(1) Rami Goldratt Visits Texas, Paula Sommer
(2) TACT News from Texas, Paula Sommer
Connections
(3) Don’t Compromise, Go for Win/Win the TOC
Way! Cheryl A. Edwards
(4) 5th Annual TOCFE International Conference/First Annual TOCFE
International Student’s Conference, Cheryl A.
Edwards
(5) Airline Tickets:
Savings Alert! Kay
Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards
(1) Rami
Goldratt Visits Texas
By Paula Sommer
A new Jonah
course for educators, Analyzing and Improving a System through the Theory
of Constraints, has been developed by Rami Goldratt. And, Rami, leaving
his new bride home, came all the way from Israel to teach it. Thank you, Rami and a special thank you to
Mary, too.
We all agree
that there has never been so much emphasis placed on the education system to
improve. Considering this emphasis on
school improvement, this TOC course meets a growing need. So, how do we improve the system? Do you think educators will agree on “What
to change?” …Probably not. Many of us are stuck in old paradigms. Certainly, everyone will not agree on the
"What to change to?” or the "How to change?”
TOC provides
a way for vested stakeholders to analyze their system and create ways to
improve it. TOC is not bringing
solutions to education; it brings a systematic way to find the solutions that
will work for them and are in the best interest of their students. Ownership in solutions goes a long way in
implementation. Read what others have
to say about the Jonah course:
Jonah Comes to Texas—
We
thought that our greatest TOC experience in learning occurred at the conference
in Mexico this year— then Jonah came to Texas and we are still learning. Rami Goldratt pushed us to new depths of
understanding of the TOC tools and the system in which we work. The core problem identified hit us right
between the eyes. (It was one of those Nobel Prize winning results that Eli
speaks of, “The Oh-my-God-of-course!")
The core
problem is to align to the state-mandated curriculum or to not align to
it. We are in the process of validating
our work with three superintendents from very large Texas school districts. Of course, the whole concept of alignment
and deployment are incredible hurdles in the way we manage in the US, but
through Rami's leadership and just a little “push” we more clearly see the
obstacles. With this clarity, we can
better lead the way in helping other key leaders to discover the truth and
simplicity. His trip will result in our
increased effectiveness as we provide a clearer vision to those with which we
work. With the clearer vision, there
will be less time in the wilderness for these districts. (Personally I have been in the wilderness
more than 40 years and I am delighted to be coming out of it where school
systems are concerned.)
Thank you,
Rami for coming and spending the time and energy with us. Thank you, Cheryl and Kathy, for championing
this. Thank you, Eli, for your
dedication, commitment and unwavering support to teach the world to think. We appreciate each of you and each of the
wonderful people who joined us here in Texas.
Your devoted
Texas TACT Advocates,
Charlie
Blanton, Dolores Harris, and Paula Sommer
Thank you,
Rami, for a very complete and comprehensive coverage of the Jonah course in 6
days. Six days for the teaching of it;
but, of course, many more days for those of us who are really trying to
analyze, dissect and put back together our challenging problems that we are
trying to better understand, resolve, and communicate to others in our
field.
I'm thinking
now how wonderful it would be for students to look at a subject in history or
literature in the same way. This could
be a semester long course in English literature or phases of the development of
the United States. Imagine using the
Jonah course to examine the issues concerning the colonization of the United
States, the War of Independence, or the Civil War. There are always so many frustrations with TOC- so many
possibilities and we can't do them all.
Yet, it makes me want to go back into the classroom and try it.
At the end
of the course, Rami asked what our commitment would be as we leave and go our
separate ways. I was pretty vague. It is very easy for me (and maybe I'm not
the only one) to put my work aside and go on with immediate concerns. But I want to put this commitment here in
writing to the group who sat with me in rainy Texas and worked on their clouds
and branches. I will work at least 4
hours every week on my branches. Rami
claimed I was choosing a very broad topic: the teaching and learning
relationship between teacher and student.
I told him I didn't care; that's what I wanted to do. I believe that the TOC tools are at the
heart of the teaching and learning relationship between people and I want to
write something of significance about that relationship. If people don't begin to understand that learning
is not about accepting and conforming to the formal and informal standards of
our society, but about examining those standards to look for the value in them,
then we will continue to teach children to accept what we say as correct and
conform to norms- good or bad. I hope
to send you some trees to scrutinize soon.
Again, thanks Rami.
(2) TACT News
from Texas
By Paula Sommer
We are pleased with the
progress we are making with administrators in Texas. This last week we finished our second day in the series of TACT
tools teaching the Evaporating Cloud.
We had four school districts participating including a teacher, a
counselor, an assistant principal, principals and associate
superintendent. Principals from three
additional school districts had planned to come but were rerouted to other
activities by their administrators. We
are looking forward to working with the group on the Negative Branch, April
5.
Our most outstanding
school district in applying the TACT tools is Van Alstyne. Van Alstyne is located about an hour north
of Dallas, where the urban sprawl is reaching and bringing new challenges to
this once rural area of Texas. Bill
Lytle’s, Van Alstyne’s superintendent, focus is on excellence. Last fall we began a series of meetings with
Bill and his administrators at the invitation of high school principal, Mique
Allison. The first ambitious target was
on Van Alstyne becoming an excellent school district as measured by the Texas
Education Agency Indicators of Excellence.
One of the obstacles identified was the need for curriculum review to
ensure alignment with the latest changes in the state-mandated curriculum. Once having this vision, Bill, his three
principals and two assistant principals did another ambitious target on how
they would each take a group of the faculty from across the district and do the
ambitious target to align the core curricula of math, science, and reading/
writing/ language.
On February 23, they
executed their plan. They began by
doing a skit to introduce the ambitious target. The skit centered on Bill’s target of winning a local fishing
contest. The crowd went wild and really
opened up to the possibility that their work was going to make a meaningful
difference in what was taught in Van Alstyne.
At the end of the day, Principal Mique Allison would not leave the
building until she called and faxed us the results. The administrators were thrilled at how well the ambitious target
worked with the faculty. Excerpts from the
evaluations:
“My gosh! Where to begin? Systems analysis alone was worth the admission. The planning
methodology, I can use at home or at school.
I feel a sense of awe when confronted by the spectacle of such
outstanding school administrators.”
“From the first process
towards aligning our curriculum, I learned how all groups have several of the
same ideas and how really compatible all our ideas are.”
“I learned the need for
vertical training and I can use the ‘if/then’ technique in my teaching. Putting things in logical order using if/
then.”
“The process for
reaching the target, the logic of the process, the cause and effect. I need to rethink textbook adoption.”
“We need to create grade
level horizontal alignment to help facilitate district curriculum. I saw the missing information between grade
levels.”
“Van Alstyne is very
pleased with the results of the ambitious target and we are delighted to be
associated with them. We find each of
their administrative leaders exceptional and must comment that their
superintendent is leading the process in every way a truly outstanding leader
does; he is leading by example, providing time and resources to others, and is
leading with a deeply committed heart to excellence. We at the Institute of Standards in Quality Education applaud
Bill and his administrators for their unparalleled work with the ambitious
target.”
“Van Alstyne is the
brightest star in our efforts in working with school districts in Texas, the
Lone Star State.”
CONNECTIONS
(3) Don’t
Compromise, Go for Win/Win the TOC Way!
By Cheryl A. Edwards
A: In order to have a good family life
B: I must take a vacation that my entire
family will enjoy.
D: In order to do that, I must not go to the
TOC for Education International Conference in Michigan, USA.
A: On the other hand, in order to have a good
family life
C: I must spend my vacation time wisely.
D’: In order to do that I must to go to the
TOCFE Conference.
Could any of these be
YOUR assumptions?
B/D: In order to take a vacation that my entire
family will enjoy, I must not attend the TOCFE International Conference
because:
1. My entire
family will not enjoy the conference.
2. My time for vacation is limited, spending
most of it at the conference leaves little time for going anywhere else.
3. Travel to Michigan, USA will take much of our
vacation savings, so we won’t have much left for anything more.
Check out these
INJECTIONS!
1.
There are sessions at the conference specifically
designed for my family that they will really enjoy :
·
a session just for parents and
• an exciting program for young people - a
new “conference within a conference” that will be attended by children from all
over the world.
2. & 3. Vacation in Michigan! Great Lakes-Great Times
·
After the conference we can save extra travel time
by continuing our vacation exploring Michigan.
·
Money can be saved and better spent if it is not
spent for transportation to another location.
MICHIGAN
prides itself as a world class vacation destination. Explore these Internet sites to find out more:
(4) 5th Annual TOCFE
International Conference/First Annual
TOCFE International Student’s Conference
From Cheryl A. Edwards
“The best way to predict the future is to create it through
TOC."
TOC
for Education, Inc. presents the 5th Annual TOCFE International Conference and
the First Annual TOCFE International Student’s Conference!
Date: June 25-28, 2001
Location: Detroit, Michigan USA
Hotel: Northfield Hilton
5500 Crooks Road
Troy, Michigan 48098
248. 879. 2100
The
Northfield Hilton is adjacent to Interstate 75 at Crooks Road, Exit 72
Reservations: 1. 800. HILTONS
Ask for TOC for
Education’s special room rates.
Single
or Double Occupancy
Per night $139.00 U.S. + Tax (6% Michigan Sales Tax and 7%
Occupancy Tax). This rate includes
breakfast for two.
Transportation: Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
(5) Airline Tickets: Savings Alert!
From Kay Buckner-Seal,
Cheryl A. Edwards
Checkout Northwest
Airlines, they have a promotion going on right now with special prices
for children traveling with parents!
Thanks,
Paula for the Texas update. After
reading about the success of your efforts, we feel that it is a great idea to
encourage our educational administrators to attend the “Administrators
Strand” at the 5th Annual TOC for Education International Conference held
in Detroit, MI, USA, where Rami will share some of the TOC strategies
used in the holistic system approach to educational improvement. Make your plans TOCFE family!
If you would like to
contribute to TACTics, send your ideas via snail-mail to Cheryl A. Edwards, 2253 S. Hill Island Rd., Cedarville, MI
49719, USA. Or, send hyperlink to
<redwards@sault.com> or <bucknek@earthlink.net>.
To
view TACTics in the formatting that is intended, please visit our
website at www.tocforeducation.com.