Hello Jorge;
Sorry for the delay in this response. I am working within a public school
system. I am also working in several areas to develop the "climate" in
which an LO attempt might flourish.
Ours is the Kent Intermediate School District in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
USA. Intermediate school districts were chartered in Michigan to support
local school districts (K-12) with technical, teaching, curriculum and
purchasing and other area-wide support.
My job is to help support something called "transition planning" for
special education students. This transition planning is required by IDEA
97 (latest version of special education law) and Michigan laws.
This process of planning for special education is critical to many
measures of 'success' that might be used to assess students' achievement
to whatever they may hope for.
When I use the word 'climate' to describe our work here so far, I am
responding to what I perceive as two major hurdles in public education to
achieving a flourishing LO; first, we have bound ourselves with
organizational, legal, and internal requirements that impinge on assuring
that students experience an emgergent learning experience that has some
sort of long-term focus. Learning is currently fragmented, at best;
irrelevent at worst. I personally suspect that this system of reporting
and control is a fear-based response to a systemic lack of trust.
Second, there exists a pervasive pragmatism that is rather insideous. It
can best be described by using the model Senge describes as 'espoused
theory v. theory in practice'. Parents and students are generally told
that they will receive the education their child needs; whereupon what the
child receives is something quite different due to the constraints that
we, ourselves have implemented. We in education are married to the theory
that we provide needs-based innovative educational practice; which in
some cases is very true, and the intent is just. But the theory in
practice is the reality the child receives and is oftentimes not what was
intended. They get the 'program' even though their needs may fall one or
two sd's below or above the program's mean.
My intent at the current moment is to help groups of people who may not
have the opportunity to converse or dialogue get around the same table and
focus on learning what each group's expectations and provisions include.
It is a small step. I am attempting to be mindful of some of the theories
and thoughts this list provides; and want to thank you all...
I would welcome comment and direction; and Jorge, I wonder if you could
respond to help this conversation continue by helping me understand what
you would like to know, and what direction you would want to take?
Best to all...CS
--Charlie Saur <csaur@remc8.k12.mi.us>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>