TACTics Journal
A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners
In this week’s issue:
Connections
(1) The Logic Branch for Teachers with Special Needs/Dyslexia
Interests at Heart, Eleanor May-Brenneker
Reader Feedback
(2) Denise Meyer
Editors’ Notes
(3) Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards
CONNECTIONS
(1) The Logic Branch for Teachers with
Special
Needs/Dyslexia
Interest at Heart.
By Eleanor May-Brenneker MA,
U.K./Netherlands
This full-day workshop was entitled: “The ABC of FACT (
Test)” and was presented at the 7th International TOCFE Conference
in
Specific Objectives:
1. Participants guide students
to effectively question relationship in
information.
2. Participants apply any text
with graphic organizer (Logic Branch
Diagram) to clearly retell and logically explain causal
relationships in
information.
3. Participants enable students
to draw inferences from text/prior
knowledge and to logically explain
them in writing.
4. Participants apply what they
learn through application of TOC Branch to
authentic situation.
The workshop started with a teacher/student Round-Robin
Introduction, a
personal statement of each
participant of expected outcomes and the
individual’s specific interest in/relationship
with Special Needs/Dyslexia. I
pointed out that the workshop would
have the character of my teaching
approach, which is Socratic,
multi-sensory, and holistic; and I solicited any
possible objections. None were
raised, so out came the funny hats, juggling
balls games and psycho-acoustic
music which generated great enjoyment
right through the day and led to
delegates feeling relaxed and at ease till
the last minute (and beyond I
hope!).
Examples stemmed from my Dyslexia practice, from TOC story materials
(The Boy and the Nuts), from every day life occasions (organising a home
dinner party), and finally from
(very interestingly) “The Titanic.” These
examples surfaced many surprising
inferences and implications! All the
examples were transposed from objective
story/event to subjective,
personal and relevant situations.
Why? Only when learning material is made relevant to the student’s
own
experience or life does the material
come to life! Then the student is
associated and emotionally
connected—true learning and long-term memory
are engaged. Only when skills
can be transferred can we be certain that the
student has learned the material.
In this workshop, the Logic Branch introduction started with a
sheet from a
dyslexic adult student saying:
“I thought I would put pen to paper and outline what has happened
in the
last few months, where I am now,
and where I want to go. The main tool I
have been using is the “IF, THEN
will happen. BECAUSE…”
We raised if-then-because situations to start getting our minds
around
causal relationships. Some of these
were soon put into diagrams to
familiarise the participants with the Logic Branch tool.
All along we discussed the relevance of causal relationships in
the
structured diagrams to the “self” and to students with Special
Needs/Dyslexia. We were ready to see real
life examples of dyslexics that
I work with.
The first few examples were based on behavioural
issues, which all
participants recognised
or could identify with. This in itself created the
relevance feeling, which encourages
motivation and intensifies participation.
We also witnessed how some of the negative behavioural
issues had been
addressed simply by thinking through
the results of ongoing undesirable
behaviour, the need that generated the behaviour,
and how it could be
turned around into positive behaviour shown in a new Logic Branch diagram.
The diagrams showed the “IF…Then” sequence all the way through from
bottom to top. Only then did we
surface the “Because”—the reason, the
explanation in each “If…Then” sequence.
Positive Logic Branch (Text Version):
Goal: To get into the Middle Group of English (M.E.10 years) by
half term.
IF: I practice reading daily (10),
THEN: I get better at reading (25).
BECAUSE: (20) —provides the
explanation: e.g. practice makes perfect
Next you’ll read it as:
IF: I practice reading daily (10) and
I do daily Brain Gym and visualisation (15) and
Practice makes perfect (20), —the explanation in order to
verify the logic in the new
sequence)
THEN: I get better at reading (25). —Why the explanation? The more
refined and
detailed the logic the less you go astray!
Now (25) forms the new base for the next sequence:
IF: I get better at reading (25),
THEN: The teacher notices I’m better at reading (35).
BECAUSE: (30) —forms the explanation.
Read next:
IF: I get better at reading (25) and (30 —the explanation),
THEN: The teacher notices that I’m better at reading (35).
IF: The teacher notices that I’m better at reading (35),
THEN: The teacher moves me up a group (45).
BECAUSE: (40) —forms the explanation
IF: The teacher moves me up a group (45) and (40 — the explanation),
THEN: I have achieved my GOAL (50)!
Positive Logic Branch (Graphic Version):
Goal: To get into the Middle Group of English (M.E.10 years) by
half term.
READER FEEDBACK
(2)
I just want to say that you guys are doing a great job with the
journal.
Thanks,
Denise
EDITORS’ NOTES
(3) Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards
Thanks to all for sharing with us the week. We look forward to your
continued contributions. Please Feel
free send your responses, applications
of the thinking processes,
lessons, announcements, and etc. by mail to:
Cheryl A. Edwards,
Or send hyperlink 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.”