Educator Guide: Abraham Lincoln Leadership Case Study

Transcription

1 Educatr Guide: Abraham Lincln Leadership Case Study

2 Abraham Lincln Leadership Case Study Educatr Guide Overview: Students will explre the characteristics f leadership thrugh a 90 minute study f Abraham Lincln. The first 45 minutes will feature an educatr facilitated presentatin n Abraham Lincln. The secnd 45 minutes will feature a cllabrative exercise at the student level. Envisin Platfrm & Natinal Standards Alignment: CCSS ELA Alignment Middle Schl Anchr: SL High Schl Anchr: SL C3 Framewrk fr Scial Studies State Standards Alignment Middle Schl: D2.Civ ; D2.His High Schl: D2.Civ ; D2.His Envisin Educatin Platfrm Dimensin 1: Cre Skills Standard 1D, Critical Thinking Dimensin 3: Behavirs & Practices Standard 3D, Leadership and Respnsibility Expected Outcmes & Desired Results: 1. Students will gain a greater appreciatin fr the figure f Abraham Lincln. 2. Students will recgnize that leaders are nt brn, but are carefully and methdically prduced. 3. Students will analyze the central characteristics f Abraham Lincln s leadership style with a fcus n persnal respnsibility, attitude, cnflict reslutin, and teambuilding. 4. Students will attempt t directly relate Abraham Lincln s leadership characteristics t their lives by analyzing varying respnses t cnflict. 5. Students will understand that failure, if prperly understd, is very ften the means t success. Facilitating the Presentatin: Overview/Intrductin Talking Pints: a. Fr mst f human histry, there have nt been leadership cnferences. Generally, yu studied the lives f past leaders, bth gd and bad. Indeed, the Greeks and the Rmans perfected this art f leadership case study as the writings f Suetnius and Plutarch illustrate. b. These studies were interested in thse universal human qualities r character traits that individuals practiced that led t bth their significance and success. Slide 2 Objective: Students embrace/understand Lincln s mst imprtant philsphical apprach t leadership namely, failure is ften the rt f success a. Talking Pint: Allw 3-4 students t explain hw failure in their wn lives ften leads t success (i.e. sprts, academics, etc.) Slide 3 Objective: Students will be impressed by the accmplishments/successes f AL a. Talking Pint: Begin by asking the students What made AL great? r ask them t define greatness/success b. Additinal talking pints include: i. In a recent Presidential ranking by American Histry Prfessrs, Lincln was labeled as the greatest American President

3 ii. Lincln is the nly U.S. President t be awarded a patent (a device t lift bats ver shals that was never manufactured) iii. Lincln was ne f the leading thinkers leading twards the eventual ablitin f slavery (thugh it wuld be wrng t label him an ablitinist in his early years thugh he appears t have always been mrally ppsed t the institutin) iv. He was knwn fr his mental tughness, self-cnfidence, self-restraint and teambuilding/netwrking skills v. He was a shrewd plitician and years ahead f his time in terms f teambuilding, calitin building and netwrking Slide 4 Objective: Students will understand that AL was nt an accidental r expected leader; he practively prepared himself fr leadership. a. Talking pint: Ask the students, What if yur family was s pr that yu immediately had t wrk and culd never attend schl? What are yur prspects? b. Ensure that students are wndering/asking, Hw did Lincln achieve s much? Why was he able t emerge as perhaps the mst significant leader f the United States in spite f all f his rad blcks? c. These questins need t be directly tied t the answers f the next few slides, namely, persnal respnsibility, attitude, cnflict reslutin and teambuilding. Slide 5 Objective: Students will understand that the fundatin f Lincln s leadership style was his willingness t take persnal respnsibility. a. Talking Pint: What des it mean t take persnal respnsibility? b. AL knew that t be truly great, yu must first be truly gd. Slide 6 Objective: Students will understand that attitude was central t AL s preparatin fr and ultimate executin f leadership. a. Lincln s life was fraught with hardship, and he endured many buts with depressin b. Tw f his fur sns preceded him in death c. Bth f his siblings died befre he was 18 d. His father ften abused him e. His mther died when Lincln was 9 f. He had n frmal educatin and was raised in pverty g. His wife had cnstant emtinal struggles and depths f depressin appraching insanity due t the death f their sns h. It is claimed that Lincln nce nted that Peple are abut as happy as they chse t be. Slide 7 Objective: Students will understand that cnflict reslutin fr AL, meant the ability t recgnize cnflict (acknwledge the current status qu), wn that cnflict ( I destry/i make ) and then change the perceptins f that cnflict (transitin frm enemy t friend). a. Lincln did nt attempt t escape frm cnflict r attack thse ppsed t him b. Lincln built bridges rather than barriers c. Talking Pint: What is the difference between a bridge and a barrier? Slide 8 Objective: Students will understand that Lincln was largely successful in saving the unin because f the team that he assembled. a. Fllwing the nminatin f Lincln fr President by the Republican Party, every ther candidate agreed that the party had selected the wrng individual

4 b. The cnduct f the Republican Party in this nminatin is a remarkable indicatin f small intellect grwing smaller. They pass ver statesmen and able men, and they take up a furth rate lecturer, wh cannt speak gd grammar. (The New Yrk Herald n the nminatin f Lincln fr President, May 19, 1860) Slide 9 Objective: Students will review the fur central leadership characteristics practiced by AL a. Picture is a silver print frm the 1860 s shwing the Apthesis f Lincln (i.e. becming divine); authr unknwn Slide 10 Objective: Students are directed t think abut AL s life f leadership in terms f the relatinship between failure and success a. Stress that Lincln prbably experienced mre adversity, mre failure and mre hardship than prbably any ther U.S. President and prbably mre than the average American b. Lincln was able t use his failure as fundatin fr success; ultimately, he realized this success thrugh his ability t build teams f supprt Facilitating the Small Grup Wrkshp: Break up students int grups f three r fur individuals and distribute the wrksheet, using the fllwing guidelines t frame and debrief the cnversatins. Questin 1: Respnses t Cnflict Begin by discussing hw Hllywd mvies and TV shws generally prtray cnflict reslutin strategies (Harry Ptter, 24, American Idl). Intrduce students t the attack and the escape respnse. Attack Respnse: Usage f pwer t quickly extinguish cnflict Escape Respnse: Used t avid r ignre cnflict Students shuld begin t cmplete the grid and list ways that they have seen the attack and escape respnse manifested. Items that yu want t encurage discussin f include Attack Examples: Verbal (slander/libel), physical (actual fighting), bullying/intimidatin, destructin f prperty, etc. Escape Examples: Denial f cnflict, quitting, and nt accepting blame, stating/assuming that yu are pwerless, etc. After students cmplete their grids, discuss the detrimental results f the attack and escape respnses. Ask them, Hw might the Civil War and American Histry turned ut differently if Lincln had attacked all plitical ppnents rather than attempting t win them t his side r simply tried t deny the reality f the situatin by failing t make a stand n anything with the Suthern States? Questin 2: Building Bridges r Barriers Talking Pint: Is it dd t think f Lincln as a bridge builder when he was the President wh presided ver the Civil War? Refer t Lincln s reasns fr the rigin f the Civil War in his Secnd Inaugural Address On the ccasin crrespnding t this [Lincln s First Inaugural Address] fur years ag all thughts were anxiusly directed t an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sught t avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered frm this place, devted altgether t saving the Unin withut war, urgent agents were in the city seeking t destry it withut war seeking t disslve the Unin and divide effects by negtiatin. Bth parties deprecated war, but ne f them

5 wuld make war rather than let the natin survive, and the ther wuld accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came. Discuss steps like Cnflict Recgnitin, Cnflict Analysis with a fcus n the rles f respect and cmmunicatin. Lincln was ultimately able t build bridges because he was self-aware and understd his wn strengths and weakness. Questin 3: Why Lincln? Get the students talking abut destiny and the rle f prspects? Why shuld we have expected Lincln t nt emerge as a great leader? Be sure that students are stressing hw Lincln essentially cntrlled his wn destiny as much as pssible.