Care and Feeding

[Jack Ricchiuto]

Christy, I can so empathize. Just finished teaching a core curriculum course
in executive communication for Kent State University's Executive MBA
program, a course I have always done from a self-directed learning format.
I've used this format for the past dozen years and always with the same
experiential path. Many students are intimidated by doing inquiry based
learning where their own questions drive the location of resources to drive
new, dynamic, and personalized learning. By the end of the class, as they
did yesterday, everyone goes around and expresses love for learning how to
learn in the process of covering every square mile of the curriculum scope.
Very open space.



jack

_/\_

jack ricchiuto

www.designinglife.com

two.one.six/ three.seven.three/ seven.four.seven.five.



  _____

From: Christy Lee-Engel [mailto:clee-engel at bastyr.edu]
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 6:04 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Care and Feeding



(Paul, I do remember "shazam" but not exactly where it's from --I must be
just a little bit old! ;-)

I would love to meet up with you and Joelle, please let me know when you'll
be in Seattle.)

It makes sense to me that suspension of the rules, willingness to try
something out of the ordinary, and freedom for people to choose their teams
& their projects themselves would allow for powerful results--and, I'm still
wondering how much the training/education in shared vocabulary and tools,
the introduction of radically different possibilities to the whole group
together, and so on, contributes to the conditions for "ripening," for
moving us closer to that "edge of chaos" from where the next miracle takes
birth.

One of the phrases from Harrison's The Practice of Peace book that has
stayed with me most is "The Practice of Peace is the intentional creation of
the requisite conditions under which Peace may occur." so, I am always
intrigued to learn more about the specific ways that people create those
conditions, how they tend to and cultivate the terrain (that "care and
feeding" piece).

Lately my friend Rowan and I have been experimenting with applying the
principles of Open Space to our teaching work (with great suggestions from
Michael H, thank you!). It has certainly been easier to bring those
principles/law into courses that are electives--we get to write a passionate
course description/invitation, and students then choose to take the course
if it stirs their own passion. The students in the elective course we did
last year took immediately to the dynamics of passion and responsibility,
and created several good projects and a deep community which has had the
interesting outcome of encouraging several of the students to leave our
school, to more truly follow their passions. (uh-oh! Courses that open space
for self-organization are what we now call "the outlaw curriculum.")



Where I have felt much more muddl-y is when I have experimented in required
courses--most of the students enjoy generating their own discussion topics
and projects, and they've done great work together; and at the same time,
some students have told me that they don't like chaos, they want me just to
tell them what to do, and one of them definitely didn't want to sit in any
circle! :-)

I will let you know what happens next...



thank you!

Christy



 -----Original Message-----
From: EVERETT813 at aol.com [mailto:EVERETT813 at aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 12:41 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Care and Feeding



Sorry, hit the wrong button---were major factors.  But, I'm reluctant to say
what was "the" major cause---I don't think one exists, it was a confluence
of influences and events and "shazam", a miracle.  (You have to be quite old
to understand "Shazam", lol)

Since Joelle and I come to Seattle frequently, maybe we could meet up and
talk sometime?

sincerely,

Paul Everett * * ==========================================================
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