TACTics Journal
A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners
In this week’s issue:
Networking
(1) How to Cause the Desired Change: A Practical Means Through
Reading Comprehension, Cheryl A. Edwards
(2) An Answer to Linda Trapnell’s
Request, Francois Moll
Editors’ Notes
(3) Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards
NETWORKING
(1) How to Cause the Desired Change: A
Practical Means
Through Reading Comprehension
From Cheryl A. Edwards
Colin Rose and Kevin Brown, Accelerated Learning Systems,
results of the combined effort of
TOCFE and Accelerated Learning to
create an interactive E-Learning
site for students ages 6-10.
You will want to check out www.tocforschools.com where you will be able to
“Take a Tour” of Yani’s Goal as well get
more information on the other
components of the program.
On the home page, “Improve Thinking and Behavior”, you will find
the
following list of skills the students
will be able to accomplish through using
the TOC Thinking Tools:
· Define problems and create thoughtful solutions
· Set their own goals and develop a logical plan for achieving them
· Make reasoned judgements and decisions
· Analyze curriculum topics in greater depth, and also
· Resolve conflicts and
· Predict the outcome of their own actions, and know how to control
their
own behavior.
Don’t miss…
· Yani’s Goal - a delightful story in
which the reader follows Yani on his
journey as he learns the TOC
Thinking Tools which helps him to reach his
‘GOAL’. The students learn the three
TOC Thinking Tools as they
interact with the story. In part one
the students watch as Yani learns
the tool. In part two students
practice on authentic text from various
subject areas and in part three they
follow Yani has he applies what he
has learned.
· Help for Teachers- describes how the TOC teacher training program
can
solve two important educational
issues:
· Finding time to teach content and process and
· Improving student behavior.
· Help for Parents- describes the support program available for parents.
This is a fantastic website!
(2) An Answer to Linda Trapnell’s Request
From Francois Moll,
In the
Kingdom requested some sample clouds for high school level students.
This is such a beautiful example of Javier's observation of the
willingness of
the network to share ideas—while
still in development—for the good of all.
Kathy
Dear Linda,
The truth is the cloud is applicable for any piece of literature
(as you know).
So one can have Macbeth (Kill the king/Don’t
kill the king—Ambition (?)
/Conscience), Hamlet (Kill Claudius/Don’t
kill Claudius).
Thus whenever a decision is taken, I find it more effective to let
my
audience work one out. The question
for us is “How does this help?” This
has been the cause of my delay
and I’ve come up with the following:
1. It clearly defines the central conflict (or other conflicts) in
the plot.
This allows the student to understand what it is that drives the
PLOT
forward.
2. If the conflict is not solved by a win-win (as in Macbeth), it
emphasizes
the lack of achievement of one
of the needs and the common objective (in
fact it frequently prevents BOTH
needs being met). This is a good lead-in to
a discussion of the concept of
TRAGEDY. A TRAGIC FLAW is in essence a
problem of need (either overwhelming
or irrational or prevented by
fate/circumstances/someone else's
actions).
3. It is an interesting exercise to build a cause-effect tree off
the wants
if the want is an action. For
example, can the student build Macbeth's
cause-and-effect off “Kill the King?”
Alternatively, if there is an injection
to the cloud in the story, the
same exercise is helpful; certainly it will
highlight the win-win nature (or lack
of) of the injection.
4. Discussion of the NEEDS boxes is crucial to understanding the
character. Often new interpretations
come from new needs. It may be
useful to ask the students for
evidence from the text to back up their
argument. For instance, traditionally
Macbeth’s motivation has been
interpreted as AMBITION but a modern
alternative is FEAR (of his wife or
of losing out somehow).
5. It can be useful to ask, “What obstacles are in the way of
achieving a
NEED or the COMMON OBJECTIVE?” and produce a rough PrT (Ambitious
Target Tree). In Lord of the Flies for
instance, what prevents Ralph and
Piggy from establishing Democracy? And then follow the process of what
they should do and compare it to
what they do do.
6. Lastly (for now), I like them to show relevance to their lives
by drawing
up a personal cloud with the
same needs but different actions from their
lives. How did they break the
cloud? Or is it ongoing? Can cross-deductions
be drawn? For example, have
they ever been faced with trying to fulfill the
needs of Satisfy Conscience AND
Satisfy Ambition (as in Macbeth)? Be
flexible so that a similar need can
be accepted. I hope this is some help. I
am sending to Kathy as well
because it may be useful for the Journal.
I hope all goes well.
Love,
Francois
EDITORS’ NOTES
(3) Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards
Feel free to share with us. Send your responses, applications of
the thinking
processes, lessons, announcements, and
etc. by mail to: Cheryl A. Edwards,
to cedwards@cedarville.net or bucknek@earthlink.net.
You may also view TACTics in its
intended formatting, by visiting our web
site at www.tocforeducation.com. Click on “What’s New.”