14
Feb
You remember when I said I read about creativity for fun? Just in the last month, I enrolled in an MIT massive open online course (MOOC): “Launching Innovation in Schools.” This course — which is free and open to all — is co-taught by Peter Senge, author of “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization.” I blogged about that book back in November. Here’s a quick summary of the course: Every great teacher and every great school constantly works towards creating better learning conditions for students. Just as we hope our students become lifelong learners, we as educators should be constantly learning and improving. This education course is for school leaders of all kinds (from teacher-leaders to principals to superintendents) who are launching innovation in schools–starting new efforts to work together to improve teaching and learning. “Launching Innovation in Schools” started in early February and continues through April. Its target audience is K-12 educators, but most of its themes and strategies apply to higher education. I’m already discussing some of the ideas with the Campus Engagement Workgroup … and will bring back highlights to share in this space. If you would like to join the course, it’s… Continue Reading Joy is the energy of innovation … and 4 other takeaways from ‘Launching Innovation in Schools’Read More
? ? ? (If you read 20 Ways to Be a Virginia Western Superhero, you probably know already!). ? ? ? Answer: Creativity … followed by persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and time management (source: LinkedIn). But I don’t need a LinkedIn employer survey to tell me creativity matters. I’ve known this most of my life. Fostering a creative environment was the topic of my master’s thesis … and a subject I read about for fun. Now I’m approaching creativity as the parent of a 6-year-old who is just starting her academic journey. This is why the Innovation Grants awarded by VWCC’s Educational Foundation are my favorite grants to talk about. My goal isn’t just to increase the number of funded grant proposals, but to promote creative thinking every day. But how do we teach creativity? Is that even possible? Just as I learned of the LinkedIn employer survey, the Chronicle of Higher Education released a special report: The Creativity Challenge: Teaching Students to Think Outside the Box, which also cites the same survey. Thanks to the help of Dale Dulaney and the Brown Library, we were able to purchase this report. The Creativity Challenge explains why creativity matters, and, most importantly,… Continue Reading Pop quiz! What was the No. 1 soft skill sought by employers in 2019?Read More
Perhaps you’ve heard the buzz about “Cheer,” that new cheerleading documentary series on Netflix. What I didn’t know before bingeing all six hours of the series over one weekend (don’t judge) was that the school at the center of the series is a community college. Navarro College, in Corsicana, Texas (outside Dallas), has an open-door admissions policy, and its enrollment is virtually the same as Virginia Western’s: 9,200+ students for Navarro, 9,300+ for VWCC. I wholeheartedly recommend you watch “Cheer” if you haven’t already … and I’ll leave it to the professional TV critics to summarize the highlights. Instead, I’ll focus on some themes and questions that tie directly back to our work here at Virginia Western. 1. Distinctiveness In the last month, Marilyn Herbert-Ashton (VP of Institutional Advancement, Director of Grants, and Dean of Nursing) has asked members of the IA team to think about what makes our work and our division distinct. In the case of Navarro, it’s clear their competitive cheerleading squad — the Bulldogs — is one of their most distinctive features. The team keeps winning national titles at the annual cheerleading competition in Daytona, Florida. As a result, Navarro has become famous within the cheerleading… Continue Reading I binged that ‘Cheer’ documentary; now I have 3 questions for Virginia WesternRead More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
Recent Posts
- Have you heard? October 28, 2024
- The Game of Life – Innovation Edition! August 29, 2024
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024
- Grant Nerds Unite! March 12, 2024
- The Power of Collaboration November 17, 2023