Hi, Gang! Just trying this out! Sam

Susan, Trish and Ivon:

It is my understanding that one of us is supposed to reflect on our group learning from Tuesday night here, and the others of us are supposed to do an edit. As it appears that I may be the first to address this for our group, and indeed may be the only person able to access this web page right now, allow me to offer something for you to edit.

As Ivon noted, thanks to a superlative illustrative metaphor offered by Susan, that being the cow, the group wrestled together in developing an understanding of systems worthy of presentation. Of additional assistance was the metaphor of the human body explored by Trish, and the metaphor of a computer as a hard system. One matter to which I tend to give too soft of a touch personally is the feedback loop, but I suppose I alluded to this somewhat in my reference to the cow eating grass and creating cow pies!

The move to reflect on the class experience in light of soft systems revealed some important features of group dynamics vis a vis approaching soft systems. Personally, I was gripped by the time element - we had to produce in a certain amount of time. As Susan pointed out later and I think we can all heartily agree, it would have been helpful (my note: to have bracketed the class production schedule long enough) to create a rich soft-system picture of our class for us to reflect upon together. This would have encouraged more diversity in conversation and probably led to a better product, although Ivon did a masterful job of trying to meet the production schedule in a cogent manner. Put in more general terms, the first order of experiential diversity to be prized is that brought by each member of the group, granted the forum and opportunity for each person to make a contribution.

Hey guys, I am just trying this out.

You have a way with words, Sam.

Ivon

Hey, I got an e-mail and here I am. Great start, Sam. Thanks.

Here I am, too. This is starting to be fun. And good job Sam for the the sum up!

Another order a business as a team, do you think we should have a few ground rules for our team.?

Tonight was a wonderful opportunity to begin to interact as a learning organization. In my mind, James challenged us to find ourselves in this regards. What is a learning organization? As a new entity, our class has both a wonderful opportunity and at the same a great responsibility. We should not see the learning organization as a product, rather as a process to be lived and experienced.

I really loved what the three of you suggested about a covenant. This would be at the heart of the type of community we want to experience. It calls for us to develop a relationship of this nature in the idea of 'koinonia'. A learning organization of this nature would offer us a personal fellowship to create an intimate space without intrusion.

The covenant reminds me of some writing by a gentleman by the name of Thomas Sergiovanni. Another writer and great thinker in this area that Susan mentioned is Parker Palmer.

To live in a real community is to have an implicit trust. After we came back together, you could sense a feeling of this in the room. A transformation began to happen.

THIS IS A TOTAL SIDENOTE----I am learning allot with doing and respecting the word limit, in this case 200 words----it encourages me to record or write to the essence of the matter. In this case what was really important as an overall take away from the class for the class as it appeared to me as the summarizer person. At first, I thought this exercise of word count was about condensing---now it is about getting to and expressing the essence. In the above statement, I wrote 198 words to fill the form.

Yes, we have to learn how to control the word count. I am serious. The truth is the way newspaper are set is intentional. Most readers only read the first bit of the articled. If it does not grab their attention, they move on.

Although we are in a different situation we do not who are audience will be in the future. It makes good practice at every level.

SIDENOTE-I totally agree Ivon. And that is why I have taken the time--time that at times seems like borrowed time to reduce the word count. It is also out of respect for each of you and your reading and review time. Every time I could have posted my written assignment much earlier if I had not reduced the word count to the parameters given. My current learning is on how long this reduction of word count time takes --- I do not if, I can know that in advance. My course correction strategy is to just keep starting earlier for the write up. Staying up pass 1:00 a.m. to post is not my idea of a good time, yet I also know you all have to have available for your own schedules the material to read --- by at least early a.m. the day of class.

I confess,dear friends, that I appreciate the necessity for word counts and struggle with it. All the readings we have had in class make me appreciate them. Yet redundancy is bane and blessing; sometimes it takes the third time before a concept sinks in. Language as an art form also seems violated, but I acknowledge that one person's art is another person's tedium.

Speaking of art, am I correct that Trish is the one to write up our team learning experience from last week? Is it someplace else on "wicked Wiki" or is it yet to make an appearance? As one of you expressed, sometimes it is hard to know what is supposed to show up where!

By the way, that reminds me: all three of were gifts last week: Trish, for going after Stone, no holds barred; Susan, for refusing to bow to group consensus ("You go!") and Ivon for his servant willingness to take and present notes. Thanks for showing up.

Sam----well, someone deleted my comments I will look for them to be re-posted to the wiki I did them on a word doc. I had posted them on 7-9-08 before my "This is a sidenote comment"
Susan

IMPORTANT RE-P0ST-WAS DELETED------The class discussion seemed to bring out the likenesses and differences of the various class members about systems thinking and policy change. In so doing further insights were made by many members of class as to what the readings revealed on a greater level. In other words, Stone’s (2002) book, Deborah Stone’s 2002 edition of Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making, a backdrop for the discussion, started being looked at as a guide to exam what happens in polis (essential political society- p. 17) in terms of policy making versus an attitude of the market model versus polis model. The insight that “in searching for the essential elements of politics”, the market model was used as a “foil because of its predominance in contemporary policy discussions” (p. 17).
Then the conversation dovetailed into the art and skill of framing issues, problems and solutions and to what end or impact, connecting the remaining class readings as in George Lakoff’s (1997) work. This was played out through a simulated policy making session. The session was helpful in viewing the dynamics of a team trying to come up with policy and framing that policy for acceptance by another group.

Tonight's class seemed to reveal something new to me. There is a sense of togetherness within the larger group. I think it has been there all along; however tonight it seemed to be a great part of the group. A sense of familiarity in the way we would use koinona. I enjoyed the centring activities. I think it is how we embrace our realities some days, which make the difference. It was like the one Susan did with John's birthday playing into in such a lovely way.

If you want to read a book by the same author as Patrick's centring read "Five People you Will Meet in Heaven".

Ivon

Thanks, Ivon. I've read it. I think there might even be a made for TV movie of it.

Will be on later today with summary of last night's class, after I read the women and leadership material. Trish

Last evening, we explored the mega-topics of globilization and world poverty. Some time was spent discussing with partners what being a global citizen means and what changes we could make in our own journey to be better citizens. This is a very big issue with no right or wrong answers. One comment was that just being in this particular doctoral program provides the opportunity to grow as global citizens.

Then we looked at the indications of poverty and what we can see in Spokane that can give us some perspective on global poverty issues. Out-sourcing, lack of medical care and other services, and a poverty of ideas were mentioned. Access to resources and lack of familty and community support were also mentioned.

James provided a model of wealth and poverty, calling the wealthy the center and th large circle around that the periphery. He added that centers talk to each other, whatever the level or cause of poverty in the country.

It is very difficult to define poverty because of the complexity of the issues. As history has shown, there is no easy solution to the problem.

Discussion of natural capitalism as posed by Hawkins, Lovins, and Lovins, evolved to a consensus that we were talking about a soft-sytem approach (wholistic (Ivon))which was expanded by PJ and James calling it an example of
complexity.


Putting forth our definitions of globalization provided a wide variety of answers. These were individually explored.
Using the whiteboard for this act6ivity was effective in that it gave everyone a chance to read other people's
ideas.

James told us the story of hair products being sold to South Africa and the uproar it created as a personal example of how important framing can be. As Paul Harvey
used to say " And now the rest of the story".

Excellent summary. It was a busy class and this has capture it well. After a class of that nature, it takes some down time to reflect well and capture the essence, as you have managed

Super

I am not sure who was going to do this, so I have taken the initiative. It was a really deep class with tons of information to challenge both the affective and cognitive awareness of us all. When you read Farmer and the next articles, it brings it into a sharper focus making on realize how systemic poverty really is and how ethnicity, colour and sexuality simply compound the equation.

It was a great job tonight and thank you for the experience. Being human is what it is all about.

Ivon

As I catch up with responding to the wiki blog for Team C--
Trish, thank you for the class sum up for the class on Globalism and World Poverty, great thorough job.
Ivon, thanks for the class sum up for the class Gender as Social System. I also think it is so important in these types of discussions that the broad stroke generalization or the big "we" statement (without a true sense of what "we" is being spoken about, let alone has all the "we" or the "they" been interviewed lately by the statement giver) -- is a step on shaking ground supporting perhaps unknowing assumptions other than their own views. And it is for that reason I asked our team to speak from our own experience as it relates the readings---like putting theory into practice and course correcting where necessary to see the next step to take or if theory is even valid for one's own paradigm of experiences to date. It is exciting and enriching when I hear the person next to me speak to their experience, then the person across the room etcetera, and in so doing weave experience with readings.

Ivon---I forgot to say good job on the sum up. I just got caught up in my stream of conscious dialogue of "I" and "we" business.

Thanks to all of you for stepping in and handling summaries of our events. I emailed to you one additional point I would make after hearing from Susan and reflecting on her excellent question and subsequent reflections to me. Hope the content of it makes sense to you. Sam

I thought I would provide a few words to the team. There was a lot of diversity to the class last night. I am not sure until I stepped back and reflected how aware I was when it was happening. The point of reference in this way may have been the discussion of Farmer's work and James sitting in with us in the the last session. When I speak to the issue of guilt perhaps a better term is to create a critical conscious related to these matters. The question then reframes not as one of guilt, but one of awareness and then we can ask what am I doing within the daily complexity of my life to make a change? It is incremental and situational in this regards. We can only do what we can with the resources we have available in the moment.

What is inspiring about it on a whole different level is not what Farmer makes us aware of, but what we make each other aware of in these discussions. I found, as I reflected, more inspired by what each of you said, in combination with Susan and James' contributions, about your efforts. I think Farmer is the idealized hero who we might think rides in on his white steed. The reality is, as each of you described, it is those things much closer to our hearts and homes which may inspire the most and have the greatest impact.

I think that sums it up. Very interesting session, perhaps instead of breacking into two groups, the discussion could have been witht he whole group. Now I am really interested in other people's views and experiences on the topic of Farmer and being part of the international and local solution instead of a bystander. I think the choices I make on a daily basis are a beginning...some of us would like to do more.

Good point about broadening the discussion. Farmer is a very fascinating guy and he creates a certain emotional charge I think.

We can only do what we can do. It is incremental.

Ivon

Well, we had a great class tonight. Listening to everyones presentation and having a food fest----Well, here it is 12:30 a.m. So that reference to tonight was actually yesterday at this point. Just thought I'd put a few more words in---it is almost hard to believe that next week we will not be seeing each other in our class----I am already missing folks---maybe that is why the wiki signed me in as anonymous.

And Ivon as I circle back to catch up with comments, thanks for summing up the Global Health piece.

Best regards,
Susan

Hey guys, let's stay in touch. I would love to hear how the year goes for you, Ivon and Sam. And I feel really lucky to be in class with you again next term Susan. Love to all...Trish