Peter E. Pflaum - Golden Globe -

The Synergy Network

Wiredbrain home site Pflaump@wiredbrain.com

RE: How do we know what we are talking about?

To try to make the structure of knowledge more that a matter

of opinion is more or less impossible. BUT there is the

ancient wisdom

But my opinion is better than most. Why?

Because it makes sense.

Because it reflect objective reality.

A good theory explains a lot. Makes what appeared separate -

operate on the same principles.

My theory explains education. business, social problems,

politics, psychology, economics, philosophy, human

relationships, and how to behave - it may give us the

answers on who to manage the planet so we don't destroy our

grandchildren -

I think that matters.

It also is old - nothing new - it's as old as civilization.

Most cultures that survive believe the same thing - it's in

the bible - the Koran - Plato - Aristotle - St. Augustine -

The Sufi way - Zen - Biha'i - the Society of Friends - the

Seneca - the Hopi -

The Aborigines -

The freemasons -

The

church and the Declaration of independence - some simple

clear principles - don't you see -

What are they ?

(I have a longer paper - on request)

No free lunch. (It takes work)

Entropy increases. (It take goals, missions)

Pay attention to one thing at a time (clear the mind, focus,

grounded, centered healthy mind and a fit body-)

Synergy is the unique human capacity - (it's social, work

together - man alone is not much but in groups WOW)

You are already perfect - don't be so critical of yourself

or other. (Rodney - Come on people - can't we just get

along?)

Get on with it - only God is certain - To seek certainty or

to believe you are certain is ideology - hubris - We can

only do the best we can by the light we have in us - and by

seeking - being and becoming - if we try. (We are only

human)

Maybe this is too simple - KISS - keep it simple - we are

not as smart as we think we are - we can only keep five

things in our head at one time. It's profound not complex.

First its a convention of language caries the cultural

paradigm with it. If I talk to a Greek or a New Ghanian he

understand within a different context than we do. A Russian

carries more Greek thought about freedom, liberty, etc. than

we do.

They don't think you are "free to sleep under

bridges" or are free if you are subject to false beliefs and

ideas. Freedom is difficult to gain. One has to transcend

the local frame of thought (the cultural paradigm). Language

entraps us.

Second - if we say a is like b, and c. A=b ( plus an

unexplained residual plus error) part of the unexplained

part is in c so a=b (R & E) + c (R & E) and so forth

A= E (summation sign) (x's + R +E) n times where x 's are

all the elements we use to define or explain A.

The errors

build up. Some of the residual is error, bias, statistical

auroras (we like what we like, and like what we know we

should like, and we like what people we like, and visa

versa) etc. If you explain school performance is 80%

explained by the education of the parents, the next factor

is income of parents, there is no unexplained residual for

schools, teacher salaries, books, etc. This does not mean

these factors don't matter. (You really need to use rank

order systems - because there are not all real numbers - IQ

and other normalized test scores (SAT) are not a real

numbers two people with 80 don't add to 160 but the results

are the same)

Therefore, social rather than physical issues contain too

much error to give more that a "preponderance of evidence"

rather than "beyond a moral doubt". Social and psychological

problems are a civil rather than a criminal case.

They have

to be understood with "everything" we know. Not quite common

sense but logical conclusions. Better off students live in

better off communities that spend more money on their

schools. Poor kids live in poor communities which spend

less, where teachers don't want to teach, and conditions

tend to be bad. Rich kids aren't better kids (generically or

otherwise) the system has a bias toward the rich and

powerful and against the poor and powerless.

The really

interesting case is HEROS - Higher math in East LA, District

# 4 in East Harlem - where someone is fighting the odds -

see it can be done. It take power and character. Surprise?

Why don't we do what we know. Why are systems so stupid?

They going on doing what they know (or should know doesn't

work - small units of time (credits) - broken up subjects -

big schools etc see my smart schools or see Fiske book - or

Goodlad, Glickman's article,

The Emperor has no cloths -

look open your eyes ) It's communism! American Education is to

learning what communism is to economics. (Bennett, Bill Devaluing

America) stuck - it need a real restructuring!

This is the middle level of knowledge and we have a high

level of uncertainly.

Therefore we have politics.

If we knew the right answers we could hire experts and they

would fix it.

The experts have a poor record in fixing

social issues.

What have experts done with education?

Why have they done so badly?

Are they stupid, evil - no the system defeats them.

(some are - self-interest - pride - hubris - over certain

schools of education teaching what they don't know and can't

do, superintendents shouldn't try to run things - have ideas

but create conditions where things can happen)

So they have to fix the system - right!

If your so smart. why aren't you rich?

My belief is that the people doing stuff should be allowed

to do it. To become a learning community. Second is

competition.

The free market works better that communism -

state capitalism - become bureaucratic and incapable of

ration behavior.

When we get to the third level. What is the purpose of

schools. Who's aims do they serve? What about teaching

character - morals etc. We leave the real world. Different

groups are using term differently and we often don't know

what they are talking about. For some Christians, truth is

absolute and right there and they know it. For some liberals

"do your own thing" is a moral position. Grades are a

limitation on human freedom. It becomes the tower of babble.

SO my idea is what works? Schools need a moral value to

work.

They can't be all things to all people. So again the

market. Little schools for true believers in military ardor

- black power - Fundamentalist Christian (as long a public

funds don't go to the teaching of there beliefs as part of

the state supported program - like in Higher education money

goes to support the students and Notre Dame and Liberty

University, Bob Jones not the theory)

RE: VOTE FOR HORACE

school board District #3

It is not your job to come up with new ideas.

There are

plenty of great ideas but they almost all get all messed up

in the implementation. First, you have to fix the system so

anything can work.

There is Goals2000, a good idea gone

strange - outcome based education, writing to read, house

system, middle schools, year round schools, assessment,

testing, special education, Heterogeneous Grouping and

curriculum design (SEE Effective School Practices, ADI,

Eugene OR, winter 93) and on and on.

Your job on the school board is to help create conditions

where teacher can do their job. Freedom for professionals.

Small schools ( a building is not a school) allows

empowerment - then they can figure it out for themselves.

(askERIC) From the boring factory (x=grey) to the

consultation, involvement, participation of human relations

(y=pink) to the fired up - turned on - excited (Z=red)

groups.

That is what I do in my classes. About 1/3 get really turned

on and take charge. About another 1/3 do fine.

The last 1/3

don't get harmed in anyway and may benefit in the long run,

they didn't try and if you don't try there is little I can

do. Now in a small school with a stable population I would

get 100% but the unit credit system makes teaching almost

impossible. I only have a fraction of a person a fraction of

the time. (

They do need to do their algebra) This summer

it's better, almost all are involved maybe 75%. My job as a

teacher (guide) is to create an environment where this can

happen. It's fun. Joy is the clue.

They are there early and

leave late.

They are active and animated. It is a wonder to

see - all those grey faces in rows (up to 40 in the first

day of a class) become a turned on bunch of people all doing

their own thing (within the setup, sort of). I let go of

command and make a joyful noise.

The point system means I

don't grade. I have expectation and the work in most cases

is clearly better and lasts longer than the traditional

system. (

The man under the tree with a textbook who talks

and gives tests) See also Ted's Horace. (Sizer) I am glad

you are reading Smart Schools - See also Grant Wiggins on

Assessment (KAPPAN Nov 93)

Is This OK? Anyone not want to READ this? Do not flame!

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Peter E. Pflaum Ph.D. GLOBAL_VILLAGE_SUFI_SCHOOL

225 Robinson Road, New Smyrna Beach * IN THE WORLD -

FL 32169-2176 (904) 428-9609 * BUT NOT OF THE WORLD

Wiredbrain Geocities http files * URANUS GOD OF HEAVEN

HUSBAND OF GAEA, GODDESS OF A SUSTAINABLE EARTH

Pflaump@wiredbrain.com Pflaump@wiredbrain.com

ZEN IS THE ART OF GETTING YOURSELF OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY

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PAPERS ON REQUESTED - SMALL SCHOOLS - SIFI METHODS - REFORM