Author Archives: chipjones

Spring Break 2013 is done!  It is very hard to believe we have entered the segment of the year where we begin to think about closing out a school year and begin to plan to welcome a new school year. Also, it is very hard to imagine next  year at this time we will be [...]
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Over the last several months we have all been actively engaged in conducting literature reviews, developing and pilot-testing survey questions, and conducting focus group interviews. As I prepared for these various processes I found Irving Seidman’s Interviewing as Qualitative Research to be an asset. I found Chapter 6 – “Technique Isn’t Everything, But It Is [...]
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As the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer, I have found myself reflecting on our journey thus far. I have thought how we all have grown as leaders, become more “scholarly” with our writing, and mastered the skill of time management. As we all are aware since we began this program [...]
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This semester in class we have been working on presentations. I must admit I was a bit scared and overwhelmed as I looked at the Presentation Zen for the first time. I could not imagine that I would ever find a use for the resource. However, I was wrong. The book and class discussions opened [...]
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Listed below is a link to an article I received this morning. As I read the article I replaced the word teacher with leader.  As I was reading the article I found myself relating the content to the leadership classes I have been taking. I believe at times (leaders especially) are very afraid to admit [...]
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Over the last few months as I have traveled in and out classrooms I have seen a shift in the way teachers are delivering instruction. This shift in delivery has come from the collaboration of teachers and administration to make instruction more relevant for students. The trust that has strengthened between teachers and administrators is [...]
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This morning I read the following Blog Post written by Joe Mazza. I found the post very inspiring because it is a culmination of our classes. Leadership is more than just knowing how to interpret and analyze data. Leadership requires leaders to know how to relate to people. The author gives three guiding principles which [...]
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On Tuesday, November 6, I had the pleasure to attend a professional development forum led by Rafe Esquith. Mr. Esquith is a public school teacher from Los Angeles, California.  He spoke to approximately 1,600 educators from eight surrounding school divisions.  Mr. Esquith’s message was very inspiring and thought-provoking.  The following are the the major themes [...]
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This assignments for this semester are allowing each of us the opportunity to practice our research skills. Members of each cohort are working with partners in conducting focus groups, enhancing collaborative writing skills and fine-tuning the art of time management skills. Early mornings and late nights are becoming more and more common not to mention [...]
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Many schools and school divisions take pride in saying they have PLC’s (Professional Learning Communities). The concept of PLC’s is great but only if the organization has planned the purpose of the PLC. The following link provides 13 guiding questions in helping to determine the purpose of a PLC in an organization. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning_forwards_pd_watch/2012/09/13_essential_plc_questions.html
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