Early in 2019, I checked out the business book “Traction” (by Gino Wickman) from Brown Library. I heard about the book at the VCCS Hire Education conference, where folks from Lord Fairfax Community College explained how they used it to transform their Workforce division. It was my favorite session of the conference, as it was both inspiring and useful. This is going to sound extremely nerdy, but I just loved the idea of aligning bite-sized daily goals with a long-term vision. That’s how you get things done … how you gain traction. One of the most memorable takeaways was the concept of “Rocks,” which the author actually credits to an analogy in Stephen Covey’s book “First Things First.” Wickman writes: Picture a glass cylinder set on a table. Next to the cylinder are rocks, gravel, sand, and a glass of water. Imagine the glass cylinder as all of the time you have in a day. The rocks are your main priorities, the gravel represents your day-to-day responsibilities, the sand represents interruptions, and the water is everything else that you get hit with during your workday. If you, as most people do, pour the water in first, the sand in second, the gravel… Continue Reading One year later: How ‘Traction’ keeps changing my life & workRead More
Dr. Jen Moon and Katie Dawson, both from the University of Texas at Austin, will deliver the keynote session: “Teaching with Intention: Facilitating an Inclusive and Joyful Classroom Culture for Effective Learning” If you are feeling a bit restless … want to shake up your routine … or just need some inspiration, consider joining me on a road trip to Charlottesville on Wednesday, April 29. I have already reserved a state van for the occasion. Up to six passengers can board the van to the Innovations in Pedagogy Summit, which is hosted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence. Here’s a summary from the summit website: The Eighth Annual Innovations in Pedagogy Summit will bring together faculty, staff, and students from across UVA and beyond to explore the theme Curiosity, Discovery, and Wonder. Educators have the opportunity to both create and foster learning environments where students’ curiosity, discovery, and wonder thrive. But what does this look like — in and out of the classroom, with and without technology, in small courses and large — and how do we know it’s happening? Admission is free, and the event is open to the public. And since you know about my… Continue Reading Field trip! Sign up to attend the Innovations in Pedagogy Summit at UVARead More
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
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
- Innovation, and the LOI. August 25, 2025
- Some 24/25 Highlights July 16, 2025
- Have you heard? October 28, 2024
- The Game of Life – Innovation Edition! August 29, 2024
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024