TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

October 26, 2001

 

In this week’s issue:

Elementary/Secondary TACTics

    (1)     TOC in Curriculum Content: Social Studies, Galina Dolya / David Higgins

Connections

   (2)     Khaw Choon Ean Makes Organizational Impact, Kathy Suerken

   (3)     The 6th Annual TOC for Education International Conference

Quote

  (4)  Ernest Hemmingway

Editor’s Notes    

  (5)   Cheryl A. Edwards

 

ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY TACTICS

(1)        TOC in Curriculum Content: Social Studies

By Galina Dolya and David Higgins, Russia

 

In last week’s TACTics, Kathy Suerken reported that TOCFE, guided by Galina Dolya and David Higgins was on the move in Russia.  We thought you would like to read an article submitted by Galina and David regarding their early adventures in Russia.

 

TOC in Curriculum Content: Social Studies

Civics/Government

Galina Dolya, Master Teacher: Director, Preschool

David Higgins, Head Teacher and International Consultant

Moscow, Russia

 

Planning a Democratic School

Groups of high school students from different regions of Russia were participating in a Eureka Conference at Avante Guarde University.  In a workshop, which was a follow-up from a previous conference, the students were tasked with designing a democratic school.  Although the subject matter generated a lot of brainstorming and debate, that approach was clearly not taking the students to a finished product.  They seemed to have no sense of direction or focus.

 

We were asked to assist in guiding the students to complete the assigned task.  In so doing, we used the TOC process tool to achieve an Ambitious Target—in this case, a “democratic school.”

 

In TOC, we don’t start with solutions.  First, we make sure that we agree on and really understand the problem we are trying to solve.  Therefore, we posed a question to the students to focus their thinking and to clarify the problem:  “What problems—obstacles—will you encounter if you try to implement democracy at school?”  We divided the students into two groups, each of which developed a list of obstacles to the target.

 

Next, we asked them to think of what would overcome each of the identified obstacles.  The “Intermediate Objectives” were then listed next to the obstacles as “solutions.”

 

Democratic School – Group One

Obstacle

Intermediate Objective

  1. A lot of pupils are active.
  1. Many pupils are passive.
  1. Misunderstandings between teacher and pupils.
  1. Teachers understand the pupil.
  1. The basic law of the school is that the teacher is always right.
  1. The teachers are sometimes mistaken.

 

  1. Teachers do not take seriously the idea of student democracy.
  1. Teachers have a serious attitude to children’s democracy.
  1. Local administration does not make it law to have children’s constitution.
  1. Constitution is a law for all people.

 

  1. Students do not know their principle rights.
  1. Knowing your principle rights.
  1. Students are dependent on teachers.
  1. Students are independent of teachers.
  1. The basic law of the school is that the teacher is always right.
  1. The teachers are sometimes mistaken.

 

 

 

Democratic School- Group Two

Obstacle

Intermediate Objective

  1. L.A. not interested in having democratic schools and adopting constitution.
  1. Agreement with administration.

 

  1. Pupils are indifferent.
  1. Students become interested in democracy.
  1. Pupils are too busy to be involved.
  1. Enough time.
  1. Lack of resources to organize different projects.
  1. Enough materials.
  1. We are disorganized.
  1. Organisation.
  1. Our actions do not have direction.
  1. To be conscious of actions.
  1. Students have many different points of view.
  1. Unity of points of view.

 

The students then sequenced this list of Intermediate Objectives to give them a “map” of steps.  They were to take this plan back to their schools to develop a constitution.

 

What’s noteworthy is the effect of the TOC process to enable them to work with such focus, collaboration and organized results.  Therefore, they were able to complete their “ strategic” plans within 2 hours.  Teachers attending other workshops stopped by to see the students work and became so engrossed in the process we were using that many of them stayed in our session as observers.

 

 

We were especially pleased to receive the following letter from the Ministry of Education:

 

To whom it may concern:

At a recent Eureka Avant Garde conference held in Moscow during April, over 300 teachers and 50 advanced students had the opportunity to learn about TACT.  Galina Dolya and David Higgins did a presentation workshop to the teachers and worked with the students using the materials.

 

Many teachers from all parts of the Russia Federation were so impressed with the programme and with the work that the students produced that they wish for the opportunity to train to use the materials.

 

The minister of Education was present at the conference and wishes to support the introduction of the programme into the regions.  It encourages the regions to bring the training to their cities and has asked Eureka to act as an agent in this request.

 

Minister of Education,

V. Filippov

 

CONNECTIONS

(2)        Khaw Choon Ean Makes Organizational Impact

From Kathy Suerken

 

One of the new accelerated learning modules taught at the Detroit conference was designed by Khaw Choon Ean of Malaysia to "Guide Students to Become Responsible Decision-Makers and to Better Understand Academic Content by Using the Tools of TOC."  It is very uplifting to witness how much the TOCFE network values each other's work and collaborates to develop and disseminate it.  Thanks to this wonderful network, Ean's teaching materials are having a far reaching impact.

 

Francois Moll of South Africa used them recently to teach a seminar to University students and writes:

“I based the seminar on Ean's materials and this turned out to be a wise choice- especially due to the amazing cross-cultural connection in the material.  The seminar was highly successful and I am now starting negotiations with the university for next year." 

 

I also just received word from Francis and Rafael Conde that Ean's training materials have been translated to Spanish!  They write:

"We send you a copy, Kathy, because it is part of the huge TOCFE building.  This translation is a plausible effort by Javier Arevalo, our partnership in Piensalo Venezuela, to whom we thank the great job.”

 

We appreciate this knowledge and we are going to use it from the next week ahead on our teachers and kids.  Olga Lucia Gonzalez and Luz Marina Schotborg in Colombia have been a given copy too.

 

Thanks to Ean for this marvelous document which she kindly shared with her colleagues in the last TOCFE meeting in Detroit."

 

And my thanks to ALL OF YOU who have made possible the dissemination of her work.  The Spanish edition of Ean's materials is now a part of our impressive TOCFE library.

 

 

(3)        The 6th Annual TOC for Education International Conference

 

University of Nottingham

Nottingham, United Kingdom

July 8-11, 2002

See TACTics, October 12, 2001 for details at www.tocforeducation.com.

 

QUOTE

(4)       “Never mistake motion for action.” —Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

 

EDITOR’S NOTES

(5)           Cheryl A. Edwards

 

Great job, Galina and David!  It is easy to see why you are making such progress and are “on the move” in Russia.  Joyce Beasley, from Michigan, USA agrees.  She summed up her thoughts with two powerful words: “Great News!”

 

You can enjoy reading about other teaching experiences using the TOC tools from international TOCFE practitioners in the Anthology of TOC for Education Case Studies, compiled by Kathy Suerken.

 

Won’t you agree that we all benefit from reading about the experiences of others?  We encourage you to send in your experiences using the TOC tools to TACTics.  Let us all learn from each other.  Send your responses, applications of the thinking processes, lessons, announcements, and etc. by mail to:  Cheryl A. Edwards, 2253 S. Hill Island Rd., Cedarville, Michigan 49719, USA.  Or send hyperlink to:  redwards@sault.com, or bucknek@earthlink.net.

 

 

 

To view TACTics in its intended formatting, visit our website at

www.tocforeducation.com and click on “What’s New.”