<html>
At 04:02 PM 10/30/2002 -0400, Chris wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>
<dl>
<dd>But with the school groups, the basics of the situation seem to
require pre-designated leadership. This is simply because, if we
have a theme, it is fun stuff to do.</i></b> And 90 minutes of fun
stuff to do, three times a day, seems to often require neat materials,
neat tools, artful space-holding, and careful preparation. Can
young people provide this for themselves, spontaneously? I would
say yes, sometimes, but not in a way that would allow us to deliver the
promise of our particular program. As I ponder it, however, I can
imagine how over time our instructor/mentors could become more and more
transparent - background support. A ten-year old could convene the
climbing tower, and John & Sharon could let the child give all the
safety instructions, and fill in only when necessary. Our adults
could be on standby to respond to what the children
convene.</blockquote>
</dl><br>
<font color="#FF0000"> You Said -- "As I ponder it, however, I
can imagine how over time our instructor/mentors could become more and
more transparent - background support." I think that is a
wonderful "ponder" And I suspect that "transparency"
for instructors and mentors is the true index of their real
effectiveness. The next question is -- how do you foster that? And you
won't be surprised to learn that my suggestion is -- Open some
Space. Not only would that mean Opening Space with these folks around the
"issues and opportunities for Transparent Teaching" -- but also
some intense reflection of the Open Space experience itself -- where it
seems to me transparency rules -- or something like that. <br><br>
</font><blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>
<dl>
<dd>I suspect that you are right. We spin out practical structures,
less fluid than simple Open Space, for particular situations of working
with children. Sometimes these additional rules do make it
"palatable" for certain groups to sign up. The additional
rules may enhance the learning experience in a given time frame or
location. But as always you remind me to ask, "What is one
less thing we can do here?" We may find that it is our own
assumptions, and not the capacity of the children or the givens of the
situation, that hold us back.</blockquote>
</dl><br>
<font color="#FF0000">You said it. (smile) A long time ago I ran a
teacher training program for Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) going to West
Africa. Granted, PCVs may be a special breed, but we found that once the
volunteers had the meaningful questions hit them right between the eyes,
they massively got on with the business of finding, or inventing,
appropriate answers/solutions. The net result was a learning environment
that took my breath away then, and still. I have written all that up as a
story for my book, The Practice of Peace. It is much too long to include
here, so I will send it to you as a file, and will be pleased to do the
same for anybody else who cares.<br><br>
</font>Harrison<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<div align="center">Harrison Owen<br>
7808 River Falls Drive<br>
Potomac, MD 20854 USA<br>
phone 301-365-2093<br>
Open Space Training
<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
<br>
Open Space Institute <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</a><br>
Personal website <a href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</a><br><br>
<u>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>
</u></font>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,<br>
view the archives of <font color="#0000FF"><u>oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu<br>
</u></font>Visit: <a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><br><br>
<br><br>
</font></u></div>
</html>