Dear Organlearners,
Leo Minnigh <l.d.minnigh@library.tudelft.nl> writes, beginning with:
>I like to share with you my most recent experiences.
>But before I start with these, I need a small introduction.
and ending with:
>I did this because I hope to receive some comments to help
>me with understanding the behaviour, (seemingly) paradox
>of asking for punishment and willness to learn. It is this what
>makes me curious and which gives me the energy to continue.
>You me give me tips on my lack of sternness, although that
>is not my main request.
Greetings Leo,
It is incredible, despite all the differences, how much you remind me of
myself in 1972. It is now 1999 and we now have Internet. You are a Dutch
person in his fifties who have studied creativity intensively for more
than a decade, who are aware of some exciting developments in the world of
knowledge the past twenty years.
I was then still in my twenties. It took four weeks for ordinary surface
mail to go from South Africa to Holland. The University of Potchefstroom
(where I studied) had a IBM computer (one of the latest brands then) which
had to be informed with punched tape and cards. The year before I finished
my last calculations on the irreversible thermomydamics of soils with a
with a Facit mechanical calculator. It worked faster than a log book, but
more precise than a slide ruler which worked the fastest.
I was becoming intensely aware of the need for creativity in the lives of
ordinary people. I have just managed to give an account of the physical
and chemical complexity of soils in terms of "entropy production". I was
still staggering from having to think in terms of "entropy production" and
irreversibility rather than "entropy" and reversibility, despite my
accomplishments. I was using with confidence the word "complexity" left,
right and centre eventhough no literature have appeared on complexity. I
finished my training as a teacher after having made peace with myself that
education is more important than science. I applied for the vacant job as
a science teacher at the school where my uncle Philip (my spiritual
godfather) was the senior teacher in science.
I was working in the garden a couple of weeks before the new school year.
I was dreaming how I for once and all will make sure for myself what is
the true nature of learning. My uncle stopped in the driveway in his
dillapidated Peugot. He got out, did not even greet me, and started
swearing like a sailor, something which he did previously only on
occasions while laying unconscious for months after a serious motorbicycle
accident.
This was his words, minus the swearing. "You think that you now know
complexity after your breaktrhough work in soils. You think that the next
battle you are going to win is the complexity of education. You know
nothing and you have not yet scratched the surface of complexity. You will
only begin to know your ignorance when you crawl on your knees begging God
to help you fixing the disasters which you will have created and will be
powerless to fix. If this does not happen within six months, may God show
mercy upon the pupils which you will be destroying the rest of your life."
He did not say goodbye, neither did he made any effort to greet my wife
and children, but simply got into his car and drove away.
Six months later I was crawling on my knees, begging -- but God did not
seem to grant me my prayers. So I went to Oom Flip (Afrikaans for Uncle
Philip) and said to him. "I am now on my knees, I am crawling, I am
begging God to help, but He refuses to answer me. A catastrophe is in the
making and I cannot avoid it." Oom Flip said kindly: "The next time when
you have a disciplinary problem with a pupil in any of your classes, come
with that pupil to me". Thats all.
Soon afterwards I encountered the problem. The pupil's name was Piet
B####. I asked him to come with me. I knocked on the door (it was alwys
closed) of Oom Flip's classroom. He took one look, turned to his own
class, barked "Work on you own" and closed the door behind him. He did
not say a word to me and immediately began taliking to Piet. He did not
ask Piet why we were there. He simply asked Piet his name. His second
question was to ask Piet what is his father's name. His third question
was to ask Piet whether his father is still at his usual job. Piet began
to tell what his father is doing, assuming that his father is familar to
Oom Flip. After a few minutes he stopped talking. Oom Flip's fourth
question was merely "How is now going with your mother". Piet merely
managed to snap out "good" before he closed up like an oyster. Oom Flip
tried two other questions, (I cannot even remember them), but Piet's
replies to them were only cordial, saying nothing substantial -- form
without content. Oom Flip then bade him goodbuy, saying "I do not want to
hear that you cause problems again." He turnd around and went into his
class, his own pupils working as ordered.
Oom Flip did not speak a word with me during that incident. But I knew
from the first second that he wanted me to observe closely what will be
happening. Piet's reply "good" to the enquiry on his mother had the effect
of bucket of ice cold water being turned out over me. In less than a
second a spontaneous teenager (/_\G << 0) transformed before my very eyes
into a stern figure (/_\G > 0). To use Andrew's metaphor of horses, the
horse which my uncle put into content so that its front leg bent and its
head hung by asking three questions, became a wild horse glaring on all
four legs in which direction it will flee.
That afternoon when the school closed, Oom Flip came to me and said:
"Children misbehave because of memories of bad incidents haunting them.
Their misbehaviour is a call for help and an act of defiance. A child
cannot function as freedom fighter, even for its own freedom. It is your
job as a teacher to do so. Remember that 19 out of 20 misconducts are
fired by memories originating from home. You are able to help Piet -- do
so." With that his body language told me that he did not want us to pursue
the topic further.
Eventually I discovered (not through Piet) that while his father was at
work, his mother became a whore at home. It was driving Piet crazy.
Three years later Piet became a prefect, loved by the other pupils because
he cared so much for them.
>Partly because of idealistic motives (thinking of the long
>lasting damage of a whole country, if a complete generation
>of school children don't receive good education), partly
>because of my earlier interest in this subject, I started last
>week as a parttime teacher.
(snip)
>So the other week I started enthusiatically, knowing about
>dialoguing, activating, triggering curiosity, stimulating, giving
>compliments, variation of aural, audio and self-working, etc.
>HOWEVER ..... I have difficulties in strictness and sterness.
>Now and then the class is a mass, not listening to me, but to
>each other. In short, it is sometimes chaos. The classic pitfall
>of the unexperienced schoolteacher. Not all classes are
>similar, each class has its own atmosphere.
Just the kind of system needing the input of a teacher to drive it into a
catastrophe.
>1. The new teacher (or manager) as a single individual in a
>larger group that is already somewhat organised. ......
(snip)
>It is the battle or game around the question "who will be the
>strongest?".
Yes, this is the battle which they think they have to fight. They are
thinking Darwinian because most of their experiences in the world around
them are with people who think and behave Darwinian.
Note, I did not say "like Darwin". "Darwinian" means according to Darwin's
theory of evolution. This theory rests on two legs: The one leg is that
there is one-to-many-mapping of biological species as time proceeds. The
other legs is that the reason for this mapping is natural selection to
establish the fittest. What Darwin tried to do, is to explain what happens
at the edge of chaos with what happens close at equilibrium. Quite a nice
recipe for disaster in human systems!
Forget about using any language natural or technical or hard hybrid or
soft hybrid. For example, forget using the "language" of one At de Lange.
You will steer with the throttle fully opened to catastrophe. Take a tip
from Winfried in his reply on the topic "Guts". You will have to speak to
them silently in order to reach the tacit dimension of their knowledge.
Thus you can only "speak" through their own experiences. Help them to get
experiences which will help them to understand the futility of persisting
with Darwinian thinking. The only language which they have to hear audibly
from you, is ordinary Dutch directing them to such experiences and
comforting them.
>2. It is also the search of "how far can we go without punishment?",
>or the territorial battle between class and teacher.
There is seldom need for additional punishment. They get punished more
than enough by their very misbehaviour as a result of memories of hurting
dished out to them long ago. Tell them straight in the face that if they
want punishment, you have studied creativity to such a degree that you
will be able to give them all the punishment which they ever ask for. Tell
them that you do not want to punish them because all of you have rather
other things to do, things which will make each one of you happy.
Misbehaviour and punishment cannot make any person happy.
>3. There is also a strange paradox: the creation of chaos as
>much as possible on the one hand, and on the other hand there
>is also a will to learn. I have tested this last week. I asked the
>class: "who likes not to learn?" Result: no fingers in the air.
>"O.k., who likes to learn?" Result: all fingers in the air.
Very good.
>And thus I said that they should listen to me instead of talking
>and testing how far they could go with their chaos.
Listen to you? That only works in digestive learning when there is already
seed crystals in their minds and ions to which the meaning of your words
can get attached to and settle into the lattice of the crystal seeds.
These ions are their experiences. Have you made sure that they have the
ions -- experiences? Do not assume too much. The crystal seeds are the
outcomes of their emergent learning. Have you made sure that they have
these crystal seeds -- first bare srticualtions of their tacit knowledge.
Rote learning cannot lead to such crystal seeds. Once again, do not
assume too much.
>They seem to understand this. So I started with my geography
>lesson again. After three words of me, the chaos started again.
>It seems that the class is bagging for punishment.
No, they are begging for emergent learning. That is why they step up the
chaos, otherwise it cannot happen. But what they do not know, is that the
emerging order will not appear automatically. You also know it.
Furthermore, you fear because of your greater experiences the destructive
immergences and thus try to diminish their chaos. Your lecturing style
(depicting digestion) is contrasting what they want (ordinate
bifurcations). What a fine entropic force -- you cannot expect anything
else than entropy production.
What you see in front of you is a bunch of "dassein"s (learning
individuals), no one knowing what to do with the chaos which is growing.
You are too limited to ever hope of managing the cumulative entropy
production of the whole bunch of "dasseins". Its like trying to prevent
the exploding of a candle dymanite by keeping it tight in your hands.
What you need in front of you is a "mitsein" consisting of N in number
"dassein"s. In this "mitsein" N "dassein"s will have to order the entropy
produced and brought to chaos by N "dassein"s. You need your class of
"learning individuals" to become a "learning organisation" in class to
feed upon what the "learning individuals has to offer. You need the sum of
the parts to become a whole which is more.
Begin to study in earnest the five disciplines of LOs. For example, begin
to make use of Learning Teams (LT) in each class in such a manner that
each pupil belongs to a LT. Oom Flip taught me that you must be very
honest. Tell them that the class needs more teachers than you, eventhough
that teachers will have to learn just like you. Tell them that some of
them can teach and learn while others cannot. Ask those sure of which case
apply to them to devide in two groups, the rest remaining in the middle.
If you have between six and nine "teachers" you are fortunate. If you have
five or less ask for another two or three brave volunteers. Then ask the
other group to distribute themselves as evenly as possible between the,
say seven "teachers". Finally ask the unsure middle group to distribute
themselves, trying to make the distribution even more even. In my classes
I usually ended up with 6 to 7 teams containing 4 to 5 pupils.
The teams can call themselves whatever they like. The task of the team
leader is to help those in need of teaching. The team leader has to
consult you freely whenever he/she thinks that his teaching is having no
effect or is heading for disaster. Any other pupil in the team can also
do so.
Your task is to move from team to team, PARTICIPATING for only a couple of
minutes in the activity of each team so as to know what is going on. Make
use of the five sustainers of creativity (Oom Flip knew only three,
calling them ground forms of learning) to generate learning experiences
within a team.
The learning objectives of the particular lesson will determine which
sustainers will work best for that lesson. Be sure to begin the class by
announcing short and sweet the learning objectives, using only a minute or
two. Then give an "introduction" which takes not more than five minutes.
Then to Team Learning. After fifteen minutes and as a result of your
participation, give them some "extended body" lasting not more than five
minutes. Over again to Team Learning till the class ends. Homework is
usually to finish the team work of that day.
>4. How harmful should be punishment? That was my next
>question that I asked myself.
(snip)
>So I invented another kind of punishment.
(snip)
>Problem for me: some kids seem to like this punishment?!
To learn is to create. Since when is such creative learning punishment?
Since the day when learning and creativity divorced.
>5. After all, the class is NOT a unity. Sometimes a receive a
>whisper, or even a small letter: "Please master, you should
>be more strict and stern; I like to learn". I became very touched
>by these pleas. It are the whisperings of the quiet kids, overruled
>by the noise of their classmates. How to cope with this situation?
The manifestation of chaos of the others have to be coached into
constructive emergences. It is your task to find ways to do it. Once you
have succeeded, you will have a greater problem on hands. How to coach
these quiet kids to become chaotic themselves on occasion.
>6. You may imagine that I struggle with a dilemma. I don't
>like to hurt, but there seems to be a need and sometimes
>even a request. This contradiction creates much confusion
>in my mind, especially because I remember still so well our
>discussions on the issue of "Hurting" (a.o see LO-archive of
>august 1998).
Hurting is unavoidable. Hurting without love is to persist in hurting.
Only not persisting in healing the hurt is unforgiveable.
Lack of harmony causes much hurting. The most difficult harmony to obtain
is synchronising events happening at different rates of entropy
production. It is almost impossible for one person (the teacher) to manage
such synchronisation with a class of learning individuals. But to manage
it with a learning organisation in the class is almost sheer magic
unfolding before the eyes of the teacher (manager). It is then when
hurting (the emotional outcome of destructive immergences) diminishes
dramatically.
>7. It seems that my mouth is not shaped for the language
>of the class. I once noticed the words of the director of the
>school to one of the pupils. These words were so rough and
>brutal. But they seem to work. Should I learn a new language,
>the slang of the street?? Also the mentality of: "if he hits me,
>I will hit him", seems common at home.
No, never do that. It is just another way of trying to intimidate and
conform the pupils. What is even worse, your pupils will lose all respect
for you.
You all what you have been studying about creativity to make effective
connections to their minds. Study again how Debono does it -- hats, po's,
etc.
Beware of using long sentences. Beware of using too much terminology. One
subject term in every two or three sentences is enough. Try to use as many
metaphors (coming from the pupils' world of experiences) as possible. But
warn pupils that the world outside requires explicate rather than
metaphoric speaking. Hence they will gradually have to learn how to use
subject terminology. (They cannot use the Debononian style ad infinitum.
It will eventually box them in like any other style conformed to.) And
tell them that you will make sure that it will gradually happen.
>8. The main need for these children seems to be a structured
>social life and discipline. And this seems not or poorly present
>at their homes. The common problems of these modern days
>are right in front of my eyes: single parent, both parents
>working, parents who had also an unstructured or unsafe and
>insecure youth, etc. The school is the place to give them
>security and structure.
Oom Flip opened my eyes to the 19/20 ratio for school/home problems. That
was during 1972-75 in the country side in a rather unusual town because of
its many schools (serving the region), colleges and university. It had
very little industries or corporative businesses. That was in South Africa
during the zenith of the apartheid era. It was much the same all over
South Africa. If god permits, I would like to hear your well considered
opnion in a year from now.
>How can I give this to them and teach them a basic level
>of wisdom?
You cannot take control and force the digestions and emergences which they
have to do themselves. You can only become their midwife to authetic
learning through all the levels (experential, tacit, formal and sapient)
of knowledge. But by doing so, you will place yourself in great conflict
with fellow teachers who make use of rote learning and testing to force
something into their heads (of which they forget most during the
holidays). Perhaps it is better to keep your door closed like Oom Flip.
Nobody wants to self-organise in public when public thinks nothing of
self-organisation. If the teacher needs to become a clown, then a clown
the teacher must become.
>You may got the impression that my personal experiment
>(teaching at secondary schools) is a disaster. That I started
>with the most difficult groups, you may imagine. Maybe the
>latter is true. It even is much more difficult, since I am a
>temporary teacher and the class has already some
>social structures. But my experiment is certainly not a
>disaster. It is a great learning experience, and I enjoy it.
>I hope to increase my didactic capacities. Maybe I learn to
>swim, maybe I will drown.
Most people who drown did so as a result of fear.
>But in both cases I have learned a lot. I will continue this
>job for another month or so; I hope that the original teacher
>will return in good health at that time. If I stop now, the
>alternative for the kids is even worse than with me in
>front of the classroom.
That is really sad. Because your measure of success will be the number of
kids in which you have helped the flame of love burning high again. That
takes a couple of months if you are very good at teaching. But see how
much you can get going in the remaining weeks.
>Why did I inform you about these experiences?
To get the learning organisations from the ground.
Please sit back for an hour or so of deep contemplation. Think about the
school and how much of a learning organisation is manifested in it. If you
discover a teacher being able to guide a bunch of "dassein"s (class of
learning individuals) into a "mitsein" (learning organisation in class),
team up with that person so that you can learn together. A LO of teachers
needs at least two teachers. But two of them is already more than enough
to enjoy the metanoia of teaching. Such joy is priceless.
>I did this because I hope to receive some comments to
>help me with understanding the behaviour, (seemingly)
>paradox of asking for punishment and willness to learn.
Leo, I have answered you in a "soft hybrid language". I could have done
it in a much formal manner by using the language of "deep creativity". I
could also have done it by using the formal languages developed by the
various schools of Dutch educationalists. But in that case it would have
taken me a couple of days to read their books so as to refersh my memory.
And it would have been useless to you because you have not been trained in
using their language, nor do you have many weeks left over.
What to do in so little time in such a complex system?
I have a hunch that you must focus on one thing, namely
the "creative energy" (free energy of deep creativity) of each
pupil. Ask them to help you to focus on it. You do not have
to explain "creative energy" to them. It will have enough
back action in their tacit knowledge to know what you
mean. Tell them that you want to learn how that "creative
energy" helps them to learn and that they are free to help
you with that learning.
What they will do, is to help you to find harmony between
what you have learnt of creativity in general through many
years and learnt from me the past couple of years on deep
creativity. Your growing harmony will delight them and they
will try to find harmony themselves.
Throw off your mask. A teacher never teaches from behind
a mask.
>It is this what makes me curious and which gives me
>the energy to continue.
Yes, the system self-organising irreversibly despite our ignorance!
>You me give me tips on my lack of sternness, although
>that is not my main request.
That flows forth from the memory of your own experiences as a pupil and
student. You will have to deal with them in your own creative manner to
resolve the conflicts which they cause. Only then will these memories die
and your sterness collapse.
Enjoy the teaching my friend.
Best wishes
--At de Lange <amdelange@gold.up.ac.za> Snailmail: A M de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre Faculty of Science - University of Pretoria Pretoria 0001 - Rep of South Africa
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