Unpublished

Establishing Foundation Leadership

Students learn the purpose and roles of leadership. They examine other leaders and determine which traits they value for their foundation. They use a decision-making model to select leaders. 

Duration: 
Print50 minutes
Objectives: 

The learner will:

  • name roles and qualities of leaders. 
  • discuss effective ways of selecting leaders.
  • make nominations and have campaigns for leadership positions.
  • determine leaders in the selected manner.
  • design logo and letterhead for official foundation stationery, including names of student officers.
Home Connection: 

Write an essay on one of the following topics:

  • How do you explain the apathy or indifference that keeps many Americans from registering and voting in elections for their own leaders?
  • How well did the class elections work? Explain.
  • If you occupied a leadership position, what would you do, or do differently from the present occupant (mayor, governor, president, principal)?
  • If you were an adviser to the officers of the student foundation, what advice would you have for them? Be specific.
Instructions: 
Print
  1. Discuss what makes a good leader. Share some examples of different leaders in the present and in history, and discuss their styles and what was effective and ineffective (or even distructive). Include some of the following: Angela Merkel, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Adolf Hitler, Sheryl Sandberg, Helen Keller.

    • What jobs does a leader do?
    • What qualities does a leader need to be effective?
  2. Students propose and discuss what leadership positions and qualities of desired officers are needed to lead the foundation.

  3. Students decide what jobs the office holders will perform for the foundation and how long the positions last.

  4. Discuss fair ways to determine the leaders. See Teacher Preparation for notes about a discussion of effective and ineffective ways of determining leaders. You may use a decision-making model for deciding a method for determining the leaders that includes impact of different methods. Or the teacher may decide that there will be an election. Carry out the procedure to determine the leaders and other roles in the foundation. 

  5. Design a foundation logo and stationery that includes the names of the student officers. 

     

Reflection: 
  • What jobs or officers does the student foundation require?
  • What qualifications should each the office holder have?
  • How should the office holders be selected?
  • How can you exercise democratic decision making in the best possible way to get the best person for each job?