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CASAA Leadership Handbook

This book has been published by CASAA.

You can purchase this book from our resource library.

On this web page you will find the complete table of contents and introduction for every chapter. There are also links to some of the pages of the book. These selections of this book have been made available on this site through the generosity of the authors and CASAA.

THIS MATERIAL IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY WITHIN AN EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT.

 

Introduction: The Leadership Toolbox

Think of each student arriving in the beginning of the year with a toolbox for leadership. They will have some skills and abilities with them acquired elsewhere, but each student will be carrying a different set of tools. Each skill that you can give them adds a new tool to their toolbox and each ability that you enhance will all them to use an existing tool more effectively.

Recognize that you would not expect someone who doesn't know how to hammer to build a deck. This book contains many tools that will prove useful to students and advisors. There is no best order of learning the skills, and teachers are asked to pick the tools from this book that will suit their students' needs and abilities.

Chapter 1: Course Outline

RATIONALE FOR A STUDENT LEADERSHIP CLASS

There is not one perfect curriculum that will have the proper sequence for all leadership groups.

Student leaders arrive with varied levels of abilities and will continue to develop at quite different rates.

The best leadership class should be designed to suit the needs and abilities of the students in that class.

Finally, it is through the activities and programs that are run by the class that the students will learn and practice the concepts and skills of leadership.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Opportunities for Leadership Page 5
This is a handout that can explain what activities your leadership class is capable of handling through the year.
Course Description Page 6
A handout that contains the aims of the class. It should be given to students at the beginning of the course.
Application for Leadership Page 8
Many classes only allow students into the course after an application has been made to the course. This outlines some questions to ask.
Assembling a Leadership Team Page 9
Drafting Leaders Page 11
A sample of a letter that can be sent out to staff requesting their input on finding potential leaders. Your school may not allow teachers to recruit for classes, but this is an effective way of finding talent within your school. The next page has a followup letter to the student.
Beginning with New Leaders Page 13
Leadership Contract Page 15
This exercise helps to define what type of behaviour is expected of students in the course.

 

 

Chapter 2: Self-Understanding

DEVELOPING SELF-UNDERSTANDING

Before students can lead others, they must first develop self-understanding and strong self-esteem. They will see many people in leadership positions around them who have little self-understanding and low self-esteem. These will be people who survive and operate in the real world, but they are poor models and practitioners of leadership.

The exercises and readings in this section are designed to help students know themselves, explain themselves to others, and develop the attitudes necessary to become good leaders.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Label Me Page 5
This is an exercise that allows students to tell others how they are viewed and to find out how they are viewed in turn. Note how students place the labels where they can read them after they have been labelled by the group.
My House is My HomePage 8
A drawing exercise that is similar to the coat of arms exercise (found in the CASAA Student Activity Sourcebook) where students will identify what is important to them and how they are viewed by others.
Getting to Know MePage 9
An exercise that is done in pairs and then shared with a group. It demonstrates that there is a comfort level, one on one, that is not experienced in the large group when it comes to sharing personal information
I can't vs. I choose not toPage 11
A class assignment that identifies the difference between choosing a behaviour and being ruled by an attitude.
The Conditioned Response Page 12
Information and a demonstration on classical conditioning. This material can be supplemented with material on classical conditioning and the media's modern role.
Karate KidsPage 14
A very physical exercise that must be handled with care. This will give students the chance to do something that they have not done before.
Hunger Pain and Helping OthersPage 16
This exercise is a very real experience of the way some people feel when they are in great personal pain. This can be a very powerful exercise that brings the message home to the group when processed after the exercise is complete.
AttitudePage 19
I ChoosePage 20
Expectations are Everything Page 21
Behaviour ManagementPage 22
This material will also work well with a Peer Helping class.
The Indispensable TigerPage 23
A story for those leaders who choose to do it all for themselves. It works well with groups that have a hard time delegating.
Spot the Student Leader Page 25
Characteristic Check ListPage 27
A handout that takes an inventory of what students think makes an effective leader and how they measure up themselves. This can be used at the beginning of the class and redone at the end of the class to ascertain changes in attitude.
10 Paradoxical Commandments of LeadershipPage 29
Leadership GoalsPage 30
This can be done as an introduction to the goals of the class.
Myths About LeadershipPage 31
Attitudes for Leadership Page 33
Responsibilities for LeadershipPage 35
Natural HabitsPage 37
Leadership StylesPage 38
The different styles can be expanded upon by members of the class. They will have experienced people using these styles either in the classroom or at a job.
Further Leadership StylesPage 41
The different styles here can be part of any of the major three styles from pages 38-40. Try to identify which styles here fit in each of the three major styles.
Delegation Page 43
How Students Learn BestPage 45
The Power of the Aphorism Page 46
My Strengths and WeaknessesPage 48
This handout can be done early in the course. It is effective if it is collected and then returned just before the conclusion of the course.
Goals for SuccessPage 49
Student Leader Evaluation Page 50
The evaluation is effective if it is done at different times during the course by different people, including the student and the teacher.

 

 

 

Chapter 3: Communication

COMMUNICATING

To lead you must communicate. Others cannot achieve the group's goals unless they know what the goals are. They cannot work as a team if they don't know what game the team is playing. Communication is not just about making others know your viewpoint -- it is also about listening to others and negotiating solutions to problems.

The exercises and readings in this section are designed to help you with speaking to groups and solving disagreements within a group. The Public Speaking assignments can be made very effective if students are preparing for oral presenations in other courses. The class can be a practice session for the student's oral presentation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

First Impressions Page 5
This handout stresses the importance of nonverbal communication. It can be presented effectively by having the presenter send a few nonverbal messages with clothing and body language.
Public Speaking TipsPage 6
The Speech Recipe is the easiest way to organize those people who have not had any public speaking experience.
Dealing with NervousnessPage 8
Points that will help even accomplished speakers become confident in front of an audience. The important point being that people who do a lot of public speaking still get nervous -- they just have the skills to cope with nervousness.
Your Speech is the MusicPage 10
Voice control is the key to any confident presentation.
Your Body Speaks for You Too! Page 12
After the first impression is made messages continue to be sent. The key point stressed is that exits and entrances are almost as important as the speech itself.
Speech PracticePage 14
Speech Critique Sheet Page 15
Persuasive SpeechesPage 16
This exercise is suited to those who are ready to master the skills beyond simple speech organization.
Negotiating AgreementPage 17
This is a very difficult topic for adults to put into practice, so your students will be able to appreciate the theory, but the practial aspects will be challenging.
Principled NegotiationPage 18
An interesting class exercise is to hold a garage sale in class and have the students practice the different types of negotiating for the purchase of items.
Solving DisagreementPage 19
Students will have models of success who do not focus on the interests of the parties involved in disagreement. The point must be made that there will come a time when the muscle in your arm or the tear in your eye will not be enough to allow you to achieve your interests.
Negotiation ExercisesPage 20
It must be stressed that sometimes the interests are in conflict and that no agreement can take place. However, by placing the focus on the interests of the parties involved you have the best chance for a successful negotiation.

 

Chapter 4: Events and Meetings

GETTING ORGANIZED

Students that have developed self-confidence and communication skills are ready to begin leading by organizing events and running meetings.

These exercises and readings are designed to assist with planning events. Arranging for a guest speaker is suggested for a first event as it requires planning and proper execution but is fairly limited in scope -- your classroom instead of the whole school. A second event that can be used is organizing a hot dog BBQ as a lunch time event. This is particularly effective because it involves so many different aspects of the three major event disaster quotients -- food, money, and fire.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Event Planning
Page 5
A handout that stresses the importance of thinking about all stages of the event. Too many leaders forget about the final stage of cleaning up after an event is complete.
Event Check List
Page 7
This can be a template that will suit the planning of any small event. This paper should be handed in at the end of an event and will constitute part of the mark. Students cannot always control the weather, but they can demonstrate their planning and organization on paper.
Guest Speakers
Page 8
Another example of paperwork that can demonstrate the leader was doing their job of organizing the event. Students often worry about the quality of their speakers but the content (unless it is inappropriate) is not their responsibility.
Guest Speaker Check List
Page 10
The sheet must be completed and handed in for the student to receive a mark for this assignment.
Good Meetings Don't Just Happen
Page 12
This material can be filled in by the students either by an overhead or as a handout worked on individually or by the group.
Getting People Involved
Page 13
Many student leaders have a difficult time understanding why other people are not as involved as they are. This material will allow the leaders to discover that not all people are high risk takers like themselves.
Involving Your School
Page 16
An example of a week of activities that involve high and low risk events.
Media Literacy
Page 17
Dealing with the media is a skill that all leaders must learn today. Student leaders must be made aware of the power and needs of this part of society.
News Release Assignment
Page 19
Media Tip Sheet
Page 20
This is a template that can be faxed or mailed to any media group. It will help to organize the information of an event into a digestible form for a reporter or assignment editor.

 

 

Chapter 5: Examples of Leadership

LEARNING FROM OTHER LEADERS

We all have experience with good and bad leadership. It might be a teacher or a boss at work. You can learn to be a better leader by thinking about what you have done right -- or wrong! But you must realize that no one knows everything and even if "the experts" predict failure, you may be the one to achieve success.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What Makes a Good Teacher Page 5
A handout that can provoke some interesting discussion and lively personal stories. This is one profession that everyone has experience with and some very strong opinions about.
Weeding out a bad leader?Page 6
This identifies the responsibilities and ethics of people placed in leadership positions. The media has pretty well demolished the myth of the perfect leader, but there are still expectations that will accompany any job.
Predictions of FailurePage 8
Examples from history that demonstrate how wrong the experts can be, even when the experts involved are the leaders themselves.
Success or Failure?Page 9
An exercise that demonstrates the adversity that many successful leaders from the past have overcome.
Leadership Research Project Page 11
This list can be adapted to suit the interests and abilities of the students in your class. Try to avoid retreaded history assignments. Have the students discover a leader that they have not known before.
Video ResourcesPage 12

 

 

Chapter 6: Peer-Helping

LEADERSHIP IS HELPING OTHERS

Many leadership courses involve a component of Peer Helping. This can be done as an in class assignment or something that is done at lunch or after school. It is important that leaders learn how to help others. They will have the opportunity to practice many of the skills acquired through the exercises and theory of a class.

The following pages will provide some handouts and material for a Peer Helping component of your class.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Peer Tutors -- What can they do for you? Page 5
A handout that can provide staff with some information on how useful the peer tutors or peer helpers can be.
Peer Helping JournalPage 6
This must be completed after every peer tutoring session. These are collected by the teacher regularly and constitute an important part of the mark assigned. These must be more than a listing of the tasks accomplished. As the tutors become more proficient, they must look for the reasons and motivations behind the actions and events.
56 Ways to say Very GoodPage 7
More motivating flavours than Baskin & Robbins.
Tutoring TipsPage 8
A handout for the beginning tutor.
How to handle right and wrong answers Page 9
Sample LetterPage 10
A letter of invitation to students that would benefit from a peer tutor.
Tutoring ManagementPage 11
Situations that require students to discover what they can control and what is not part of their responsibility. The most important factor is that they are not to place themselves at risk for any reason.
Positive/Negative ReinforcementPage 12
Exam SamplePage 13

 

 

Chapter 7: Resources

RESOURCES ARE THE KEY TO LEADERSHIP

This book does not pretend to be the ultimate leadership sourcebook. It will provide you with some good material to get started with or some information to expand upon an already existing course. Do not be afraid to look at other sources for material and contact organizations like CIRA and NASSP.

This section contains resources and stuff that people like Barry Sharpe asked to be included.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Constitution and By-laws Page 5
Material that defines what a constitution is and how to go about creating one.
Election Tips for Advisors Page 7
Elections are very difficult to run properly and this sheet gives eight tips to aid advisors in getting the best candidates possible.
Running a CampaignPage 8
A handout that can be adapted for your school and given to candidates preparing for an official campaign. The more information you give your candidates, the more professional your elections will become.
Human FearsPage 11
An exercise on group consensus. The final sheet which tallies up the differences between the group and individual results must be used and discussed for this exercise to have any real meaning.
Valuable Leadership BooksPage 14
This list can improve your leadership library. Any of the books will provide some material and insight into what leadership is.
The Best Resource List Page 15
Resource Catalogues and OrganizationsPage 16
     
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