Habit #6—Synergize
Synergy involves valuing differences in others and focusing on strengths that each person brings to the table rather than weaknesses. To reach this point, we have to be able to “think win-win” and “seek to understand” one another. Then we can collaborate. Synergy is the habit of collaboration and attempts to achieve a better solution. Not your way or my way, but a better solution given our combine strengths.
Our professional development afternoon today gave me an opportunity to practice this habit. The first part of our meeting required the staff to meet in horizontal teams to revise our ESLERs as our WASC self-study will take place next year and as a site we felt their was need for revision. After changing the acronym to one more representative to our school, each group worked on revising the definitions for each part. After collaborating on the new definitions, we did a gallery walk of the options to vote on the best ones. Not everyone on the 10th grade team is a writer and we all teach different subjects, yet everyone listened to each other, valued the different backgrounds and strengths each person brought to the table, and together, our collective efforts produced much better results than any of us could have achieved individually. One could feel the “synergy” in the room. Our concept of “citizen” even incorporates the welcoming pillar. This was probably one of the more productive and motivating professional developments we have had in a long time. Everyone was involved and working together.
My Commitment to teach Habit #6 Synergize
Synergy incorporates a lot of elements of the blended learning model. I am having my AP World students research and collaborate online the changing role of women in modernizing Eurasia. In their groups they are collaborating to look at changes in property rights, domestic control, earning power, professions available, education, voting rights, marriage and children. Some are looking at women in the Ottoman Empire, another group is looking at Russia, a third group is looking at Japan during the Meiji period and a fourth, Qing China. Groups will be coming together to narrow their results and collaborate to achieve a richer comparison.
References:
Covey, Stephen (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Person Change.
Our professional development afternoon today gave me an opportunity to practice this habit. The first part of our meeting required the staff to meet in horizontal teams to revise our ESLERs as our WASC self-study will take place next year and as a site we felt their was need for revision. After changing the acronym to one more representative to our school, each group worked on revising the definitions for each part. After collaborating on the new definitions, we did a gallery walk of the options to vote on the best ones. Not everyone on the 10th grade team is a writer and we all teach different subjects, yet everyone listened to each other, valued the different backgrounds and strengths each person brought to the table, and together, our collective efforts produced much better results than any of us could have achieved individually. One could feel the “synergy” in the room. Our concept of “citizen” even incorporates the welcoming pillar. This was probably one of the more productive and motivating professional developments we have had in a long time. Everyone was involved and working together.
My Commitment to teach Habit #6 Synergize
Synergy incorporates a lot of elements of the blended learning model. I am having my AP World students research and collaborate online the changing role of women in modernizing Eurasia. In their groups they are collaborating to look at changes in property rights, domestic control, earning power, professions available, education, voting rights, marriage and children. Some are looking at women in the Ottoman Empire, another group is looking at Russia, a third group is looking at Japan during the Meiji period and a fourth, Qing China. Groups will be coming together to narrow their results and collaborate to achieve a richer comparison.
References:
Covey, Stephen (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Person Change.
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