providing information

[Julie Smith]

Thanks Romy and Joelle and Doug and Michael and Judi, and everyone,

This idea of sharing information is part of what I'm trying to get at.
The idea of sharing information has a humility about it that feels right
to me.  When I think about going into a classroom to "teach," I feel
very uncomfortable.... like I'm violating the proper relationship
between me and others.  The hierarchy of teacher-over-student doesn't
resonate with me.

At the same time, I also feel that part of the proper relationship
between people is to share information.  I think we help each other
along the way if we share our insights and learning with each other.
Sharing information simply makes it available.  It doesn't require
allegiance or acceptance by another, but simply makes it easily
accessible.  It isn't graded, and there is no judgment passed about
whether another person agrees or disagrees with the information.
(Ahhhh.... the thorny problem of grading raises its head again..... and
I have this funny feeling I might be arguing against something I said
earlier..... oh well....)

So....... if we're going to share information with required reading
material or selected things posted on the walls, then why not share
information verbally, in conversation and dialogue?  Why separate these
different ways of sharing information?  They are all forms of
communication.  Once we decide we're going to actively and deliberately
communicate something TO the group, why stop there?  Why not actively
engage WITH the group?

It seems to me that if we're going to try to translate the OST process
from the boardroom to the classroom, there needs to be room for
information sharing by everyone, including the "teacher."   I guess I'm
circling back to the idea wendy and fredr'c came up with... if the
person in the role of teacher wants to participate on a given day, we
need a different person to facilitate... and if we do that, the OST
process will serve very well....

.....but only if the space is truly open.  That means taking care of the
things OST has already learned to take care of ~ defining a theme that
matters to the people who will participate, inviting voluntary
participation, not being wedded to a particular outcome.

But all of that is tricky in the school setting.  Help me out here
'cause I'm feeling stuck again.  Part of my role is to help students
learn how to mediate.  That's a pretty narrow goal, and the parameters
of what it means to mediate are limited by the definition of what
mediation is.  There's lots of opportunity to maneuver within the
process, but all in all, the space feels pretty closed.  There is an
expected outcome: adherence to a specific process.  Does that mean that
if my goal is to help students learn a particular skill, OST might be
the wrong process?

I can imagine using OST in the classroom if I broadened the theme to
something like "What issues and opportunities do we have to resolve
conflict in our school?"  With a theme like that, this entire discussion
would be unnecessary.  It would be pure and simple OST.  And maybe
that's the answer.  If I want to integrate OST into the work I do, maybe
I need to consider redefining the parameters of what I'm doing.  At the
same time, I'm curious about this other question.  Is it possible to use
OST to facilitate learning about a specific and limited skill-set, like
mediation?

Julie

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