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Leaders / Thinkers ChartPeriod of Influence

HistoryTrainingMentors

Key Ideas Philosophies Educational

Influence

PublicationsAccomplishments

Leadership Attributes

Quotes

ReflectionApplication

1.

Collins, JimJim was born on January 25, 1958. He has been influencing leadership ever since the early 1990s.

One of his long time mentors was Bill Lazier, a Stanford colleague.

Collins explains how companies or organizations can go from good to great by explaining the Hedgehog Concept and the 5 levels of leadership.

Hedgehog Concept: Leaders need to get the right people into the positions to be successful by identifying:1. everyone’s passion,2. what the people on your team are best at, and3. what is your driving force?

Level 5 leadership:Great companies have level 5 leaders and mediocre companies have level 4 leaders. There are five levels of leadership:Level 1: Capable individuals with good work habits,Level 2: Able to contribute to a team and effectively work with others,Level 3: Being good at managing and

Great By Choice (2011)Good to Great (2001)How the Mighty Fall (2009)Built to Last (1995)Beyond Entrepreneurship (1992)

“Greatness is not a function of circumstances. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline” (Jim Collins)

“Good is the enemy to great” (Jim Collins)

“A company should limit its growth based on its ability to attract enough of the right people”(Jim Collins)

Jim Collins made some very interesting points about leadership. Although many of them are applied in a business context, they can also be applied to the classroom. You can very easily use the Hedgehog Concept in staff discussions. Everyone has their own passion in education and if you let them work with that passion, they will be much more willing to move forward toward the common goal. Also, they will feel more comfortable because they are working on something that they are good at.

When Collins talks about level 5 leadership, I feel that it is important for a leader to be modest about his or her accomplishments in a school and also have the will to do more at the school so that they can be even more successful.

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organizing people,Level 4: Being an effective leader by creating a clear vision and holding high standards, andLevel 5: A modest leader with an ambition for the company to do well.

2. Goleman, Daniel

Goleman was born on March 7, 1946 in Stockton, California. He has been influencing leaders since the early 1990s and just published his latest book in October 2013.

Worked alongside John Mayer and Peter Salovey to discover the concept of “emotional intelligence”.

Primal Leadership:A leader’s emotion is very powerful. A leader needs to drive his or her team in a positive direction and eliminate any toxic emotions along the way. The actions of a leader account for 70% of the employee’s perception of the organization’s climate.

FocusFocus is critical to optimal performance and success in life. There are more distractions today than there ever have been and it is important for people to be able to focus properly at different times during the day to make sure they are successful.

Emotional Intelligence:

Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence (October 2013)

Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence (2011)

Social Intelligence: The New Science of Social Relationships (2006)

“If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self- awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far” (Daniel Goleman)

Daniel Goleman’s research is very applicable to the classroom. I believe that academics are very important in the classroom but as a teacher, you also need to teach social awareness. Some of the most successful people in the world did not go to university and have great emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is important for critical thinking, thinking on your feet and making decisions. In classrooms, we should be giving students a chance to improve in these areas so that we can mold a successful society, where people are “smart” and have great emotional intelligence.

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Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ability to identify, use, and manage your emotions in a positive way. It is not the smartest people in the world that are the most successful; success is a combination of smarts and emotional intelligence.

3. Kohn, Alfie Alfie Kohn was born on October 15, 1957. He has been influencing education for the last 20 years.

Alfie Kohn primarily worked on his own in his research but did some research with Patrick Shannon.

HomeworkKohn believes that homework actually doesn’t help students but rather takes the love of learning away from students.

Standardized Tests Standardized testing is a detriment to schools and most damaging to low income, minority students. These tests don’t actually show what students have learned but rather indicate superficial thinking.

Reward Systems Extrinsic reward systems do not work with children. They produce temporary obedience and cause children to lose interest in what they are learning. Teachers

Feel Bad Education (2011)

The Homework Myth (2006)

The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools (2000)

Punished By Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes (1999)

“Learning is something students do, not something done to students” (Alfie Kohn)

“Like any other tool for facilitating the completion of a questionable task, rewards offer a “how” answer to what is really a “why” question” (Alfie Kohn)

Alfie Kohn is very critical of the education system and has some very interesting but controversial findings in his research. In my classroom, I believe that homework is a way to for students to practice what they have learned in class. I assign work that they have been working on in class so that there isn’t any new material being learned at home.

When Kohn criticizes the use of standardized testing, I tend to agree with him. I do an activity at the start of each year that gets students to think about learning and not just grades. It gets students thinking about learning concepts rather than just doing assignments. I find that once students understand this concept, the students move toward lifelong learning.

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should be trying to get parents to forget about grades and more about learning.

4.

Lieberman, Ann

Ann Lieberman has influenced education for many years. She was the President of the American Educational Research Association in 1992 and continues to have an impact on education today.

Lieberman has worked alongside Lynne Miller and Linda Darling-Hammond for many of the books that she has published.

Professional Learning Communities (PLC)Lieberman’s big idea about PLCs is that teachers can learn from one another. By participating in a PLC, teachers are collaborating and growing individually and as a team. Everyone in the PLC is working toward the same goal and it promotes discussion around how we, as teachers, can improve together.

Mentoring Teachers: Navigating the Real World Tensions (2011)

Teachers in Professional Learning Communities: Improving Teaching and Learning (2008)

How Teachers Become Leaders (2010)

“Good teachers empathize with kids, respect them, and believe that each one has something special that can be built upon” (Ann Lieberman)

Ann Lieberman has had a huge influence on many different school districts around British Columbia. In Abbotsford, we have Professional Learning Communities (PLC) so that teachers can collaborate to create common assessments and go over what worked in the classroom and what didn’t work in the classroom. PLCs do a great job at breaking down walls so that everyone shares their successes and failures as a teacher. At my school, we have worked on a writing PLC for the last few years and the growth that we have seen from the students is huge. This is in part to teachers discussing what worked and what didn’t work in the classroom. This means that not only the students are learning more, but the teachers are changing their teaching strategies to help engage the learners in more positive ways.

5. Leithwood, Kenneth

Leithwood has been influencing educational leadership since the early 1990s. He continues to publish books and is currently researching about how school districts can positively influence student learning.

Leithwood has worked closely with Karen Seashore Louis when publishing books about leadership.

Leithwood believes that successful leadership improves teaching and learning in schools.

Leithwood believes that schools and districts should be working together in Professional Learning Communities to successfully achieve set goals.

Parental InvolvementLeithwood believes that engaging parents

Learning From Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Students Learning (2010)

How Leadership Influences Student Learning (2004)

Making Schools Smarter: Leading with Evidence (2006)

“Leadership is the pivotal explanation for turnaround success” (Kenneth Leithwood)

Leithwood says that if you have good leaders in a school, you will see better results from the students. He goes on further to discuss the importance of having parental involvement in a school. I believe that these two beliefs are very true. If you have good leaders in your school, a student is more likely to have success. This may be due to the students feeling more comfortable at the school because the school climate is very inviting. Also, by involving parents in the learning process, a teacher can get a better picture on how to help students more effectively. This can be achieved in many ways. With technology today, parents can very easily see their child’s improvements online. In my classroom, we use “Kidblog” as a way for students to share their writing. Parents can

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in the learning that is occurring at school is very important. Although it is much more important for parents to be engaged with their child at home, it is important for the parents to have a positive influence at school as well.

go online and see what their child is doing each day and notice improvements in their child’s writing. Getting parents involved in their child’s education is very important to achieving success in the classroom.

6.

Lezotte, LarryLarry Lezotte has been publishing books on effective schools since 1990 and still presents around North America about creating effective schools.

Lezotte is a speaker for Solution Tree along with many other well-known educational theorists, such as Robert Marzano. Lezotte has worked with theorists such as Richard Dufour, Michael Fullan, and Mike Schmoker.

Create Effective SchoolsLarry Lezotte believes that we need to design more effective schools. Effective schools implement:1. high expectations,2. strong instructional leadership,3. a clear mission,4. opportunities to learn for all students,5. monitor student progress,6. a safe caring environment, and7. a good school-home relationship.

What Effective Schools Do (2010)

Assembly Required, A Continuous School Improvement System: A Proven Path to Learning for All (2002)

“All children can learn and come to school motivated to do so” (Larry Lezotte)

Larry Lezotte talks about effective schools and how reform can make a difference in your school. The seven correlates that he mentions are all very important to school effectiveness. In all schools that I have worked at there have been high expectations for student success. I believe that by raising the bar and keeping the expectations high, students will get a lot more out of their education.Also, it is very important for teachers to know all of their learning outcomes and have a year plan so that they are clear on what they are going to teach throughout the year. By scheduling units, it allows for all students to have time to practice the different concepts being taught.

7. Marzano, Robert

Robert Marzano started his career in 1967 as an English teacher in New York and now travels around North America

Marzano is the cofounder and CEO of Marzano Research Laboratory.

Focus on the classroomMarzano is different than other reformists because he focuses on what to do in the classroom rather than at the administration or district level. Marzano creates a logical planning

The Handbook for the Art and Science of Teaching (2009)

Building Background Knowledge (2004)

What works in Schools (2003)

Building Academic

“Knowledge is stored in two forms: linguistic and nonlinguistic. Research proves that the more we use both systems of representation the better we are

Robert Marzano is an excellent educational speaker. In September 2011, Marzano came to Abbotsford to speak and was very inspiring. He talked about building academic vocabulary, creating learning targets for each lesson, assessment and teacher supervision. In my day to day lessons, I use academic vocabulary and targets. It is important for students to know what they need to achieve before the end of the class. It is also a good way for students

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speaking about education reform.

sequence so that teachers have learning goals (or targets) for every lesson. He also states that you need to have high expectations for learning and you need to engage students in learning to deepen their understanding of the concepts being taught.

Teacher SupervisionMarzano states that teachers should focus on only two or three skills during supervision. Those skills could be questioning, setting out goals, monitoring student achievement, celebrating student success, establishing classroom rules, or scaffolding academic content. Administrators should only look at what the teacher wants to focus on. This will allow the teachers to see how they are improving and will allow the supervision to be more beneficial for teacher development.

Vocabulary (2005)

Effective Supervision (2011)

able to think and recall knowledge” (Robert Marzano)

to see if they are successful or not, without getting a teacher evaluated letter grade. I recommend anyone that gets the chance to go and see him speak to do so. He is engaging and you can take many concepts and use them in your classroom.

8. Montessori, Maria

Maria Montessori was born on

Montessori was an Italian physician and

Multi-aged ClassroomsIn Montessori schools

The Montessori Method (1912)

“The environment must be rich in

Maria Montessori has a very interesting philosophy. I agree with some parts of her philosophy but disagree with others. When

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August 30, 1870 and died on May 6, 1952.

educator that is best known for creating the educational philosophy that bears her name.

there are often multi-aged classrooms. This allows students to develop at their own physiological, physical, and social pace.Discovery Model:Students learn from experimenting rather than under direct instruction.

Education for a New World (1947)

motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences” (Maria Montessori)

“When dealing with children there are is greater need for observing rather than probing” (Maria Montessori)

“The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one’s self” (Maria Montessori)

she said, “The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences”, I think about project-based learning. Students are much more invested in what they are doing and are interested in their findings. I find this to be very beneficial for students.Also, during my practicum, I taught in a grade 5-7 multi-aged classroom. This was very unique because you had students developing at their own rate but you had to set very high standards for the grade 7 students because they were going to a “regular” classroom for grade 8. It was great to see that there was lots of collaboration with different aged students in the classroom.In today’s society, I believe that many students need those very high expectations and learning targets so that they have something to shoot for. Without those targets and expectations, some students’ education would suffer at an older age.

9. Peters, Tom Tom Peters has been influencing businesses and leaders since the early 1980s and still is invited to speak at events today.

Worked with Robert H Waterman in 1982 to produce one of the greatest business books of all time.

CommunicationThe key to great leadership is effective communication.

InspiringA great leader will not look at the things you need to fix but rather look at the things you have done correctly and build on those.

The Little BIG Things: 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence (2010)

Essentials: Leadership (2005)

In search of Excellence (1982)

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders” (Tom Peters)

“Celebrate what you want to see more of” (Tom Peters)

Tom Peters’ key ideas about leadership are true for business and education. As an educator, you want to celebrate all the successes that your students are having in the classroom. The enables them to take more risks the next time and allows the students to develop a better understanding of the concepts being taught. I do believe that there is a fine line that you don’t want to cross when celebrating successes. As a teacher, you want to celebrate successes but also let students know where to improve. When doing presentations in class, we use the term “Two strengths and a wish”. This is where students get to express the strengths that their peer had during the presentation and one thing they might be able to work on in the future. This allows

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them to feel positive about what they have done but also know where to improve for next time. This will allow for future development.

10.

Piaget, Jean

Jean Piaget was born on August 9, 1896 and died September 16, 1980.

Jean Piaget is known as the “Father of Child Psychology”

Cognitive TheoryKnowledge is sorted into through schemas (Background knowledge). New information can either be assimilated into existing schemas or accommodated through changing the schema. There are 4 stages of cognitive development:1. Sensory Motor2. Preoperational3. Concrete Operational4. Formal OperationalUnderstanding the stages of development will allow teachers to scaffold for students in their classrooms.

The Psychology of Intelligence (2001)

To Understand is to Invent: The Future of Education (1976)

The Development of Thought: Equilibrium of Cognitive Structures (1977)

“The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done” (Jean Piaget)

In the classroom, teachers need to scaffold every lesson so that students understand the material. By using Piaget’s cognitive theory, teachers can make sure that students are successful. For example, in math, students in elementary school are given manipulatives to learn different concepts. They have not mastered the Formal Operational stage of Piaget’s Cognitive Theory, therefore scaffolding is needed so that students have a full understanding of the concept.

11.

Pink, Daniel Daniel Pink was born in 1964. His main influence on education and leadership has been between 2006 and 2013.

Worked with Vice President, Al Gore, from 1995 to 1997 as a speechwriter

MotivationMotivation is different today than it was in the last century. Rewards and incentives have been successful strategies for many years but may diminish intrinsic motivation.

To Sell is Human (2012)Drive (2009)A Whole New Mind (2006)

“Those ‘if… then’ rewards, the things around which we have built so many of our businesses, DON’T WORK!This is not a feeling. This is not a philosophy. This is a FACT!” (Daniel Pink)

Daniel Pink is a philosopher that I have followed and use some of his research in my classroom. In my grade 5/6 class, we talk about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. I want the students to “want to do well” rather than having the feeling of “If I do well, I will get ____”. If I can get the students to do activities because the activities matter and make the students realize that learning concepts is part of a larger picture, they will promote lifelong learning.

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12.

Sandburg, Sheryl Sandburg was

born on August 28, 1969 and has been an active leader in the United States from 1991 to today.

Sandburg worked with Nell Scovell as she published her book. She has worked for the Secretary of Treasury in the United States and is now the chief operating officer of Facebook.

Equality of WomenSandburg is a motivational speaker that talks about creating gender equality in the work force. Even though there are more women graduating with university degrees than men, there are still more men in leadership roles. She encourages women to seek challenges and pursue their goals and wants men to support women in the workplace.

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead (2013)

“So there’s no such thing as work-life balance. There’s work and there’s life, and there’s no balance” (Sheryl Sandburg)

I want to tell any young girl out there who’s a geek; I was a really serious geek in high school. It works out. Study harder” (Sheryl Sandburg)

I believe that society has come a long way in terms of gender equality. Looking at the Abbotsford School District, there are many great and powerful female leaders. I have talked too many of these women about their pathway to leadership and many of them state that they needed to work very hard to get there and that they had men that supported them along the way. This being said, I believe that with motivational speakers like Sheryl Sandburg and positive female leaders around the district, it motivates many more women to go into leadership roles.

13. Schmoker, Mike

Mike Schmoker was a school principal as well as an English teacher and football coach. He has written 5 books since 1996 that have influenced education.

Schmoker has worked closely with Robert Marzano when describing essential learning outcomes.

Coherent CurriculumIt is important to have essential learning outcomes and make sure that the students have a deep understanding of those concepts.Effective Whole-Class InstructionTeachers should have guided practice, formative assessment and ongoing adjustments to their teaching to fit the need of their students.Purposeful Reading and WritingStudents should be doing a lot more reading and writing than they do. There

Focus: Elevating the Essentials to radically Improve Student Learning (2011)

Results Now: How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching and Learning (2006)

“The number of books students read...is among the best indicators of student reading development.” (Mike Schmoker)

“Learning, without any opportunities to share what we've learned, is a little like cooking for ourselves; we do it, but we probably won't do it as well.” (Mike Schmoker)

Mike Schmoker has some very interesting ideas. Many other theorists are going toward individualized education and he talks about whole group instruction. He also explains that students need to do more purposeful reading and writing. I think this is similar to SMART Learning. In SMART Learning, there is lots of writing and sharing of work. This gives students deadlines, high expectations, and many chances to write throughout the day about different subjects. The other area that he talks about is creating essential outcomes. I completely agree with creating essential learning outcomes. We, as teachers, need to focus on mastering certain learning outcomes at each grade level so that we ensure improvement from year to year.

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should be formative writing assessments in all subject areas and critical thinking research projects at the end of each unit.

14.

Sergiovanni, Thomas Thomas

Sergiovanni was a professor at Trinity University in Texas. He educated students on educational leadership for 25 years.

Sergiovanni didn’t really have a mentor of his own, but mentored many people after him. Every student that he ever taught saw him as a teacher and a mentor.

Creating CultureSergiovanni believed that an educational institution needs to create a positive culture that supported students through cooperation and collaboration.

Strengthening the Heartbeat: Leading and Learning Together in Schools (2005)

Supervision: A Redefinition (2002)

The Lifeworld of Leadership: Creating Culture, Community, and Personal Meaning in Our Schools (2000)

Leadership for the Schoolhouse (1996)

Building Community in Schools (1994)

Moral Leadership (1992)

“In schools there is an emphasis on doing things right rather on doing the right things.” (Thomas Sergiovanni)

Sergiovanni’s idea about creating a positive atmosphere for a learning institution is very important. All students need to feel supported when they are at school. This support comes from teachers, administrators, parents, and peers. During lessons, students should have the opportunity to collaborate together so that they learn skills that they will use outside of school. Cooperation is one of those skills. When students learn to cooperate in groups, they can learn from each other. This is some of the most powerful learning that can occur in a classroom.

15. Tomlinson, Carol Ann

Tomlinson has been influencing education since the 1990s. She has authored over two hundred articles, books, and other materials.

Carol Ann Tomlinson worked with many people on her books. Two of the authors that she worked with were Susan Allen and David Sousa.

Differentiated InstructionEvery student learns in a different way. It is up to educators to teach them so that they can be successful. Teachers need to make sure that all students are making significant gains throughout the year; if they aren’t, more differentiated

Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom (2010)

Differentiation and Brain: How Neuroscience supports the learner-friendly classroom (2010)

The Differentiated Classroom:

“It is a curiosity of teaching that no two days are alike, but, if we are not careful, all the days can take on a deadening sameness. We must remember that we have every opportunity to transform

Differentiated instruction is very important in a classroom. In a regular classroom, you have an enormous range of abilities. As a teacher, you want to challenge those students at the top of your class but make it a bit easier for those students that do not understand. If students have a negative learning experience, they will become less likely to participate or attend to instruction. This is why differentiated instruction is important so that all students feel success. Differentiated instruction allows for all students to want to continue to learn and promotes lifelong learning.

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instruction is needed. Responding to the Needs of all Learners (1999)

ourselves and our practice, just as we have every opportunity to stagnate, remaining much the same teachers we were when we began.” (Carol Ann Tomlinson)

16.

Maxwell, John

 Maxwell was born on February 20, 1947. He has written a total of 60 books on leadership.

Maxwell has worked with Stephen Covey.

360 Degree LeaderJohn Maxwell believes that an effective leader needs to lead from the front, the side and behind. Leading at the front is motivating and inspiring your team to try new strategies (INSPIRE). Leading from the side refers to collaborating and facilitating discussions so that everyone is moving toward a common goal (CHALLENGE). Leading from behind refers to assisting team members so that they feel confident to do the best job possible. You, as a leader need to equip them with strategies so they can improve their teaching (EQUIP).

The 360 Degree Leader (2011)

5 Levels of Leadership (2011)

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (2007)

Developing the Leader Within You (2005)

“The fastest person doesn’t always win the race, the person who starts first does” (John Maxwell)

“Everything rises and falls on leadership” (John Maxwell)

John Maxwell’s ideas about leadership are essential to being an effective leader. An effective leader needs to inspire others, challenge their team to come up with new, innovative ideas, and equip their team with the essential tools to be successful. This is exactly what a school principal does every day. A good leader is a facilitator. If a leader stands at the front and tells their team what to do, the team will not be motivated to do their best. If a leader can guide their team toward ideas and common goals, they are not seen as having an inner agenda and the team will be motivated to do their part to reach the common goal.

17. Sinek, Simon Simon Sinek has just started to

Sinek has completed most of his

Inspiring your teamSimon Sinek’s philosophy is

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why

Simon Sinek’s “Golden Circle” is a theory that I use when I am teaching math concepts. Many students put up a mental

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influence leadership. He has written one top selling book and has another one set to come out in January 2014.

research on his own.

surrounded around the “Golden Circle”. When you are trying to achieve something you need to start with the “why do we want to do this”, then describe the “how are we going to do it”, and then finally, “what will the end result be”. By doing it in this order, it inspires your team to do well. If you were to complete the “Golden Circle” in the opposite direction, your team will not be inspired.

Don’t (released Jan 2014)

Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (2009)

you do it.” (Simon Sinek)

“No one knows everything. But together, we know a whole lot.” (Simon Sinek)

block in math because they don’t see the purpose and they don’t know how they will ever use math. The golden circle says that before you teach the students what to do or how to do it, you must teach them why they do it. This inspires them to learn and hooks them into the lesson. In math, this eliminates many of the mental blocks and gets the students to try the concept being taught. An example of this is when you are teaching the students around adding and subtracting using mental math. You need to start off the lesson with a real life example and then proceed onto the strategy that you used and finally onto what do the students need to do. In Math, you can create many different life examples that will hook the students and explain “why am I doing this” at the beginning of lesson.

www.jimcollins.com/danielgoleman.info/www.alfiekohn.org/http://sustainability2002.terc.edu/invoke/page/135.html , pdf learning Communities- learning forwardhttp://www.sagepub.com/authorDetails.nav?contribId=265943http://www.a2community.org/skyline.home/files/correlates.pdfwww. marzano research.com en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessoriwww. tompeters .com/ http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.htmlhttp://lateralaction.com/articles/dan-pink-rewards/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-25/what-sheryl-sandberg-doesnt-get-about-the-gender-gaphttp://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2011/06/01/focus_bb.htmlhttp://web.trinity.edu/x32634.xmlhttp://www.caroltomlinson.com/www. johnmaxwell .com/ http://i-factor.net/2012/04/simon-sinek-how-great-leaders-inspire-action/

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