MONTANA TSA

TSA’s Middle School and High School Leadership Lessons were developed for the purpose of enhancing the learning of chapter members as they participate in the many competitive events offered through TSA’s competitive event program. The leadership lessons are specifically designed to provide a better understanding of the core leadership skills learned through participating in the competitions.

 

The leadership lessons correlate to the ten core leadership skills found in TSA competitions as defined by the ITEEA’s Standards for Technological Literacy publication. These skills are: communication, creative thinking, critical thinking, decision making, ethics, evaluation, organization, problem solving, self esteem, and teamwork.

 

Each lesson describes the objective, the time the lesson will take, the materials needed, the activity itself, and processing or follow up to use after the lesson is complete. The lessons allow the opportunity for each TSA advisor to integrate timely technological curriculum concepts into the learning and maintain the advisor’s unique teaching styles. The Leadership Lessons component of the TOTAL TSA CD is a resource given to all chapters at the time of affiliation.  Below are two high school and two middle school sample leadership lessons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

National TSA recognizes the importance of all TSA members acquiring leadership skills. By learning and practicing leadership skills, young people are empowered to succeed not only in school, but in their careers and in life.

 

Based on Standards for Technology Literacy, a publication of the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA/ITEA), TSA has identified core leadership skills (see the sidebar) that students may use/learn when they participate in TSA's competitive events program. In the 2016 & 2017 middle school guide, three primary leadership skills with suggested activities, are noted for each competition. A glossary of core leadership skills and a sample leadership activity follow.

 

TSA believes that acquiring leadership skills is critical to the success of young people in the 21st century. The middle school leadership activities (found in Total TSA) present TSA advisors with a venue for teaching, and students an opportunity to practice these all-important skills.

 

GLOSSARY OF LEADERSHIP SKILLS

The following leadership skills are defined in the Technology Content Standards of the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA/ITEA) publication, Standards for Technological Literacy, Content for the Study of Technology.

 

Communication – the successful transmission of information through a common system of symbols, signs, behavior, speech, writing, or signals

 

Creative thinking – the ability or power used to produce original thoughts and ideas based upon reasoning and judgment

 

Critical thinking – the ability to acquire information, analyze and evaluate it, and reach a conclusion or answer by using logic and reasoning skills

 

Decision making – the act of examining several possible behaviors and selecting from them the one most likely to accomplish the individual’s or group’s intention; cognitive processes such as reasoning, planning, and judgment are involved

 

Ethics – the adherence to an established set of principles or accepted professional standards of conduct

 

Evaluation – the collection and processing of information and data in order to determine how well a design meets the requirements and to provide direction for improvements; a process used to analyze, evaluate, and appraise a student’s achievement, growth, and performance through the use of formal and informal techniques; cognitive

 

Organization – the act or process of organizing or being organized; good organization will not only ensure success of a program, but without it, the success can be limited or fail to materialize at all

 

Problem solving – the process of understanding a problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, and evaluating the plan in order to solve a problem or meet a need or want

 

Self-esteem – confidence and satisfaction in oneself; trusting one’s ability and instincts

 

Teamwork – the process that allows individuals to pool their strengths in order to arrive at better solutions to problems, with all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole