Friday, March 20, 2020

Everything You Need to Know About the Word Century

Everything You Need to Know About the Word Century Everything You Need to Know about the Word â€Å"Century† Back in Ancient Rome, the Latin word centuria meant â€Å"group of one hundred.† It was applied to everything from agricultural land division to soldiery (hence â€Å"centurions†). But nowadays, â€Å"century† has a more specific meaning: a period of one hundred years. Here, we will focus on this last meaning, as this term is common in many academic disciplines. As such, when discussing past events, it’s important to know how to use it correctly. Century in Words and Numbers Centuries can be written out either with words (â€Å"nineteenth century†) or numerals (â€Å"19th century†). In academic writing, however, it’s usually better to use the full version: Communication changed hugely in the twentieth century. – Correct Communication changed hugely in the 20th century. – Incorrect It’s always worth checking your style guide, though, as some conventions differ. Associated Press, for example, recommends using figures when referring to any century after the tenth. Fin de Sià ¨cle A common mistake when writing about the past is to conflate the numerical version of a year with the century in which it falls. In actuality, the number applies to all years up to the end of a century, not the first two digits of the year in figures. The seventeenth century, for instance, began on January 1, 1601 and ended on December 31, 1700. As such, when referring to the year 1618, it’s important to remember that it was part of the seventeenth century, rather than the sixteenth: Beginning in 1618, the Thirty Years’ War left a scar on the seventeenth century. – Correct Beginning in 1618, the Thirty Years’ War left a scar on the sixteenth century. – Incorrect To avoid this mistake, keep in mind that the number refers to the end of the century (e.g. 1800 or 1900) and covers the preceding hundred years. To Capitalize or Not? It’s not uncommon for people to capitalize centuries: e.g., â€Å"Fourteenth Century† rather than â€Å"fourteenth century.† However, this is incorrect, since â€Å"century† is a measure of time, like â€Å"week† or â€Å"month,† not a proper noun. When to Hyphenate The final thing to remember with centuries is when to hyphenate. The rule here is the same as when using hyphens elsewhere, so it depends on whether you’re using the term adjectivally. For example, if you’re describing a digital wrist watch, you might describe it as â€Å"twentieth-century technology.† Here, the century is hyphenated because it is being used as a compound adjective modifying the word â€Å"technology.†

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Educational leadership styles Which one fits you

Educational leadership styles Which one fits you If you’re looking to take your career in education to the next level, part of that means understanding what kind of leadership skills you have- and how you’d apply those in your job. Because educators are already a pretty diverse crowd, it should be no surprise that leadership styles can vary pretty widely too. So let’s look at the main types of educational leaders. The AuthoritarianThis sounds severe, but the authoritative leader is the one who is able to set a clear direction or implement a new vision. This means the leader is a decision-maker, often the final say. The authoritative leader is often the cheerleader-in-chief, motivating a team (or multiple teams) toward a single goal. The authoritative leader is a confident, strong voice, and comfortable making decisions. If you feel more comfortable giving orders than taking them taking them, then this might be your style.Pro: Things get done how you want them done.Con: Team members may have trouble connecting t o this kind of leader, since they’re less engaged in the decision-making process.The Team BuilderThis kind of leader, also known as an affiliative leader, focuses on building, maintaining, and repairing relationships. The affiliative leader’s priority is on harmony and collective productivity. This type of leader typically strives to get input from others and have good relationships with everyone on the team, rather than hand down assignments.Pro: Team members feel valued and connected.Con: Poor performance is sometimes ignored in favor of maintaining larger group harmony.The PoliticianThis kind of leader, also known as the democratic leadership type, works on consensus. This leader has the final say, but relies on having other stakeholders weigh in as well. The diverse perspectives can foster creativity and innovation, because everyone is able to give input and share their points of view.Pro: Team members feel more engaged because they have a say in the process.Con: D ecisions may not happen quickly if you’re waiting for mass buy-in.The CoachThe coaching-focused leader prioritizes team development over immediate achievement. Meeting goals is about the process, and providing feedback and instruction to make sure that members of the team are able to succeed in the project at hand, or on a more long-term basis. It’s also a natural leadership style for many teachers, who are already accustomed to nurturing talent to hit milestones. In this role, the coaching leader often delegates tasks and responsibility to help team members understand and learn in a hands-on way.Pro: This is a very forward-thinking leadership style, and encourages team members to set and achieve their own goals.Con: It can be time-consuming to incorporate feedback and ongoing training. Also, if team members are resistant to learning, that can also slow overall progress.The VisionaryThe visionary leader is focused on innovating and improving outcomes. For these leaders , the status quo is less important than setting goals and improving how students learn, how teachers work in the classroom, etc. The visionary leader typically spends a lot of time brainstorming and engaging others in common goals.Pro: Employees feel empowered to find new ways to accomplish goals.Con: Sometimes focusing on the big picture can lead to neglect of the everyday, or less interesting tasks at hand.There is no one-size-fits-all leadership style for an educator, or even a school. So depending on your personality and your goals, it may be that one of these suits you really well- and others not at all. Whatever your leadership style is, it’s important to nurture those qualities and find leadership opportunities that work for you.