written by Rick Sleutaris, Facilitator Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. – Vince Lombardi
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As parents, facilitators, and responsible adults, the single most important thing we can do to effect positive change on the next generation is to be positive role models. The cliché “Actions speak louder than words” has been supported by literally thousands of studies since Bandura’s bobo doll experiment in the early 1960s. We have since learned things such as “behavior determines attitudes” and the tremendous power of situations to influence behavior. Armed with 50-plus years of research, it seems only logical that we as a society should be living the life we hope our children to adopt.
Is it to help our children get into a good institution of higher learning, where their studies eventually result in a successful career? If true, what guarantee is there that a targeted and planned specialty will be a viable life career at the end of four years, let alone twelve? I think that our real goal is to help develop lifelong learners—people who are involved in an ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge. Hopefully we (adults and youth) are actively engaged both mentally and physically on a daily basis. In much the same way that cross training in our exercise routine strengthens the whole body, I am advocating that the Choice Program can help build lifelong learners by providing a diverse education that encourages young people to flex lots of different mental muscles.
ARCHIVE 3: WHAT MOTIVATES FAMILIES TO TAKE THE LEAP TO THE EDUCATIONAL PATH LESS TRAVELED?11/1/2015 written by Peter Bergson, OC Co-Founder What motivates families to take the leap to the educational path less traveled? (We want to hear from you!)
written by an OC Youth, Eva Thanks to movies like The Hunger Games, The Avengers and Brave, bow sales have increased by 35% in recent years. I first heard about this increased interest in archery through an article on NPR called “More Girls Target Archery, Inspired by The Hunger Games.” The story mentioned how archery ranges and stores used to be dominated by camo-clad hunters, and now it is common to see young girls practicing. I realized that originally I too was inspired by a series of movies (and books). In my case it was Lord of the Rings and The Hunger Games.
written by Peter Bergson, OC Co-Founder One of the most valuable insights gained during my years as a consultant with Synectics, Inc.—the creative group problem-solving firm that helped inspire the Open Connections approach to education—has to do with a theory of human motivation. Our noble leader, George Prince, called it Impression Management. Attention to this aspect of group process has saved me endless hours of needless conflict. Falling prey to it, on the other hand, has resulted in unnecessary conflict and emotional distress. As with several other “morals-to-the-story” of process consciousness, this one is worth taking seriously.
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For the most part, these articles first appeared in the Open Connections Magazine. If you would like to sign up for our mailing list, the posts will come right to you! Archives
March 2016
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