Get on the Balcony Chapter 3 by R. Heifetz & M . Linsky

1. Get on the BalconyChapter 3 by R. Heifetz & M. Linsky By: Jordan Cannady, Meghan Hollibaugh Baker, Leonard Kiernan, Patricia Maia, and Mike Miller

2. Everyone knows the importance of maintaining the capacity for reflection • Play the game and observe it as a whole • Being both in and out of the game • Contemplation in action • Karma yoga • Mindfulness • Getting off the dance floor and going to the balcony All of these create an image that captures the mental activity of stepping back in the midst of action and asking:

3. What is going on here?

4. Moving from participant to observer and back is askill you can learn. There are four diagnostic tasks you can use to help Avoid the most common traps 1. Distinguish technical from adaptive changes 2. Find out where people are at 3. Listen to the song beneath the words 4. Read the behavior of authority figures for clues

5. Technical VS Adaptive Changes

6. Find Out Where People Are At • Don’t assume you know somebody’s problem and what needs to be done. • Take the time to ask and find out the true issue. • If you don’t take the time to find out their perspective, the people won’t listen to you.

7. Find Out Where People Are At • Example in the book (p 63): • A Jesuit person held a series of discussions for government officials about spirituality in the workplace. • 1st time: He gave a scripted presentation and answered questions, but the people didn’t get to discuss their concerns • 2nd time: He started by asking them what they wanted to talk about

8. Listen to the Song Beneath the Words

9. PAULA THE LAWYER • Appointed as head of small state agency by the Governor • Gov., “go in there and clean the place up” • As she pushed, ‘THEY’ pushed back • Governor then, “distanced himself from her as a reaction to the distress she created” • Should have – pulled back, calmed, regroup and then move forward again

10. Read the Authority Figure for Clues

11. Danny – Head of Training • CEO encouraged Danny to develop a challenging training program • His ‘Program’ pushed people far outside “their comfort zone” • Danny pushed too fast and too far, thus creating so much tension the CEO “trimmed his sails” • Danny “did NOT read the authority figure sensitively and systemically, in order to assess the tolerance for the level of discomfort he was creating in the community as a whole.”

12. Petrey the CEO • Focused on Budget • Real problem a division in the company on beliefs for success (not the budget!) • Thus Senior management is let of the hook while the other employees “feel the squeeze”

13. When you seek change….. • Focus on the words and behavior of the authority figure • The authority figures act as indicators of stability and will restore equilibrium if change goes too far • You must plan, but what you actually do cannot be scripted • “You are immersed in the action, responding to what is right there in front of you.” • Finally, “Don’t just personalize what you see. Read authorities to gauge the pace and manner to push forward.”

14. Metacognitive skills (by Robert Fisher) • the higher-level processes used for decision making, planning, monitoring, evaluating, reflection, etc • focus on what the child is thinking about a content (Cognitive description CD) • focus on how the child is thinking about the content (Cognitive Extension CE) • focus on the child's thinking about his/her own thinking about the content (Metacognitive Thinking MT)

15. Meta-teaching: how do we teach for metacognition? Teaching strategies can be broadly divided into three categories: didactic, directed discovery and teaching for metacognition.

16. Metacognitivee questioning: to raise levels of awareness • 1. Describe what kind of thinking you did • What kind of thinking did you do? • What do you call this kind of thinking? • Was this kind of thinking .........? (name a kind of thinking) • 2. Describe how you did your thinking • How did you do this thinking? • What did you think about? Why? • Did you have a plan (or strategy)? • 3. Evaluate your thinking • Was your thinking good? Why? • Did you have a good plan (or strategy)? • How could you improve your thinking next time?

17. A metacognitive approach can enrich any lesson not only through the planning and review stages, but also in bridging activities to other elements of the curriculum and to world of everyday experience.

18. Dialogue is collaborative. Multiple sides work towards shared understanding. Debate is appositional. Two opposing sides try to prove each other wrong. In dialogue, one listens to understand, to make meaning, and to find common ground. In debate, one listens to find flaws, to spot differences, and to counter arguments. Dialogue enlarges and possibly changes a participant's view. Debate affirms a participant's point of view. Dialogue reveals assumptions for reevaluation. Debate defends assumptions as truth. Dialogue creates an open-minded attitude, an openness to being wrong and an openness to change. Debate creates a close-minded attitude, a determination to be right. In dialogue, one submits one's best thinking, expecting that the reflections of others will help improve it rather than threaten it. In debate, one submits one's best thinking and defends it against a challenge to show that it is right. In dialogue, one searches for the strengths in all positions. In debate, one searches for the weaknesses in the other positions. Dialogue respects all the other participants and seeks not to alienate or offend. Debate rebuts contrary positions and may belittle or deprecate other participants. Dialogue assumes that many people have pieces of answers and that cooperation can lead to workable solutions. Debate assumes a single right answer that someone already has. Dialogue remains open-ended. Debate demands a conclusion. from: Peter Winchell, Consultant. Socratic Seminars West

19. Activity Socratic Circles: "The unexamined life is not worth living."-Socrates