Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j03GlfV07968; Mon, 3 Jan 2005 11:47:56 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 11:47:56 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <4202F30E@webmail.utk.edu> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: jataylor <jataylor@utk.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1844] Learning in 2004 X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Infinite Mobile Delivery (Hydra) SMTP v3.62.01 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Status: RO Content-Length: 3729 Lines: 80 Hello All, and Happy New Year! I am delighted to see energizing list discussions over the holidays. We have some very thoughtful thinkers sharing their experiences. Given the new year, I thought I'd share a few of the favorite things I've learned from you about making meaning online when we lose the advantages of in-person conversation. (I've included some quotes from one of my favorite authors, Margaret Wheatley.) What are some of the things you've learned in 2004? ====================================================== 1. Widen the Circle of Participation - New voices revive our energy, help us discover solutions that may at first seem disparate. They help surface our assumptions. If we want to enrich the dialogue, we should bring in additional voices to the current. As a list subscriber, I encourage you to continue inviting others to participate that you believe have something to contribute to the discussions at hand. 2. Ask Questions - "If we're willing to ask the questions, we can begin to change things." This is always *your* place to ask the questions at *any time* and make change in professional development. What questions do you have? 3. Claim Time - "Nobody will give you time to think about what you want to change...You will have to claim it for yourself. Noone will give it to you because thinking is dangerous to the status quo. Those benefiting from the present system have no interest in new ideas." As the world speeds up, don't sacrifice our wonderful, human capacity for conversation. Claim the time to contribute to the dialogue in our field. 4. Share Experiences - "Conversation is the natural way humans think together...Begin conversations about things that are important to you and those near you." Use the list to discuss things important to you in professional development. By sharing your rich experiences, you will likely help someone in a similar situation. 5. Listen and Listen Again - "Listening creates relationship...Not listening creates fragmentation, and fragmentation always causes more suffering." How might we listen better to one another? 6. Seek Clarification "It's not differences that divide us. It's our judgments about each other that do." Did you ask what someone else meant by what they wrote? If it's not clear to you, it may not be clear to someone else either. 7. Tolerate a little chaos - "Messiness has its place...Meaningful conversations depend on our willingness to forget about neat thoughts, clear categories, narrow roles...Eventually, we will be surprised by how much we share in common. The deeper order that unifies our experience will show itself, but only if we allow chaos early on." Expect list dialogues to be a bit messy at times. 8. Accept Challenge - "Be willing to have your beliefs and ideas challenged by what others think." Respectful unearthing of assumptions can help us grow as individuals and as a community. 9. Make Change - "We create what we want rather than just accept what is." What do we want for the field of professional development and adult literacy, and how can we better use this list to create that? 10. Work Together - "Conversation is the way we discover how to transform our world, together." Thank you to all who have raised thoughtful questions, and for sharing from your practical experiences. I think the most important thing I've learned from you is that through discussion, we can discover what we want to do about the things that matter most. I look forward to what the coming year has to offer. Best wishes for 2005, Jackie Jackie Taylor List Moderator NIFL-AALPD jataylor@utk.edu ======================================================
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