TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

October 27, 2000

 

CONTENTS

ELEMENTARY TACTICS

   (1)     Diary of a Newbie in TACT Block, Wong Siew Shan, Singapore 

(2)         Elementary Scenarios, Denise Meyer, USA

QUOTE

   (3)      Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt, William Butler Yeats

EDITORS’ NOTES

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

 

ELEMENTARY TACTICS

(1)        Diary of A Newbie in Tact Block:  6.3.2000

By Wong Siew Shan , Vice Principal, Jing Shan Primary School, Singapore

 

It’s time, again, to enjoy and learn from Shan and her experiences using TACT with her elementary students.  This time, Shan overcomes skepticism to use the Prerequisite Tree with 700 students- all at once!  INCREDIBLE!  Just reminders, several of Shan’s inspirational entries have been published in TACTics: March 10,2000, April 7, 2000 and April 14, 2000.  Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and reflections, Shan.

 

The assembly topic for today was “Respecting the Needs of Others.”  Mrs. Balendra had transparencies of various daily situations, which showed others in need.  “Here’s a fantastic platform to introduce the Cloud to the entire cohort of PM. session pupils, I thought to myself.  Although I was eager to try it out with the kids, I was a bit hesitant at first.  It was one thing to try out the TACT Tools on individuals, pairs, or a small class of pupils, but a totally different thing to use it in front of 700 pupils and 27 teachers!  It took lots of courage and determination and an attitude of “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”  At least if it was a total failure this time, there would be lessons that I could learn from it.  I was really afraid that if it was not handled properly, some teachers might close their minds to the Cloud even before I have a chance to formally share it with them!

 

So with great trepidation, I rounded up the assembly talk like I usually did every week.  I retrieved Mrs. Balendra’s OHT on a bus scene where a young girl took up two seats by putting her teddy bear on the seat beside her.  Standing beside her were an old man holding a walking stick and a heavily laden mother carrying a baby.  I extended the pupils’ thinking by doing a cloud with them on this familiar dilemma: To give up their seat for an elderly person or a mother carrying a baby or not to give up the seat.  It only took 10 minutes.  I wished I had more time to fully explore the assumptions and the injection.  A few teachers told me that they liked the fact that I spoke to the children about this constant internal dilemma they faced in simple everyday situations.  They thought the cloud helped their children to think through their conflicts and see the needs for taking one option as opposed to another.  I was grateful that nobody told me that I was spouting nonsense.  And most gratifying was the kids’ spontaneous response as the cloud was built up.  I would definitely be keeping my ears and my eyes opened for opportunities of this sort in future.

 

(2)            Elementary Scenarios

By Denise Meyer, Los Angeles, CA, USA

 

Denise shared several middle school student scenarios with TACTics readers in the April 14 and 21, 2000 issues of the TACTics Journal.  Denise uses these with students to practice identifying conflicts, surfacing needs, raising assumptions and creating injections.  This week we are publishing scenarios from elementary school.  How would you define the problem in each of these scenarios?  If your students construct clouds or you use any of these scenarios in a lesson won’t you please share the results with us?

 

Scenario 1:            Jaime was playing soccer with his buddies.  Emily came by and wanted to play.  Jaime would not let her play.  In his family, girls don’t play soccer.  Emily is mad because she wants to play and feels she has as much right to play as he does.

 

Scenario 2:            A fight breaks out when Juanita calls Mary a “loudmouth.”  Juanita is angry because Mary told the others that she liked Bill.  Juanita told Mary in confidence, which meant she didn’t want anyone else to know.  Mary didn’t realize that it was a secret.  Now, Mary is talking about getting her after school.

 

Scenario 3:            Anita let her friend, Suzanne, in line in front of her.  That means others have to wait longer for their turn.  It’s not fair.

 

QUOTE

(3)        Dr. Eli Goldratt, founder of TOC for Education, has often been heard saying, “We want to put the fire (for learning) back into the eyes of children.”  William Butler Yeats put it this way:

          “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

 

EDITORS’ NOTE

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

TOC for Education‘s 5th Annual International Conference will be held in Michigan, USA.  In hopes of preparing you for your visit to Michigan, we have compiled a few facts about the people who live in Michigan, USA.  Enjoy!

 

You know you’ve met a “Michigander” if…

1.          They define summer as 3 months of bad sledding.

 

2.         They think alkaline batteries were named after a Detroit Tiger outfielder.

 

3.         They know how to play and pronounce “Euchre.”

 

4.         They bake with soda and drink pop.

 

5.         They know how to pronounce “Mackinac.”

 

6.         They have experienced frostbite and sunburn in the same week.

 

7.         They year has 2 seasons: winter and construction.

 

8.         Half the change in their pocket is Canadian.

 

9.         They expect Vernors when you order ginger ale.

 

10.        They show people where they grew up with their left hand.

 

11.        Their little league game was snowed out.

 

12.        The Big Mac is something they drive across.

 

13.        They know that “Yoopers” live up north and trolls live below the bridge.

 

If you would like to share, don’t hesitate to do so. 

Send your contributions by mail to:

Cheryl A. Edwards

2253 S. Hill Island Rd.

Cedarville, MI 49719, USA

Or send hyperlink to:

<redwards@sault.com>

or

<bucknek@resa.net.