TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

January 5, 2001

 

CONTENTS

Wizdom

   (1)     TOC for Education Progress Report, Kathy Suerken

Connections

    (2)   Qualitative Training Opportunities, Cheryl A. Edwards

   (3)     TOC: Michigan School Social Workers Association, Mary Ellen Bourbeau

    (4)      5th Annual TOCFE International Conference/First Annual TOCFE International Student’s Conference, Cheryl A. Edwards

Quote

   (5)     Phillip Bakker

Editors’ Notes

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

 

WIZDOM

(1)        TOC for Education Progress Report

By Kathy Suerken

 

“…The end or just the beginning?”

from Necessary, But Not Sufficient, by Eli Goldratt

 

As educators, we know how difficult the dilemma is to measure progress, especially arbitrarily- as on any one day (say, at the end of the year?).  After all, most of us have work in progress, which is not yet quantifiable (in this case, on New Year's Eve).

 

In TOC we try to measure our momentum through results which are on a process of ongoing improvement.  Still, we can't appreciate how far we've come if we don't somehow quantify the measurements.  Starting at the beginning…

 

Looking back to the end of 1995, TOC for Education, Inc. had just begun.  In the first 6 months of its existence, 4 TOC seminars, called "MSW," had been taught to educators in 2 countries (UK and USA).  The potential impact (a "guesstimate") on children was probably less than 10,000.

 

In 1999, TOCFE taught over 60 seminars (now called TACT) in 8 countries (add Republic of South Africa, Israel, Philippines, Taiwan, Mexico and Colombia) and we were just starting to teach some one-day cloud events, which significantly strengthened the rate of impact (bumping it to well over 1 million children).  About 100 people attended our 4-day conference that year in California.

 

In 2000, TOCFE taught over 100 TACT seminars in 15 countries (add: Netherlands, Singapore, Malaysia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Ecuador and Yugoslavia) as well as conducting well over 50 additional one-day events in 16 countries (add Russia).  500 educators attended our 4-day conference in Mexico, which was so effective that by October, Alejandrina Gonzalez and Marina Rodriguez of Mexico began to report an average of 9 TACT seminars per month!

 

Are we part of something BIG?  Something even bigger than can be quantified by numbers of seminars?  After all, teaching seminars is not our ultimate goal.  The numbers of trainings are a means to the end.  What is our ambitious target?  We simply (smile) want exponential numbers of children to be better prepared for life... to learn more effectively so that they can have better lives.

 

This vision motivates all of us and is exemplified in the Philippines by 50 facilitators (now led by Cora Santiago) who overcome daunting obstacles to actively team teach more and more TACT seminars each year.  Numbers of TOC trainings, however, are "necessary, but not sufficient" to achieve our ambitious target.  It has been necessary to develop some “silver bullet” qualitative improvements.  After all, “What is TOC if not a collection of silver bullets? (Eli Goldratt).  Such as:

 

TOC Student Workbooks.  Gila Glatter and her team in Israel have produced several student workbooks on the cloud and the PrT, which have been translated to English.  Cheryl, in the USA, and I thought that was such an effective idea that we also wrote a student workbook in 2000.  the Never Ending Story has been translated to Spanish, Russian, and, most recently, Chinese, thanks to Francis Su of Taiwan.

 

TACT Materials.  In 1999, TACT materials were made more relevant to education and are now available in Spanish, Hebrew, English and, as of 2000, in Dutch, thanks to Eleanor May-Brenneker.  Galina Dolya is in Moscow right now working with a translator to complete the TACT translations to Russian (and yes, I just crossed the line into the future!)

 

New Training Module.  A new training module, developed in 2000, will be shared at our International Conference, June 25-28, 2001.  Khaw Choon Ean has created a 2-day workshop to enable Malaysian primary school teachers to teach the cloud, the negative branch and ambitious targets to their students.  This seminar has been delivered, along with appropriate “prepared packages of materials” (currently only in Malay) to 30,000 Malaysian teachers as of November.  As a result, the total number of our TOC training events in the year 2000 exceeds 7,000 events for educators!

 

And now “back to the future”!  In January 2001 these 30,000 teachers will teach TOC to EVERY year-one child  in Malaysia- over 500,000 children!  As phenomenal as our progress was in 2000, the Future Reality Tree of TOC for Education is incredibly enticing.  After all, YOU are creating it.

 

A Happy New Beginning to us all!

 

 

CONNECTIONS

(2)            Qualitative Training Opportunities

From Cheryl A. Edwards

 

Speaking of the future, two new qualitative training opportunities are being offered by TOCFE:

 

“HOW TO IMPROVE A SYSTEM USING TOC”

      Dates:      February 22, 23, 24

            February 27, 28

      Location:      Detroit, Michigan, USA

      Facilitator:      Rami Goldratt

 

"HOW TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF ACADEMIC CONTENT THROUGH TOC"

    Date:      March 5-9

      Location:      Detroit, Michigan, USA

      Facilitator:      Dr. Danilo Sirias

 

 

(3)       TOC: Michigan School Social Workers Association

From Mary Ellen Bourbeau, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, USA

 

Last month Doug Roby and I had the opportunity to teach Conflict Resolution using TOC to the Michigan School Social Workers Association and Parcells Middle School Parent Network.  Both presentations were well attended and the comments were very positive.  After the session with the social workers, we were told that everyone was talking about TOC!

 

Our parent program was a lively interaction with middle school parents looking for a way to resolve conflicts and increase communication with their children.  Our goal was to teach the cloud so that these parents would feel comfortable enough trying it at home.  Our school newsletter wrote, "A wonderful workshop on conflict resolution.  Many of the people who attended have successfully used this technique at home.  Their proven solutions really work!"

 

 

(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)

 

QUOTE

(5)        From Philip Bakker

"Think happy thoughts… then you can fly!" —Peter Pan

 

EDITORS’ NOTES

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

 

Thank you Frances Su, TOC for Education Director from Taiwan, for translating …the Never Ending Story into Chinese.  It is the “never-ending” dedication of our TOC for Ed folks that keeps us moving toward our goal.  Now …the Never Ending Story can be read in English, Spanish... and Chinese!

 

Happy New Year, TOCFE family!  We can celebrate the progress made during the year 2000, reflect in awe at the impact we’ve made since 1995, and with the process of ongoing improvement, we can meet the challenges of the future.  This year, make a resolution to share some of your wonderful results, experiences and ideas in TACTics. 

 

Send your contributions to Cheryl A. Edwards, 2253 S. Hill Island Rd., Cedarville, MI 49719, USA.  Or, send hyperlink to <redwards@sault.com> or <bucknek@resa.net.