TACTics |
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September 3, 1999 |
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TOCFE Networking A Suggestion and Request: Jane (Landwehr) Hudak has a great idea! She suggested that we send in the quotes
and story lines that we use in our training sessions that work exceptionally
well. Do you agree that this is a
great idea? I'll start by sharing a
quote that I first saw at a Michigan Department of Education Seminar. "Learning is not developed from the outside-in,
but from the INSIDE-OUT." (From: Langer and Purcell-Gates, Reading, Thinking
and Concept Development, 1985) I ask the participants if they agree with the statement. They generally do and this leads to a
discussion of the implications for our instruction in the classroom and the
cloud "Teach Process/Teach Concept". I guide our discussion right
into an exploration of 'teaching the TOC Thinking Process Tools through
content'. Then I generally show some
really good clouds based on academic content. I often bring a textbook, open it up and show in two minutes
how a cloud can take a useless assignment and turn it into a very powerful
one. It really works. Please share your ideas with us as we continue on
our... POOGI Pool Rami Quiz No. 3 What connection in the cloud is broken, if after
implementing the injection, A, B, C, and D in the cloud remain intact? Which means the 'want' (D) is not changed,
both needs are satisfied, and the common objective is not hurt. WIZDOM "The limits of my language mean the limits of
my world." (Wittgenstein) In test marketing the newest version of session 1
this week (in NICEVILLE!), I belatedly realized how important it is to
clarify language as you go-my erroneous assumption being that, because
English is the native language for all of us in our class, we automatically
know what we mean by words that we commonly use. Specifically I refer to the
word: conflict. I didn't take the
time at the first use of the word to establish a clear, WORKING TOC
definition for our session. Instead,
we talked about conflict in terms of characteristics--where it leads (udes)
rather than where it starts. Once
you are into blame and other emotions, it is more difficult to find the trail
back to the beginning. While our discussion did create the need for a tool
to deal with these effects (symptoms) and my participants could all think of
a example, they did not have a conceptual understanding/framework on how to
define conflict. Therefore, there was
a tendency for their first story lines to describe the conflict in the old
paradigm--in a complicated, fuzzy way.
I realized THEN that their connotations of the word conflict were
confusing them and complicating their examples. I took them to the glossary page where conflict is defined
within the TOC perspective and through that discussion their confusion was
resolved. In debriefing myself this week, I remembered James-- a teacher I observed in Bogota, Colombia-who, in 30 minutes, very SIMPLY led his class of 15 to excellent story lines and clouds. I was so impressed, I went back to my room and wrote a TRT on all the relevant whys (and which I converted to narrative for a Tuesday Report last November) James started with: |
This must have been a very difficult question
because not one of you sent in an answer.
Come on folks have the courage to try! Maybe we'll have to ask Rami for some easier questions Answer #3: The answer is C-D'. The injection is an alternative way. An alternative way for what? In order to check what connection was broken by an
injection, we should find out what will be changed after implementing the
injection. In other words, to find out what is substituted by the injection.
If after implementing the injection D' does not exist (or changes) it means
that the injection is an alternative way instead of D' to satisfy the need C.
In other words, the connection C-D' was broken. If D will not exist after
implementing the injection it means that the injection is breaking B-D. If D
and D' will be changed after implemented the injection it means that the
injection breaks the connection B-D and C-D'. Thanks Rami! And now for Rami Quiz # 4: Can we expose assumptions underlying the connection
from the cloud B-D, by completing the sentence: "If D' exists, then B
does not exist, because..."? One of my favorite professors, had a great
line… "I know you don't know.
What do you think?" Have the courage to give this question a try. Send your answers and comments to: Baughca@aol.com
AND bucknek@resa.net or Cheryl A Baugh 27731 Lathrup Blvd. Lathrup Village, MI 48076 USA "Think of a conflict you might be having with a
family member or a friend."
Then, he immediately focused them and framed the concept with a guided
definition. " What is a
conflict? " he asked. "A problem when two people want different
things and you start to argue about it." was one of the
suggestions. James got consensus
from the group on that definition and then went right to the board and drew
two boxes which read: I want/you want with an arrow. After that, all the stories were simple and focused in describing conflict within the
TOC perspective. For him, despite teaching in English to a Spanish
speaking (and bi-lingual) group of students, there were no language
limitations-only TOC possibilities created because he prevented the problem
by teaching first (and very simply) the concept of conflict. I bet I would
have prevented the initial confusion had I done the same thing. Since Danilio shared a new way to teach
concepts during our conference, I am exploring his method (and have asked him
to collaborate) to teach the TOC definition of conflict. This is FUN! In the words of Richard Bach and which have already been
repeated in TACTics: "My race to
learn has just begun!" (again!) By the way, despite my slightly flawed beginning,
the new session is SO good, it was immensely successful-the participants
absolutely loved it! (Thanks Rami!). We will release the new manual to the
tutor network as soon as we check it another time or two. Suerken@nwfl.net QUOTES... "I know you don't know. What do you think?" Dorsey Hammond Oakland University Rochester, Michigan |