Learning Circle Reflections

I haven't had a chance yet to respond to Hoggett's article "Overcoming the Desire for Misunderstanding through Dialogue." I was initially drawn to this article because of the title: the DESIRE for misunderstanding? Aren't we all running around trying to AVOID misunderstanding? And, I am intrigued by his argument that what some would call "dysfunctional" communication between members of a community or a work team (or what have you), is actually essential for functionality.

I find his argument very compelling based on a few experiences I have had in my own life. For one, living in an intentional community for three years after college really forces me to consider this concept seriously. Additionally, this resonates with my time working for Witness for Peace in Colombia and Nicaragua - both circumstances in which I was working and living with my workmates, and our office was in our shared house.

In both of those situations, the intentional community and shared living/working space with Witness for Peace, I found that the worst times were the times of less communication and the best, healthiest times we had together were when we were able to communicate about hard issues and then move beyond them. Each time of moving beyond really felt like a step, a building block to a healthier and stronger community.

That all said, I am still left with the question, where is the line? When do we stop learning from difficult dialogue and start just simply frustrating each other and hitting dead ends? There were times when I was working in Colombia when that difficult dialogue felt it might actually be just simply too hard and not productive - and that it in fact never produced growth, but rather negative stagnation. Some of this I think was related to the way that difficult dialogue was facilitated and some of it was because of a lack of good will among those engaged in the dialogue. However, I think Hoggett is on to something very insightful about group dynamics - and perhaps very useful in many work settings where so many people tend to really shy away from difficult dialogue.

Posted by Amy Morris at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

As I think back to our last meeting and consider the topic discussed in the Learning Circle of Steve and Jenna, I can see a direct relationship to the question they asked and the readings. Although I think the question that they originally had in mind was more about inclusion and diversity than just belonging to a group. As I mentioned during the circle, my life experiences have lead me away from groups, more so than toward groups. When I was young I used to think I was strange because I was always excluded, but I was not impacted negatively by that exclusion as I actually preferred it. I recently was searching for something and found some notes that I had written to myself. After re reading this note, it reminded me of the circuitous route that my life has taken. It also made me think that God must have had a specific plan for my life, as I have spent the better part of my life alone but not lonely and actually find peace in being alone with myself.

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all my fellow students who have made this a fun semester, and a thank you to Lynn who has made this a very positive learning experience.

Posted by Rosalyn Washington at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Since I won't be able to be in class on Saturday, I wanted to share some of my thought about the readings. It's funny, as I was reading the assigned portion of Lynn's dissertation about acknowledgement circles, I was reflecting on the fact that not being in class on Saturday will change the dynamic of things, regardless of whether I think so or not. So, I'm sorry to have to be absent, I will miss the time to reflect on readings and what we've all been doing related to the course in a non-virtual setting.

A number of different things were very alive for me in the readings this time. Having been a part of creating many intentional learning environments - residential and non-residential alike - I was very engaged in Lynn's dissertation reflections on how to best create those spaces; spaces where people feel truly empowered to speak from both the head and heart. In my opinion, the heart space is what is so often missing in our traditional public education system in this country. The idea that learning should be a personal journey has been sort of beaten out of us over time and now it's seen as "fluffy" to spend time focused on how our academic/intellectual pursuits also impact us personally. While I certainly agree that our standards of performance/learning in the US are abominable, I don't think the answer is necessarily just making school more about the head exclusively. We need to truly be striving towards learning spaces where all learners feel truly able to engage and learn.

I love the section on listening skills and the discussion of why people do and do not listen well. It seems like our constant "plugging-in" and "checking-out" is a major source of this trouble. We have learned so well how to listen to our iPods and laptops that we've unlearned how to listen well to each other. The fact that a college student comments made by one of the college students about Lynn and John's listening abilities really hit me - and made me ask, does this young woman not have any good listeners in her personal life? No friends? or family? who can play that role... It just seems like a sad state of societal affairs when good listeners are so few and far between for young people.

The leadership article really made me think about how gender plays in to styles of leadership - both in very "public" public spaces (i.e. Bush post LA riots) and in more "private" public spaces (i.e holding the space of a learning circle). In my reading of Heifetz, I believe he essentially argues that the forms of leadership that are less overt can be (and must be) effective in those more "public" public spaces. But does that stand true for women equally as it does for men? If a female presidential candidate proposes a new style of leadership - will it ever be successful if it is not "strong" and not just strong, but overtly strong, decisively strong - the leader with answers, the right answers? Leadership styles and public perception of leaders is an area where gender stereotypes tend to really make me crazy - and the lack of dialogue about this in much of the leadership literature also strike me as very unfortunate.

Enjoy the discussion tomorrow - I'll see you next time.

Posted by Amy Morris at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Rosalyn's entry and reviewing the list of questions for reflection have made me think some about the power of listening without thinking about what I will say next (i.e. listening without interrupting or commenting on what others are saying). Although learning circles are not the only setting where I have experienced the type of listening without interrupting that is asked for in a learning circle, I always find it powerful. On the listening side, it makes it possible for me to turn off my constant urge to interact with what people are saying or experiencing and just let them share until they are done. This was especially challenging for me when I first began taking part in learning circles because it is one of the ways I find I try to relate to people - to show them I can understand what they are saying or where they are coming from. However, as I have become adjusted to this style, I also find it freeing - that it makes me a much better listener than I might be otherwise.

As a speaker in a learning circle setting, I find that even though I know no one is going to comment, or respond to what I am saying, that I still look for some kind of feedback from others in the circle. Not so much to know if people agree with what I am saying as to be sure that I haven't gone on too long - that I am still holding people's attention and that there is still interest in what I am saying. This is a challenge for me and sometimes I think it makes me ramble instead of finding what is most important in my story. It also challenges me because I like to hear what people think of things - and not just anything, things I am also thinking about. So, I find I get really frustrated when there's not enough time for cross-talk in a learning circle.

Also in these two weeks, reading the Long Haul and comparing it to my weekly experiences in learning circles at Jane Addams has made me ask how we can ensure that there is real space for people to really speak what is on their heart - the things in the world that we each believe must change. The history of Highlander as told in the Long Haul makes it sound like the place was filled with that energy, all the time. I find that this happens at JAS, but of course not every time. I wonder in how we retell history if a place like Highlander or other citizenship schools in the south during the Civil Rights movement have been romanticized? Much like my reaction to stories of literacy classes in the movie last time we met, I wonder if the day-to-day of Highlander was always as inspiring as it is told in the history books. Literacy classes are not glamorous, and neither is every night at JAS - was there something that inspirational always happening at Highlander? Is there something that inspirational happening there everyday now? Although when the story of JAS is told - both now and in the future as history, it will sound like a powerful place, if you only visit for one night it is quite possible you might not see or feel anything that at all resembles the stories of the place. I find power in the relationships that develop by sitting in a talking circle with the same people every week - and I think power is built through those relationships - but it is not always a take-my-breath-away experience as I think we may imagine Highlander to have been.

While I have followed the work of Highlander over the years, reading the Long Haul renewed my commitment to finding a way to be more involved in the work of Highlander today. I am especially interested in the Interpreting for Social Justice workshops they offer. I have spent a number of years now interpreting in social justice settings but always feel there is so much that is politicized in acting as a language and cultural bridge that it would be good for me to think about in a systematic way. More information is here: www.highlandercenter.org/p-multilingual.asp

Posted by Amy Morris at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)