Tag Archives: pilar

1A (7th grade), Leadership Activities in Pilar Argentina, My Reflections

1A

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This was a model group. The students fully understood the concept of teamwork. In order to fulfill the requirements that all students should speak, some students split their sentences in half. Others added witty side-comments to lighten the mood. One group did a remarkable job of creating a summary that would appear on the App Store. All of the groups were very organized, finished within the time limit, and understood the concepts of organization, compromise, and teamwork.

The students said that usually in the classroom, they did not have designated leaders, but they instead used a lot of teamwork and compromise. Therefore, they were very accustomed to working on activities together. They also paid attention to one another and asked creative and valid questions to one another. This group was fun to work with and although they did not touch on aspects of leadership very much during their presentation, the students all understood the concept of teamwork and compromise. This group was very fun to work with, and I am excited to see what these young and intelligent students will do with leadership in the future.

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5S (11th grade), Leadership Activities in Pilar Argentina, My Reflections

5S

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This group really got the idea of a presentation. The students made the presentations extremely enjoyable. One group started with rhetorical question regarding the purpose of the app. Another group mentioned a “review” of sorts that highlighted why their app was more effective than other apps of similar function. Within these two groups, they said that they all came up with the ideas together. They were ideal groups- they each stated many ideas and then eventually decided on one idea that encompassed all of their ideas into one. Then they each came up with their own witty ideas for the presentation. They finished within the time limit as well.

While two of the groups were ideal, one group remained problematic. In a group of three girls where one wanted to do next to nothing regarding leadership, the students could not agree on a single idea. They did not want to think and they did not want to compromise or come to any sort of consensus. When time was up, they suggested an app that one of the previous groups had mentioned. Even though they had another suggestion that was more creative, the students did not want to do the activity one bit. Although I still got across the point of leadership and teamwork with the majority of the class, there was nothing I could say to the group of girls that would make them care.

Yes, the students learned lessons about leadership during this class period, but I believe that I learned the most important lesson during this class period. I learned as long as someone listens, everything is okay. At first, I was upset that the girls were not interested in my project. It seemed like everyone else so far had at least enjoyed the project. However, these girls did not even pretend to enjoy the project. I was offended and felt like the students did not respect me. But at the same time, the two other groups loved the project and executed it perfectly. They listened, acted, and understood. They gleaned valuable information through this project that they can use during their school on a daily basis. When reflecting on this, I realized that it is most important to get my message across regardless of the amount of people listening. As long as at least someone gains knowledge from my teachings, then I have accomplished something. This is an important mentality to have with regards to leadership as well. As a leader, not everyone is going to agree with everything you say. Not everyone is going to appreciate you taking charge. However, it is important to help the group achieve a common goal, and it is equally important to know that as long as you act in a respectable manner and share your teachings, at least someone will listen.

Activity Description, Leadership Activities in Pilar Argentina

Activity Description

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The one hour session consisted of the same activity for each grade, the same preliminary questions, and roughly the same follow-up questions for each grade. The follow-up discussion varied slightly depending on the grade, the execution of the activity and presentation, and the responses to the questions. Here is a rough outline of the session I conducted for the hour.

Preliminary Questions

*allow students to call out answers- no need to raise their hands for this

How many of you have cell phones?

What kinds of apps do you have on your phone?

** split the students into groups based on columns (everyone will be in a group with the people sitting behind and in front of them) so that they are not necessarily in a group with their good friends

*give students time to rearrange their tables and seats so that they are now in their new groups

Activity

The Newest App

**some groups were given 20 minutes depending on how quickly they rearranged their seats to get into their new groups

Presentation

**Allow students to ask the presenting group questions after the group has finished the presentation

*Take notes during the presentation- especially on creative presentation tactics, notable leadership and teamwork, compromises, commendable presentation or speaking skills, etc.

Voting

** Let the students vote on their favorite app, but do not allow them to vote for their own group

*I do not vote, but I help the students vote in an organized manner

Reflection

*share positive aspects with the class and each group based on the notes written down during presentations

Follow-Up Questions

**let students raise their hands to answer the following questions

*change questions slightly or add/remove questions based on responses and activity

How did it feel working in a group on this activity?

Which was your favorite app? Why?

Did you find it challenging to decide on an app together with your group?

Was it harder for the groups that had boys and girls together?

Was it easier for the groups that are already very close friends?

Which part of the process was it hardest to agree on?

Did you have more conflict choosing the app or deciding what to say during the presentation?

Did one person make the logo or did multiple people make the logo?

How did you decide on the name for your app?

For the portions you did not agree on, did one person create a compromise or suggest an idea that the group used in the final product?

How important was leadership related to each of the separate parts of the project?

Overall, did you use more teamwork or more leadership in your group?

Even if you used more teamwork, do you believe that some leadership was still used during the process?

How do you use teamwork and leadership on a daily basis at your school?

Leadership Activities in Pilar Argentina, What I Did

What I Did

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Although the main purpose of my trip to Argentina was to visit my friends in Pilar, I will be the first (but not the last) to admit that I take advantage of every Leaders UNITE opportunity that I can. I was thrilled to be able to attend Colegio North Hills for a second time with my friends, but this time, to also conduct Leaders UNITE activities with the students in the secondary school. Even though I did not conduct activities every day during my trip, I was able to do activities with almost every grade of the secondary school during my visit. Click on the Schedule of Classes link to view more information regarding activities and timing.

To summarize, I had approximately 1 hour with each grade, and instead of conducting different activities with each grade, I chose to do the same activity with each grade in order to better compare the results across the grades and the school as a whole. Click the Activity Description link to read a description of the activity and discussion that took place with the students.

Overall, the experience was quite enriching and allowed me to view the concept and application of leadership in a completely different school and environment compared to my own. I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity to teach these wonderful students about leadership and my club.