TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

September 1, 2000

CONTENTS

    WIZDOM

                (1)     The Global Bank of TOC For Education, Kathy Suerken

      NETWORKING

            (2)     Noteworthy Progress at Hutcheson Jr. High, Paula Sommer

      POOGI POOL

            (3)     IO: Readers Realize the Importance of Sharing, Beverly Brown CONNECTIONS

            (4)     New E-mail Address for Conference Tapes, Lyman Ellis

      EDITORS’ NOTE

            (5)     Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards

WIZDOM

(1)     The Global Bank of TOC For Education

By Kathy Suerken

 

"A picture is worth a thousand words; an experience is worth a thousand pictures." —Maya Kallir, 4th Annual TOC for Education International Conference, Mexico

 

In teaching the transition tree during TACT, I often show a transparency of a lesson plan from when I taught middle school to reveal how “insufficient” I had written it.  A definition of the concept I was teaching was followed by a typical list of activities planned to “teach the concept.”  That document is a great NON-example of a great lesson plan!

 

When I ask my TACT participants if my activities would achieve my intended objectives during the planned lesson, their response is predictable!  Their vigorous shaking of heads is indicative of their interest to learn what they need to put the “why’s” into their thinking and not just into lesson plans.  If a picture in a lesson is worth a thousand words, picture this: In my World Cultures classroom, I had a nice big box wrapped in world map paper as a global bank, which could be opened to illustrate how civilizations took ideas out of the bank, improved them and returned them as “deposits” for future generations.

 

Is the concept of the global bank of ideas relevant to TOCFE?  The activities of our entire conference were connected with causalities to the definition of the concept!  A case in point is Maya Kallir's quote above given during her presentation in which she shared her budding ideas on how to use TOC to teach science and which generated for all of us at least 1,000 pictures (and the first time I ever understood the concept she was teaching!)  For those of you who missed it, I have good news.  She is also willing to share these experiences with TACTics very soon in an upcoming article.

 

In the meantime, TOCFE has improved the concept of my box—all the ideas are thankfully "outside of the box” and spreading so rapidly because of people's willingness to share them and because of the exciting opportunity that exists for all of us to take each other's budding ideas and build on them for future generations.

 

Starting with the concept of TOC that came from Eli's mind; he eventually wrote a workbook on using TOC to resolve day to day conflicts.  Gila took that idea from the TOCFE global bank and wrote a workbook for kids.  Cheryl and I built on her idea (thanks Gila!) with our current workbook and which Audrey and Sears Taylor (just) used in Trinidad to teach Session One of a full 5 consecutive day TACT to a class of 6 children (middle school and high school) and 20 adults (teachers and administrators).  Sometimes our contribution to the TOCFE global bank of ideas is seemingly “no big deal” to us.  And yet when shared, it opens people’s mind, like what I learned from Audrey's experience is worth 1,000 pictures (or ideas?) and which she is already writing for TACTics.

 

As historian Bruce Barton once said, "Sometimes when I think of the consequences of little things, I am tempted to think there are NO LITTLE THINGS."  We are working on getting all of your ideas into TACTics.  The synergy of shared, little things is creating the very big results to which we are all so connected.

 

NETWORKING

(2)      Noteworthy Progress at Hutcheson Jr. High, Arlington, Texas

Paula Sommer, Charlie Blanton, Texas, USA

 

Some background:

On July 25 we shared a TOCFE educator-training packet with the assistant-principal and counselors.  We followed the review of the packets with an ambitious target on using the packets.  They were very excited about the direction and discussed what they could do as counselors in using the tools.  Through their input we added a six weeks follow up process for monitoring and adjusting the class plans and tied the process to the teacher evaluation process.  Students who are referred to the office will bring their plans to the counselors to assist with deeper level conversations about what is working, what isn't, and how we make decisions.  The principal, assistant-principals and counselors also committed to spending another day to use an ambitious target to deal with the returning students that they were unable to reach last year.

 

We developed (with the principal) lessons plans to teach two tools, the PrT and the Cloud, to the teachers when they returned August 7.  Each teacher was given the training materials to use with his/her students.  Each class was to use the PrT on having a successful class with all students learning and passing the tests.  The Cloud will be used for nine sessions with students helping them to make decisions on things like:

 

1.        Being successful at school:

·         complete homework / do not complete homework

·         participate in extracurricular activities / do not participate in extracurricular activities

2.       Having a safe school: 

·         speak up/ do not speak up

·         join a gang / do not join a gang

3.       Making sound decisions:

·         use the cloud / do not use the cloud 

·         use the ambitious target / do not use the ambitious target 

·         set goals / do not set goals.

 

Up to date on Hutcheson Jr. High:

Hutcheson is becoming "The Learning Place."  The faculty is moving toward referring to students as learners not students…

 

This was the third day of school and the day that all teachers (approximately 65) worked with 800+ learners to use the ambitious target for each class.  It went extremely well.  We left the school last Tuesday knowing that they had verbally committed to the project but anticipated that some might not be on board.  Principal Rose Mary Bolden said that the pictures of targets with the words “Ambitious Targets” on them just appeared in many places throughout the school.

 

As Rose Mary, Charlie Blanton, the two assistant-principals, and I walked around we saw every class working on their plan.  By the fifth class period the learners were really working well on the concept. 

 

There were three comments from the teachers that I want to share:

Assistant-principal Joe reflecting on the spark in the students' eyes: "They  see that something they said… their idea has impact.  It is written down for all the class to see I did something."

 

Teacher after teacher was pleased and somewhat surprised at what the students think.  English teacher:

"The students really get it.  They are just sailing on through it.  Each class is a little different." 

 

Mr. Freeman, the English-as-Second-Language teacher said, "Most of them [the students] don't think about the crisis they face.  They just roll through it the best they can.  This [thinking process] helps to empower them and helps them think they can do something about their situation.  Just the sense that they can do something about their situation is different from anything they have known before."

 

We are thrilled.  The conference stimulated our thinking processes, especially on curriculum.  So using TACT in curriculum content is our next effort at Hutcheson Junior High.

 

POOGI POOL

(3)      IO: Readers Realize the Importance of Sharing*

From Beverly Brown, Ashland, Ohio, USA

 

One of the obstacles that is mentioned for the TACTics ambitious target was "readers don't realize the importance of sharing their experiences.”  I too want to thank Mira and Rami for sharing the "Necklace" story. The intermediate objective was: “readers realize the importance of sharing experiences.” 

 

Because of Mira's idea, I now have other ideas for using TOC.  One thought I had was using the same story and writing a negative branch of what happened to show the consequences of our actions.  Another idea is to use another Guy de Maupassant story, "Piece of Yarn" or "Piece of String" (textbooks use different names for this one) and write a cloud and/or negative branch for that one as well.  Thanks for the idea; we really do need to share everything.

 

Please continue to keep in touch via this newsletter.

 

Beverly

* IO from Ambitious Target: TOC for Education practitioners are intrinsically motivated to enthusiastically share their learning experiences with their fellow TACTics readers.

 

CONNECTIONS

(4)      New E-mail Address for Conference Tapes

From Lyman Ellis

 

Lyman Ellis and Evalyn Ellis, doing business as Recording By Ellis, have a new e-mail address for that business:  ellisbigbear@earthlink.net

 

If you were unable to attend the conference but would really like to know what went on, you may order the tapes from Evalyn and Lyman Ellis, who donated their expert services and equipment to TOC for Education.

 

For ordering information contact:

Recordings by Ellis

536 Timber Lane. Post Office Box 120502

Big Bear Lake, CA USA 92315-8942

 

Phone:    1.800.262.0429

email:   ellisbigbear@earthlink.net

 

Video and audiocassettes are available for individual days of the conference or for the entire conference.  You will find the agenda in TACTics, 8/11/2000.

 

EDITORS’ NOTE

(5)     Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards

 

Kathy, thank you for sharing your insights; the concept of a global bank of ideas is the basic nature of TOC for Education.  And, it is timely illustrated in Beverly Brown’s contribution to this week’s TACTics on the importance of sharing.

 

Paula and Charlie, what a significant report… very interesting!  We love to hear about this kind of progress.  We look forward to hearing more about the achievements of the Hutcheson students and comments from the staff.  Maybe our readers can share their ideas about using the thinking tools to better comprehend content. 

 

Thanks to all who contribute TACTics.  If you would like to share with us, send hyperlink to:         

<bucknek@resa.net>

or

<redwards@sault.com>. 

Or, you may send it by mail to:

                                    Cheryl A. Edwards

                                    2253 S. Hill Island Road

                                    Cedarville, MI 49719 USA