TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

January 10, 2003

In this week’s issue:

Connections

(1) TOCFE Training in Yugoslavia, Zana Borisavljevic

(2) News from the Netherlands, Eleanor May-Brenneker

(3) Student Leaders in the Philippines, Cora Santiago

(4) 7th International TOCFE Conference

Editors’ Notes

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

CONNECTIONS

(1) TOCFE Training in Yugoslavia

From Zana Borisavljevic, Yugoslavia

As I stood in front of a group of educators in Belgrade saying good-bye at the end of a three day TOCFE training which Rami had conducted, all my resistance to using the expression “TOCFE family” evaporated.

I was born with a strong need for individual expression and being brought up with a twin sister in Yugoslavia in the communist time resulted in my developing a strong dislike for using expressions like “brotherhood” and “unity” as well as for any kind of “belonging” to groups, particularly to those that emphasized their “togetherness”. Of course when I grew up I longed to share with people whose ideas and visions were similar to mine, however the sensitivity to these particular expressions was still there.

I came across TOC almost by accident. I was living in London and Galina and I were trying to find time in our busy schedules to meet. The only day that I could make it, Galina was attending some kind of seminar. She invited me to come and have lunch there and then she suggested that I join them for the day. So there I was, at the final day of a TOC seminar, which Ephrat was conducting.

I didn’t expect much. My main reason for going there was  to talk to Galina about the program they were running in the preschool and even if the rest of the day wasn’t too exciting I wouldn’t have been bothered. Perhaps that’s what made the whole experience even more important. While I was sitting there (they were doing the PrT) and listening, I got more and more excited. At one point I had an amazing recognition that “this” was what Life was leading me towards, that “this” was something that would make my life and work richer and that also there was a place for me to make “it” richer. And yet, when some days, weeks or months after that I first heard the expression “TOCFE family” I cringed. But I decided that I valued TOC too much to be distracted by the feeling so I let it go. I never became fond of the expression but I kept “letting it go.”

And then, to my surprise, at the end of the seminar in Belgrade two weeks ago the expression came to my mind. During the course of the seminar Rami was showing examples of TOC tools being used in schools all over the world.  We saw Linda’s preschool kids’ PrT for the wedding celebration (the one with no “wring”!), the workbooks that Gila and other colleagues in Israel have been producing, the photos of schools in Malaysia, examples from Mexico and many, many more. I recognized that beside Rami and myself presenting TOCFE to the group of people in Belgrade all of you were also taking part in it. It was the work of all of you colleagues in different countries that made this presentation possible. So here it goes: I do appreciate that I am a part of the TOCFE family. And, I feel truly grateful for that!

The seminar was a total success. The participants included some staff from the Ministry of Education, some counselors from primary and secondary schools, and members of two NGOs who are THE organizations who run trainings in conflict resolution in Serbia. If they hadn’t been there and other people started using the program they would have been “fighting against it” because they would have seen it as competition. This way they are all going to incorporate it in what they already do. I am now writing a proposal to the MoE for TOCFE to be an accredited program for use in schools. The next step will be a training of the trainers, which the MoE will organize and I will conduct in the beginning of the new year. And we’ll take it from there. And then… hopefully one day the transparencies in a TOCFE presentation in some other country will include the examples of Yugoslav children using the tools.

My heartfelt thanks to you all!

(2) News from the Netherlands

From Eleanor May-Brenneker, Netherlands

How are you ALL? Sorry you haven't heard from me for a while. I've kept a low profile since I'm suffering from a torn retina and I don't know yet which way my vision will go, so it's a wait and see game. Nevertheless, TOCFE.NL has not at all been sitting still.

In Oct, we ran POOGI day in Utrecht (NL) discussing creative writing with the MOL model. Francois’ demo at the conference inspired me and gave me the idea to create a writing “hierarchy” with TOC. This may enable students, especially the ones that do not know WHERE or HOW to start, to choose the conflict diagram as a pattern to construct the required reply to the task in the title question. Often the title question vocabulary is confusing: justify, contrast, describe etc. At various stages near the top of the hierarchy we could add the logic branch with specific examples, which I've called e.g.’s in the hierarchy diagram. My colleagues in NL were impressed and enthusiastic and want to experiment with it.

Further Dutch news: (contrary to many expressions in English with the adjective “Dutch,” this news is not fake, nor is it double Dutch!) Petra Pouw is admirably training more teachers in all 5 sessions. Nel Hofmeester has enthusiastically run Session One for teachers and plans to facilitate more.  Philip Bakker has revised some sessions with a colleague who could not fully attend all 5 earlier. He has also written a chapter in a book on National Healthcare Policies in which TOC strategies feature brilliantly. Geerte van de Groep is successfully using TOC in her new career of designing good teaching practises and Carl applies TOC regularly at her school and is organising another 1-day/ Session-1 training for teachers new to TOC and a

revision course for earlier trained ones.

Our next POOGI will be held in Amsterdam, 12TH DEC ‘02, to see and discuss relevant creative writing examples from the work/education environment of our team of colleagues using the MOL model and the MAY Hierarchy. We have more or less fully designed a diagram for teaching specific Dutch (not fake!) grammar rules. If that diagram works, I want to work out a generic one that can be applied to teach German and French or Spanish grammar rules as well. I wonder how well we'll be doing…

My best wishes and love to you all!

(3) Student Leaders in the Philippines

From Cora Santiago, Philippines

We are happy to inform you that the 158 student leaders, all presidents of Student Councils of secondary schools finished the TOCFE two-day course with their advisers. They have organized themselves.

Also, 58 private school administrators in Mindanao finished a three-day TOCFE course in Davao City with the sponsorship of Mrs. Erlinda Herrera, of Our Lady of Monserrate, Davao City. In Quezon City, TOC was introduced to 240 non-teaching personnel as an update for a seminar workshop on Decision Making and Communication.

To the Goldratts, Kathy, Kay, Cheryl and the TOCFE clan, we send you our warmest greetings for the holiday season.

Cora Santiago

(4) 7th International TOCFE Conference

May 16-19, 2003

Ramada Plaza Beach Resort

1500 Miracle Strip Parkway

Ft Walton Beach, Florida, USA

 

Hotel:

• For reservations, USA toll free: 800.874.8962.

• Please reserve your room under the TOCFE Conference block of rooms.

• Boxed continental breakfast-up to two per room included.

• Blocked rooms will be held until April 24, 2003 (afterward, reservations

only if space available).

• The following prices are for maximum of 2 people per room (additional

person is $10/person per night up to maximum of 4 per room)..Standard: $120 (plus tax) per night.

Courtyard: $135 (plus tax) per night

Poolside: $155 (plus tax) per night

Beach Front: $175 (plus tax) per night

Airport:

• Fort Walton Beach, Florida (VPS is the airport code).

• Cab/shuttle service from airport to hotel is about $15.

• Driving information will be shared in a future TACTics.

Conference Fees:

• Daily Rate: $25 includes lunch, coffee breaks and all materials.

• Full conference rate: $125 includes 4 lunches, all coffee breaks, all

materials and Special Dinner/Entertainment Event on Sunday, May 18. A

Special Event is still being planned for Saturday, May 17!

• 10% discount if registration fees are paid by April 1, 2003

EDITORS’ NOTES

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

Looking Ahead…The E-Learning Series will continue next week with a lesson

using the Ambitious Target process of recognizing obstacles and

intermediate objectives (from text) to guide students to a deeper

understanding of content.

Thanks to all for sharing with us. Cora, though your season's greetings have

been published after the holidays, we sincerely appreciate your warm wishes.

To all of our TOCFE family, we will continue to strive to publish your

responses, applications of the thinking processes, lessons, announcements,

and etc. in a timely manner.

So, share with us! Send 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.

To view TACTics in its intended formatting, visit our web site at

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