August 17, 2001
(2) Stories from the Chalk Face: The Half Cloud,
Judy Holder
(3) TOC-Thinking 24 Hours a Day!, Gila Glatter
Quotes
(4) from Philip Bakker
Editors’ Notes
(5) Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A.
Edwards
(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
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.
(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
!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