Quality Learning and Teaching

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“Yearn for the vast and endless sea” – building the will and the skill

February1

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I particularly like this quote about leadership because it highlights, amongst many other things, the importance of intrinsic motivation. My experience working in and with schools is that many schools are doing amazing things and achieving some very good results but often teachers are doing these things because they are “instructed” to; not because they have a belief in the process or the change. They often focus on the “product”, e.g. the ship or the essay, rather than building desire and passion for exploring and learning the unknown for themselves and their students. Dr Anthony Muhammad has written an interesting book, The Will to Lead, the Skill to Teach”, well worth a read. The book describes and provides strategies for how school leaders can create a healthy school culture.” A culture where everyone shares the same purpose and direction.

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