since early childhood and taught children whose culture is much different than mine.
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My first high school teaching experience was in at a charter school in the inner city of New Orleans. Any knowledge of New Orleans would expose how varied the culture in this area is to that anywhere else in the world. The students enrolled at our school were nearly exclusively African-American, and had very recently experienced the life-altering event of Hurricane Katrina. At the time I was not aware of the construct of cultural competence, but was well served by a tendency to observe and desire to learn about others. The experienced deepened my understanding of the human differences that exist on the surface and of our profound similarities. The period of my life I spent as a leader and facilitator in that ancient classroom with a streetcar line running outside the enormous windows integrally shaped my identity as a teacher.
The correlation between cultural competence and the buy in of the participants in a group reveals a natural reciprocal relationship, a cycle of one element encouraging growth in the other. The rosters for my current classroom include a variety of ethnicity and heritages, ages and abilities, and I am grateful for the growth I am experiencing, widening my cultural competence. The awareness of the importance of this component of leadership is compelling.
It is also not surprising that the emphasis Aguilar places on the meaningful and productive qualities in a successful meeting align with Hicks’s (2013) focus on meaningful and productive learning experiences. Both authors truly value the transformational opportunity presented to a facilitator or leader. The impact of a training, or any other form of instruction, is dependent upon reflection on these two aspects. By highlighting the purpose and unity that a leader provides, Aguilar encourages the reader’s understanding of the leadership role.
References
Aguilar, E. (2016). The art of coaching teams: building resilient communities that transform schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media
and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
I have learned that having an understanding of cultural differences makes a huge impact and difference when in the classroom and as a leader. Elena Aguilar mentions in the text that she believes transformational leadership "would be best to meet the needs of the children in our schools", (pp. 29). She goes on to state "Transformational leaders are energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate, and they inspire others to change expectations, perceptions, and motivations so that they can work toward common goals", (pp. 29). It sounds like your experience in the charter school in New Orleans provided you with these benefits as you learned your students and gained an understanding of their cultural differences. This in turned allowed you to provide a meaningful learning experience for the students as well as yourself.
ReplyDeleteResources
Aguilar, E. (2016). The art of coaching teams. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass.