Sunday, May 15, 2011
GROUP 2 DISCUSSION 1 (discussion closes May 22nd at midnight)
Let me go out on a limb here... using the role of professor as a specific instance of leadership, discuss how a professor’s perceptual set, expectations of students, and attributions may affect student motivation and performance. Do you think some professors could become more effective by becoming more aware of these processes? Would that be true for leaders in general?
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Sometimes the higher the expectations of the professor, the student will stretch themselves and bring more to the table. In turn the Professor's awareness of the student's expectations can help them to meet each other on the same page. The thing is that this effort also needs to be recognized much the same as the recognition that one needs to receive from any leader.
ReplyDeleteSo, considering the fact that perceptual sets can influence any of our senses, and that prior experiences, feelings and expectations all trigger perceptual sets, it would be quite easy for a professor (or any leader) to come to a wrong conclusion about why a student is not performing well. It is often difficult to take the time to reflect on situations, when they happen, but if professors were able to take that time to get to know their students, they may determine that their experiences and lifestyle are not even close to what the professor's may be. For example, a professor may not understand a learning disability that a student is embarrassed to disclose to him/her, and is casuing them to perform poorly (never experienced this themselves). By understanding the issue and through coaching, this student's confidence could improve and their motivation and performance might in turn improve.
ReplyDeleteIn one of my last courses, each of the students had to read a short piece of literature, a poem or words to a song that meant something to them. The point of the exercise was to develop better phrasing when doing a presentation for a group. One of the students was VERY shy, and made little eye contact with the audience (the class), had poor body language, and was beet red the whole time. It was so distracting for the class that the students’ words were lost on us. The professor did an interesting thing. He had the student repeat some of the presentation and asked us to close our eyes. To our amazement, the student was actually quite good. I think this illustrates the perceptual set that each of allows to influence our senses. The students were selective in what they attended to and as a result, almost missed an opportunity to really appreciate what the student had to present.
ReplyDeleteI not only think professors can become more effective by becoming more aware of perceptual sets, expectation and attributions of students, but all persons can benefit from these skills. On page 20 of the text the vignette gives a student’s perspective on both leadership and followership. The author suggests that “outstanding learning (which is why we are all here) is the result of a collaborative experience between the formal leader (the professor) and the followers (the students)”. The suggestion is made that the “learning experience is enhanced by the degree to which there is effective student participation, which requires both good leadership and good followership”. In other words professors can become more effective by becoming more aware of these processes, but it is not necessarily their job alone. I think good professors and leaders are good students who take cues from their environment and translate that into higher levels of motivation and performance.
So sometimes you become what others expect of you. Even though our perceptual sets will affect our interactions as leaders, being aware of this can definitely make us more effective. I know that in my experience in business it is always helpful to meet employees and clients where they are. We must learn to be intuitive and be able to determine what type of social style we need to use to accomplish this. I don't think that this skill should be lost on professors either. Being able to be successful in the classroom may involve them being able to do this or maybe this is difficult to do in the context of a student and professor relationship?
ReplyDeleteI like what Cathy says about ‘meeting people where they are’. Certainly Chapter 3 in our text confirms this notion when a leader is new to a firm. Meeting people where they are allows one to take cues from a person’s environment, and helps one to understand people better. Certainly an employee, or a student for that matter, can feel motivated simply by being acknowledged by a leader or professor. Followers feel valued by leaders who take a genuine interest in them as a person.
ReplyDeleteInteresting... the "self-fulfilling prophecy" played out in a positive way. You've all more or less agreed that awareness is important on the part of the professor - any thoughts as to how this might be achieved? The "academic industry" tends to be incredibly individualistic - professors tend to be "lone wolves" who work in relative isolation, and who (personal opinion here :o) learn via the peer-review process to be critical (which at its worst results in poor social behaviours in the classroom). How can professors develop an awareness of their own (and their follower's) perceptions?
ReplyDeleteCertainly, as a manager myself, perception is sometimes a big barrier and it certainly does affect the way my employees perform. It is very easy to allow perceptions and biases affect the way I act towards lower performers. I am sure this is a struggle with most leaders, including professors. It certainly makes sense that proper reflection on a situation would help overcome such biases. Setting expectations, however, can definately give employees/students goals to strive for, which is very motivating, if the expectations are attainable.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great question Rob. One might ask, “Is the professor a leader or is he leading just because he is the professor?” One might also ask, “If a professor only feels validated by his peers, is he a leader? After all, isn’t there an intrinsic nature to leadership?” Anyway, not to wax philosophical here!
ReplyDeleteThere is a play entitled Wit, by Nobel winning author Margaret Edson. The main character is a literature professor (the very worst kind of professor…wouldn’t you agree!) and she has a very specific scholarly knowledge. Throughout her career, she has attempted to teach her students the very essence of the poetry of John Donne. Her standards are impossibly high, and the students who take her course do so only because it looks good on their transcript. In any case, the main character, Vivian, finds out that she has stage four ovarian cancer, and death is imminent. It is only after this catharsis that she begins to reflect on her life as a teacher and leader.
The question was posed as to how a professor can develop an awareness of their own and their followers’ perceptions. The answer I think is in the model of double loop learning which entails confronting ones views and asking others for theirs as well. Double loop learning involves relationships and communication. Professors would ask for follower perceptions, which would then shape and inform their own.
Vivian, from the play Wit, only thought deeply about her students and her teaching when faced with death (a final reflection). I think what this says is that reflecting on ones perceptions is VERY hard work. Some professors may find it important to develop an awareness of their own perceptions and some may never attempt it at all. In the end, it is an individual decision.
The text mentioned a few ways how awareness could be achieved. I believe it is part of the reflection phase of AOR. Reflection allows a leader (professor in this case)to look at situations from multiple perspectives and can also lead to self awareness. Becoming aware of your perceptions can tremendously help set expectations for students as many classmates have already determined.
ReplyDeleteThe text also mentioned the double-loop learning which could be part of reflection. I think that if a professor is open for feedback, especially from their followers, they could learn how their perceptions directly affect followers. Double-loop learning could also let the professor explore some apparent perceptions they were not completely aware of.
Feedback is the key Rob. Professors, if they are not receiving any form of coaching themselves, need to ask for and be open to the evaluations that can come from their students. I find it very interesting that in the academic world this seems to somehow escape the decision makers. If I was in a position in the business world and was receiving negative feedback or the person that I report to was receiving negative comments about me, I would have a hard time holding on to my job. This, of course, as all of us have seen is basically unheard of in academia. I do think that openly seeking the feedback would be the only way to keep yourself in check in the role of a professor.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the professor evaluations at the end of each semester is an excellent way to get feedback from students. However, I wonder if each student is completely honest, or if they are just rushing to get out of class and vaguely write something down. Also, there is really no prompt on the evaluations to guide students into talking about a prof's expectations and perceptions.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, there are other ways to get valuable feedback. Within the first week of classes the professor and students can have an open conversation about expectations and the perceptions each party has about one another. This way the prof and students understand one another from the beginning. Having an open door policy for students is another way to gain feedback about a prof's perceptions.
It is true that not every student and professor will have matching expectations or perceptions, but being able to identify this is key. If the prof is aware then they can adapt to each student's expectations in a way that reaches everyone's needs. Which will then be evaluated and monitored through a feedback form/discussion/survey etc.
I believe that leaders can be more effective if they are aware of their own, and their follower’s tendencies. This applies not only to teachers, but to leaders in general..
ReplyDeleteAs it says in the text book, each leadership-follower experience is shaped by the perceptions of both parties involved. Although most human beings share certain similarities and needs, we are still a very diverse species. As such, some people are naturally prone to following, while some people reject following by their very nature.
Although a certain leadership style may appeal to many personality types, it may alienate others. Therefore, if a teacher is unaware of a student’s tendencies (Attributions), then they are dependant on luck in order to be effective. Rather than relying on luck, a leader should learn who their followers are and what works for them in order to be effective.
If a teacher sets expectations too high or too low, or if the student perceives the teacher as biased (perceptual set), then they may perceive themselves as disadvantaged and under perform. (They may also over perform and burn themselves out)
Not being aware of your follower’s tendencies (attributions), not being aware of your own biases (perceptual set), or not properly communicating your expectations of a student may result in the student rejecting your leadership. Based on my own observation, the reason for this is simple - people tend to resist following a leader who (they perceive) does not understand them.
In order to become aware of their own biases, a leader may try to evoke some feedback through feedback forms and surveys. Also, a teacher or leader may designate an objective third party to observe the leader’s behavior and make notes on their behalf. Many times, an outsider can observe dynamics which both the leader and the follower may miss.
THIS DISCUSSION IS CLOSED - Thanks everyone!
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