Understanding, defining and developing the dimensions of the DARE+ Competences

Targeted competences:

Leadership

Connection to programme competences or aims:

Output 4_Design+ implementation IP

Output 7_Design of Methodology

Learning outcomes for the session

At the end of this session trainers will be able to:

• Select and adapt at least two training activities in context and with a view to the audience
• Organize and implement activities to develop the competence of leadership
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the session

Pre-requisite learning/competence

Achievement of learning outcomes in Session 2

Resources

• Dare+ rubrics for competence of leadership
• Laptop and projector, access to academic literature on leadership

Session duration

4 hours

Number of participants

10-15

Session description [structure, parts, activities]

1. Introduction to the session and presentation of the expected learning outcomes
2. Developing leadership through educational games: participants are invited to use the educational software Vleader, in order to familiarize with it (the simulator will be used during local activities with students) and to increase awareness of own leadership behavior and their connection with leadership styles. The activity will be developed in 2 phases:

- Individual trials with Vleader (Simulearn, 2007) different online scenarios using laptops. Each scenario simulates a meeting in which the learner/player is a new employee who navigates interactions with virtual employees, colleagues, and supervisors; each scenario provides tasks aimed at resolving situations with appropriate use of leadership

- Each participant receives feedback at the end of each scenario, both in terms of business results achieved and in terms of leadership/climate results of the meeting of his/her own performance (results are calculated by the software depending on the behavior acted by the learner in all situations proposed, interpreted according to the framework of Leadership styles (Burns, 1978)

3. Feedback and reflection on the Vleader exercise. Participants are reflecting on two elements: results achieved in each scenario and leadership styles developed and interpreted within each trial.
4. Comparison of different results and leadership styles: Participants in pairs discuss different strategies used to resolve virtual situations, identify similarities and differences and reflect on causes and consequences. They reflect on leadership scores, understanding the principles of power, tension, ideas (the social system), to recognizing and influencing what is happening in a leadership situation.
5. Small group activity: summarising lessons learned from the two activities and possible implementation in trainers’ local contexts.
6. Evaluate the session using the “Barometer”: Participants are asked to move around the room. The trainer then tells the participants that one side of the room is “total agreement” and the other is “total disagreement”. Then the participants choose a position according to their opinion and justify the position with a brief explanation.

Mode of evaluation

15 min focus group discussion on achievement of learning outcomes