What is a Leader?

Teacher's Student Activities

Objectives

Completion of the suggested explorations will enable students to address the following questions:

• Do all six elements of leadership: vision, passion, courage, perseverance, preparation, and integrity need to be part of every leader? If not, why not?
• Can each of the panelist's messages be distilled into a bumper sticker?
• Do the same qualities that make a good leader in one area transfer to other arenas?
• Can leadership by taught? Modeled?
• How do individuals become leaders? Are there other commonalties among the six featured leaders?
• Has the definition of leadership changed through the centuries?

Using the Pre-Program Explorations

• Before watching the telecast, a discussion can begin on the students' definitions of the eight terms used in the program: vision, passion, courage, perseverance, preparation, integrity, resilience, and honesty. Then have the students locate the definitions in a dictionary. Using one sheet of chart paper for each definition would allow these words and multiple definitions to be used for later discussions.

• Research on the pre-program exploration topics can be limited or broad-based depending upon your time and curricular restraints. It is important that students have factual information to back up their opinions since the subject matter lends itself to lively class discussion.

• "Issues to Consider" requires some research in order to be conversant on the topics. Again, some of these issues could generate opposing points of view and opportunities for informal debate or could be answered through individual written responses. You may want to revisit these issues after the students have viewed the program to see if their thoughts have been modified in any way.

Using the Post-Program Explorations

• The Leadership Explorations provides opportunities for students to learn more about these six individuals. In addition, the questions require the student to analyze and synthesize the information they find.

• Some explorations are divided into curriculum areas. For these the students needs to research leaders and make comparisons and conjectures. Again, the opportunity for students to use higher level thinking is embedded in these explorations.

Structuring the Pre and Post Explorations

• The explorations lend themselves to a variety of classroom organizations including, but not limited to, independent study, cooperative learning, and discussion panels.

Assessing the Pre and Post Explorations

• The assessment methods used for these explorations is dependent on the assignment and your teaching style. These explorations allow you the freedom to decide how you want the students to share their learning. A scoring rubric, developed for an exploration and given to them at the time of the assignment, provides a win-win situation. They and you will know the criteria and scoring for a final product.

Using the Reference Materials

An attempt was made to locate print and web materials related to the individuals on the leadership panel. A book by James Baker III, The Politics of Diplomacy: Revolution, War & Peace, 1989-1992 is currently out of print and not included on the list. Since students can select leaders from the world-at-large for research, the reference materials are not considered comprehensive, but simply serve as support for those individuals featured in the program. Internet search engines and library resources will be valuable aids to students doing Pre and Post-Program Explorations.