TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

August 17, 2001

 

Wizdom
   (1)     A Response to “Stories from the Chalk Face: Dangerous Passions,“ Zzippi Margalit

Elementary/Secondary Tactics

    (2)     Stories from the Chalk Face: The Half Cloud, Judy Holder

Connections

    (3)     TOC-Thinking 24 Hours a Day!, Gila Glatter

Quotes

  (4)   from Philip Bakker

Editors’ Notes

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

 

WIZDOM

(1)  A Response to “Stories from the Chalk Face: Dangerous Passions

From Zzippi Margalit, Israel

 

Dear Judy,

I've read the story about your motorbike rider in one breath, and it helped me to uncover some very important values:

 

1.    Listening to yourself

2.   Listening to others  (As you said: " you have to start where they are, not where you would like them to be.)

3.   Courage to Change

4.   Using obstacles and fear as leverage points

 

Much fulfillment!

Thanks,

Zzippi

 

ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY TACTICS

(2)               Stories from the Chalk Face: The Half Cloud

By Judy Holder, United Kingdom

 

“Stories from the Chalk Face,” by Judy Holder, is a collection of personal experiences using the TOCFE tools with students in England.  Last week, we published “Dangerous Passion.”  Look forward to reading the final piece of this collection in next week’s TACTics.

 

Few children acquire labels that say they have “emotional and behavioural difficulties” for no reason.  Many have acquired staggering expertise at winding up the people around them.  They know how to get you to react with loss of temper, anxiety, sometimes despair.  These reactions generally don’t help.  They don’t help the student.  They certainly don’t help me.

 

I had ways of coping before I did the TOC training.  But, I always felt that that was what I was doing— coping.

 

Since learning the TOC tools I’ve become a lot more confident.  I’ve acquired a mental habit that I think of as a “half cloud.  It’s a half cloud, because it happens on the spot, it takes virtually no time, and I don’t bother with my side of the cloud, because I already know that my need is to help the students manage their behaviour more appropriately, and that whatever I happen to want at the moment is pretty secondary to that. 

 

At the first hint of conflict, I find myself thinking what does s/he want? …Why does s/he want that?  And that’s often just enough thinking space to enable me to address the underlying issue.  Surprisingly often the need is for simple reassurance that:

·         I will make sure they can succeed at the work I have set;

·         I will treat them fairly;

·         they are making progress;

·         I have recognised their efforts.  

 

It’s a simple strategy, and I find it really helps me avoid getting into the vicious and escalating cycle of blame and anger that some students prefer to the risk of exposing their vulnerability.

 

CONNECTIONS

(3)        TOC-Thinking 24 Hours a Day!

From Gila Glatter, Israel

 

Dear TOCFE Colleagues,

Shalom to all of you!  In the last 4 weeks we have completed 5 terms of TOC training classes, for our educational system's people.  The studies were held in the city of Petach-Tikva at Reuth High School, (Nava’s school) and in Haifa, at Biyalik Elementary School, where Limor leads.

 

Over 100 people, from a variety of roles and from many places around our small country, came to learn how to use 3 TOC tools in schools.  Our training consisted of 5 intensive days from Sunday through Thursday and from 9.00 -15.00.  Thinking TOC over 24 hours a day brings out the best in the participants and ourselves.

 

It was magnificent to see that when the good combination of:

·         ideas,

·         materials

·         practicing tasks

·         best facilitators, and

·         the details of planing

all come together what it can do for the clients.  The teachers were challenged to better themselves as professionals.  It was inspiring watching the participants deeply involved and concerned, working wisely with excitement on the tasks we offered them.

 

As I mentioned before, we taught 3 tools:

·         the cloud,

·         the negative branch, and

·         the prerequisite tree.!

We used our TOC teacher and student workbooks.

 

Every day we exercised, in small groups of three or four, using the tools in authentic situations and with academic contents.  The teachers very much enjoyed working in small groups, creating a meaningful interaction to better insights, and verbalizing their relevant knowledge and intuition.

 

Everyday, the teachers were given a "take-home task" that the leaders: Limor, Rami and Nava checked and then offered specific feedback.  The participants commented that the independent and group practices were very powerful for their ongoing improvement and assimilation.

 

The teachers have a break for a full month to "lie down" on what they have learned.  We will meet again at the end of August before the opening school preparations for another day of TOC.  We will work on strategies that will empower everyone to use the tools in his own school.  We asked the participants to visit our web site and try to use the new knowledge in relevant new situations.

 

Limor also added 2 days of training on the subject of “How to come to a good decision, for improving one's life.  The training was an upgrade offered to the TOC users.  The feedback was incredible!

 

On our web site, Rami put down some personal participants' reflections about our 5 days of TOC training.  You are invited to enter the web and gain a sense of the quality of the remarks, even though it is written in Hebrew at

TOC. www.toc4ed.org.il/

!6

Gila Glatter

glatter@internet-zahav.net/

 

P.S.

On the last day at the Hilton Inn, I forgot my reading glasses.  The hotel manager found a pair and sent them to me by my request but, they were not mine.  If anyone of you forgot your eyeglasses—yellow glass with oblong silver frames— please let me know.  I will deliver them directly to you.

Gila

 

QUOTES

(4)           From Philip Bakker, The Netherlands

 

Here are three quotes I ran into recently.  Take care!

 

"I can't understand why people are afraid of new ideas.  I'm frightened of the old ones." —John Cage (musician)

 

"New and stirring ideas are belittled because if they are not belittled the humiliating question arises, Why then are you not taking part in them?”

—H. G. Wells

 

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." —Walt Disney (1901-1966)

 

EDITORS’ NOTES

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

 

This week’s TACTics is refreshing because it’s always great to hear from you!  What you share can be an inspiration to others.  When you share, it gives us all an opportunity to learn.  So, send us a connection, an experience, a wish, a quote, or a thought.  You can send by mail to Cheryl A. Edwards, 2253 S. Hill Island Rd., Cedarville, MI 49719, USA.  Or, you can send hyperlink to <redwards@sault.com> or <bucknek@earthlink.net>. 

 

 

To view TACTics in its intended formatting and to read previous issues, visit the TOC website at: www.tocforeducation.com