One of the growing fields in the teaching industry is the vocational education and training sector (VET). Little has been known regarding the management and leadership strategies in this field and because of the growing demands of a changing environment, attention is being given by investing on research regarding the improvement of the roles of educational personnel in the field. With the reforms that are being implemented by the government sector, there is a constant need for improvement and an establishment of requirements to develop expertise in management and leadership to improve competence and achieve the highest efficiency. There are also other external factors affecting the changing roles of managers such as changing work and policy evironments, reduced funding, increased expectations and the pressure of improving technology and e-commerce.

In tackling the questions and issues surrounding the organizational environment. A structured approach is very important. First and foremost, the roles of the leader and manager should be determined. “Leadership” and “Management” are concepts that may be similar and different at the same time. Similar in a way that both should be possessed by the one holding the leadership position, different in a sense that managers are more for making sure that order and discipline is maintained while leaders are more about encouraging about vision and change. However, these differences can be foregone since both of these concepts are important for a manager to have. To group together the management and leadership responsibilities of a manager, it would be financial, human and physical resource management. The financial management aspect would refer to quantitative aspects of an organization wherein the manager is concerned about how money is being handled by the organization. Managers should stay focused on how to increase income, reduce expenditures and safeguarding assets therefore promoting audit and accountability among everyone. Human management, is one key aspect in being a manager because without the proper people skills, it is hard to get things done. Leadership is all about influencing others towards aiming at reaching a goal without hesitation. Therefore, encouragement and motivation are key to proper human management. Lastly, physical resource management is integral since it would affect the efficiency of operations. Without the competence of knowing how to manage the resources and use them to their full potential, a manager will fall behind in the growing competitive market.

Module 1, Part 2

To be able to achieve all this, one must have the proper expertise. A manager should be well-adept in all the roles mentioned above. One must have the proper know-how about planning regarding budget, income generation, resource management, as well as development of human management skills as well as public relations. The manager should have the flexibility and responsiveness that is key to achieving the short-term and long-term goals. All these would be well achieved with the proper strategy formulation geared towards the same objective of organizational efficiency. However, proper education and constant learning is needed. A manager should be open to expanding horizons by attending seminars, workshops, taking courses and participating in support groups. This module is very helpful in the teaching industry because gives importance to leadership and management which should be strongly incorporated in educational institutions.

Warning and Friendly Reminder: Plagiarism is a crime. This essay is here to give you an idea or guide you, not to be copied by you. You can look at the references and Works cited provided by this free academic essay and from that you can create your own. Be a smart student,be honest: look for free academic essays anywhere in the web or the Internet but don’t forget to make your own. There are so many free essays online as guides but please do your own. You can also utilize free plagiarism checkers available online.

Module 3, Part 2

Teachers often preach about teams and being team players to students. These concepts are given a lot of focus to promote cooperation among students. But, the four walls of the classroom are no different than that of a faculty room. How can teachers teach about being effective in a team when they do not know how to be teamplayer themselves.

Neville Johnson's module is very helpful in how to build “learning communities” in schools. It is healthy and at the same time productive for collaboration between teachers to emerge in an educational facility. This can provide a venue for them to contribute ideas, lose differences, and gear themselves towards achieving the school's goals together. Initially, the teaching and learning challenges should be recognized and established. With this, the school can then form strategies and plan on interactive projects that all the teachers can participate and be part in. Here, the term 'action learning' is applicable which is defined by ANTA as a “united approach to solving a problem” by a group of professional colleagues. This would foster a collective responsibilty developed by the team members as well as promote their professional learning through discussions and sharing of ideas, and genuine collaboration would not only improve professional relationships but emotional and personal relationships as well, promoting a more supportive environment.

As the teams are formed and motivated for action, a leader is assigned. Even if the team is already that of a group of professionals, a leader who is skilled, competent, knowledgeable, supportive and who may have more training should be designated to be accountable in terms of managing time, finances and monitoring. This may be hard for a chosen leader considering the teaching responsibilities that should not be ignored. Thus, management should restructure the role of the formal leader so that the leader can be more available in providing coaching and mentoring to other teachers.

As the learning teams distribute the tasks of leadership among members accordingly, the concept of distributed leadership is employed. When leadership is rotated among members, they would feel that they are relevant to the group and that their capabilities are recognized and valued. This inculcates a sense of responsibility and motivates everyone to contribute their best in order to be chosen as a head for the next project.

On the other hand, another concept such as middle leadership can be seen in a team. This kind of leadership is not really clear because teachers who are asked regarding this concept do not have concrete ideas about it. Middle leadership is usually viewed as enacting leadership with teachers and collegues but at the same time being answerable to senior management. Some middle leaders find it a problem to communicate management policies to teachers and would sometimes cause misunderstanding when not properly communicated.

In summary, all types of leadership as mentioned above are present in teams. Proper strategic planning, open and constant communication as well as respect are key to avoiding conflict and making the team work cohesively.

Module 4

Leadership and management have been thoroughly discussed in the different materials reviewed. In the last module the concept of headship or principalship was introduced. Principalship is a title and comes with it are responsibilities and accountabilities. Though the three, leadership, management and principalship may have differences but all three must be present hand in hand in an educational sector. Being the principal, you are the formal leader who is the one overlooking the day to day operations of the establishment. This is where management and leadership comes in. In relation to management, the principal is responsible for setting policies straight and ensuring that processes and operations are running smoothly. In short, the principal as a manager makes sure that everything is in rhythm. On the other hand, the principal is a leader when he starts to use influence rather than mandate those under his supervision to perform together to achieve the broader goals of the school. In addition, it is the role of the principal to promote dispersed leadership in the organization. Therefore, the concept of leaders and leadership in schools should not only be contained in the formal positions occupied. It should mean the dispersed leadership across the school, therefore encouraging teacher-leadership since the teachers are the ones who are closely communicating and interacting with the students. Giving teachers importance and contributing to their professional improvement will translate to better teaching qualities. However, the emergence of this kind of informal leadership could only emerge with the provision of support from upper management. Though accountability and responsibilty is developed by teacher-leaders, this should not reduce the vigilance of the principal and other formal leaders in their own responsibilities and accountabilities.

Taking all into consideration, the concept that is of most interest at the present is the formulation of techniques and strategies in how leadership and management should be inculcated and taught to the teacher level. This is not an easy task because much attention must be expensed on designing a structure that would well fit into the the school's environment. Factors like budget, professional atmosphere as well as time constraints should be taken into consideration since a school may have different limitations depending on their resources. A lot of researches which are geared to actually set up guidelines and standards are very helpful materials that a school could use in initiating actions and making a plan that would be beneficial to all parties.

The learning provided by the different references would highly contribute to my personal and professional knowledge as a teacher. Through this, I have gained a lot of insights, learned concepts and improve my understanding on the importance of being visible, flexible and cooperative. This has also fueled my motivation to be able to contribute more to further the achievement of our school's goals. With a whole lot of understanding on my part I can now recognize where I need to impove and suggest improvements to my learning team as well. As for the whole education industry, this learning will spark the interest of educational institutions to give more attention on educational management and leadership in their areas. It will get them thinking that it will be a good investment because of the benefits it will provide and will probably inspire them to form their own learning teams to be more competitive in the growing market of the educational sector.

References

Fitzgerald, T. (2009) . Educational Management Administration and Leadership.

London, Los Angeles, Singapore, New Delhi: Sage Publications.

Foley, J., Conole, L. (2003). A Draft Leadership Capability Framework to Assist Leadership

Development in the Victorian TAFE Sector. Wheeler Strobel Consulting Group.

Johnson, N. (2003). Working in Teams. Victoria, Australia: Department of Education

Training.

Leading Theory (Module 4_Article 1)

Mulcahy, D. (2003). Leadership and Management in Vocational Education and Training.

Adealaide, Australia: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

No man is an island indeed. Thus, those great men couldn't have succeeded without help, right? Or do you think otherwise? Do you think they could still have succeeded even alone? Today we mark much of our technological advances by the inventors. Think of Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Would computing be different without them or, as Jared Diamond supposes, were they just in the right place at the right time? Are “great men” really not that important? Why or why not. Choose 1 or 2 great men (or women) to use as examples to explain your answer.

Are “great men” really that important? Before this question can be answered, notice that the adjective “great” (for the men) needs to be defined first. Often, this phrase (great men) is viewed by the majority as men (but does not exclude women) of achievements, power, money, fame or a combination of the mentioned factors. This means that Napoleon the Great and Einstein are both great men as they “were” both great in a thing or many things, powerful and full of achievements during their existence. It also makes Bill Gates and Joanne Kathleen Rowling great man and woman for their power, achievements, wealth and fame, among others.

It might be true that the above mentioned personalities were at the right place at the right time but the majority of their efforts and factors causing their “greatness” still came from their side and contribution. As one great man of war and history and as a fabulous author, this paper focuses on Bonaparte and Rowling, respectively, as persons who did not simply put themselves in the right place at the right time to get what they are worth for and what they deserve but as persons who made their way through their respective titles and desert. Bonaparte was even considered as "the most splendid genius that has appeared on earth." (Andrews, 1939, p. 3: Acton, 1887, p. 603) It should be noted that Napoleon the Great did not sit to achieve his title. From his childhood, he seemed to have been an ambitious boy already, as he said it himself.

I was self-willed and obstinate, nothing awed me, nothing disconcerted me. I was quarrelsome, exasperating; I feared no one. I gave a blow here and scratch there. Everyone was afraid of me. My brother Joseph was the one with whom I had the most to do; he was beaten, bitten, scolded; I complained that he did not get over it soon enough." (Fournier, 1903, p. 5: Napoleon Bonaparte)

Thus, with a little bit of ambition, perseverance and hard-work, Napoleon could not have been as Great as he was and he is (still).

On the other hand, Harry Potter’s author is another person to be looked up at. Her being a woman did not stop her from succeeding or attaining the status of being "the most successful novelist in the world" (Stephen, 1999, p. 24) in 1999.

Americans love rag –to-riches myths, of course. Rowling is not even Scottish, but a middle-class Chipping Sodbury girl who read French at Exeter University before working for Amnesty International; after her marriage to Portuguese journalist ended she stayed with her sister in Edinburgh, went on social security and started the first Potter book. To the average middle-class American, hearing how somebody goes from “welfare” to overnight millions is vindication of the notion that hard work is all that is required for success… (Stephen, 1999, p24)

Rowling made hard works to succeed and did not wait fame to strike her. She had her own failures and frustrations as a regular person, too far from being great, yet, she never stopped to be inspired to continue her Harry Potter novels. Clearly, and again, it is not only being at the right place at the right time to succeed and be “great”. A big deal of effort and perseverance as well as discipline and unmarred motivation must be present. Thus, great men are important, not because of the fact that they are great, famous, powerful and wealthy but because of the inspirations and lessons they give to common individuals on how they have achieved their greatness.

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The Campus Climate - I. Background - The life and climate set out in a campus is a very environment that students, whether they like it or not, need to deal with. This fact is brought about by varying factors such as diverse ethnic orientation, the obvious gender and age differences as well as different sexual orientation, ideas and advocacies, income and social status differences, language and religious orientation variability that are inevitable among students. What is the current state of the campus climate to date? Are these factors causing so much differences among student helpful or them, or is it otherwise? How the educational institution participate in making the campus climate better and how do students get involved in this move?

Assessing the campus climate involves various examination of facts. These facts involve, but are not limited to, the above factors mentioned that compose the campus. Aside from students alone, faculty and staff of the educational institution where the campus is, are also responsible in making the campus environment better.

II. The Campus Climate
According to the Campus Climate Network Group, campus climate involves “behaviors within a workplace or learning environment, ranging from subtle to cumulative to dramatic, that can influence whether an individual feels personally safe, listened to, valued, and treated fairly and with respect.” Statistics-wise the climate in the campus is getting more and more varied, even in terms of ethnic orientation alone.

"The enrollment of minority students in higher education has increased over the past 30 years" (Fischer, 2007) From 1976 to 2000, the number of Black students enrolled in degree-granting institutions rose 14.9%, while Hispanic enrollment increased by 25.4% (Fischer, 2007: National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2002)

The major stakeholders of things related to campus climate are the students. Secondary are the faculty and staff of the institution and the institution itself. And campus climate gives a “sense of community, or the lack of it, is expressed and transmitted in many small events, in feelings about the attitudes exemplified in the minutiae of campus life and in perceptions about the fairness and supportiveness of others' behavior (Kramer & Weiner, 1994, p. 71). This can be viewed as both positive and negative for the students’ perspective. It is positive in a way that students are exposed in diversity of life and in the process, they are learning to deal with it. It can be negative however, when some students got traumatized with the effect of the treatments their fellow peers and students cast towards them and the feeling of unbelongingness and discrimination prevails.

III. Various Needs of Some Students
Ethnic, gender and sexual orientations are among the major factors affecting the campus climate. To students with these mentioned orientations, they have some particular needs during their campus life. In fact, there are criss-crossing results with regards to perspectives and opinions among various groups in the campus. Religion, for example, does not only discriminate other religions but it "was also a discriminating demographic variable for heterosexual students."(Waldo, 1998)

The institutions themselves, from educational institutions to the law making bodies have roles to play themselves in improving the entire situation with regards to campus climate. It is because of findings in some studies, according to Kameen and Justiz, (1988, p. 50), that there is “strong evidence that assessment programs which rely on standardized tests as sole measures of student ability, that "label" or "exclude" rather than assist students to acquire the necessary skills to complete college successfully, that do not support the teaching and learning process, and that are otherwise insensitive to bias will result in discrimination toward minority students.”

Although it is the student body themselves who make the big action, the role of community, the institution and those involved in drafting laws and rules for education cannot be put out in giving improvements to current status of various discriminated groups in campus.

IV. What To Do?
It may not be obvious as it seems but students have power in campus. It is their own world and they can have control over it if want to. No matter how the faculty and the educational institution itself propel students to abide to some rules or make a certain environment in the campus, it is still not effective if students would not have willing hearts and open minds as to how the things should go in the campus. This means that the campus climate is greatly influenced by students themselves, who are also the main stakeholders of whatever kind of campus climate they have.

Students who are knowledgeable enough and with broad minds have ease and no difficulty in adapting to various orientations in the campus. The best way for students to make the campus climate better, is to be receptive and be open to ideas. This sounds easier said than practiced though. However, there are organizations in campus that make things easier. This means that if a minority group or a certain race or ethnicity has an organization in school, this organization, since it is considered as a representative of the group, must network with each other. This means that one ethnic organization must build a healthy relationship with another ethnic organization. The members would then understand why it is being done and the members of the two organizations would have harmonious relationships as well when they see that the organizations themselves are also tied up.

Moreover, a healthy and unbiased information dissemination would also not hurt the organization or the entire group of students from minority or ethnic races. This involves combating the negative issues thrown upon them in a manner that does not hurt or insult other groups. A better and positive attitudes among students from this group of these groups are therefore encouraged. This means that friendliness to other races or ethnic groups in the campus are encouraged and any hostility is discouraged. Why? It is very important to note that "the racially intolerant campus climate has many consequences." (Marcus, Mullins, Brackett, Tang, Allen & Pruett, 2003) And sad to say, most of the consequences are actually negative to both sides of the coin. No one really benefits that much from discriminating others aside from hatred, limited set of friends and acquaintances and alienation – this is true even in the part of the one who discriminates. This is true be it regarding any orientation: religious, sexual, gender, income, age, ethnicity or anything else.

Since the greater distinction is between the whites and the minorities in the campus, the efforts must come from both directions as to the harmonization of relationships among students. And how? It was previously mentioned that organizations are a great help.

V. Conclusion
Campus climate is a complicated thing to deal with. Factors affecting the climate and the environment in the campus are so diverse that they are not easy to control. Actions however may be made in order to improve the climate and diminish difference among students. The best way to improve the campus climate is for the students themselves to act. The students are the main stakeholders of the happenings in the campus and they have the power to act on things and events or implement a culture that would improve the lives of most, if not all, of them in the campus setting.

Although the faculty and staff in the campus has roles too, the decision as to what climate be set in the campus are still reliant to the students. In this manner, only students, with the assistance of the institution through its governing rules, as well as the support of the faculty and staff of the educational institution, can make their campus experience a better one.

References
Fischer, M. J. (2007). Settling into Campus Life: Differences by Race/ethnicity in College Involvement and Outcomes. Journal of Higher Education, 78(2), 125+.

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