Thank you so much Harrison, Chris, Mikk, Lisa and Brian for the many great suggestiosn and encouragement. I look forward to reading through your offerings more fully and sharing with you what all emerges. I have decided that the performance will only be 10 minutes giving us 1 hour and 20 minutes to play together!
with love, Ashley On 5/2/06, Lisa Heft <lisah...@openingspace.net> wrote:
Hi, dear Ashley – Ashley wrote of doing a 'mini' Open Space with third-graders. You are the best person for this ! Those young people and their teachers are lucky to have you. As a theme, how about 'What are the gifts I bring to the world' or 'What do I want to learn and share with you?' or 'What things do we do that really make a difference in our family / our neighborhood / our school / our world?' or if you really need it to be school-based, 'What things have I learned in school that help me help others?', or… I am giving you theme ideas when your question was actually '*could you offer me some questions that would help me (and the teachers) focus the theme*?' So let me reply to that specifically, too. When I work with clients/sponsors on the theme, I ask what the intent of this meeting is for… (and you've explained that: '*for them to have an opportunity to deepen connections with one another, expanding their sense of being 'a class', and look forward and reflect upon the first phase of their school life and what is important for them in this next phase*.') …and I would ask them what they imagine a young person might ideally come out of this feeling / knowing / being able to do. Then we just start playing ideas back and forth – for example I'd say the deepening of connections and expanding a sense of being a class will be delivered by the Open Space process. The looking forward and reflecting on the first phase of their school life – I'd ask the teachers what these third graders might say if you asked them to reflect on their first 3 years of school – what would they remember? I'd guess favorite teachers, special field trips, an activity or art project they really enjoyed, being tutored by the older kids, some great friendships formed, and things like that. (that's what little Lisa Heft enjoyed, anyway…!). If you and the teachers really resonate with the kinds of answers you think might come of that, that will give you some sense if you are close to finding your theme. Asking the young people to think about what is important for them in the next phase of school…what do you and the teachers think they would answer? Going to the big kids' building, learning a language, sitting in a certain place for assembly, tutoring the little kids…I'd suspect they might say what they observe (mostly visually) about the bigger kids. Do the answers you and the teachers think of get you excited as you imagine those possible discussions? I'd also ask the teachers if this might not be an opportunity to make things a bit broader than the first 3 and next few years in school. Maybe an opportunity to ask how the young people feel they have grown? What they want to be and do? What they want to be and do for their world? Or Harrison's invitation to imagine the future, which is not school-specific. I don't know where that conversation would go with the teachers but you get my idea – I'd keep delving into what you could ask and what you imagine folks might bring forth as topics and there will be a point at which you really get excited…and that may be very close to your theme question… I also vote for 2 20-minute sessions. And if there is any challenge for readers, I think John's/Michael's approach to having people make their topic signs and walk out to the different discussion areas (tree, flower, fish, chicken, frog, sun, moon) -- rather than posting them on an agenda wall -- keeps things visual-graphic-kinesthetic – you could do two rounds of circle-announce-walk to groups, if it's all oral, as it can be hard for the mind to remember more than one round of such things. Just an idea. We will all be there in spirit, Ms. Ashley, Lisa ___________________________ *L i s a H e f t* Consultant, Facilitator, Educator O p e n i n g S p a c e lisah...@openingspace.net www.openingspace.net * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
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