OS in schools

Michael M Pannwitz mmpanne at boscop.de
Wed Oct 18 04:57:58 PDT 2006


no problem
or
actually absolutely necessary under the heading of diversity or getting 
the whole system into the room
have had teachers approach me on doing on os on the topic of "Improving 
the Learning and Living in our school"
When asked who all needed to be there to work on that topic 
productively, they soon discovered that it would not make a lot of sense 
to stay by themselves. So they invited the whole school, parents, 
custodian, students, retired teachers, ex students, teachers from 
neighboring school, the neighborhood cop, neighbors...it was grand.
I think that the worry about students not being able to work and act 
selforganized could very well be an indication of how little we believe 
in the forces of selforganisation and selfactivation...
On a practical level, there are so many parallel groups going on that 
there are just not enough teachers around to control...and students 
really catch on to the Law of Two Feet in a hurry.
I have faciliated a number of larger groups (350) of students and 
teachers from all over the city in a 6 year series on violence in 
schools...this was a real eyeopener to me as regards the ability of 
students of all ages to follow their passion and take action.

There are some craft points:
-Getting it very clear who the sponsor is
-Having a Planning Group that meets once to get clarity on the theme and 
who should be invited to the event
-get a facilitator that is not an expert on schools or education

Have a great time!
mmp

Yoav Peck wrote:
> Michael, 
> I appreciate your encouragement. Good to hear that OS has worked well in
> school settings. I wonder about the possibility of teachers and students
> doing OS together. My worry is that the teachers' participation will make it
> difficult for students to take part freely. Like bosses and workers
> together, with an even greater gap in the relative power of the two groups.
> Yoav  
> 
> 
> Dear Yoav Peck,
> over the last few years I have facilitated open space gatherings for 
> daycare centers, elementary schools, highschools, vocational 
> schools....and I know that several others on this list are very active 
> in this field.
> My experience is that if there is a burning, complex, conflicting issue 
> that needs to be dealt with in a school setting, an open space gathering 
> for all involved is a good way to go...advancement of human dignity is 
> guaranteed in the process everytime without it being explicitly 
> mentioned. Its just one of the byproducts of working and being in open 
> space along with others, such as productivity, happiness, fun, 
> exhilaration, discovery, peace, love, grief,reconciliation,...
> 
> Prerequisite: There has to be a burning issue...
> 
> Greetings from Berlin
> mmp
> 
> 
> Yoav Peck wrote:
>> */To: Joelle, Ashley, and anyone else with experience opening space in 
>> schools /*
>>
>> I would appreciate hearing from you about your experiences, and/or 
>> resources you may recommend.
>>
>> I conduct school programs for the advancement of human dignity and I 
>> would love to incorporate OS into my work this year.
>>
>> Thanks! Yoav Peck, Jerusalem
>>
>>  
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> *From:* OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] *On Behalf Of 
>> *Joelle Lyons Everett
>> *Sent:* Wednesday, October 18, 2006 7:00 AM
>> *To:* OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> *Subject:* Re: More OS with 3rd graders
>>
>>  
>>
>> Ashley--
>>
>> Fun, indeed!  This is really great, that students at your school are 
>> learning to self-organize and help themselves.
>>
>> Years ago, I opened space for the teachers and staff of an elementary 
>> school.  The students were not involved in this one, though the first 
>> graders set up the room (a small gymnasium) at the end of their recess.  
>> In the course of preparing for the OS, I learned that this school was 
>> using a talking stick to resolve conflicts between students.  When there 
>> was a problem, someone would run to get the talking stick, and both 
>> parties would take turns saying whatever needed to be said, until they 
>> could work out a solution.
>>
>> Sounds like your school is growing people who might learn to solve 
>> disputes without violence.
>>
>> Joelle
>>
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