TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

October 2004

In this week’s issue:

Networking

(1) TOCFE Virtual Conference, Kathy Suerken

(2) Excerpts from: A Conversation with Eli Goldratt, Cheryl A. Edwards

(3) The Agony and the Ecstasy, Khaw Choon Ean

Editors’ Notes

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

NETWORKING

(1) TOCFE Virtual Conference: OUR Saga

From Kathy Suerken >suerken@cox.net<

Our first Virtual Conference received over 250 registrations from 34

countries. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Danilo Sirias and Saginaw Valley

State University for hosting this event for FREE--no charge to TOCFE or

any participant.

This conference was a big, audacious Ambitious Target and, as such, a real

learning curve opportunity to practice TOC tools on anticipated obstacles

(such as time differences, lack of experience in the technology or the

equipment to support it) and those unpredictable ones we call 'Murphy.'

Such as…

While upgrading their system, the SVSU server went down the day before

our VC, and--within 12 hours of launch-- we were forced to postpone the

event. Additionally, the previous day, Hurricane Ivan the Terrible paid a

visit to my own local community with 135 MPH winds, causing a lot of damage

to our homes and infrastructure…such as electricity and significantly

inhibiting local participation.

Yet, despite all the stress and frustration (negative branches) of such

obstacles, they led (through trims to leverage constraints!) to some

noteworthy positive branches because of the resiliency and collaborative

support that is so much the hallmark of TOCFE. Such as…

By the time we were scrambling to send word of rescheduled event,

our Philippines network was already conducting a TOCFE upgrade

session for 45 Manila educators which they had rescheduled to

coincide with our initial launch date so that they could remain

together until 11 PM to watch the conference around a single

computer…. only to find out that it was postponed a week! Did they

find a way to reassemble a week later? As a matter of fact, the

Philippine delegation was the largest national group attending at any

one time!

Due to the hurricane, I was frantically making contingency plans for

my sessions in the event of no electricity. Christina Cheng called from

Singapore to assure me she would be there to help with my first

session but when she tried to log in early as a buffer, the site wasn't

there! Because she was so concerned to keep her promise, she called

SVSU in Michigan and tracked down the tech guy in the middle of the

night!

Svetlana, our Russian TOCFE champion, didn't let a business trip stop

her from trying to attend our rescheduled event. She even called

Danilo from Germany for technical assistance. Francois never made it

into the chat rooms but was constantly trying, as were many others.

And all the while, there was Danilo…steadfastly working these issues while

assuring me he was having fun! WHAT a resourceful, servant leader.

I'd like to summarize additional IOs of our event and validate them through

the words of participants starting with IO: A renewed and 'kicked up' spirit

de corps and resolve within our network and BEYOND….

From TOC BUSINESS: Alan Barnard, South Africa, President

TOCICO: "Congratulations on a great conference and for the

wonderful presentations by each of the presenters. I learned a lot

and it has really inspired me to help promote TOCFE here in South

Africa and WHEREVER I travel.

From TOCFE LEADERSHIP: Director, Colombia, Francis Conde: "I

will establish a TOCFE international user group to create the

collaboration needed to ensure our TOCFE goals." (Francis achieved

this within 24 hours of announcing her intention!)

From a PARENT: the Dad of one my 1994 "Jonah" Middle School

Students, Niceville, Florida, USA: "Kathy, I only had the opportunity

to observe some of the seminars and I can say that all of you did an

outstanding job in developing this conference. I see that in the near

future, the distance will not be an obstacle for TOCFE to grow. You all

put a lot of effort and time in making this happen. A “positive”

children education is something that is valued all around the world;

one of the constraints is how to achieve it; and, one of the main

solutions is TOCFE. Thanks for the shared knowledge. I am very glad

that everything is working your way and congratulations to ALL of you

for a job well done. Miguel A. Droz, Niceville Fl 32578

From a PUBLISHER OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS: Maciek

Winiarek, POLAND: "Hello, Kathy. The conference was an

interesting experience for me…I got plenty of excellent materials. I

am writing to tell you that I succeeded in getting an invitation for you

to present TOC to the Teacher's Development Center in Poland in

November."

Another IO: We are effectively disseminating improvements to our ongoing

TOCFE know-how and sharing their applications and impact.

From a Research Scholar and Professor: Danilo Sirias, USA:

"Even though rescheduling and technical constraints significantly

impeded on-line 'chat' participation, these obstacles did not

preclude access to the pp presentations and recordings of

presentations. There were more than 2,000 hits to our SVSU

site and more than 80 participants downloaded presentations even

before the event began. "

From a TEACHER: Judy Holder, United Kingdom: "I now have a

really amazing collection of presentations on my computer. I

already have had some personal pay off. I'm hoping to run a

short course to help students get a very basic health and hygiene

certificate and suddenly realized that I can obviously use a simple

if/then branch to think through effects of poor hygiene and an

AT with IOs to talk about the development of good hygiene

practices in everyday life."

IO: We are continuously improving the TOCFE body of knowledge and

putting it in the public domain.

The interaction of live chat really pushed the synergistic envelop in all

sessions as anticipated. That is why I didn't want just to forward intended

presentations/papers from Serbia. As a result, a question from Eli sparked

a real 'tipping point' for us on interdisciplinary teaching.

TOC Creator: Eli Goldratt, "How can you connect mathematics with

geography, economics, finance, psychology all at once? Let me suggest a

starting point and see to what disciplines we can take it: In Spain, the

average number of children per woman is 1.05. "

We will share some of such recorded sessions through future TACTics

where, as well as on www.tocforeducation.com where we will also publish

some presentations. We intend to publish a collection of all presentations

and recorded sessions on a CD-ROM and sell as a fundraiser.

And finally, an IO that SPEAKS TO US ALL: We have the courage, more and

more, to enable the Future:

From a STUDENT: Ana Maria Conde, Colombia: "I have been thinking

about a question for Eli believe I have many in mind and then I realize the

answers always are: USE THE TOOLS. So what can I ask Eli? What can a

14 year-old girl ask a person that has years of experience, work and

success? I realize that I could ask: tell the children of the world tips or

advice to become better persons...to succeed in life and how this must be

taken.

From the FOUNDER OF TOCFE: Eli Goldratt: "My tip is: to gather the

courage to choose an open ended goal. A goal that you are absolutely

convinced that you do not stand a chance to reach. A goal that you are

afraid to tell an adult because s/he will just laugh and tell you to 'grow up";

still to follow this goal with all your might while being careful not to use it to

justify wrong means.'

(2) Excerpts from: A CONVERSATION WITH ELI GOLDRATT AT

THE TOCFE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

From Cheryl A. Edwards

Editor’s Note: As you read this conversation, please remember it is from

the transcripts of our virtual conference. We have taken literary license and

left all of the typos and misspelled words to keep the zest of the

conversation. Enjoy!

Kathy Suerken: It is my honor to introduce our beloved TOCFE founder, Eli

Goldratt. In honor of everyone's time, right to a question from Mike Round,

who sent one in advance—from Mike: What is the constraint in education?

Eli Goldratt: Hi everybody. Kathy let me start with a reminder first? First

let me remind you what Mark Twain have said: "I despise people... whose

imagination is limited to the extent... they know only one way to spell a

word." Now lets our audience start to shoot and I am going to demonstrate

what wide imagination I have.

Sears Taylor: Are you going to sell us any Bruklin Breeges, today?

Eli Goldratt: No darling. Much bigger and better constructions

Antoine Van Gelder (snr): and also broeklin britches?

Kathy Suerken: What about Mike's question, what do you think is the

constraint in education?

Eli Goldratt: the teachers

Kathy Suerken: Could you elaborate?

Eli Goldratt: Yes Kathy. We should decide how to exploit this scarce resource

and we should subordinate the whole system to that decision.

Shameem Rafik-Galea: Only the teachers? How about the administrators?

Eli Goldratt: No, we have more than enough administrators.

Eli Goldratt: Do you still think on the constraint as something negative?

Sears Taylor:Saying that the teachers are the number one constraint in

education harks back to the 1960' where the students took over the

universities.

Judy Holder: Jonathon Holder says it is a combination of compulsory education

and poor student motivation

Audrey Taylor: So you are saying that teachers are a constraint because

there are not enough of them?

Beverly Brown: If teachers become facilitators, are they still a constraint?

Eli Goldratt: Hold your horses please.

Cal Halliburton: Is the constraint a negative? No

Eli Goldratt: the constraint is the resource we don't have enough of it

Shameem Rafik-Galea:The teachers are the ones that create unnecessary

problems

Eli Goldratt: if we don't use the constraint properly the performance of the

whole system declines… if we waist the time of the constraint the

throughput of the system is dropping

Sears Taylor: If we agree that Mike Round Socratic thinking can draw the

best out of students and the teacher follows this method, is he/she the

biggest constraint to education?

Eli Goldratt: No Sears, you just proposed a way to better exploit the

constraint. Think again according to the characteristic of the word

constraint. Not according to the conventional condemning connotation of the

word. Now what resource is the constraint of the education system? What

is the most important resource that every school/district wants more of?

Cal Halliburton: The skilled teacher

Eli Goldratt: Thank you. Can we upgrade the skills of most teachers? In other

words can we find ways to better exploit the constraint?

Judy Holder:Jonathon Holder still says motivated student...that can be

achieved by a skilled teacher

Cal Halliburton: Certainly

Denise Meyer: Don't we have teachers sitting in meetings that don't meet

their needs or the needs of their students constantly? And don't we train

teachers in strategies that really don't teach children to think? And don't

we have administrators who have lost touch with classroom issues telling

teachers the best way to teach? We are certainly not exploiting the

constraint effectively. We frequently don't ask them what help they need.

Eli Goldratt: Judy, do you want me to comment on Holders opinion?

Judy Holder: He says yes please if there's enough time

Eli Goldratt: If we find effective ways to cause teachers to significantly

motivate the student it will be a mammoth step of better exploitation of the

constraint (the teacher). The students are the raw material work-in process

and finished goods of the system. Definitely not the constraint of the

system, the education system blaming the students is like a manufacturing

plant blaming the products

Eli Goldratt: Mike, did I answer your question?

Michael Round: Yes. Thank you!

Judy Holder: Jonathon says a raw material has fixed characteristics and the

product is predetermined but a student can often prevent their own

education despite the skill of the teacher.

Eli Goldratt: Yes. And so many manufacturers say the same about their

material. The education system is here to teach our kids. Not to decide

what kids they don't want to teach. I mean in general.

Beverly Brown: If the product is consistently bad, won't the business die?

If the student is bad enough, will the system die?

Cal Halliburton: There are no bad children

Beverly Brown: Good point.

Audrey Taylor: Sears wants me to say that he agrees with Eli about the

students being the raw material, however, administrators must assist

teachers in dealing with disruptive students. This is a serious problem in

some schools.

Eli Goldratt: No it will not. Thank God there is no competition. If there was,

like in industry most schools would be long time bankrupt

Judy Holder: Jonathon Holder says I understand you now, we must work with

what we have, but a malleable product may be altered by the skilled

workman, thank you!

Eli Goldratt: Audrey, you are absolutely right. Every section of the system

must subordinate to enable the better exploitation of the constraint (the

teacher)

Eli Goldratt: But as you've seen in so many for profit organizations,

subordination is where they usually fail. The local optima syndrome is

devastating

Denise Meyer: Eli, as you know, I’m struggling with measurements. Do you

have any ideas on developing good measurements?

Eli Goldratt: Denise darling. That is probably the biggest stumbling block. How

do you measure the amount of education a student incorporated? How do

you measure the degree s/he is better prepared for life?

Judy Holder: Eli, I have a specific problem with some of my students right now.

They enjoy their anger, they tell me. It is much less frustrating to lash out

than to talk through

Eli Goldratt: I have only partial answers. But I don't have the intuition you all

have about the education system. Besides I am dum. But you are not!!!

Judy Holder: A partial answer would be good

Eli Goldratt: Judy. Are you surprised? Did they were like that when the

system received them? Some, maybe but the majority?

Denise Meyer: I guess I'm just looking to see if you have any procedural

tips. I disagree with the last statement.

Eli Goldratt: Denise, I have a tip. How do you measure love?

Denise Meyer: Let me think about that one.

Limor Winter-Kraemer: when the happiness of another person is necessary for

yours

(3) THE AGONY AND THE ECSTACY

(Subtitled: “Attending a Virtual Conference from Malaysia”)

By Khaw Choon Ean, Director TOCFE, South East Asia

So September 25-28, 2004 has come and gone.

I personally sat through ALL 4 days of the Conference from 10-3 o’clock

EXCEPT in Malaysia it was 10pm to 3am! And by the time I shut down after

chatting in Track E, it would be 4am at the least, a quick snooze and I’m up

at 6.30am doing all the rituals in the morning to get to the office by 9 am

and sit through a full day’s work of meetings, deskwork and planning, back to

home for dinner, do a cat-nap in front of the TV and back online again at

10pm, sitting in 4 rooms at the same time (Madame Gadget at her best) and

using the 5th screen for recording or downloading AND a 6th screen to finish

an office report or work plan!. Talk about multi-tasking…. This is the Asian

night-owl (as Kathy calls me) or ze Sleepless One in modus operandi mode.

It had been a good experience. However, the downside was, on 29

September I was teetering around in zombie mode at my office having

stayed up through the night of 28th, completing 2 office reports from 4am

till 7am. A full office day and I went home, ready to tape from TV the first

broadcast of the Kids’ TV show in Malaysia (delayed a few weeks due to

rescheduling caused by Olympic Games live broadcasts).

Everything was set up for the start of the show at 6pm on 29 September.

At 5:55 PM I was ready, finger on the recording button of the video tape

recorder…At 6pm as the show started, I was fast asleep on the sofa, finger

still on the button…. but I had fallen asleep without pressing the button! No

one was at home and I slept on, waking up much, much later to see the

credits rolling, having missed the whole historic event…the first TV

broadcast for TOC in Malaysia! The good news is, I hear is that the show

turned out nicely and is the start of others to come. Ah well, win some; lose

some.

Back to the conference…

There are so many stories to tell. We had 4 presenters from Malaysia and

many others signed up. Such heartening tales and heart-rending ones, as

well. Technology failed when it was most needed for many.

I was mostly okay using a broadband from home. The other 3 presenters

also made sure they could get on, though being on at night over here meant

they had to use dial-ups and the Java plug-in took ages to load.

Poor Faridah spent a fortune phoning long-distance to her daughter for help

when her Java plug-in took one and a half hours to load. After trying to get

on unsuccessfully for days she landed in a discussion room on the last day

because we could see her name listed, but strangely “silent”, not even

responding to private messages. We found out that she was looking at a

blank discussion room somehow “alone”. Technology failed her here but she

was thankful to be able to download the slides and files and the recordings.

Faridah was deeply disappointed, as she wanted to get on the AGOAL

Academy slot on behalf of her son, Ariff who was away at boarding school.

Then, there was Minnie registered in as Lee Min, Chong who is a newbie in

TOC having attended a short session I had given some time ago. She sat

fascinated, quietly online “listening” and in her own words “learning a lot,

sometimes a bit lost” for 3 whole days and missed the last day because she

was leaving for Hong Kong. She sent me a message that she would love to

teach TOC for counseling in Cantonese. I think eventually she will.

I spoke to Dr Shameem, S. C. Ling and Sarina about their experiences. They

found the new “virtual” experience fascinating. Well we have not been

unfamiliar with the chat medium but using it as a conference was an

altogether different feel.

Dr. Shameem felt it was really interesting and being able to download files

and presentations was good as we could take our time after to look through

and ponder. Mr. Ling felt that at certain points when a lot of questions were

asked the presenter could get distracted and lose his pace. Some

presenters paced themselves very well and I think the majority was mostly

unfazed by whatever happened.

Sarina, whom I shall call the “newly involved”, though she had previous TOC

exposure even when she was doing her graduate studies in New Zealand,

enjoyed giving her brief presentation and participating in the conference.

She has been enlightened by the sessions on literature and hopes to

incorporate TOC tools in studying the texts for The Prisoner of Zenda and

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, books we use in school here. Sarina, by the way,

works in the English Language Unit of the Curriculum Development Centre,

MOE, Malaysia.

As for myself, I had a grand time being able to be on 4 tracks at one go,

something I wouldn’t have been able to do in a real physical conference with

breakout sessions. Sitting in 4 rooms in cyberspace was great and no one

could really tell which room I was in, hah, not even myself! And the great

facility of being able to send a private message allowed all the “whispering”

to take place during the presentation without disrupting others.

Sarina sends kudos to Danilo and his team for what she says was a logically

arranged set-up that was as simple as it could be to use. I guess she should

add when one can “get in” as I have many others who don’t know what she’s

talking about as they were hampered by technology from the login!

I have heard from Toshio Sasaki from Japan who could not find his way in to

make his presentation and who sent his apologies and the great story from

Philippines as Jenilyn sent me a note before the VC that 45 of them would go

to a school (at midnight, presumably) and all be in front of the computer

whilst they log on as “Victoria,” “Cora” or “Jenilyn”.

I think the Virtual Conference is a great idea and I am echoed by my fellow

Malaysians that this sort of meeting should be on a regular basis and a way

to keep in touch and update regularly without involving phenomenal travel and

accommodation costs. Congratulations to all those who have made the VC a

reality and “see” you all at the next one, hmmm, hopefully with audio and web

cam (says Dr. Cora from Philippines), though I can’t imagine I would want you

to really see how I had attended the conference, in my old T-shirt and

shorts, with my feet up on the table while the old spouse softly snores in

deep sleep a short distance away…hey, it WAS the middle of the night and

the wee hours of the morning, folks!

EDITORS’ NOTES

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

The TOCFE Virtual Conference not only gave “attendees” the opportunity to

learn from conference presenters from the convenience of home, but it gave

them the opportunity to interact with the presenters and dynamically shape

the course of the presentation. TOCFE Virtual Conference planners and

presenters should be proud.

Our next issue will be published on Friday, November 5, 2004. So that

means any submissions should reach us by Monday, October 25, 2004. Please

send your articles by mail to: Cheryl A. Edwards, 2253 S. Hill Island Rd.,

Cedarville, Michigan 49719, USA. Or send hyperlink to

cedwards@cedarville.net or kayseal@comcast.net.

Please note that the pdf version of TACTics is attached. You must have

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