Families as Leaders

This document is to be used by organizations who have purchased ReadyRosie. It may not be copied for general distribution beyond the school/classroom that has purchased a ReadyRosie License.

WORKSHOP OVERVIEWFamilies examine leadership concepts and explore their

roles as leaders in their homes, communities, and schools.

Facilitator’s Guide

Family Workshop:Families as Leaders

INTENDED TIMEFRAME:This is a 1 hour workshop.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Participants will:

» Discover tools and strategies for building strong family/school partnerships.

» Collaborate with other parents on finding and using local services and community resources, such as libraries, museums, and parks.

» Practice building confident advocacy skills.

WORKSHOP FORMATNote: Each activity has a recommended video but other video options are provided so facilitators can customize the workshop to meet the age/skill needs of participating families.

1. Welcome and Warm-up 2. Your Leadership Assets/Wealth3. Tools and Strategies for Building Family and School Leadership and Partnerships4. ReadyRosie as a Learning Tool Practice5. Closure

MATERIALS1. PowerPoint Presentation 2. Computer with internet access3. Materials

» Sign-in sheet » Name tags for participants » Flipchart paper » Idea Catcher, paper, and pencils for participants to take notes » Family Assets and Capital Signs » Community resource handouts (Local Head Start to provide local community resource

handouts you want families to know about.) » Evaluation

This document is to be used by organizations who have purchased ReadyRosie. It may not be copied for general distribution beyond the school/classroom that has purchased a ReadyRosie License.

Slide 1 Slide 2: Leadership Reflection

Slide 1

Welcome families and introduce yourself

1. Introduce yourself and share why you are excited about facilitating the workshop.

2. Take care of any housekeeping items, such as location of restrooms and announcements.

3. Discuss the following:

» This is a safe place; we are all learning together. All discussions and things we share are confidential. » This is a chance to build community, to connect and learn from each other. » Please put your cell phones on vibrate. » We are on workshop _________ of the series. In our last workshop we discussed ____________.

How did your home practice go?

ACTIVITY

KEY POINTS

Slide 1: Families as Leaders

Welcome and Warm-Up 5 minutes

ACTIVITY

PRACTICE

DEBRIEF/REFLECT

SUMMARY

TRANSITION

Slide 1: Leadership Reflection: What made them a strong leader you admire?

Take a moment to think of someone you admire as a leader. It can be a family member, a friend, a historical figure, etc.

Pair and Share: Introduce yourself to someone at your table and share who you admire as a leader and why.

» Ask: Does anyone want to share?

» Ask: Are there some common things we admire in strong leaders? What are those traits?

» Flipchart answers and post (Some common leadership traits that may be discussed include: Social skills/ability to connect and build relationships, trustworthy/honest, determined/passionate, confident, capable, inspirational/knows how to motivate people, lots of ideas, strong/clear communicator, can get stuff done, respectful of others, visionary, high expectations, can handle tough things and set-backs...)

Recap discussion by summarizing key points participants shared and then stating that a leader is someone who guides and influences others. There are many different ways to be a leader.

We are going to spend our time today talking about family leaders and how we can build on the strengths we have as leaders in our families to become more confident leaders in our schools and communities.

Slide 2

Leadership Assets and Capital 20 minutes

Your Leadership Assets/Capital

» We typically think of wealth and assets as they relate to money, savings, power, property, nice things, haves and have nots.

» We are going to spend a few minutes looking at leadership six important leadership strengths.

» There are six different signs posted around the room. Each note has a description of one of the six leadership strengths. (NOTE: Post these 6 signs around the room prior to the start of the training)

Slide 3-9 Your Leadership Assets/Capital

ACTIVITY

KEY POINTS

1. Briefly read the descriptions.

» Aspirational Capital: You received powerful dreams and hope from your family and the will and strength to believe you can make them happen.

» Language/Linguistic Capital: You received a deep appreciation for the power of language and words. Your family may be bilingual or even trilingual.

» Grit/Navigational Capital: You received the ability to handle challenges. You know how to survive tough situations and bounce back. You have grit!

» Justice/Resistance Capital: You received a deep appreciation for social justice and equality. You advocate for yourself and others.

» Family/Familial Capital: You received a deep appreciation for family love, history and identity. Your family means everything.

» Community/Social Capital: You received the ability to build community and to be a leader. Your family recognized the power of neighbors, friends and community.

2. State: We may have received more than one of these leadership assets/capitals from our families. Just select the one that MOST speaks to you for this activity.

3. Note: For participants who believe they didn’t receive any of these assets from their families, have them think about the assets they built in themselves despite their family.

4. When I say go, you are going to walk to the sign that best answers the following question:

Which of these assets most reflects a leadership asset you learned from your family? 5. Go! Allow participants time to reflect and move to a sign.

1. Now, I want you to share the story of why you selected this leadership “asset/capitol” with one person in your same group.

2. Walk around the room while participants are sharing and note some of their stories.

3. While standing, ask a few participants to briefly share why they selected that asset/capital or why their partner selected it.

4. Have participants come back to their seats

5. Ask: Did this activity give you any new insights around families and thinking about your leadership qualities in a new way? (Group Discussion)

Slide 10 Your Leadership Assests

PRACTICE

DEBRIEF/REFLECT

» This activity is based on a theoretical framework called, Community, Cultural Wealth by Dr. Tara Yosso. It asks us to look at the leadership assets we learn from our families.

» You have tremendous leadership strengths and assets to bring to the table.

» Look at all the amazing leadership strengths we have in` this room.

Every individual in this room has leadership strengths. We are going to take a few minutes to talk about what it means to be a family leader.

What Does Being a Family Leader Mean to You?

Slide 11 Key Pionts

ACTIVITY

Slide 3-9

Slide 4

Your Leadership Assets/Capital

TRANSITION

» Ask: What Does Being a Family Leader Mean to You?

» Class brainstorm. Write class responses on flipchart paper and post.

Recap discussion by summarizing key points participants shared and then stating that a family isn’t that different from a community or business.

» Family leaders guide and influence people, just like businesses and school leaders.

» Families have goals, roles, personalities, expectations, etc. that have to be managed just like other leaders.

» Family leaders make sure there are clear family values and goals, that everyone works together so the needs of each person is balanced with the needs of the family and sets clear, high expectations..

» As parents we are role-models just like other good leaders. We have to walk our talk.

Slide 12 What Does Being a Family Leader Mean to You?

SUMMARY

PRACTICE

This role takes a lot of:

» Vision: Clear family values that guide your family through tough times

» Communication skills: Respectful listening and speaking

» Negotiating skills: Being able to negotiate and meet different, competing needs

» Adaptability: Constantly learning and being to handle new information and situations

» Stress management: Overcoming obstacles and challenges

» Self-care and respect: Taking care of yourself so you have the energy to lead and care for others

As you can see, as a family leader, you have all the skills you need to be a school and community leader. Let’s take one more look at something you can do in your family to share the power of your family leadership assets…sharing your family stories.

Why Share your Family Stories?

Slide 13 Leadership Qualities

ACTIVITY

TRANSITION

Watch Why Share your Family Stories

1. Facilitator shares a personal family story that highlights one of the leadership strengths you learned from your family of origin. Make sure you share which strength you are highlighting.

2. Pair and Share: Ask participants to find someone at their table and to share a brief family story that highlights one of the leadership strengths they have. They will each have two minutes to tell a family story.

3. Move around the room listen to the stories you hear and provide assistance if needed.

» Your family stories are a powerful way for you to share your family pride, history and the stories about the leaders in your family and the challenges they faced.

Briefly reflect on a story of someone in your family or community who showed great leadership. Make a commitment to share that story with your children this week and talk about what being a leader means to you.

Let’s talk about the various ways you can stretch from a family leader to a school/community leader.

Slide 14 Research & Answers: Why Share Your Family Stories

TRANSITION

SUMMARY

PRACTICE

DEBRIEF/REFLECT

Tools and Strategies for School Leadership and Partnerships 15 minutes

Being a School Leader

Watch the video: Tell Me About It

1. We are going to practice our communication and leadership skills by finding someone at your table or in the room you don’t know very well. You are going to introduce yourself and you will take turns asking each other the following questions:

» What are some ways you have been a leader at your children’s school?

» How would you like to be more involved in being a leader at your school?

» What gets in the way of you being a leader at your children’s school?

2. You will have two minutes each to ask the questions and listen. I’ll call time at two minutes and you’ll switch roles.

3. Go! Call time at two minutes and allow both participants to have a turn answering questions.

1. Ask: What were some of the ways people have been leaders or ways they would like to be leaders at school?

2. Ask: What gets in the way?

3. Flipchart answers and post

Recap discussion by summarizing key points participants shared and then sharing any key points that where missed. There are many ways to be a leader at school:

» Being a learning leader at home and creating powerful home learning moments » Setting high expectations for learning for your children » Taking your children to the library and using other community resources » Being a role model for other families » Being resourceful and finding community resources » Participating in key family meetings/groups at school like the PTA » Going to and being prepared for conferences, back-to-school nights, etc. » Advocating for your child, your family and for things you think the school can improve » Sharing your perspective and voice » Being a community builder » Helping other families » Volunteering » Encouraging other leaders » Being a spokesperson » Asking for help when needed

Ask: Why is it important that we participate and feel like leaders in our schools and community?

Taking our powerful family leadership skills and stretching them to become a school leader means your voice will be heard. Things change when families speak up and participate. Some examples of changes we’ve seen happen as a consequence of families using their voice are safer routes to school, better nutrition, expanded care hours, homework policies etc. Laws can even be changed when enough voices are heard.

As we learned from our discussion, there are many different ways to be a leader at home and in our school community and we need our voices to be heard.

Slide 15-17

Slide 17

Tell Me About It

TRANSITION

SUMMARY

PRACTICE

DEBRIEF/REFLECT

ACTIVITY

Finding and Using Services and Community Resources 10 minutes

Finding and Using Services and Community Resources Table Discussion

» At your tables practice your leadership skills by talking about local services and community resources your family likes to use. This could include libraries, parks, museums, housing services, assistance programs, free classes etc.

1. Determine who is going to take notes (on flipchart paper you give to each table).

2. Determine who wants to help facilitate the discussion by making sure everyone is participating.

3. Determine how they are going to organize their discussion (all ideas in a list, by topic, etc.).

4. Make sure that everyone shows their respectful listening and speaking leadership skills.

» You will have four minutes for this discussion. Go!

» Ask: participants to post their lists around the room. Allow participants to do a museum walk and take pictures of the lists.

» Ask: Did you learn of any new resources in the community?

» Ask: Did you learn anything new about participating in a group and being a leader?

Recap discussion by summarizing key points participants shared and then stating that we are often unaware of how many times we are showing leadership skills. We all have them. Sometimes we just need to feel confident enough to participate.

We’ve talked about how setting expectations and creating a powerful home learning environment as an excellent example of family leadership and partnering with your school to ensure your child’s academic success. We are now going to look at how ReadyRosie makes this easy.

Slide 18 Finding and Using Services and Community Resources

TRANSITION

SUMMARY

DEBRIEF/REFLECT

ACTIVITY

ReadyRosie as a Learning and Leadership Tool 10 minutes

ReadyRosie as a Learning and Leadership Tool

» You’ve had opportunities in a number of previous workshops to search the ReadyRosie library and to practice home learning with your family using different activities from the ReadyRosie library. You are now going to work in groups of three or four to create your own ReadyRosie video. This also gives you a safe opportunity to practice your leadership skills. Before you make your own video, we are going to watch one more RR video and use it as an example.

Watch ReadyRosie Video Car Race

Slide 19 Create a Video

PRACTICE

ACTIVITY

1. Ask: What did you like about the video?

2. Ask: What things made the video work?

3. Take all answers. Some things to have the group consider:

» Had an introduction to the game (mom described how to play).

» Showed them practicing the game (also had the things needed like paper, markers, matchbox cars, dice).

» The parent modeled patience.

» An ending statement telling what was learned by playing the game.

You now get a chance to incorporate all these pieces into your own ReadyRosie video. This is a great opportunity for you to practice your leadership skills and to have your voice be heard.

Video Creation

1. Remind groups that this should be fun. It does not have to be perfect at all. It is just a chance to think about any ideas you’d like to see added to the RR library and how you would use your leadership skills to have the discussion and start the process.

2. Get into groups of 3 or 4

Slide 20 Car Race

PRACTICE

DEBRIEF/REFLECT

SUMMARY

» Here are the tasks your group must accomplish in 5 minutes:

» Brainstorm ideas for a ReadyRosie video you would like to create.

» Determine what the video would allow you to teach your children?

» Decide how you are capturing/writing down your ideas.

» Select one idea from your list and use one of your phones to film it.

» Who is going to be in the video?

» What will they say?

» Demonstrate the activity/game on film?

3. Walk around the room and help groups if they are stuck.

1. Ask: How did it go? Did any of you finish your videos?

2. Ask: What did you learn about leadership by doing this activity? (Some things might include: someone had to lead the discussion, it was hard/easy to involve everyone, we had different ideas and had to pick one, it was hard/easy to pick an idea, it was fun to be part of a team, I liked how we talked about our ideas, I felt listened to, I didn’t feel listened too, it was fun to work together...)

3. If there is time, ask one or two tables to share their video idea.

You have amazing leadership skills and assets to bring to your family and your school. You demonstrated many leadership skills today. You had to speak-up, share your opinion, listen and communicate, advocate for your idea or the idea you most wanted to film, make a plan, and execute it.

1. Think of one thing you want to do at home and at school to show your leadership strength. Close your eyes and picture yourself doing it. Keep that picture in your mind and make it happen!

2. You can even draw it on your Idea Catcher if you’d like.

3. Remember, your voice and leadership strengths are needed in your family and your children’s school.

Slide 21 ReadyRosie as a Learning and Leadership Tool

DEBRIEF/REFLECT

SUMMARY

TRANSITION

Closure 5 minutes

1. Never underestimate your ability to be a leader.

2. Remind families of the home practice and commitments you want them to focus on this week.

» Show your family leadership skills by practicing home learning this week: » Share your story about the leader you admire with your child. » Do all the videos in the ReadyRosie weekly this week. » Set a timeframe for when you are going to show your leadership strength at school. Keep the

picture you made in your mind and go for it. » Commit to using one new community resource.

3. Share local community resources you want families to know about.

4. Remind participants about the next workshop in the series.

5. Have families complete the workshop evaluation before leaving class.

6. Thank participants for coming to the workshop and if this is the end of the series for taking the time to show their leadership by participating in the family workshops.

Slide 16 Closure

DEBRIEF/REFLECT

ReadyRosie SHARE and Video Addendum

The power of ReadyRosie is the ongoing follow up and support available digitally for families. Use SHARE to communicate with families and support their ongoing learning by sharing the videos that were covered in the recent workshop and any additional videos in this domain you think they will find inspirational. This message

can also be sent to all the families who were unable to attend the workshop.

Sample message: “Our recent family workshop focused on families as leaders and leadership assets you bring to your family,

school and community. Here are the videos we recommend you enjoy this week as part of your home learning.”

DomainVIDEOS highlighted in the ReadyRosie Math Family

Workshop:

Additional videos to share in this domain:

Listening and Speaking and Family Health and Well-Being

Why Share Your Family Stories Why Storytelling is so Important

Listening and Speaking Tell Me About It Remember the Story

Math Car Race Leap Frog Measure