TACTics Journal
A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners
August 2005
In this month’s issue:
Networking
(1)
"Learning To Live And Learning To Learn" Khaw
Choon Ean
Connections
(2) 8th
International Conference Update, Kathy Suerken
(3) Made Your Reservations? Kathy Suerken
Editors’ Notes
& a Special Request
(4) Kay
Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards
NETWORKING
1. "LEARNING TO LIVE AND
LEARNING TO LEARN"
(on promoting TOCFE Workshops as Lifelong Learning)
Khaw Choon
Ean (
Today’s Reflection:
"…30
years of research with families and in schools has shown that children who can
think through and successfully solve everyday problems for themselves have
fewer behaviour problems and do better in school than
children who are unable to think this way…"
Myrna B. Shure, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
I came across the
above remark when I was doing some literature review in preparation for my
first-ever TOCFE Parenting Skills Workshop in
You see, before
this, when planning workshops, it always seemed to be a question of limited
time, so do I dwell on teaching how to learn content or how to learn behaviour? Since coming across that meaningful comment, I
no longer need to agonize over this. It is simple. I make sure I do both.
When implementing
accelerated learning techniques in workshops these days, the aim is not only to
save time but also to ignite the participants’ full mental and psychological
powers for thinking, problem solving, innovating and learning. They can be
children or parents or teachers, it doesn’t matter.
Therefore, I realized we cannot compartmentalize the teaching and learning. One
leads to the other.
Teaching the
tools first in the context of behaviour, then leading
this into learning of content has a feeling of more immediacy. The grasp
becomes more real to the participant. I find that when the participants can
start using whichever tool to personal behaviour
storylines or situations, it is a very natural process to transfer the skill
into learning content. The AHA! moment comes with no
trauma.
So in the last
workshop I ran a couple of weeks ago for 66 secondary school teachers attending
a professional upgrade workshop, I introduced the Cloud tool and one teacher
participant unabashedly put forward her personal conflict for a decision to be
made between her husband and herself while the others offered win-win
solutions, helped her look at invalid assumptions in the situation and gave
injections.
Moving on from
there into a content area using the Cloud to teach a topic with conflicting
issues seemed so natural because having applied the steps of The Cloud tool in
a personal meaningful behaviour situation helped to
internalize the technique.
So, taking a leaf
from this experience, we should start children on TOC tools on behaviour and then it is a natural progression to apply
that skill to learning. It will be a total learning experience as the skills
can be used to solve problems and then leave the way clear to apply to meaningful
learning.
We would really
like to have our children be able to solve their daily problems and leave the
way clear to use the self same techniques for learning. What we would call
LIFELONG SKILLS. Believe me, this angle promotes well.
I welcome comments
to the above reflection.
CONNECTIONS
(2) TOCFE 8TH
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AGENDA
From Kathy
Suerken < suerken@cox.net <
8th
International TOCFE Conference
"Building
a Viable Vision for Education"
Embassy Suites,
General
Conference Agenda:
There will be 3
Tracks available for Conference Attendees to select through Saturday:
1. Administrative Track:
2. Teacher's/Counselor’s Track:
3. University Academics/TOCFE
Experts Track:
Sunday
"
NOT
THE END, JUST THE BEGINNING!"
Kathy Suerken,
President TOCFE and Others
(3) MADE YOUR
RESERVATIONS?
Kathy Suerken
8th
International Conference
"Building
a Viable Vision for Education"
Don't forget to make your hotel reservations at the Embassy Suites
Lynnwood/Seattle for TOCFE conference as soon as possible. Reservations
received after
More information on conference at:
http://tocfe.home.comcast.net
More Conference Details…
Registration
Fees:
Fee includes 4 lunches, special event dinner, coffee breaks and all materials.
By July 1: $250; After July 1: $275.
Discounted fees for University Students and K-12 Teachers: By July 1: $150.
After July 1: $175. Registration form available for download: www.tocforeducation.com
Hotel Accommodations: Embassy Suites Seattle North/Lynnwood (www.wcghotels.com)
Group rate of $119 plus tax. Includes: two-room suite, daily
cooked-to-order breakfast and complimentary evening reception.
Reservations: 1.800.628.0611. Request TOCFE block.
Ground transportation from SeaTAC: (
For more information: www.tocforeducation.com
Questions:
EDITORS’ NOTES
(4) Kay
Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards
Special
Request just for Conference Attendees!!!!!
Many of our
readers are unable to attend the conference this year.
As you reflect on
the content of the conference, your learnings and
your insights won't you please take the time to jot them down and send them in
for publication in TACTics? We know our readers
really enjoy hearing from other practitioners and they will enjoy hearing about
the conference from you.
Due to a
local holiday our next issue will be
published on