1. ENGAGE, ENLIGHTEN, EMPOWER ACCREDITED. NON-PROFIT. SINCE 1964. WWW.MYUNION.EDU Leadership & Student Retention Dr. Rick Chaffee Dr. Rick Read “The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths that make our weaknesses irrelevant.” – Peter Drucker

2. THE PURPOSE Accredited. Non-Profit. Since 1964. myunion.edu | 440 East McMillan Street | Cincinnati, Ohio 45206 | 513-861-6400 Adult Experiential Learning Appreciative Inquiry Engaged Students

3. KNOWLES ADULT LEARNING THEORY Thi s ref ers to the lea rni ng bei ng sel f- dir ect ed Learner Self- Concept Adult learners attach more meaning to learning they gain from experience Learner's Experience Adults become ready to learn when they have a need to learn Readiness to Learn Adult learners see education as a process for developing increased competence Orientation to Learning

4. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.  We each have developed an approach to teaching that works for us…. That fits us…  However, we are always experimenting, pushing the envelope, and looking for ways to do our craft better.

5. KOLB MODEL

6. Ask questions that promote students’ self reflection and assist in finding relevance to their lives… COMBINING ADULT LEARNING THEORY AND THE KOLB MODEL

7. These questions provide…… With the subject With each other & with you Engagement How subject relates to their lives and experience Relevance How the subject of leadership is everyone’s business Global Perspective Stimulate the flow of writing based on their own experience Writing Introduce a definition of leadership Introduce trait theory of leadership Leadership Theory

8. Passion for Learning Lived Experience Field of academic knowledge

9. HOW TO APPLY TO GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES Example- Teaching Standard Deviation  Data Set: 5,5,5 Mean, median, mode, standard deviation  Data Set: 4,5,6  Data Set: 2,4,6  Data Set: 3,6,9

10. Creates a Concrete Experience Provides Opportunities for Reflection Brings Theory together with Prior Knowledge Builds Confidence Creates Enthusiasm for Learning HOW DOES THE KOLB MODEL HELP ADULT STUDENTS ?

11. APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY & STUDENT RETENTION Professor John Hayes, of the Leeds Business School describes Appreciative Inquiry in this short video…

12. Application 1  Why do students stay? Application 2  Focus on student strengths, rather than on their weakness APPLYING APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY If the task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths that make our weaknesses irrelevant……. How might we do that in our courses, especially in the first week of class?

13. LESSONS LEARNED FROM APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY

14. APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY VIDEO Distinguished Visiting Professor David Cooperrider talks about Appreciative Inquiry and the power of strength-based leadership

15. ASK YOURSELF…..  Think back through your career. Locate a moment that was a high point, when you felt most effective and engaged as a teacher. Describe what that was like?  What made that situation possible? (Looking back)  Without being humble, describe what you value most about yourself, your work, or your organization. What is it about you that accounts for your success? (Appreciating the past and present)  Describe how you stay professionally affirmed, renewed, energized, enthusiastic, inspired?  Describe three concrete wishes you have for your own professional development or for your organization or profession. (looking forward….. amplifying the best of the past into the future)

16. So….. The task of leadership then is to create an alignment of these strengths, this enthusiasm and creativity and have that make our weaknesses irrelevant. “The first core truth about positive emotions is that they open our hearts and our minds, making us more receptive and creative.” Barbara Frederickson

17. When Kouzes and Posner (The Leadership Challenge) asked these AI type questions to ordinary people who were producing extraordinary results, they identified five key practices common to these men and women… Let’s look at three of these practices as they apply to leadership in the learning environment. Modeling the Way They establish principles concerning the way people should be treated (colleagues, students and staff) and they model those principles. Inspire a Shared Vision They raised up a noble purpose. They help students see the importance in what we are doing here. Encourage the Heart They recognize and celebrate their students’ and their colleagues’ accomplishments…the intrinsic joy of something well done. They speak to the graciousness in their students, their peers and their leaders.

18. APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY VIDEO Dr. Ron Fry of Case Western Reserve University

19.  To serve the readiness in adults to learn.  To establish the relevance of our field, to their experience.  To focus on strengths and interests rather than weaknesses.  To share on our love of the content first and deal with citing later to enhance their voice.  To respect and work with the deeply religious nature of many of our students.  To respond to student forums within 48 hrs. or let them know if you can not. What was presented today, we already know, don’t we? ….because it flows naturally from a graciousness within us that wants:

20. “As we talk and converse therefore we go… Words create worlds…. How we converse with each other (and with our students) is very fateful in terms of the directions we go.” -Ron Fry

21. Strengths transform…..Enthusiasm is sacred…… That’s our experience, isn’t it?