Dear Arthur, here is a little exchange I sometimes tell people about (of course, quite fictional and therefore really true). The setting: Harrison and Marv (Marvin Weisbord of future search fame) meet. Marvin: Tell me, Harrison, can you teach open space? Harrison: Well, I don't think you can teach it but perhaps you can learn it. Marvin: Hmmmm?? Harrison: Come to think of it, you can neither teach nor learn it but you can remember it.
Your comment on facilitation and children I find very interesting. There have been a few incidents where I have had children in open space-events. Once, there were 40 children aged 6 through 11 (they came from various post-kindergarden places, called "Hort" in German) that came to an 3 hr open space on a Friday afternoon. I did my usual introduction. When the time came for them to post their issues, they litterally jumped to it. And then something happened that really unsettled me (fortunately I was too stunned to do anything !). Once a child had posted its issue he/she left the circle to go outside to get something from the buffet or play. And all the rest that had issues did the same, so only a few kids stayed in the circle. When the issue thing was over the remaining kids also left the room. I still did not do anything. And then all of them came back, listened to me for a minute regarding the market place, signed in and started working in groups in about 10 minutes. Now tell me, how they oriented themselves. I dont know. This whole setting seemed so natural and organic to them without me doing practically nothing. Ok, who was the fellow learning. Right, me. And the half dozen paedagogues that had come along to accompanie the kids. They looked completely fazed and stood around the room mostly with their mouth open and did not believe that these were the same kids that they had known for years. So, you are right, especially children need none of that paternalistic stuff and if they get it (here I think any age group would respond similarly) they rebell more or less directly. And you know why they do that? I have a hunch, especially after the training with Birgitt Williams earlier this week on the os-organization: the moment you violate the open space-organization (and it is already in place in all organizations) you experience resistance. The members of the organization (especially directly kids, I presume) will see to it that the os-organization is not shut down. Harrisons wisdom on this is clearer to me know: There is one way to close down an open space-event and that is when you try to control it. Greetings from Berlin michael PS: If you like to have the type of os-training I described in Portugal, call me. >PS: Did I ever tell you that, in my opinion, "teaching" is the WORST >way to obtain LEARNING from students or participants? And I am also >thinking more and more that "less is more" is a "general law of Spirit", >(as Harrison would say). Beware of all methods where the facilitator >"facilitates to much" in a "paternalistic" way - as if participants were >little children that we must teach and guide - which, by the way, is the >wrong way even with little children... > > Michael M Pannwitz Draisweg 1 12209 Berlin, Germany FON +49 - 30-772 8000 FAX +49 - 30-773 92 464 www.michaelMpannwitz.de To subscribe to the oslist, send the following message (and nothing but the message): "SUBSCRIBE OSLIST" to [email protected] SUBJECT field should be left BLANK * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
