Patrick Church

You have to create your own persona as a leader and then adapt to each situation as it arises. The persona you have has to remain consitent and really reflex the attributes you need to be successful for the leadership tasks at hand. In a long career you need to develop many personas!

Ilearned that I should listen more closely to what others have to say. The flexiibility that allows others to help achieve the leadership goals as well as their own goals and growth within a team is well emphasized.

Leadership qualities change as the demands of the job changes. Being empathetic and adaptable is important but having a firm resolve to do what needs to be done and get your team to buy into the goals that must be set and met is always an enjoyable challenge.

I find that students respond well to creating problem solving formulas that are applied in building (construction) calculations when they become the identifers of the specific problem, come up with all the "facts" that they will need to know to solve the problem and then attempt and refine the steps involved along with the math operations needed to arrive at the answer. Once they take ownership of the step by step procedure they as a group have developed, applying it out in the shop and seeing it work for them is the true reward.

The Covid 19 pandemic has really helped bring adaptive learning to  the fore.Instructors are integrating technology in ways never before done . It remains to be seen whether this type of remote learning (especially in younger learners) will lead to greater retention.

The first day is very very important. I try to remember up to 18 names in the first half hour so that I am more comfortable with them and the students see the effort I am applying to remembering their names.

Being well prepared and following the lesson plans will keep you on time and allow you to anticipate the materials and equipment needed to accomplish the objectives well ahead of the actual day the materials are needed.

Critical thinking needs to be introduced to young students because it becomes much more difficult to instill and instruct it in adults with little problem solving experience. Start the process in elementary school!

I have always useed group learning for hands on activities. Large scale construction projects need a crew to do the job and my focus is to make sure that everyone in my class becomes a foreperson, at least once. Once the forepeople are picked, they are able to pick the crew. However, as the instructor, I have veto power over any pick to prevent crews being populated by the same people over and over again. One other way to get diversity in each group is to have the forepeople pick one person at a time, Typically, with a few rules… >>>

Being adaptable, within reason, is easy. But many students have been taught that they never need to up their own expectations of themselves. Being adaptable in the class and shop is neccessary for both the instructor and the students.