06 April 2016

Leadership & Problem-Solving Group


Leadership & Problem-Solving
Discussion Group
 ---
"How to Make Difficult Choices"
(Like college acceptance decisions)

Moderated by Dale Tessin & Callae Frazier


Thursday, April 7th - 5:30-7:00pm

Everyone is welcome.   
No commitment and no charge.

The conversation continues. We look forward to seeing you!

30 March 2016

Why Should I Care?


Every student should regularly be asking this question of their instructors.  Not because you don’t care, but for exactly the opposite reason - because you really do care.  And most instructors are lousy at answering the question.

Teachers should address the query early and often.  It should be apparent from the design of the syllabus.  It should be touched upon every time the topic of discussion changes.  And it should certainly be recapped before every midterm and final exam.  “What have we learned so far? How do the parts combine to meet course goals? (What are the course goals?) Why has the material been presented in this order?  How does it fit together to inform the whole?  How does the previous unit inspire the next?  How should we be utilizing the material in the book?  What are the important messages, themes, and ideas that will recur in this and later classes?  Why is our approach different from earlier courses and that of other instructors?”

Good instructors know the answer to every one of these questions.  And yet most instructors fail to address them directly.  The reasons are fairly obvious: there isn’t enough time to present the curricula and connect the dots for students; instructors already know how and why the ideas fit together and it doesn’t occur to them that their students do not (forgetting that it wasn’t obvious the first time they were exposed to it, either); and a belief that engaged students will pick up the relevant themes and link ideas on their own.

Poor instructors may or may not be able to answer these questions.  They may be using someone else’s syllabus/book without understanding the subtleties with which they were designed.  They may not be critical-thinkers but simply teach a recipe of topics the way they learned them in school.  And they may simply be too lazy to make the effort.

Let’s assume that all most students who attend class want to learn.  Even if they are not fully invested in the topic, if they are going to bother to show up to class they would like to get something out of it.  Given this assumption that students actually do care about the material (and are likely to care even more about the material if they know the “why” as much as “what” they are being taught) instructors have a responsibility to provide context.  And that context can be presented in many disparate ways from lecture to class discussions to small-group work to simple question and answer sessions.

But in all seriousness, “Why should I care?” is a terrible question.  Be respectful of your instructors and help them help you.  Be polite and direct with your questions.  Try, “How does this relate to what we did last week?” or “How will we use this in the future?”  Engage your instructor – help them help you.

Even the most well-intentioned instructors can lose track of what their students don’t know.  Encourage them to provide the context which will enable you to see the bigger picture.

And if your instructor won’t, or can’t, answer those questions…find one who can and will.  Life is too short to “learn” from lousy mentors. 

Leadership & Problem-Solving Group



 Leadership & Problem-Solving
Discussion Group

Moderated by Dale Tessin & Callae Frazier


Thursday, March 31st - 5:30-7:00pm
(formerly Forza)

Everyone is welcome.   
No commitment and no charge.
Topics will include leadership strategies and pathways to conflict resolution.

Please join us for another leadership and problem-solving discussion. We look forward to seeing you!

23 March 2016

Long-term Planning


The Importance of Thinking Beyond Immediate Deadlines

Planning for the future is critical to success and is one way that individuals create opportunities and distinguish themselves from others.  Thinking across multiple time scales (days, weeks, and years) forces us to question where we are headed and facilitates increased productivity in the present by clarifying our purpose and our goals.

Leaders ask, “What is next?”

“…and after that?”

Having defined the target, leaders ask, “What skills and experiences, what growth do I need to achieve, in order to accomplish these goals?”  And the big question, “How much time must I commit and how should that time be distributed?”

A great example involves finding the right college.  Students who focus only on immediate expectations like homework often make poor college choices, while those who allocate time to the process not only make better choices based on more information but feel better about their decisions.

Data must be collected and mulled over.  Opinions and perspectives sought out from peers, counselors, college students, and others.  And soul-searching embarked upon about the importance of school size, location, and degree options, as well as broader opportunities such as study abroad programs and access to ski slopes.

Time will be devoted to these tasks in both small and large chunks.  Researching individual colleges online requires little time and can be accomplished day or night.  In contrast, campus tours and standardized testing are major commitments carried out on predetermined schedules.

Those who plan ahead find the demands on their time manageable while those who don’t plan ahead find themselves scrambling, lacking information, and often making poor, rushed decisions.  And unfortunately, many of us don’t learn from this lesson and plan ahead the next time – choosing a graduate school, planning a wedding, buying a house, starting a business.

Make a commitment to ponder the future.  Your time will be well spent.

Leadership & Problem-Solving Discussion Group



 Leadership & Problem-Solving
Discussion Group

Moderated by Dale Tessin & Callae Frazier

 No meeting this week (3/24).  

Join us again on
Thursday, March 31st - 5:30-7:00pm
(formerly Forza)

Everyone is welcome.   
No commitment and no charge.
Topics will include leadership strategies and pathways to conflict resolution.

Please join us for another leadership and problem-solving discussion. We look forward to seeing you!

12 March 2016

Leadership and Problem-Solving Discussion Group



 Leadership & Problem-Solving
Discussion Group

Moderated by Dale Tessin & Callae Frazier

Thursday, March 17th - 5:30-7:00pm
(formerly Forza)

Everyone is welcome.   
No commitment and no charge.
Topics will include leadership strategies and pathways to conflict resolution.

Please join us for another leadership and problem-solving discussion.  Note the time change above: thanks for your feedback about adjusting the time to avoid schedule conflicts.  We look forward to seeing you!

08 March 2016

Welcome to Beyond Sea Level Education!



Welcome to Beyond Sea Level Education!  We offer opportunities for leadership development through collaborative problem-solving and conflict resolution exercises.  Participants will leave our classes or discussion groups with an appreciation for different leadership styles, an understanding of the difficulties inherent in conflict resolution, and a plan for improving their own leadership skill set.

These discussion groups as well as interactive leadership courses, will be introduced here. 

In fact, check out our upcoming opportunity: Leadership and Problem Solving Discussion Group

This blog will also be punctuated with periodic journal entries that will reflect our own meanderings about ways to interpret and understand our individual roles in our ever-changing, globally connected world.

Sincerely,
Callae & Dale

Leadership and Problem Solving Discussion Group



Leadership & Problem-Solving
Discussion Group

Moderated by Dale Tessin & Callae Frazier

Beginning Thursday, March 10th  from 3:30-5:30pm

(formerly Forza)


Everyone is welcome.   
No commitment and no charge.
Topics will include leadership strategies and pathways to conflict resolution.

What better time to discuss leadership than a presidential election year?  The new president will face longstanding challenges from balancing the federal budget to foreign policy to climate change as well as recurrent issues such as racial and income inequality.  The individual who holds the office must build consensus, be consistent, and reduce conflict while standing up for their principles in the face of constant criticism.  Our future leader’s character must be strong and they must encourage contrarian viewpoints.  Uncomfortably, the would-be candidates of both parties currently competing in state primaries and caucuses around the country routinely fail to meet the criteria listed above when campaigning before their “base” of support.  

It has long been argued that civility left politics in this country many elections ago.  Can we bring it back?  Can a thoughtful candidate overcome the negativity to win a party nomination? And what are the traits of an ideal candidate?  

These are the kinds of questions we will grapple with together during moderated discussions and activities.

We look forward to seeing you!