Summary
Diana sees the categories, differences, and oppositions that we all see. But, in keeping with the epigraph from Parker Palmer, Diana tends to “embrace a view of the world in which opposites are joined.” This capacity comes from the fact that Diana has a passionate purpose. It propels her into a state of constant learning and enables her to see and create wholes from the connection of parts. Because she “thinks things together,” Diana radiates a more intense life force. She turns her classroom into a complex and co-creative organization. It is both safe and challenging. It is conducive to enriched conversations and to the emergence of the living beast. She engages in powerful practice, and her students learn at an accelerated rate.
PLANTING SEEDS
1． Diana told us she was not interested “in a life of survival.” She is not happy to “just exist.” She said, “I want to flourish.” She also wants her students to flourish. She recognizes that this purpose can be fulfilled only if she is constantly learning and making new connections. Identify one person in your life who is surviving and one person who is flourishing. How do they differ? Where are you on the continuum between survival and flourishing? Where would you like to be, and how might you get there?
2． Diana says she spends considerable time thinking about how to link new ideas with the ideas that are already in her students’ minds. Sometimes she assists them, and sometimes she lets her students discover the connections on their own. She says, “I think that’s why they do better. I evolve them.” What does it mean to evolve? What do connections have to do with evolution?
3． As a facilitator Diana finds ways to help her students ask the questions they “really care about.” The resulting questions thus reflect authentic interests and give rise to genuine conversations. What does it mean to be a facilitator? How are genuine conversations different? What do they contribute to learning?
4． In Diana’s conversations with her students, they raise questions that surprise her and often exceed her ability to answer. Instead of discouraging the pattern, she seeks to stimulate it. She wants them to ask questions she cannot answer because she becomes vulnerable. What is vulnerability, and why does Diana think it accelerates learning? Why do most people fear being vulnerable?
5． Diana often refers to collective learning as the “living beast.” When the beast emerges, Diana and her students are immersed in the “magic” of learning. While Diana plays a role in bringing about the emergence of the living beast, she cannot control it. She is just a contributor who tries to set the conditions of emergence. What does the word magic mean here? When have you experienced magic in your classroom?
GROWING YOUR PRACTICE
1． Reread the descriptions of the four quadrants of the Connect Framework in the section of this chapter titled Four Dimensions of Effective Practice. With which quadrant do you most strongly identify? You may also want to complete the Reflect Assessment (Resource A at the back of the book). The Reflect Assessment helps you identify your strengths and growth opportunities relative to the four quadrants of the framework.
2． Consider doing a thought experiment to take the pulse of the teaching and learning taking place in your school. Imagine walking through the school and observing the body language in each classroom. How many classes would be vital and full of energy? How many classes would appear depleted? Assess your own classroom. What one practice could you develop to bring energy to your classroom?