Senge makes me think. I'm grateful for anything that makes me think, not solve problems nor put out the proverbial fires, but instead something that causes me to stop, examine, and ponder the true importance of what I am overjoyed to be involved in, the ministry of education. Not to reveal the presentation slated for April 2nd on the topic of systems-thinking, but the fact that we work within a truly organic situation, with incommensurable variables rather than constants, only heightens the fact that the environment within which the individual student is immersed is of greatest importance. with the section describing the Learning Community, specifically the Zulu phrase translated, "A person is a person because of other people" (Senge, p. 11). I'd like to think that we in the Lasallian Catholic tradition of education, truly embrace that sentiment and put it into action well for the benefit of our students. I also like that phrase better than the one which has now become rather trite, "It takes a village...".
With that said, I would now like to discuss the most important part of this part of the text...the pictures!! What caught my attention most, was the diagrams which illustrated the influences and communal realms within which our students live their lives. Helping students navigate, work, deal, cope with the interplay of these different realms, is truly a part of our vocation as educators. This is not to say that we are at all times examples of how best to live within this multiphasic reality of communities. As an aside, I have a friend who is currently working on her dissertation in education 0n the topic of students and their multiple identities, and maybe this plays into some of what Senge articulates with his discussion of the learning communities. The sequentially more complex diagrams on pages 13, 15, and 17 were very dynamic in expressing the shift of environment for the student, that they move from one influence to another, though from the perspective of the student and not the teacher, is it not the home community which is the central community and that the school is nested within the outside community? Each of these diagrams made me consider the effect of each element within the system, how the push and pull of one or the other influences the others either directly or indirectly, and it challenges me to do the same type of flow-diagram for my own topic of interest to be researched in the impending specter of the dissertation.
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I too liked the Zulu comment that "a person is a person because of other people". I must admit it reminded me a bit of idealist philosophy where if a tree fell, would it make a noise if no-one heard it. Would a person be a person if no-one saw or heard the person?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure to what extent the family is still the home community for all our students. Certainly it is for a majority, but I believe there is now a significant minority for whom cyberspace connections seem to be replacing the face-to-face interactions of family life. Friends tuned in to Facebook or who are text or email friends probably know more about a student than parents or siblings. I think this is a challenge for us as Catholic educators, and I will admit that I'm not sure of the implications for us as educators or school administrators. Where does the school, the family and the church fit in any model with this 'unseen elephant in the room'.
Thanks for your thoughts.
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ReplyDeleteoops, deleted my first one!
ReplyDeleteThe diagrams in Senge’s orientation also caught my attention. By the time I got to page 17, the amount of arrows almost intimidated me! As I dissected through these diagrams, I had a greater understanding of just how influential the learning community is on the school and classroom. The line that strikes me the most in your reflection is ‘helping students navigate, work, deal, cope with the interplay of these different realms, is truly a part of our vocation as educators.’ There are so many elements that connected the classroom, school, and community, students need our guidance and support to help them through their educational journey. It’s a collaborative, continuous effort on all levels. That’s why the arrow points at both ends!