A few months ago several teachers approached me and asked it I would assist in teaching a leadership unit. The school was incorporating a leadership model inspired by the book The Leader in Me by Stephen R. Covey.
I developed several technology-based activities that would help students recognize their leadership strengths, as well as apply leadership skills to complete various tasks. At first I was only working with Grade 5 and 6 students. However, this expanded to working with a Grade 2 class as well. I was hoping to take some of the teaching ideas and transform them into a project called TechnoLeader. I thought the final product would be perfect for a leadership workshop.
I don’t know if this project will ever be published. It has been temporarily shelved as I have had to move onto other more “technology-focused” projects. Maybe it will come to light one day. The project is half-written. In addition to the computer-based tasks, it also includes leadership badges, fun games, and collaborative activities.
In the meantime, I thought I would post the first leadership activity students complete in TechnoLeader – it is a Leadership Quiz.
The instructional goal of the quiz is to have students recognize that they are leaders. Once they complete this activity, the next assignment has students transform their leadership traits (traits from the always column in the quiz) into an “I am a Leader” Word Cloud using Tagxedo.
I taught this activity to several classes. The students surprised me with their insight. Maybe you could teach it too!
Assignment 1: I Have the Qualities of a Good Leader
Sometimes when you imagine a leader, you think of a CEO of a business or the principal of a school. You may not think that you are a leader….but you are!
- You lead YOURSELF in the choices that you make.
- You lead BY EXAMPLE acting as a role model.
- You lead OTHERS by guiding them towards a goal.
Complete the activities to discover what makes you a great leader.
You Lead Yourself
Leadership begins with YOU!
You lead yourself each day with the choices that you make. You can make a good choice and lead yourself towards a positive outcome. You can make a poor choice and lead yourself towards a negative outcome. Great leaders make good personal choices.
- What choice did you make in the last month that resulted in something good happening?
- What choice did you make in the last month that resulted in something bad happening?
You Lead by Example
People look to you for leadership and imitate your actions.
You are a role model. You lead BY EXAMPLE acting as a role model.
A role model is a person whose behavior, attitude, or accomplishments are copied by others. It is important to realize that other people, especially those younger than you, look up to you for guidance and as a source of inspiration.
- Being a role model for others is a big responsibility. What is one thing that you do such as a habit, skill, or ability that you think others would benefit from copying?
You Lead Others
Leadership involves guiding others to achieve a goal. You are a leader. You provide direction, share advice, and help people work together. You can lead others to achieve wonderful things or you can lead others to achieve terrible things. Great leaders lead others to accomplish worthy goals.
- Describe a time when you had to lead others to accomplish a goal either at school, home, or as part of a team or club.
I am a Leader Quiz
Leaders are self-aware. This means they understand their strengths and weaknesses. Take the quiz to discover the traits that make you a great leader.
- For each statement, circle if you always, sometimes, or never show this trait.
- Look at the always column. Those are traits that make you a good leader.
- Look at the sometimes column. Pick one trait you would like to work on so that you did it always. Draw a star * beside it.
| I am independent. I get my work done by myself. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am logical. I consider my options. I think before I act. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am optimistic. I have a positive attitude. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am honest. I tell the truth and am trustworthy. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am confident. I think I do a good job. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am goal-oriented. I make plans for the future. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am creative. I come up with new ideas or ways to do things. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am focused. I am not easily side-tracked. I stay on-task. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am organized. I use checklists. I put things away. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am persistent. I do not give up even when things get difficult. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am fair. I look for solutions that will make everyone happy. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am adaptable. I am willing to change my plans. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am helpful. I like to do things for others. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am grateful. I tell others I appreciate them. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am reliable. People can count on me. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am understanding. I listen to others. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am polite. I use kind words and show respect to others. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am cooperative. I like to work in a team. Group work is fun! | always | sometimes | never |
| I am friendly. I get along well with others. | always | sometimes | never |
| I am curious. I ask questions and like to learn new things. | always | sometimes | never |