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Curriculum
Orientation
The first five days of class in a new school year are usually not fertile
ground for introducing important concepts of a course. With drop/add
and other interruptions, the teacher should not attempt to begin the
first lesson in Unit I until the second week. The material provided
for these first five days can be considered an informal pretest. Activities
include such things as inventorying personal likes and dislikes, discussing
current youth issues, making decisions, and role playing.
Content
The curriculum is segmented for 180 classroom days. Each lesson provides
step-by-step instructions including: introductory notes for the teacher
and students, goals, learning objectives, materials, directions, and
resources. Lessons are sequenced in three units.
Unit
I: Me
Students study self-concept, personal values, role expectations, factors
affecting decision making, the impact of change, time and stress management,
and personal goal setting. Motives for assuming leadership roles and
ethical considerations are discussed.
Unit
II: You and Me
Lessons cover the communication process, listening skills and motivation.
Written and spoken skills are strengthened as students gain interviewing
skills, learn to organize, write, deliver and evaluate written and
oral presentations.
Unit
III: All of Us
Concepts include diversity, prejudice, group formation, building trust,
conducting meetings and resolving conflict. Also included are exercises
on creative thinking, visioning, effective group decisions, and knowing
the community. Woven throughout the curriculum are tenets of Dr. J.W.
Fanning’s “Pillars of Leadership,” specifically tailored
to youth applications. These include values, integrity, ethics, creativity,
knowledge, listening, motivation, hope, concern, vision, and sharing.
All accumulated skills and knowledge are applied as the community
project is planned and implemented.
Planning Considerations
Before the school year begins, as the YLIA: HS teacher, you should
read through the entire curriculum to gain a thorough understanding
of the flow of lessons. As the Lesson Overview (D-1) indicates,
several lessons require pre-planning prior to the school year. After
school begins, students can be involved in the remaining pre-planning.
Journal
Keeping
This is an excellent opportunity to strengthen the student’s written
expression. While it can be approached in whatever way the teacher deems
best, it is suggested this be done once a week during class time. The
teacher may or may not take up the journal for written response on a
weekly basis. Be sure to explain to your class whether or not their
entries will be confidential. Recording impressions of the leadership
lessons may be the assignment. However, it can be an open-ended opportunity
for the student to communicate feelings of stress, anxiety, pride, concern,
and budding ambition. Once it is recognized that the teacher can be
trusted not to reveal the information in the journal, students have
been known to use this as a valuable therapeutic release. Keeping the
journal is part of the overall evaluation. More information on journaling
begins on page A-6.
Mentoring
How to set up the mentoring program is discussed on page A-12 in this
section. This has become a popular project with some of the civic organizations
in communities, and they report gratifying experiences. Both mentor
and protégé benefit from this sharing of time, talents,
and friendship. Do not hesitate to seek assistance as you search for
the best method of providing your students this opportunity. An established
method for taking part in a mentoring program may already exist in your
school. If not, community help may be available. If the opportunity
presents itself, pairing each of your leadership students with a local
leader as mentor early in the school year would be an excellent in-service
relationship.
Speakers
Speakers can add spice to your instruction. The nature of this high
school leadership course is that students learn to lead by acquiring
identified skills and emulating other leaders. When your course is added
to the curriculum of your school, an opportunity is there to publicize
it in local media. Speakers will consider the invitation to meet with
your class as an occasion to help train the community’s youth leaders.
This also provides an opportunity to set up the audience in a larger
part of the school, the media center for example. Invite some other
classes to share the time, while exhibiting the skills of your students
as they host the gathering. Inviting and introducing the speakers, as
well as the “thank you” letter, can be a part of student training.
Snapshots or video filming of these and other occasions can be collected
as documentation for presentation to local civic and governmental organizations
in summary of the year’s activities.
Field
Trips
Opportunities for attending local civic, governmental, and special interest
group meetings will be available throughout the school year. The teacher
should target those which would provide the best learning experiences
for the students. A trip to the state legislature is an excellent choice
to be scheduled when the legislature is in session. A local senator
or representative could arrange to be host for the day. Court sessions
also give an insight as to how the legal system functions. Perhaps your
class will be invited as role models for some organization working to
rehabilitate young people. There could be visits to local businesses,
industries, health services, educational programs, and other significant
sites to give students a broader perspective of how the community interacts.
The field trips should be followed up with “thank you” letters
and written comments about the value of the experience. See page A-20
for suggestions on field trips.
Community
Project
This activity provides the culminating experience in the high school
leadership course. Students will learn how to conduct a community services
assessment as they develop a needs and issues list from which to select
a community project. The previous lessons on goal setting and decision
making, together with brainstorming practice, will be invaluable at
this point. Successful planning, implementation, and evaluation of this
activity should result in pride and satisfaction for all involved. One
avenue for a community project is service to a volunteer agency. Information
is provided on page A-21. Here is an opportunity for media coverage
of the project and the leadership course as a whole. Interaction with
community leaders during these steps can build a positive image for
the youth leadership concept.
Other
Elements
YLIA: HS also provides options to incorporate videos (see page
A-4), drama (see page A-22), and “shadowing” a community leader.
Evaluations
The objectives chosen for this course are matched with Georgia
Social Studies Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) items. They are divided
into four major components: (1) knowledge, (2) skills, (3) attitudes
and values, and (4) social participation. Pre- and post-course evaluations
and a student self-assessment instrument administered twice during the
year are provided. Homework is primarily in the form of such tasks as
attending meetings and interviewing people. Six-week examinations are
provided for the teacher’s optional use. Many of the goals in the
course are better suited to a subjective evaluation.
Year-end
Activities
This could be a time for students to demonstrate their appreciation
of local leaders for their help during the year. Perhaps an awards banquet,
complete with speeches by some of the class, would be appropriate. A
“testimonial” dinner at the school level would be a time to
pass the torch to the incoming leadership class. Awarding a certificate
to each student during the Honors Day ceremony would be well received.
Of course, the teacher’s reward is the teaching of the course and
the satisfaction of seeing behaviors and attitudes improved in these
youth leaders.
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