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Rating: 
Summary: Leadership for the Emerging Age
Review: (C) 2004
Leadership for the Emerging age is about the emergence of leadership for adult educators. Program planners are being asked to learn new approaches to getting through to adult learners. Apps concludes we must include overlooked audiences, provide learning environments with both the traditional and distance types of learning, and provide a program, which exceeds standards and quality of the past. These changes are occurring everyday and the changes are created after a pattern of time. Therefore, the current and new leaders who are also called program planners must create a present type of teaching and foster an inventive learning for adult education. "The Purpose of this book is to:
~Examine the characteristics of this new era we are experiencing and its implications for adult learning.
~To explore the dimensions of a leadership approach that fits the times.
~To provide a series of practical suggestions for people who want to become leaders in the emerging age. This book is written for any program planners or leaders in adult education, those who are interested in learning how to become a leader, and those graduate students who are studying about adult and continuing education."
The chapters of the book are based around the definitions of the emerging age and leadership.
1- Adult education from traditions in churches, military, and in corporations.
2-New perspectives referred to as the "emerging age."
3- Historical perspectives on leadership; myths; leadership.
4-Writing personal philosophy in leadership.
5-Beliefs and values - philosophy in leadership.
6-Characteristics for leaders in a transition period.
7- Creating a common Vision/Mission statement.
8-Gender differences in leadership.
9-Changing times for teachers and learners.
10-Personal learning plan using a journal and reflection.
11-Making a transformation.
12- Operating planning programs. As the author explains ways to create leadership in the emerging age, visions and structures which were outdated must now be expanded. Even though the author wrote this book in 1994, we are still in a transition into the emerging age. The author has proven throughout this book that program planning in adult education is a continuing process as we enter the emerging age. It is evident according to Apps that we can adapt to changes to ensure future success in our approach to planning.
As a future program planner, I realize how important it is to create a vision and mission statement which remains constant into the emerging age. There are differing methods of creating a vision statement and philosophy for our educational setting. We added to and amended our philosophy to track the varying needs. We faced a challenge of creating a new philosophy to fit all of the participants needs.
What are the essentials for participants in a program planning model? One of the principals stated by Apps is how important flexibility is when offering a distance course. Participants want courses offered at a distance using computers because of the flexibility it offers which Cafferella confirms. As a program planner, flexibility is a top priority. Another important principal is overcoming the myths of the program planning process.
These myths must be confronted before one can participate in an adult education. Cafferella also confirms that one must overcome myths and accept truth based in reality.
Additionally, a participant must have the skills to adapt to the learning community. Therefore, this must include communication, human relation, critical thinking, perception, sense of time, reflection, abstraction and learning skills. Once participants become accustomed to these skills, they will be able to create their own personal philosophy for the emerging age. The person who does not create a personal philosophy will not have direction for instruction. Cafferella enlightens us as to how important it is to have a proper vision statement, philosophy, and skills to thrive in adult education. On page 65, Apps includes a diagram (fig 4.1) that explains an approach for developing a philosophy of personal leadership. It resembles the program planning model used by Cafferella.
Apps writes, "A leader for the emerging age is a teacher but not just a traditional giver of information, although that is part of the role. The leader as teacher is a counselor, a supporter, an encourager, a modeler, a challenger and a questioner. The leader as teacher helps people learn how to work together in groups, support each other and learn from one another. In these situations, the leader becomes a manager of learning, assisting the learning groups in finding resources and carrying the results of learning from one group to other groups in organization. The leader respects indigenous knowledge, embraces it, and passes it on to others. For the leader, knowledge takes many forms. It comes from reflecting on experience, it comes from experience of the past, it comes from research and scholarship, it comes from moments of solitude."
Reflecting on this paragraph highlights that a teacher is also a leader in the emerging age. A person involved in program planning, should include this book as a resource to enhance learning in an adult and continuing education. It serves as a guide for creating a program planning process. It shows us we should reflect on ourselves to inspire participants with the realization that leaders are lifelong learners who encourage others to do the same. Whether you are a teacher or a leader in another field, you must adapt to the changes coming our way in the emerging age which is the primary theme of Apps book.
Rating:
Summary: Planning and Leadership
Review: Leadership for the Emerging Age is an excellent book about educational leadership and leaders. Each chapter discusses different aspects or ideas about leadership. The chapters build on each other as the reader walks through the steps to find the leader in themselves.
Traditional ideas about leadership are discussed in relation to how these ideas have changed. Change appears to be the constant force in this book. It is interesting that Apps points out one of the aspects of a good leader know oneself to be able to handle change. The one constant is the leader among all the change.
I found this book to succeed in the author's intentions. The layout of the book makes logical sense. It takes the reader from the beginning of the development stage to the transformation and application of new leadership abilities. It is easy to read. The language used by the author is easily understood and excellent examples are provided to give the reader an even clearer understanding. Apps make leadership and the development of these qualities easy to understand for those with an education background and those without.
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