Transformative Conversations E-Book

Peter Felten

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 231

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Praise for Transformative Conversations "In the 'superstorm' of writings about the crisis in higher education this little gem of a book stands out like a mindfulness bell. It calls us back to the only thing that truly matters--the energy and wisdom buried in the minds and hearts of dedicated educators." --Diana Chapman Walsh, president emerita, Wellesley College; trustee emerita, Amherst College; member of the MIT Corporation "This book is revolutionary! It is about transforming the very essence of higher education through the power of authentic conversation, knowing that as the people within the institution evolve, the institution will transform." --Patricia and Craig Neal, The Art of Convening: Authentic Engagement in Meetings, Gatherings, and Conversations; founders, Heartland Inc. "This is a radical story about how to create a more intimate and relational culture inside the halls of higher education.... for those who long for higher education to return from the abyss of siloed isolation to its original charter as a cooperative learning institution committed to developing the whole person in service of the common good." --Peter Block, Flawless Consulting and Abundant Community Transformative Conversations offers guidance to help readers create and sustain Formation Mentoring Communities, where faculty, staff, and administrators can speak openly and honestly to the heart of their work as educators and human beings.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

More Praise for Transformative Conversations

Other Titles of Interest

Title Page

Copyright

Preface

Foreword: Remembering what the Ancients Knew

Introduction

Notes

Interlude: Finding the Time and Space for a More Meaningful Professional Life

Chapter 1: What Is a Formation Mentoring Community?

Formation

Mentoring

Community

Contrasting FMCs with Other Groups

The Lineage of FMCs

Notes

Interlude: Message in a Bottle

Notes

Chapter 2: Cultivating Growth: Conversation in Community

Hospitality

Safety

Courage

Honesty

Trust

Diversity

Humility

Accountability

Friendship

Notes

Interlude: Is There a Place for Me in a Formation Mentoring Community?

Chapter 3: The Basics of Creating Formation Mentoring Communities on Your Campus

Addressing Obstacles

Starting an FMC

The Structure of an FMC

Creating the Container for Your Formation Mentoring Communities

In Conclusion

Notes

Chapter 4: Collaborative Stewardship: Facilitating a Formation Mentoring Community

Facilitating an FMC

Shared Facilitation

Creating a Level Playing Field

The Opening Session

Tending the Container

The Life Cycles of FMCs

When a Member Leaves an FMC

Changing the Size and Makeup of an FMC

Inviting a New Member

Priming the Pump: Openings and Closings

Readings

Topics and Themes for Discussion

Notes

Chapter 5: From Individual to Institutional Change: Ripples of Transformation

FMC Ripples at the University of Washington

FMC Ripples at Elon University

FMC Ripples at Gallaudet University

FMC Ripples at the University of California Irvine

In Conclusion

Notes

Afterword: Beyond the Small Group

Notes

Recommended Resources

Gratitudes

About the Authors

Index

More Praise for Transformative Conversations

“Despite the ideal of the ‘academic community,’ far too many of us live within the silos of our own programs or disciplines and long for a deeper connection with our colleagues to share our passions and heart and soul along with our intellect. Transformative Conversations is a book that is both visionary and intensely practical about how to create formation mentoring communities to break through the silos and create authentic community. This book is exceptionally timely as all of us face the stresses of budget constraints, dynamic change, and disruptive forces. Formation mentoring communities offer incredible hope drawn from the experiences of the four authors. Their stories and interludes are inspiring, and the book is a veritable toolkit for getting started. After reading an advance copy of the book, I intend to go out and form an FMC myself. The authors were challenged to write a book to start a movement, and this book just might do it.”

— Ralph A. Wolff, president, Senior College Commission, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

“This brief, beautiful, lucid book demonstrates how people meeting in small peer groups to explore themselves and what matters most to them can nourish, deepen, and transform themselves, each other, and eventually their larger community.”

— Roger Walsh MD, Ph.D, University of California Medical School; author, Essential Spirituality: The Seven Central Practices

“This is a radical story about how to create a more intimate and relational culture inside the halls of higher education–which is no small accomplishment. This movement is occurring without a budget, a curriculum, or management approval. It is a great story of the power of intimacy and the small group as a positive revolutionary force. A must-read for those who long for higher education to return from the abyss of siloed isolation to its original charter as a cooperative learning institution committed to developing the whole person in service of the common good.”

— Peter Block, author, Flawless Consulting and Abundant Community

“As a mediator who has assisted in settling dozens of cases involving institutions of higher learning, I only wish for the parties involved that this book had been available before differences devolved into wasteful lawsuits. This book provides practical guidance on how to create the space that can hold differences and transform the energy around them into creative rather than destructive forces, and it provides specific ways to avoid miscommunications that lead to needless conflict.”

— Hon. Rebecca Westerfield (Ret.), JAMS: Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services

“This book is filled with wisdom. While it addresses formation mentoring communities in academia, the lessons are applicable to any setting. The notion that ‘hard to change’ cultures, so resistant to expert intervention, are susceptible to transformation and renewal from within is heartening. The blueprint for transformation that this book provides is invaluable.”

— Patrick O'Neill, president, Extraordinary Conversations Inc.

“In the ‘superstorm’ of writings about the crisis in higher education, this little gem of a book stands out like a mindfulness bell. It calls us back to the only thing that truly matters, the energy and wisdom buried in the minds and hearts of dedicated educators. Forget MOOCs and start organizing grassroots FMCs–countercultural, profoundly humanistic conversation groups. Watch deep truths emerge. After that, who knows what? Perhaps a twenty-first-century liberal education attuned to the coming generation's global imperatives: interdependence, sustainability, and mutual cooperation. Now there's a radical thought. Read this book please. It's all here.”

— Diana Chapman Walsh, president emerita, Wellesley College; trustee emerita, Amherst College; member of the MIT Corporation.

Other Titles of Interest

Alexander W. Astin, Helen S. Astin, and Jennifer A. Lindholm, Cultivating the Spirit: How College Can Enhance Students' Inner Lives

Jeanie Cockell and Joan MacArthur-Blair, Appreciative Inquiry in Higher Education: A Transformative Force

Laurent A. Daloz, Mentor, Guiding the Journey of Adult Learners, Second Edition (with new Foreword, Preface, and Afterword)

Sam M. Intrator and Megan Scribner, Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach

Parker J. Palmer, The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life

Parker J. Palmer and Arthur Zajonc, The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal

Sharon Daloz Parks, Big Questions, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Emerging Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Faith, Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition

Daniel Wheeler, Servant Leadership in Higher Education: Principles and Practices

Cover photo by ©Ken Canning/iStockphoto

Cover design by Michael Cook

Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by Jossey-Bass

A Wiley Imprint

One Montgomery Street, Suite 1200, San Francisco, CA 94104-4594— www.josseybass.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax [phone], or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax [phone], or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it is read.

Credits appear on p. 169

Jossey-Bass books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Jossey-Bass directly call our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-956-7739, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3986, or fax [phone].

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data had been applied for and is on file with the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-118-28827-6 (paper); 978-1-118-41986-1 (ebk); 978-1-118-42129-1 (ebk);

978-1-118-49624-4 (ebk)

first edition

“When Someone Deeply Listens to You,” John Fox. From Finding What You Didn't Lose: Expressing Your Truth and Creativity Through Poem-Making by John Fox. Copyright by John Fox. Reprinted by permission of the author.

From Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, A Translation from the German and Commentary by Robert Bly. Copyright © 1981 by Robert Bly. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

“Who the Meek Are Not,” Mary Karr: Copyright © 2002 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved. the Atlantic Monthly; May 2002; Who The Meek Are Not; Volume 289, No. 5; 64.

“To Be of Use” from Circles on the Water by Marge Piercy. Copyright © 1982 by Marge Piercy. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., and the Wallace Literary Agency, Inc.

“All the Buried Seeds” from The Book of Awakening. Mark Nepo. Copyright by Mark Nepo. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Excerpt from “The Water Wheel” in Coleman Barks, The Essential Rumi. San Francisco, Harper San Francisco, 2004.

Preface

Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Clearly, Mead overstated her point. Some social change has come from small groups of cunning, malevolent people whose commitments have ranged across the continuum of evil.

Still, Mead's point stands. Every movement for positive social change that I know anything about has been initiated by groups of the sort she describes. Of course, successful movements find ways to rally more and more people around their flag, consolidating and deploying collective forms of “people power” to make an impact on institutions and societies. But even as movements for social change expand, the effective ones continue to depend on small group “base communities,” not merely to make decisions about strategies and tactics but to sustain the energy and morale of their adherents in the midst of arduous struggles.