NETWORKING
(1) Check Your Assumptions, Jane Hudak
(2) Challenge Your Assumptions, Bev Brown
CONNECTIONS
(3) 4th International TOC for
Education Upgrade Conference
QUOTE
(4) Gandhi (5) Kay Buckner-Seal and Cheryl Edwards (1) Check Your Assumptions By Jane Hudak New
material for the TACT workshops debuted in Los Angeles last summer and I
resisted the change more than most. I
made the assumption that teachers and administrators wouldn’t use the tool— The
Cloud— themselves if the focus was to solve student problems, not their own. During
our discussion at the conference, Eli reminded me that the goal of TOC for
Education was to get the tools in the
hands of the students, not the teachers. The teachers were only the vehicles being used to get them to the
children. Since we had taught hundreds
of teachers who weren’t sharing those skills with their students, something
else had to be done. Of course, I still
resisted but after teaching the new material I am here to state "CHECK
YOUR ASSUMPTIONS." My assumption
was incorrect. I
found that the administrators and teachers absorbed the material with
enthusiasm without the layers of resistance that I have seen in other
classes. They didn’t have to change
themselves, which we all know is the most difficult to accept. I believe that with the focus on solving
student problems they can learn the tools, then see the applications for
themselves. I had forgotten that
these tools are like multiplication tables, once you know them you just can’t
forget them. They become part of you. Thanks
to everyone who worked on the new material; they realized a change was
necessary to reach the goal. My special
thanks to Eli, Rami and Efrat for showing me, once again, that they take the
process of ongoing improvement very seriously.
They did their part. Now it’s my
turn. (2) Challenge Your Assumptions Dear TOC Family, I
am sharing the following with the hope that I can inspire you to challenge your assumptions at a deeper level. charge of their own learning. Ten
years ago I taught a Creative Writing class, and it was a disaster. This year I was handed the
opportunity to teach this class again. Thanks to my TOC training, this year's experience was
one of the most rewarding of my teaching career. I believe a major difference was a direct
result of the first couple of weeks of planning. I worked from the assumption that these
students knew what they needed to be more creative writers and that they could design
their own curriculum. The students listed the obstacles to becoming professional writers,
wrote intermediate objectives, and then created an action plan
(syllabus/instructional guide) to accomplish this goal. Because the curriculum belonged to the students, I did
not have the complaints I had experienced 10 years ago. Class members did get
requests for manuscripts and poems from publishers (along with the typical rejection letters)
and we did win some literary contests; so they felt they had reached their goal. Make
the assumption that students know what they need to learn and allow them to Be responsible for their own
learning. Use the tools! Bev Brown CONNECTIONS (3) 4th International
TOC for Education Upgrade Conference Monterrey, Mexico Conference
Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Conference
Registration $75.00
covers the cost of lunches. Send
checks payable to TOC for Education, Inc. along with your registration
forms to: Attention: Bernie Kean TOC for Education, Inc. 1532 Glenlake Circle Niceville, FL 32578 USA Airport: Gen. Mariano Escobedo International Airport
(Code is MTY). Transportation
from Airport to hotel: Cab $15. Departure
Tax: $10.00 Hotel: Sheraton
Ambassador Hotel- Monterrey, Mexico (*Room rates are based on
single OR double occupancy.) Classic room— $86(+tax) For more than two people to a room, there is a $15.00
charge for each extra person. Reservations: Identify yourself as a member of TOC
for Education. • Mexico
— (direct to the hotel) 1.800.832.8400 • USA & Canada— (central
reservation) 1.800.325.3535 • Nations outside of North America—(switchboard) 1.528.380.7000 Registration Deadline: July
25, 2000 (for conference rates) (4) It's the action,
not the fruit of the action, that's important.
You have to do the right thing.
It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be
any fruit. But that doesn't mean you
stop doing the right thing. You may
never know what results come from your action.
But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” —Gandhi (5) Thanks, Jane Hudak and Bev Brown for contributing to this weeks journal. To our entire TOCFE Family, we would
really love to hear your comments, examples and concerns. Please continue to share so that we all may
maintain our POOGI. Send HYPERLINK to: bucknek@resa.net redwards@sault.com Send mail to: Cheryl A. Edwards 2253 S. Hill Island Road Cedarville, MI 49719 USA
NETWORKING
This year, I challenged the assumption that students, when given the tools, can
be in
August 9-12, 2000
QUOTE
EDITORS' NOTE