TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

September 20, 2002

In this week’s issue:

Elementary/Secondary TACTics

(1) Who Is In Control?, Denise Meyer

Connections

(2) Facilitator Training Course in Bogotá, Colombia, Rafael Conde

Editors’ Notes

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

ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY TACTICS

(1) Who Is In Control? —Using A Negative Branch to Solve a

Problem and Accept Responsibility.

From TOCFE L.A., Reflections: August 2002

By Editor Denise Meyer, CA USA

This week a little boy came to complain that “Javier was trying to kick me.”

I discovered that the boy was trying to stick up for his sister. In further

investigating, I found out that the sister had hit Javier earlier. The sister

looked angry before I even spoke to her. When I suggested she had started

this chain of events with her behavior, she began to cry. Her tears seemed

a mixture of anger and pain. I brought her to my office and we talked.

She said she was always blamed for stuff at home. Her mom yells at her. I

started to draw a branch in the box that said, “I hit him.” I asked her what

happened after she hit him. She gave me the boxes that followed up the

branch to when her mom yelled at her. Then I asked her what made her hit

him. She said he made her mad. I asked how. She answered that he was

always messing around with her computer. We also clarified that he hit her

because he got mad. Then I pointed to each box and asked her if she had

any control over it, starting at the top. “ Do you have any control over you

mom yelling?” I asked.

“No,” she answered.

“How about him telling lies on you?”.“No, “ she said.

“How about you hitting him?” I asked.

“No, ummm, I mean, yeah,”

We marked it with a star. “What could you have done?”

“Told my mom.”

I continued, “Do you have any control over getting mad?”

“Yeah,” she answered.

“Are you sure?” I told her that sometimes it’s really hard to control these

kinds of feelings.

We ended the discussion by talking about why the boy messed with the

computer. She said he probably wanted to use it but didn’t know how. I

asked her if there was any way to solve that problem. We talked about

teaching him how to use it and taking turns. I wasn’t sure how the discussion

affected her. She still seemed quite sullen as I walked her back to class.

That afternoon at dismissal time, the girl came to chat with me all smiles

like we were old buddies. About two weeks after the original incident, her

brother came to tell me that he and Javier are now good friends.

The Negative Branch is very effective in pointing out to children where and

how they can control their own destiny.

CONNECTIONS

(2) Facilitator Training Course in Bogotá, Colombia

From Rafael Conde, TOCFE Latin America

This is to inform you that we are going to hold a Facilitator Training Course

in Bogotá, Colombia, South America Oct 2-4, 2002. Within the framework

of the First TOC Latin American Congress, our organization, Piensalo Latin

America organized the LA TOCFE CONGRESS. The first day will be a big

session for 350 teachers with the attendance of the Bogota´s mayor and

our educative authorities from the Secretary of Education of Bogota and

from the Ministry of Education of Colombia. The key speakers will be Eli

Goldratt and Kathy Suerken..Our objective is to launch the new marketing

strategy on TOCFE with the Latin American educative authorities and to

train 35 teachers from Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Colombia

as TOCFE facilitators. 

Our TOCFE team is very proud to conduct this training and to have the

presence of Kathy and Eli in our first day session.

EDITORS’ NOTES

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

Thanks to all for sharing with us this week. Denise shared an example of

how the Negative Branch, a very appealing tool to young children, helped a

student to discover the power of logic. Perhaps some of you would like to

share a similar experience. If so, 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 cedwards@cedarville.net or bucknek@earthlink.net.