(1) Mexico Branches Out! Kathy Suerken
(2) Learning and Teaching in the Philippines (Part 2), Kathy
Suerken
Elementary Tactics
(3) Ambitious Target: A
Means for Student Self-Evaluation, Aleia Schaum
(4) Kay Buckner-Seal
Connections
(5) 5th Annual TOCFE
International Conference/First Annual TOCFE International Student’s Conference,
Cheryl A.
Edwards
(1) Mexico Branches Out!
From Kathy Suerken
Mexico
TOCFE Director, Alejandrina de Garza, is taking TOC into two new Mexican
locations (states) in March. She will
be giving several presentations in San Luis Potosi and she will be teaching
TACT to a group of public and private school educators in Aguascalientes.
Meanwhile,
Marina Rodriguez and her team in the Secretariat of Education, Nuevo Leon, are
teaching the cloud and negative branch to 500 teachers from 500 schools by the
end of April. Marina is also training
20 more facilitators!
(2) Learning and
Teaching in the Philippines, (Part 2)
From
Kathy Suerken
"In learning we will teach and in
teaching we will learn"
Have you ever seen a child in a high chair throw something to the floor, watch Mom (Yes, Mom, not Dad!) pick it up, and then do it again? And again…and again to the power of Mom's patience? Is the child predicting Mom's behavior…based on experience? Can you think of other examples where children innately predict effects and, if so, are they practicing cause and effect logic? Yet, everywhere I travel I am told that cause and effect is a very difficult concept to teach—that children can't apply the concept after it is taught. What do you think is the cause of that effect? Could the problem possibly exist in the way we are developing this innate skill?
Part
of the problem, I'm told, is that we tend to teach cause and effect as an
isolated skill and children don't see how it relates to academic content, much
less to real life. Have you noticed,
however, how relevant the skill becomes to the child who practices writing
consequences of behavior as a negative branch?
Then the concept has a practical application. Not only that, it is easy for ALL children (regardless of
educational background) to develop the skill because they are practicing on a
subject matter about which they— like the child in the high chair— have
“experiential” intuition.
But
what about the application to other academic content? Larry Till, middle school counselor, has told me for several
years that he has observed that students who practice negative branches begin
to transfer the logical process to content areas as well. Many teachers, of course, have an obstacle
to using class time to learn this skill on behavior issues. They are supposed to be focused on their
mandated curriculum content and to GET THOSE TEST SCORES UP! Right?
Is
it possible to develop the skill in academic subject matter as easily as in a
life skills content? And, is it of
value to do so? If students can connect
information (any content) in a way that makes sense to them, will they be
better able to understand, communicate and remember it? If we agree the answer is yes, then the
problem becomes how to use and develop the cause and effect skill on new
knowledge, when there is not enough existing intuition/experience to create the
linkages.
One
way is to let students practice on a short writing sample from the content
area, a lesson that has simple cause and effect connections that students can
easily plot. (Such as "The Boy and
the Candy” example shared in last week's TACTics.) You'll note that they are practicing cause and effect not as an
isolated skill but integrated into the way the content is explained. As noted last week, discussion really opens
up on assumptions and engages all the students, no matter what their entry
level of skills. Why do you think that
is so and.... how often does every child (or adult) feel that they can
contribute meaningfully to class discussion?
After
the class and the teacher have worked through a class exercise, it is time to
check for comprehension with a second example.
In order to foster independent thinking, I always ask my students to
practice first on their own. Otherwise,
a dominant person with quick answers in a group will shut down the thinking of
others. At the same time, the learning
environment needs to be safe. So, after
the independent thinking, I have them work in smaller groups to discuss and
then to share a “collaborative” example with whole group. In this way, I am trying to encourage both
individual and group skills in the same lesson.
The
second example that I share next is courtesy of Bea Kovacs who provided both
stories. (See, I told you how much I
learn from and depend on all of you!)
When I used this example in the Philippines, I asked my participants to
write the cause and effect tree and also, if they wanted, a cloud.
"Grandmother's Table"
Adapted from the
Brothers Grimm
Once
there was a feeble old woman whose husband died and left her alone, so she went
to live with her son and his wife and their own little daughter. Every day the old woman's sight dimmed and
her hearing grew worse, and sometimes at dinner her hands trembled and peas
rolled off her spoon or soup ran from her cup.
The son and his wife could not help but be annoyed at the way she
spilled her food all over the table, and one day after she knocked over a glass
of milk, they told each other enough was enough.
They
set up a small table for her in the corner next to the broom closet and made
the old woman eat her meals there. She
sat all alone, looking with tear-filled eyes across the room at the
others. Sometimes they spoke to her
while they ate, but usually it was to scold her for dropping a bowl or a fork.
One
evening just before dinner, the little girl was busy playing on the floor with
her building blocks, and her father asked her what she was making. "I'm building a little table for you
and mother," she smiled, "so you can eat by yourselves in the corner
someday when I get big."
Her
parents sat staring at her for some time and then suddenly both began to
cry. That night they led the old woman
back to her place at the big table.
From then on she ate with the rest of the family. (End of story)
In
order to ensure independent thinking, I must now wait (a need, not a want)
until next week to share some of the novel applications that were created in
the Philippines.
To read Part 1 of this article, refer
to TACTics, March 30, 2001 at www.tocforeducation.com
ELEMENTARY TACTICS
(3) Ambitious
Target: A Means for Student Self-Evaluation
From Aleia Schaum, Colorado, USA
My first experience using the ambitious target (PrT) was on a
simple lesson plan that I had struggled to make exciting. I was blocked. I was surprised by how identifying the obstacles and then writing
intermediate objectives stimulated my creativity. Suddenly, I was looking forward to teaching this lesson. Then as I built the "tree" my
excitement and ideas grew. I immediately
saw how using these tools would increase student creativity, excitement and
personal ownership in learning.
My very next day back at school, I met with 3 of my fourth grade
students that have an individual literacy plan because they read below grade
level. Conferences were scheduled with
their parents to review their plans during the next week, so the timing was
perfect. I invited each student to
develop an Ambitious Target to share with his or her parents.
Each one of them wrote one about reading on grade level. Then I explained what an obstacle is by
relating it to an obstacle course.
Together, we came up with: obstacle courses are fun if they are
challenging, not too easy and not too hard.
Then I ask them what are their obstacles. I have attached their Ambitious Targets for you to read. Everything you see in each Ambitious Target
was his or her own ideas and words.
After we identified the obstacles, we talked about what they do to
get over a challenging obstacle on an obstacle course. They each listed trying harder, practicing,
asking questions, and asking for help as strategies they use. Then we wrote strategies for each of their
obstacles. I called the IOs strategies
because this is a word we use in class a lot.
We did not do the "Tree" at this time.
I observed each of my students having the same emotional
experience that I had. They were
excited about their strategies, and for the first time, they believed it was
possible to achieve their target. Later
that day, I observed all three of them enthusiastically looking for new books
in the library. One of them told me
later that he had noticed that he pronounces each word under his breath. I also
received a note from one of them saying, "You're a super teacher."
On our report cards we are asked to mark whether or not each
student evaluates their own reading strategies and performance. I can truly say yes for these three
students! Following is one student’s
Ambitious Target.
Obstacles:
• I'm behind in practicing
because I didn't like to read until recently.
• I can't find books that I like.
• It's hard to finish a book.
• I can't remember what I've
read.
• I don't like to write about
what I've read.
Strategies to
get over obstacles:
• Read books I enjoy regularly.
• Find out what I'm interested in, look for books I'm interested in and the right level for me.
• To finish a book it needs to be
fun to read; it needs to be easy but challenging; I need to ask someone to read
parts with me.
• I can relate the story to my
own life; retell the story with pictures; predict what is going to happen; tell
someone (person, animal, or stuffed animal) about the story.
• I like writing notes so I could
write notes to my parents and friends about what I've read.
EDITOR’S NOTE
(4) Kay Buckner-Seal
Aleia, your application of the Ambitious Target gave students the opportunity to be reflective, a strategy that allows them to take responsibility for their learning. This is exactly what Kathy was referring to when she mentions “engaging all the students, no matter what their entry level of skills.”
We certainly hope
that you are making plans to attend 5th Annual TOCFE
International Conference /First Annual TOCFE International Student’s
Conference, held in Detroit this year.
It will be a great time for family learning and fun. For information and planning, see Connections.
Share with
us! Send your ideas by 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.
CONNECTIONS
(5) 5th
Annual TOCFE International Conference/First Annual
TOCFE International Student’s Conference
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)
To view TACTics in its intended
formatting and to read previous issues,
visit the TOC website at: www.tocforeducation.com