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Looming
No full textLooking up at the D.B. Weldon Library.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/wlphotos2018/1152/thumbnail.jp
Adventure
No full textShelves bearing sculptures and framed posters.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/wlphotos2018/1136/thumbnail.jp
Rifling Through
No full textOpen drawers of cards.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/wlphotos2018/1138/thumbnail.jp
The Gardener
No full textPlant collection atop drawers with a watering can on the ground.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/wlphotos2018/1082/thumbnail.jp
A Systems Approach to Increasing Awareness and Coordination of Student Retention and Completion at a Canadian College
Get PDFAs competition for students and scarce resources increases due to political and economic pressures, awareness and coordination of student retention and completion become a critical priority for post-secondary institutions. However, despite increased attention on Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) (Black, 2010; Gottheil & Smith, 2011; Hossler & Bontrager, 2015; Wilkinson et al., 2007) and the growth of retention-focused student services in recent years, retention rates remain unchanged (Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012). Post-secondary students are in the midst of a significant transition period (Tinto, 1993) and face challenges related to mental health and wellness, relationships, rigors of academic life, and personal finances (Braxton, Hirschy, & McClendon, 2006; Tinto, 1993). Furthermore, complex institutional structures are increasingly difficult for students to navigate (Karp, 2011) and are not designed around the needs of Generation Z learners (Seemiller & Grace, 2016). This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) describes a “whole-system” solution to the problem that sorts, connects, supports, and transforms students while also transforming the institution (Beatty-Guenter, 1994). This plan describes how the higher education registrar is uniquely positioned within the organization to lead change (Duklas, 2014; Waters & Hightower, 2016) and identifies a compatible systems approach to leadership (Coffey, 2010; Senge, Hamilton, & Kania, 2015) that may be employed. To accelerate and sustain change so that it becomes embedded within organizational culture (Kotter, 2014), key stakeholders representing multiple campus subsystems (Kalsbeek, 2006a, 2006b, 2007) are engaged throughout the process
Building a Framework to Address Barriers Impacting Implementation of Student Well-Being Initiatives
Get PDFIn 2012, The Government of Canada released a report titled Changing Directions, Changing Minds, with the goal of outlining a national strategy aimed at reducing the stigma around mental health. The document was also meant to serve as a tool in increasing awareness of and access to public services available to Canadians experiencing mental health issues. For their part, Canadian school districts are moving forward with their own strategic goals to promote understanding of mental health and to offer appropriate resources to all members of the school community.
This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) will explore a problem of practice that examines the factors that inhibit effective implementation of mental health and wellness initiatives at one particular middle school in southern Ontario. It utilizes the principles of shared and inclusive leadership through a social justice lens to build capacity, consensus and engagement amongst various stakeholders to cultivate an environment that integrates well-being into the school community.
In addressing the change process, The Change Path Model of Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols (2016), in conjunction with the Congruence Model of Nadler and Tushman (1989), will be used to evaluate the organizational change process; the Human and Symbolic components of the Four Frame Model, as espoused by Bolman and Deal (2008), will be considered when analyzing the role of school dynamics and culture in promoting conditions that are responsive to and supportive of the academic, social, emotional, and mental well-being of the student body
The implementation of problem-based learning in mathematics through teacher capacity building
Get PDFCurrent instructional approaches to mathematics are not meeting the diverse needs of students in Ontario. In response to steadily declining mathematics performance, the Ontario Ministry of Education released a Renewed Math Strategy geared towards addressing the gap in achievement. The position of mathematics lead teacher was created as part of this strategy. These teacher leaders are expected to devise plans for improvement initiatives relevant to their respective school sites. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores the problem of practice where the mathematics lead teacher wishes to facilitate the implementation of problem-based learning in mathematics at an Ontario elementary school. Problem-based learning is a pedagogical approach characterized by student-led learning through teacher facilitation and solving real-world, open-ended and open-entry problems. Perspectives on the problem are gained through analysis of current practices, school board procedures and organizational culture. External and internal forces for change are assessed to establish momentum. Transformational and shared leadership approaches to change leadership, and possible solutions are considered to address this problem. Kotter’s 8-Stage Model for change is used to create a change implementation plan, guide communication and to evaluate and monitor the change process. The proposed solution incorporates SILC, a Plan, Act, Observe and Reflect cycle, collaborative inquiry and team teaching guided by the mathematics lead teacher and school administration. Ethical consideration and possible next steps are outlined in this OIP. It is proposed that if implemented, this OIP will successfully support teachers through the implementation of problem-based learning, leading to improved student learning outcomes
Educational Partnerships in Mennonite Communities
Get PDFThe purpose of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is to increase the number of Mennonite students who register in a school division located in western Canada by creating a social justice perspective for Mennonite students amongst divisional staff.
By accepting the challenge of this OIP the school division will seek to better understand the cultural and religious needs of the various Mennonite groups living within the division’s catchment area. Hopefully, schools can make changes to policies, practices, and structures resulting in increasing numbers of Mennonite families feeling comfortable registering their children in the division’s schools. School board trustees and school and divisional administrators will need to understand the history of why Old Colony Mennonites (OCMs) have been avoiding public education for generations. By understanding history school board trustees and school and divisional administrators will be able to communicate to school staffs, students, parents, and community members the need to make accommodations for OCM families so they feel comfortable registering their children with the school division. It is imperative that the division come to an understanding that a social justice perspective will be required to bring as many Mennonites as possible to the school division. In order for Mennonite families to see our school division as their first choice for education of their children it is necessary to make accommodations at schools and defend those accommodations in the face of public scrutiny.
If the school division wishes to remain true to its vision of being first choice for students, school board trustees, school and division administrators, school staff, current students, parents and community members need to be open to schools becoming more accommodating for Mennonite families.
Keywords: Mennonites, OCMs, history, culture, religion, accommodations
Enhancing Team Motivation Through a Period of Rapid Change
Get PDFThis organizational improvement plan (OIP) presents possible leadership approaches and solutions to the enhance team motivation through a period of rapid change. The OIP focuses on a team within an educational training institute, strategically aligned to a large educational organization. The training institute was previously known as the professional learning and development (PLD) department and was situated within the corporate office of the organization. The Governing Board moved the PLD department into a separate business entity, a training institute, with a new commercial vision. The team therefore transitioned from an internal PLD department (cost center) with service-orientation, to an external training institute (profit center) with commercial-orientation.
Although this OIP focuses on enhancing motivation, there are two goals central to the implementation plan. Goal one is to increase individual and team motivation, in order to achieve goal two, which is the commercial goal of the Institute to be financially profitable by year 3 of operation. As this OIP progressed, it became clear that the emergent theme was interdependence, through the frame of human resource (Bolman & Deal, 2013). The interdependent leadership approach of Trianalogous Leadership, created for the purpose of the OIP, has been aligned with the interdependent solution strategy of collaboration, collective understanding of individual expertise and drivers, and team building. Trianalogous Leadership involves three styles of leadership, including: Servant Leadership (Greenleaf, 1977), Transformational Leadership (Bass, 1985) and Distributed Leadership (Gronn, 2002; Spillane, 2005). The leadership approach and solution are inclusive across all organizational functions of the Training Institute, and all team members. If successful, the results of such could be shared with the wider organizational context in order to impact change more broadly