Leadership, Education, and Training (LET 4)

JROTC is designed to teach high school students the value of citizenship, leadership, service to the community, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment, while instilling in them self-esteem, teamwork, and self-discipline. Its focus is reflected in its mission statement, “To motivate young people to be better citizens.” It prepares high school students for responsible leadership roles while making them aware of their rights, responsibilities, and privileges as American citizens. The program is a stimulus for promoting graduation from high school, and it provides instruction and rewarding opportunities that will benefit the student, community, and nation.

Unit 1: Citizenship in Action: The Department of Defense

The executive department responsible for the nation’s defense forces is the Department of Defense. It was created in 1947, when Congress combined the former Navy and War departments into a National Military Establishment, an executive department headed by a secretary of defense. In this learning plan you will explore the structure and function of the United States Department of Defense.

The Active Army

The U.S. Army dates back to June 1775. On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress adopted the Continental Army when it appointed a committee to “draft the rules and regulations for the government of the Army.” This authorization marks the birthday of the U.S. Army, the oldest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. The fundamental mission of the U.S. Army is to deter war and to win in combat. However, there is much more to the Army than accomplishing that mission. In fact, the Army spends most of its time involved in peacetime activities. In this learning plan you will explore the role of the Active Army in accomplishing the mission of the U.S. Army.

The Army Reserve Components

The reserve components of the U.S. Army consist of the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. The main purpose of these components is to provide trained units and qualified personnel to be available for active duty in time of war, national emergency, or at other times as dictated by national security requirements. In this learning plan you will explore the role and structure of the reserve components of the U.S. Army.

Unit 2: Leadership Theory and Application: Power Bases and Influence

Leaders can often experience confusion as they use power and influence. If they provide too little influence, their followers will drift aimlessly. If they show too much power, the followers will shut down. In this learning plan you will examine the bases of power and how to use power effectively. You will also explore four ways to influence others.

Styles of Leadership

To command respect and obedience as a leader, you must be prepared to lead. Your actions and attitudes set the example for others to follow. You must be ready for any type of situation that may occur. Your style of leadership can mean the difference between success or failure of a mission. In this learning plan you will examine three basic leadership styles. You will also work towards developing a style that works for you as you move through the ranks in Army JROTC.

Management Skills

Good management is an essential tool of leaders as they perform their duties. Skillful use of basic management principles is seldom an accident. It is the result of clear purpose, earnest effort, and intelligence. In this learning plan you will explore ways to lead and manage activities.

Communication

It’s not what you say but what you do. This highlights the philosophy that actions speak louder than words. As a leader, others will watch what you say and do. In this learning plan you will review the communication process and examine ways to reduce communication barriers. You will also practice strategies for effective communications as a leader.

Motivation

Leaders spend a great deal of time and effort studying the technical aspects of their jobs. To lead effectively, they must know what motivates others. Leaders who care about their subordinates and are thoughtful of their needs are more able to influence them to meet unit goals. In this learning plan you will examine strategies that will help you influence others.

Unit 3 Foundations for Success Credit: Buy Now, Pay Later

Think of a time you borrowed money from a friend or family member. Were you able to build a good borrowing reputation by promptly repaying the money? Were the terms to repay the money fair? When you are in a situation when you need to make a large purchase such as a car, you might need to borrow money from a bank or other financial business. To use this type of credit wisely and avoid problems, you need to know what is involved. In this learning plan you will explore ways to use credit. You will also consider your rights and responsibilities of using credit.

Insurance:Your Protection

Have you ever been injured, in an accident, or had property damaged? Chances are, someone had to pay for those unexpected medical bills or costs for repairs. People use insurance as a way to protect themselves from unexpected losses. In this learning plan you will explore how different types of insurance protect you from losses. You will also uncover strategies to handle financial risk and ways to lower insurance costs.

Preparing to Teach

Being an instructor, or an assistant instructor, will be a challenging experience for you. It is for anyone - even experienced teachers. Instructing may also be a little frightening. The key to being an effective instructor is to make sure that you are well prepared. Plan your lesson carefully, review the material you will need to present, and make sure that you have located the supplies and materials you will need. In this lesson you will develop a list of “Teaching Tips” to help you teach more effectively. You will also learn to write effective competencies and learning objectives for your lesson.

Using and Developing Lesson Plans

During your life, both in school and out, you may be called upon to instruct others. It is important to know how to plan and execute a lesson. Lesson plans are essential tools used for teaching. Teachers use a lesson plan like an outline to organize their thoughts and the information students must learn to become competent in a skill, attitude or knowledge. In this learning plan you will explore the components of a lesson plan and how to develop one.

Delivering Instruction

From time-to-time, you may be required to present a portion of the course content. When this occurs, you will need to know some of the finer points necessary to teach that instruction. Recall that in Preparing to Teach, you learned how to: prepare yourself to teach, develop learning outcomes (competencies and learning objectives), and use training aids. In Using and Developing Lesson Plans, you learned how to develop four-phase lesson plans (inquire, gather, process, apply). You may want to review all or a portion of that material before proceeding with this lesson. In this learning plan you will learn different teaching methods and when to use each method, such as demonstration and lecture, five practical exercise formats, and the rehearsal process.

Using Variety in Your Lesson Plan

In Lesson 3: Delivering Instruction you examined a variety of teaching methods, some involving individual effort and others encompassing group work. It’s often noted that instructors deliver their instruction in a way that supports their own learning style. Learning activities may be creative, motivating and effective for some types of learners, but an entire lesson of the same type of activity will often “lose” other learners. Adding variety to your lesson plan development will also engage a variety of learner types as well. In this learning plan you will examine a variety of learning activity strategies.

Thinking Maps® and Graphic Organizers

Visual tools are excellent tools for learning the structure of thinking skills. They provide a powerful visual picture of information and allows the mind “to see” patterns and relationships. Some tools are perfect for simple brainstorming; others graphically organize how we look at content such as the life cycles in science, and another relates directly to a thinking skill or process. Each kind of visual tool encourages cooperative learning. The JROTC curriculum uses both graphic organizers and Thinking Maps® within their lesson plans. In this Learning Plan you will examine the various types of visual tools and use them as you continue to improve your teaching skills.

Using Feedback in the Classroom

We are all familiar with courses that consist of readings, lectures, assigned writings, and tests. In traditional courses like these, individualized comments from instructors to their students are often limited to grades on papers, quizzes, exams, and the final grade. However, comments of this sort come well after instructors have evaluated learners on their course work. If there is any impact on learning, it will come during the next phase, in another course, or in some follow-up activity.

Orientation to Service Learning

John F. Kennedy reminded Americans to “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Take a look around you. There are many problems and people in need. Service learning experiences can become the starting point for reaching out — doing something good for those around you and making the world a better place. In this learning plan you identify the components of service learning and begin planning how you can help make a difference in your community.

Plan and Train for Your Exploratory Project

There are several things to consider before undertaking service learning. Planning ahead will prepare you mentally and physically to undertake the challenge. Before you select your own service learning project, you will learn how to plan a service learning project by planning an exploratory service learning project. In this learning plan you will work with a team to plan an exploratory service learning project and demonstrate the steps to conducting a proper service learning experience.

Project Reflection and Integration

Now that you have an idea of what service learning is all about, what comes next? After the exploratory project, you will be able to determine and conduct appropriate service learning activities. In this learning plan you will evaluate the effectiveness of the exploratory project completed in Lesson 2, as well as consider new ideas for integration throughout the JROTC curriculum.