Resources
FREE to Adventist Schools: Enclyclopedia Britannica
TDEC in cooperation with union directors and conference superintendents have purchased a site license to Encyclopedia Britannica online for all Adventist schools. The preview site can be accessed now, with the login of adventist and the password of nadsa1. The long term login name will be the schools org ID (same one as cognitive genesis) and then the password of nadsa1. The website is school.eb.com. Contact your TDEC representative or conference office for further details.
FREE to Adventist Schools: Visual Thesaurus
NAD Office of Education has found a wonderful tool for your classroom. Students see a visual map of a word, with all of the related words and the grammar roots of the word. Visit visualthesaurus.com, use the abbreviation of your union (cuc), then @adventisteducation.org (cuc@adventisteducation.org), password NADSDA1 (all caps). This is free for all teachers and students.
Powerpoint Presentations
The Office of Education is making available to Columbia Union educators Powerpoint presentations that have been used in our field for presentations to union and local conferences boards of education, principals councils, curriculum committees, academy boards and constituency meetings. Topics will be wide-ranging and focused on both public and private/Adventist education. It is hoped that these resources will be used as resources by educators in their own presentations to groups to which they are responsible.
Please select any of the links below to download the Powerpoint presentation:
A Journey to Excellence through Literacy—Having trouble getting started? Not sure what questions to ask? Start here! Columbia Union’s own Barb Plubell answers a lot of the “what’s, why’s, and how to’s” to get you off to a good start. **Save file to computer first, then open in Powerpoint to unzip.**
Abbreviated SWOT Analysis: Process—Several years ago, the C.U.O.E. responded to a request by Tidewater Adventist Academy to assist in launching a visioning process. Among the precursors to visioning was a board/faculty SWOT analysis conducted in a Sunday morning session. This presentation provided a visual introduction to and overview of an abbreviated SWOT. T.A.A., shortly after the presentation, used the information gained in a full-day of work to begin longer-term planning.
Building Effective Teams: Principles and Practices—Several years ago, a conference superintendent and academy principal asked if I could help to rebuild a staff that had been fractured and dysfunctional. I developed this presentation (presented over one and one-half days of pre-session) to assist that academy (unnamed) and in building effective administrative/faculty teams. Variations have been used with other schools and church groups. No school can long succeed when issues of trust and confidence erode the essential building blocks to effective teaming on an academy campus. Among the items addressed are (1) Jesus as a Team Leader, (2) Team Development: Types (3) from Hierarchy to Teaming, (4) the Team Performance Curve, (5) Team Skills Development, (6) Team Skills Requirements, (7) Conditions for Successful Teams (8) Constructive Feedback, (9) Synergy, (10) Team Member Types, (11) Team “Start-Up” Essentials, (12) Stages of Team Growth, (13) the Career Cycle, and (14) the Social Interaction Model of Change.
CUBOE Report – November 2011—The Columbia Union Conference Board of Education received the following report at its regularly scheduled meeting of November 15, 2011. Included in the report are details regarding significant happenings in our union field, re: education, and several references to current research finding in select topics in education.
Dr. Donovan Ross Presents Servant Leadership Findings—Dr. Donovan Ross presented the conclusions and recommendations of his doctoral research (AU) entitled, “Perceptions of the Evidence of a Servant Leadership Culture in the P-12 School System of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.” Dr. Ross, who is a member of the CU Curriculum Committee and the Best Practices Commission, provided information that the CUOE feels might be helpful for CU educators to know and access. (Dr. Ross is a graduate of Andrews University and currently an administrator/teacher at Spring Valley Academy) **Save file to computer first, then open in Powerpoint to unzip.**
Effective School Boards (complement to the new board manual)—This PowerPoint presentation is provided for those superintendents, principals, and school board chairs that wish to use it as a continuing education presentation to school board members. While not substantially reflecting specific content of the new school board manual, this presentation complements it with other well-established principles of effective governance. If used together with the new 2008 school board manual (Look under Resources on this web-site), school board members should gain a broader understanding of their roles and responsibilities and those of the board as a whole.
Rehabilitation Plans for Marginal Teachers: Developing and Implementing Plans and Strategies—This presentation has been provided to groups of superintendents, elementary and academy principals in seminar form for a variety of conferences in several unions. Helping young teachers and/or those who find classroom instruction highly challenging is an important responsibility of superintendents and site-based administrators. Among the items addressed are (1) How Teacher Achievement Affects Student Achievement, (2) Rehabilitation Planning (3) What the Principal/Teacher Must Bring to the Process, (4) the Team Performance Curve, (5) Change: Why it is Resisted by Teachers, (6) When RP’s Should be Considered, (7) Areas of Focus for RP’s (8) Six Areas of the RP: a) Teacher as a Person, b) Classroom Management and Organization, c) Implementing Instruction, d) Organizing and Orienting for Instruction, e) Monitoring Student Progress and Potential, f) Professionalism, and (9) When to “De-hire.”
State of the Union: Report to CUBOE (Fall 2009)—In 36 slides, the Columbia Union Office of Education presented a variety of items to the members of the K-16 Board of Education. Among the items: (1) 5-year enrollment trends for PreK-Gr. 8 amd Grs. 9-12; (2) 2008/9 - 2009/10 Opening Enrollment Comparisons, re: elementary, senior academy, and total Pre-k-Gr. 12 enrollment data; (3) Significant happenings in the Columbia Union K-12 Education arena: (4) Significant happenings at Washington Adventist University and Kettering College of Medical Arts; (5) New personnel, re: K-12 including new academy principals, superintendents, and associate superintendents; and (6) Items of interest in education , K-16 public and private. Check it out!
State of the Union: Education (Spring 2010)—Spring meetings of the K-16 Columbia Union Board of Education normally provide the CUOE the opportunity to briefly update CUBOE members of bulleted information, re: personnel changes, enrollment patterns, program planning, etc. This PowerPoint presentation provides a synopsis of the report rendered to the board members at the most recent meeting of the CUBOE. (March 16, 2010)
Think Like Jesus: Make the Right Decision Every Time (George Barna)—This presentation, from Barna’s landmark study, was provided to a select group of educational leaders commissioned to work on remodeling/restructuring schools and exploring new school models. Slides include and explore matters, re: Developing a World-View; Born-Again Christians; “How Did Jesus Think Like Jesus;” How are We to Think Like Jesus; The Costs & Benefits of Thinking Like Jesus, etc. Presentation notes are also provided for some slides.
Valuegenesis 2: A Study of Two Generations—This presentation was made to the educators of Allegheny East Conference at their teachers convention in 2004. The information included in the presentation is from the work of La Sierra University/Dr. Bailey Gillespie, re: education and the integration of faith and learning, and George Barna. Slides include: EGW Quotes, Reasons to Rejoice, Adventist Standards, At-Risk Behaviors, Attitudes towards Families, What Influences our Youth (Barna), Attitudes towards Schools, etc.
Virtues in Adventist Education: Aspirations for the 21st Century (Creating the Climate in Adventist Schools)—This presentation has been used for half-day seminars to principals and teachers in the Columbia Union and elsewhere. The foundational principle of spirituality drives the seminar and is highlighted as essential to every SDA school. Among the items addressed are (1) basic strategies, (2) “teachable moments,” (3) emotional intelligence, (4) the “language” of virtues, (5) spirituality, (6) the “spiritual” dimensions of virtues, (7) seven basic principles of education, (8) “Heart Start,” and (9) making choices. Adventist schools must remain distinctively spiritual, true to their calling to prepare our young people for the Lord’s return and service to their fellow man.