just://in.site

Moving...

2011-01-30T23:43:00.002-08:00

I've moved my blog to http://jamiebillingham.com/ Love Blogger but needed more space and freedom. Come see me at my new site.

Experimental Learning - Planning and Documenting

2010-08-21T14:10:00.003-07:00

Copy of Experimental Learning - Planning and Documenting on Prezi

This is a model that was inflicted upon the 2009 Royal Roads Leadership cohort. I hated it. Literally hated it. It was possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. And it's quite brilliant lol.

The idea is to use experiences as a foundation for learning, which of course is what all experiences are. The brilliance is in the use of this model as an assessment of learning. It quite effectively places the responsibility for both the learning and proving of the learning on the learner.

Those with a background in counselling or human services will recognize the model as a representation of the counselling process. Client comes in with problem(s) in the form of negative or problematic experiences. As a counselor/helper you help the client reflect on the experience and provide feedback in the form of alternative perspectives. Then you help provide context perhaps embedding some theoretical perspectives about how human beings work. Then you help the client design a different way of doing something that relates to the original experience.

Simple, but not easy...

P.S.

Finally found out where this model originated - David A. Kolb's model of experiential learning http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-explrn.htm

Emerging Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010

2010-08-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

Emerging Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010

My list is:

Twitter

VoiceThread

Camtasia Studio/Snagit

Prezi

SlideShare

PowerPoint

Wikispaces

Wordle

Ning

Moodle/Odijoo version

Interdisciplinary Research Project at Kwantlen

2010-08-07T14:58:00.014-07:00

This is one of those projects that has tremendous potential; both, potential success and potential pitfalls. One of the areas of potential pitfall lies within the very ethical framework that will serve as the foundation for the project.

“Our research will be conducted in the community, by the community, and for the community” in other words we are looking at a rhyzomatic, community as curriculum process. I have written before about how much I love this concept. I am also keenly aware that it comes with its own set of challenges and this post is my attempt to shine a light and explore solutions to one of those. If we can anticipate some of the potential problems at the onset we are less likely to fall into the pit.

Challenge number one, in my view, is around the idea that people don’t know what they don’t know. I don’t know who actually said that first (I’m lying, I do know, it’s bookmarked in my delicious somewhere, I’m just too lazy to dig it out and too aged to be able to pull it up from my mental hard drive) but it’s something that has rung true for me on more than one occasion.

I’ve been involved in a couple of educational projects that were open to the point of the becoming sink or swim learning. They were projects that had the best of intentions when it came to respecting the concepts of constructivism and the unique knowledge of the learners. Sometimes learners need some guidance, boundaries and help to bridge the gap from where that are to where they want to be. I think this is especially true when you add technology to the mix. If you don’t know that a tool even exists you are not likely to include it in your list of possibilities.

Of course the antidote to this is to embed laddering (see Bloom's Taxonomy), scaffolding (Brunner influenced by Vygotsky ) and mentorship into the learning process. Embedding those things into the process without losing sight of the essence of community as curriculum is an art form. It requires an instinct about what to show people and how to show it so that you plant a seed without overly priming them to think in a certain way and subsequently losing opportunities for them to learn outside of the box. The irony is that this process no matter how well intentioned is at best strategically influential and at worst manipulative. And yes, I struggle with this daily as a teacher, as a counselor and as a human.

The quandary for me is best described in this scene. You are walking along a path with a “learner” and you encourage them to go first, to discover the knowledge that is already there. Then you notice that they have taken a path that leads to a cliff. How long do you wait to warn them? Do you warn them? Or do you just let them fall? If you chose the last, I am never, ever going hiking with you.

Yes, I know, no one ever dies from a bad idea. Yet, people do, when they fail before they have built resilience and an understanding that failure is just feedback, develop a fear of taking learning risks. To me that is almost worse than a physical death. That is the death of potential.
Ok, so maybe I’m way over thinking this. I have been presenting on the Club of Rome’s mantras around learning by innovation and the value of anticipation and participation almost daily of late and that could be influencing me a bit more than it ought to. Or not…

The spark beneath this idea and igniter of the project is Ross Laird and he truly is a master at developing human potential. I know that with Ross's leadership this project is unlikely to succumb to the pitfalls that similar projects have encountered. So it's fitting to end this post with a Wordle of his summary of our first meeting. (I hope Wordling someone else's words is not a violation of blogging ethos?)

Sunday Musing on Meetings, Team Form and Function

2010-07-18T12:58:00.007-07:00

I went to a meeting the other day. It was a meeting of minds. There were some extraordinary minds in the room and I have to admit that I developed a case of imposter syndrome that kept my usual disregard for the rules of engagement in check. Reflecting on the meeting, the agenda and the recorded notes (along with several other meetings of late), I find myself wondering about the meeting and team building process.

The reason for this particular meeting was to bring together a group of people who were interested in research and program development in a specific area. That area being to “help” a group of folks that traditionally struggle with education and training; the multi-barriered, the difficult to engage; those in recovery; the round peg people who don’t fit into the square peg classroom.

The other criterion, for invitation to this meeting, was an investment in creativity, working outside the box. It’s this second part that I’m reflecting on. It’s this second part that won’t leave me alone, it’s bugging me, irritating the inside of my skull and I know from experience that the irritation will not stop until I fully explore it and find some kind of solution at best, closure at worst. So here goes.

The meeting started pretty much like all meetings. After a bit of shuffling rooms we each introduced ourselves, in the usual meeting type way of reciting our business cards. This was an initial meeting so we spent most of our time very respectfully trying to articulate our purpose. I had a great, unshared, epiphany during this time. There are educators that do not Twitter, Facebook or wiki. I had managed to remain blissfully blind to that. It was a rude awakening.

Technology related differences aside the strand of thought that keeps running through my mind is a quote from Einstein. He said “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

If we want to do something creative, outside the box, innovative and un-traditional I am doubtful that sitting in a traditional meeting room, have a traditional meeting and following a traditional meeting script is going to move us toward that vision. There are too many mental models that get set to auto- play mode when we enter any kind of traditional space. It’s like we are all actors on a stage with a pre-defined script (nods to Shakespeare). If we are to do something different we need to stage it differently. To get people thinking outside the box you have to take the box away, shake them (us) up a bit so that the script they came in with gets lost or at least helps them forget their lines.

Interestingly we talked about doing that at a later date by staging an un-conference that includes the folks we are trying to provide the net for. I say “net” because in a way that is exactly what we are trying to do. We want to capture these folks in a net that can gently hold them long enough to allow them to create their own nets, be it a safety net, network of support or personal learning network.

For this to work well I think we need to use and model the same process. We need to have un-meetings, and by that I don’t mean we have to enter a state of complete chaos. I do think that we can look to leaders in the field of meeting and mental models for some ideas on how to do things a bit differently.

Patrick Lencioni author of Death by Meeting, The Five Dysfunctions of Teams and other great guides provides some usable ideas around having great meetings and building functional teams. He provides a model of the five dysfunctions of teams that begins with trust as the foundation. The absence of trust, emotional trust, and fear of being vulnerable has to be resolved so that the fear of open conflict doesn’t stall the team’s efforts. He goes on to suggest that teams that don’t embrace unfiltered conflict risk lack of commitment. Genuine buy-in only occurs when every possible dissention is voiced and worked through.

With these three foundational stones in place accountability and attention to results are more likely. Lencioni says “teams that trust one another, engage in conflict, commit to decisions, and hold one another accountable are very likely to set aside their individual needs and agendas and focus almost exclusively on what is best for the team”. In addition to the model he provides lots of exercises that can get any team to the alignment stage quickly and relatively painlessly.

Alignment is a word I associate with Peter Senge. In his book The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization he covers a massive range of thinking and process around using systems thinking to create organizations that embrace and manifest generative learning. His focus tends toward the Vision being the guide and he includes a discussion about attitudes toward vision that makes the distinction between commitment, enrollment and compliance. On the committed person he says, “The committed person brings energy, passion, and excitement that cannot be generated by someone who is only compliant. The committed person doesn’t play by the rules of the game. He is responsible for the game. If the rules of the game stand in the way of achieving the vision, he will find ways to change the rules. A group of people truly committed to a common vision is an awesome force” (p. 205).

Senge goes on the discuss alignment saying that alignment is the “necessary condition before empowering the individual will empower the whole team” (p.218). The easiest way to understand what he means by alignment is to think of great jazz musicians or winning basketball teams. There is a state of flow or a “groove” that happens on occasion that exemplifies true alignment. With jazz musicians and basketball players there is a set of skills that they need to master before they, as a group, can find flow. The same can be said about other kinds of teams.

The mastery of four skills- inquiry, reflection, dialogue and discussion - are the requisite skills of the types of teams I’m writing about. Chris Agyris, like Lencioni points to barriers that keep teams from reaching the critical level needed to achieve alignment and full functionality. Argyris talks about an internal script called “defensive routines” as being one of the chief barriers to learning and creating effective teams. Agyris teamed up with Donald Schön in the early 70’s and suggested that:

“...people have mental maps with regard to how to act in situations. This involves the way they plan, implement and review their actions. Furthermore, they assert that it is these maps that guide people’s actions rather than the theories they explicitly espouse. What is more, fewer people are aware of the maps or theories they do use (Argyris, 1980). One way of making sense of this is to say that there is split between theory and action.(http://www.infed.org/thinkers/argyris.htm)

The skills of inquiry and reflection can go a long way in exposing our own internal maps. However it’s usually through dialogue and discussion with others, ideally with those who are also skilled in these areas, that our hidden and often self and team-limiting mental maps can be more fully examined. To do this kind of work however begins with a team that has built the necessary foundation of trust, so they can embrace open conflict… and we’re back to Lencioni again.

Perhaps the best article I’ve read that relates to this is Dialogic Leadership by William Issacs. In this paper he outlines four actions that can and should take place in a team conversation. Issacs references David Kantor, a well-known family systems therapist saying that “Kantor suggests that some people move—they initiate ideas and offer direction. Other people follow—they complete what is said, help others clarify their thoughts, and support what is happening. Still others oppose—they challenge what is being said and question its validity. And others bystand—they actively notice what is going on and provide perspective on what is happening.”

He goes on to say that, “in a dialogic system, any person may take any of the four actions at any time. Although people may have a preferred position, each individual is able to move and initiate, to follow and complete things, to oppose, and to observe and provide perspective. None of these roles is better or worse than the others. They are all necessary for the system to function properly. As people recognize these different roles and can act on this recognition, they begin to create a sequence of interactions that keeps the conversation moving toward balance.”

By integrating the concepts of inquiry and advocacy to the 4-player model you get a fuller picture of the route to effective dialogue and discussion that can keep teams moving in the direction they want to go.

This is turning into a very long blog and I haven't even gotten to bio-teams and community as curriculum so I think I will end this here and continue in the next blog.

Substance abuse and unemployment - literature review

2010-07-03T17:06:00.002-07:00

Apologies ahead of time for the odd citation scheme...

This is a result of a brief survey designed to determine the percentage of unemployed individuals who are substance abusers. The survey was conducted over a three day period and is in no way an exhaustive or thorough treatment of the subject. The survey included a phone interview with a representative of the Chilliwack office of the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and a literature review.

The HRDC representative indicated that he could not locate any data that identified those with substance abuse disorders who were accessing assistance under the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) or the Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers (PPMB) programs. He did acknowledge that there were probably many unemployed persons who would be considered “substance abusers” currently accessing these programs. The lack of easily accessible data around this does not necessarily mean that the HRDC data base could not yield this type of data, only that is was not accessible through that office at that time.

In reviewing the literature I found that there is substantial research that supports the theory that there is a positive correlation between substance abuse and unemployment. However quantitative data that would provide statistical information about individual’s concurrently experiencing unemployment and substance abuse was scant with only one major research study found that focused on Canadian data.

The Canadian Center on Substance Abuse published The Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada 2002 as an aid to understanding and interpreting the original report of the same name, written under contract by Rehm et al., (2002, 2006). This document and the original report focused on the costs of substance abuse with one of the costs being the indirect costs associated with loss of productivity. “By comparing average income levels reported by those with a substance abuse problem and those without a substance abuse problem, it is possible to calculate the difference, which becomes an economic cost attached to illness and injury linked to substance abuse” (Rehm et al., 2006). Productivity loss was further defined as short and long term disability attributed to substance abuse.

In 2003 the productivity loss due to substance abuse overall was calculated to be $24 billion or 61% of the total social costs. The cost of loss of productivity, due to long-term disability was calculated to be approx. $6 billion due to alcohol abuse and 4.4 billion due to illegal drug use. (Rehm et al., 2006).

Following are excerpts that pertain to the question of - What percentage of unemployed individuals also abuse substances?

According to a 2002 United Nations report … there is a correlation between unemployment and prevalence of substance use in many countries; and prevalence of illicit drug use is higher among younger age groups (18-25 years of age) in practically all countries.1

Goodman and Hankin presented their research findings that examined “both direct and indirect impacts of alcohol consumption on labor force participation and income, with controls for drug abuse and smoking (2006).

… study uses the recently collected National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), designed to be the primary source for information and data on the U.S. population for alcohol and drug use. The NESARC provides multi-dimensional information on alcoholism, drug abuse, and cigarette smoking, as well as excellent individual and labor market information.

Separate analyses by gender show that alcohol use significantly impacts the choice between part-time and full-time employment. Heavy drinkers are more likely to be unemployed or part-time workers compared to lighter drinkers or abstainers. In contrast, alcohol use has an insignificant impact on income conditional on employment.

Conclusions: The labor force impacts of alcohol and substance abuse are complex. The alcohol impacts are most pronounced with respect to labor force participation, and full- v. part-time employment. Drug use has its major impact on men with respect to labor force participation (less likely to be full-time) and health (worse health). Women who use drugs are also less likely to work full-time and will have worse health. 2

Renwick and Krywonis (1992) suggest that unemployment for substance abusing individuals is “much higher” than the averages for unemployment rates in North America citing statistics by the Addiction Research Foundation which produced a mean annual rate of 36.9%. However these statistics were from data collected from 1986-89.

It is a recurrent and well-documented theme in the addiction literature that unemployment and vocational instability are serious problems among persons who abuse substances (Gardiner, 1978; Peachey, & Franklin, 1985; Waldo, & Gardiner, 1984).

Annual intake records between 1985 and 1989 for the Addiction Research Foundation (Clinical Institute) in Toronto, Ontario indicate that unemployment for this population is much higher than the current average rates for North America (Addiction Research Foundation [ARF], 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989). For the 14,659 substance abuse clients reporting their employment status during this period, the mean annual rate of unemployment was 36.9% (ARF, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989).

Employment difficulties for individuals who abuse substances are related to both obtaining and maintaining work (Renwick & Krywonis, 1988; Yates et al., 1988).

A retrospective interview study of clients admitted to a treatment facility for substance abuse intervention demonstrates drastic declines in vocational productivity over the year prior to their treatment (Gardiner, 1978). This research also indicates that vocational stability, measured in terms of the number of jobs held, is generally poor during this period.

Another study focused on maintaining employment following residential treatment for addiction suggests that employment stability deteriorates markedly from one month post-discharge and onwards (Waldo & Gardiner, 1984). This research underscores the need for particular attention to "job survival" (Gardiner, 1978, p. 502) skills.3

Dooley and Prause measured the impact of unemployment and underemployment on alcohol misuse in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth concluding that job loss increased risk of alcohol misuse.

… these results confirm previous findings that job loss can increase the risk of alcohol misuse, provide new evidence that two types of underemployment (involuntary part-time and poverty-level wage) can also increase this risk and suggest that these effects vary over time.4

In the Journal of Health Economics, MacDonald and Pudney published results of their research on Illicit drug use, unemployment and occupational attainment (2000).

… we find compelling evidence to suggest that drug use, particularly the use of opiates, cocaine, and crack cocaine, is associated with an increased risk of unemployment, regardless of age or gender.5

In a study titled, Barriers to Employability Among Women on TANF With a Substance Abuse Problem researchers found that women who abused substances spent more time on welfare that non-substance abusing women.

In a comparison of cumulative total years receiving welfare benefits for the substance abuse and non-affected samples. The substance abuse sample spent significantly more total time on welfare than the non-affected sample.
On average the substance abuse sample spent 12 years (SD=8.5) versus 5.8 years (SD=5.5) for the non-affected sample. Research also indicates that groups differed for long and short stays on welfare. About 36% of substance abusers received welfare benefits for more than 15 years versus only 7% of the comparison sample. Conversely, 66% of the non-affected sample received welfare benefits less than six years versus 28% of the substance abuse sample. (see here for full report)

In the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported the following:

• Current employment status was highly correlated with rates of illicit drug use in 2002.
o An estimated 17.4 percent of unemployed adults aged 18 or older were current illicit drug users compared with 8.2 percent of those employed full time and 10.5 percent of those employed part time.
o Of the 16.6 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2002, 12.4 million (74.6 percent) were employed either full or part time.
o Most binge and heavy alcohol users were employed. Among the 51.1 million adult binge drinkers in 2002, 40.8 million (80 percent) were employed either full or part time.
o 12 million (79 percent) of the 15.2 million adult heavy drinkers were employed.

• Among Unemployed Adults the rate of drug use was higher among unemployed persons compared with those from other employment groups.
o 17.4 percent of unemployed adults (18 and over) reported current drug use.
o Binge and heavy alcohol use rates were higher for unemployed persons (34.7 and 13.3 percent, respectively, for binge and heavy use) than for full-time employed persons (29.0 and 8.4 percent, respectively).6

References

J. Rehm, D. Baliunas, S. Brochu, B. Fischer, W. Gnam, J. Patra, S. Popova, A. Sarnocinska-Hart, B. Taylor. In collaboration with E. Adlaf, M. Recel, E. Single
The Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada 2002 March 2006 http://www.ccsa.ca/2006%20CCSA%20Documents/ccsa-011332-2006.pdf

Single, E., Robson, L., Xie, X., and Rehm, J. (1996). The Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada. Canadian Center on Substance Abuse, 75 Albert Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 5E7.

1. United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, Global Illicit Drug Trends 2002, New York, 2002, p. 213-14. As cited in The Policy for the New Millennium: Working together to redefine Canada’s drug strategy interim report of the special committee on non-medical use of drugs. Paddy Torsney, M.P. Chair December 2002

2. Goodman, A. C. and Hankin, J. R. , 2006-06-04 "Employment and Income Effects Related to Drinking with Controls for Drug Abuse and Smoking: Analysis Using the NESARC Database" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Economics of Population Health: Inaugural Conference of the American Society of Health Economists, TBA, Madison, WI, USA . 2009-05-25 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p89538_index.html

3. Renwick, R M., Krywonis M., 1992. Personal and Environmental Factors Related to Employment: Implications for Substance Abuse Intervention. The Journal of Rehabilitation, Vol. 58

4. Dooley D, Prause J. (1998) Underemployment and alcohol misuse in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. J Stud Alcohol. 1998 Nov;59(6):669-80.
Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine 92697, USA

5. MacDonald, Z, Pudney, S., Illicit drug use, unemployment, and occupational attainment, Journal of Health Economics, Volume 19, Issue 6, November 2000, Pp.1089-1115, ISSN 0167-6296, DOI: 10.1016/S0167-6296(00)00056-4. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V8K-415RGRX-D/2/25325048818b5f76c2b2b0bcc6bc56de)

6. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, September 2003.

The Law of Diffusion of Innovation Game

2010-04-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

"The Diffusion Simulation Game was created in the Department of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University Bloomington. This Web version was led by Dr. Ted Frick with designers Barbara Ludwig, K. J. Kim and Rui Huang. The DSG is based on a board game originally developed by Dr. Michael Molenda and Patricia Young, and is based on research on diffusion and adoptions of innovations."

Wikipedia has more info on the Law of Diffusion in Innovation, really cool, might even interest the "cautious adopters" out there (I didn't like the label originally used for that group).

I'm an early adopter in most areas. I like.. no, love change, the new, different, innovative. This sometimes has it's drawbacks. I have, with no doubt, stressed out more than one co-worker with my need to find "better" ways to do things that were actually working ok just the way they were.

This week I have to decide on a research project for my Interdisciplinary Master. A topic that incorporates Leadership, Learning and Technology and that I can insinuate into my professional life and most importantly one that can hold my crow like attention for a year.. Wait.. what's that shiny new idea over there?

I think there may be a link here to a project that will fit well and meet the criteria I am looking for. More later. Heading to Saskatoon to teach Violence Prevention program for the week.

Using Humour in Education

2010-03-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, far, far, away... Ok, a couple of years ago and just down the road, I facilitated the Breaking Barriers program along with two other programs, 5 days a week at three jails for three years. This is one of the "resources" we actually used in Breaking Barriers which was designed by a "consumer of correctional services" aka Gordy Graham. We used a video series produced by Gordy but the story in this clip of Hyrum Smith was part of that series.

I like this style of humour, where the "learning object" in embedded and explicit in the story and the humour is sprinkled throughout to season the narrative making it much more palatable and memorable. Research has shown that our brain tends to remember ideas associated with stories and with humour.

Humor has the ability to capture the attention of the brain. “Emotion drives attention and attention drives learning.” (Sylwester, 1995) Learners need to pay attention in order to learn and humour is one way to capture attention while maintaining the relaxed alert state that is optimal for learning (Caine, et al, 2009).

There was another story, in the Breaking Barriers series, about where beliefs come from told via story about a young married couple and the cooking of a ham that I was trying to find. No luck but if I get a chance today I might try to record it myself.

My Philosophy of Learning and Teaching Online

2010-03-03T10:43:00.001-08:00

Ladder of Inference

2010-02-25T10:36:00.001-08:00

I had an experience the other day that clearly demonstrated my ability to no only climb but to bound up what is referred to by Chris Argris and Peter Senge as the Ladder of Inference.

Click on graphics for larger image.

Although the ladder is often represented visually in a linear and upwardly scaled fashion in reality it is followed in a circle or spiral.

Harm Reduction - An Invitation to Dialogue

2010-02-21T14:40:00.005-08:00

This is an invitation to dialogue about Harm Reduction. Before I lay out the groundwork for this dialogue I’d like to provide a short introduction to the container, Voice Thread.

If you’ve never used Voice Thread please be assured that it is very easy to use. The big triangle shaped arrows located at the bottom right and left of the screen move you through the slides. There are seven slides in this Voice Thread.

Each of the slides contains some content in the form of questions. Although Voice Thread is typically seen as a visual format, often used in art education, I have purposefully not included visuals. I did this because I did not want to prime or influence the viewer. I am trying really hard not to advocate for any one perspective rather I am hoping that each visitor will share their own unique views relatively removed from my own personal agenda in this area.

The slide topics are:

1. An Invitation to Dialogue – Title Slide
2. What is your understanding of the term Harm Reduction?
3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Questions about the pro’s and con’s, in your view.
4. How do you use Harm Reduction
5. Morality and Ethics
6. What else? – Add “other” stuff here.
7. Stories – An invitation to share stories about Harm Reduction

In the centre bottom of the Voice Thread screen is a button that says “comment”. When you click on this you will see options to comment by phone, voice recording, video, type or upload a prerecorded comment. I will try to include exemplars of video, audio and text and hopefully others will provide more as the thread evolves.

Please do not feel obliged to comment on all the slides or for that matter on any of them. Listening without commenting is also a form of participation. Do feel free to embed or link to this Voice Thread on your own blog or website. This application is built for sharing.

A couple of things to know about the recording options, first they start recording automatically after a few seconds, so be ready to speak. Second, you can delete and do over.

A few thoughts about Dialogue

Dialogue is a Greek term that means “flow of meaning”. It is essentially “an enquiry that surfaces ideas, perceptions and understanding that people do not have already” Issacs, 1999, p. 2). In this Voice Thread, the invitation is to dialogue and to take part in a process of enquiry.

There are four important processes and abilities that dialogue perpetuates. The first is to evoke people’s genuine voices. This means both speaking your own voice and encouraging others to do the same. This invitation is to add your genuine and authentic voice.

The second is to listen deeply. Really listening is hard work, most of us don’t listen really well. Instead we hear and while hearing think about what we want to say in response.

The third equally difficult ability is to genuinely respect others. This, for some, involves adopting the belief that there is coherence to all views. My friend Jane Katz uses the phrase “That makes perfect sense based on what you have experienced” in a program she teaches on managing emotions. Respect is about privileging all voices, not just the ones that sound like our own.

The fourth involves suspending that which we are certain of. If we want to expand our own perspective, to make it larger, more able to encompass the whole, we may have to un-attach ourselves from our truth for a period of time. To achieve dialogue requires integrating these four practices.

In my mind the practice of dialogue is similar to the activity of Rhizomatic Education or Community as Curriculum as put forth by Dave Cormier (n.d.).

A rhizome is type of root defined as being a “horizontal, usually underground stem that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes” (Rhizome, n.d.). I have adapted Dave’s suggested Rhizomatic premises below as a possible foundation of understanding for this process.

1. Experts do not create knowledge; it is co-created by individuals through dialogue and reflection. (Reflection being an internal dialogue)
2. Those facilitating the process suggest the context and create any needed scaffolding to contain the issue, which I have attempted with the questions on the slides.
3. We all have our own resources and our own unique experiences to draw on.
4. Collaborative, community led processes allows us to be more creative with our combined knowledge.

These ideas are not yet fully formed in my own mind so any feedback on them would be welcome. Right now I am seeing the questions on the slides as being like the nodes on a rhizome. I can easily shift to seeing each person being a node however.

So, again, welcome and let the dialogue begin…

References

Cormier, D, (n.d.) Dave’s Educational Blog. Community as Curriculum – A Research Project. Retrieved February 20, 2010, from http://davecormier.com/edblog/category/rhizomes/

Issacs, W (1999). Dialogic Leadership [Electronic version]. The Systems Thinker, 10(1)
http://www.dialogos.com/resources/files/systhink.pdf

Rhizome - definition from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/rhizome accessed February 20, 2010

Rhyzomatic Education, Democracy and Open Space Technology

2010-02-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

I’ve had a broadly productive couple of days. I keep chasing down one idea only to be led to another linked but independently fascinating concept. This scattering of attention started a few days ago when I revisited Dave Cormier’s treatise on rhyzomatic education or community as curriculum.

I was first introduced to this concept via Wiaoc09 - Fun & Games in Professional Development Online Conference when I took part in Dave's facilitated a session called You Can’t Collaborate Alone (UStream recording of the presentation is here.) That highly collaborative experience made sense to me; it felt right, despite my inability at that time to clearly articulate the concept to others. (I'm still working on that.)

Shortly after this I attended a residency at Royal Roads as part of the MA in Leadership program. Two related concepts were presented while I was there. The first, democracy, threaded through the entire residency. I’m still struggling to understand and define democracy but at least I’m in good company there.

In my view, the primary challenge with democracy as we know it, is that is assumes all voices are equal. This is not the case, again, at least from my experience. I think we can do better than democracy in its current form. I think we ought to be aiming for a system, in education, government, and work that looks and feels more like Helgeson’s Web of Inclusion.

The second related idea, Open Space Technology (OST), was introduced during the residency as a way to use a democratic process to facilitate learning. Harrison Owen is credited with inventing OST however even he suggests that it is a method of self-organizing that has been around since human began gathering in groups to get things done. There are four guiding principles and one law in OST.

Principle 1 - Whoever comes is the right people. You don’t need hundreds or thousands showing up, nor do you need the “leaders”. What you do need is that the people showing are invested and willing take action.

Principle 2 - Whatever happens is the only thing that could have. Keep focused on the here and now.

Principle 3 - Whenever it starts is the right time. No clock watching, inspiration and creativity are impossible to schedule.

Principle 4 - When it’s over it’s over. Don’t waste time. Just do it and once done move on.

The Law is the Law of Two Feet. If at any time you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing – use you two feet and move to some place. Unhappy people are unlikely to be productive people.

Every time I read these I am reminded of Angeles Arrien’s Four Fold Way. Show up, be present, tell the truth and be open but not attached to outcomes. This of course brings me back to the idea of rhyzomatic learning and education.

Homelessness Cannot Happen to Just Anyone | End Homelessness | Change.org

2010-02-15T15:27:00.003-08:00

This blog post jogged my memory of a dream I had last night. Ok, not quite a dream, more of one of those epiphanies you have just as you're dozing off.

I woke up long enough to jot some criptic notes down on my iPhone, which is blindingly bright by the way, after your eyes have adjusted to darkness. The notes types into my iPhone last night are "the perfect storm", "poorest postal code in Canada, DTES", "residential schools & multigenrational trauma", "port city", "warm weather". That's it. That was my epiphany.

All of these things, I believe, have combined to create the Perfect Storm of drug addiction and homelessness in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES). Yes, I realize that its not BIG news to most. Indeed even to me, in the clear brightness of day it seemed kind of obvious. But maybe that's the problem. We just shrug and go "ya, so, we all grok the connection". But do we, really?

I was ready to put this post on the back burner when I came across the Homeless Cannot Happen to Just Anyone blog post. Dave Henderson, the author of the post says right up front that "military veterans account for an estimated 26 percent of the homeless population while comprising only 11 percent of the general population". What are the numbers for the Aboriginal population in the DTES? Bet they're higher.

Unlike Verterans Affairs we have done a very poor job of quantifying homelessness by (cultural) history. The Veterans Affairs folks know exactly who went to war, who saw action and what the longitudinal outcomes were and are. I've been working with Aboriginal and First Nations communities for decades and based on my experiences no one really knows how many of the homeless and drug dependent folks in the DTES have been impacted by multigenerational trauma. I think at some level we may be afraid to find out.

If we do find out by say doing an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study and the results come back suggesting that the majority of folks in the DTES have scored in four or more catagories and that the vast majority had scored in the most impactful of the catagories - abandonment, other than by death of parent/caregiver, what would we HAVE to do?

I mean face it. We can't change Vancouver's weather, if we could the IOC would have done it already. We can't change the coastline, we will always be a Port city with better than avergae access to just off the boat drugs. We can't change the past however we can provide services and supports that have proven time and again to work to help people put trauma in context and to heal from it.

InSite is one example of a service that is using best practices to connect with people who are most affected by homelessness, addiction and have a history of complex trauma that in most cases began with an adverse childhood experience.

We need more of these kinds of relational based services, not less.

What is Dependence?

2010-02-10T14:09:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

Short narrated powerpoint discussing the terms "dependence" and addiction". Part of an online course.

Caring for Your Introvert - The Atlantic (March 2003)

2009-11-15T10:17:00.004-08:00

My name is jamie and I am an introvert.

This is one of the best articles I've come across about this particular subject. The best and perhaps most telling line in the article, "Hell is other people at breakfast." (Sartre)

So, what does it mean to be an introvert? The dictionary defines introvert as being a transitive verb that means to “turn inward or in upon oneself”. I prefer to think of it as being a trait that facilitates the state of reflection. I don't just reflect upon myself, I reflect on the world, other people, and experiences. To do that I need quiet time, alone time, me time.

Carl Jung coined the terms "introverted" and "extroverted" as ways of describing two opposing personality types. Jung said that extroverts preferred being around others and interacting energetically with the world. That is, in my experience, an understatement. To me, extroverts seem to need to be around others all the time. They often talk non-stop, often about irrelevant and meaningless things like the hockey game, the weather, what so-and-so-did and other fluffy stuff. My experience of being in a room with an extrovert is that at their worst they use up all the air, most of the energetic space and pollute the environment with a steady and incessant noise they refer to as socializing.

Ok, it’s not always that bad. One of my daughters and 3 of my granddaughters are extroverts. My daughter in particular embodies the traits of a true in-preference extrovert. As a toddler she hated playing alone and as a teen called home several times a day... she kind of lived on the phone. She still calls me or visits almost daily. I love her and understand that for her connection means being able to hear, speak to, see and feel the presence of another.

I however do not need a physical or auditory presence to feel connected. In fact, I often feel less connected when face to face than at a distance. This does not mean I’m reclusive, shy, lonely, depressed or snobbish. I just need processing time, time to reflect, place experiences in context. Extroverts seem to need to do this out loud and with others. I need to do this by myself, in thought or in writing.

References

introverted. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Retrieved November 30, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/introverted

"extroversion and introversion." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-extrover.html

Building Social Capital on Twitter

2009-10-25T11:19:00.008-07:00

I am mid MA program and exploring social media, learning, technolgy and leadership. These will be the focus of my thesis, I hope. Currently I'm taking a course on Program Planning, part of the Learning and Technology program at Royal Roads University. I'm not doing my MA in Learning and Technology rather I'm doing an Interdisciplinary MA that includes learning and technology. That's the back story cos appearently context counts.

For the past few months my current cohort has been working primarily in teams, exploring various aspects of the program planning process through the lenses of program planning experts like Cafferella, Sork, Bates & Poole, etc. I of course am always looking for the exceptions. I have a slightly opposable mindset and tend to want to look at the "other" angles. Makes me a bit annoying to be around but it affords me a better, fuller view of whatever subject is being explored.

In search of other viewpoints, hoping they might support my own of course, I have been using Twitter to build arguements against the views of the planning experts. During this exploration I have noticed there is a process that I have engaged in. I have noticed this process after the fact perhaps in part due to my infatuation with Donald Schon's Refection in and on action models.

The process I have noticed is that I wait for an opportunity to ask key people questions in Twitter. It's kind of like bumping into someone in a hallway or having a moment of relatively free time with someone in an elevator. These are people I don't actually know but that I have been following on Twitter for some time. So aquaintances, not friends.

I have also noticed that before I ask them a question I generally do something to increase my level of social capital with them. For example I provided some information that Alec Couros was looking for regarding trust. He responded to my offering indicating that it had some value to him thus opening the door for me to ask him to return the favour. Social capital is built upon trust and reciprocity.

I did the same when asking Howard Rheingold some questions about his process of program planning. Although I didn't provide him with anything useful. I thanked him for posting a link to his del.icio.us tags about Twitter and Education. I hadn't intended to manipulate or use the compliment as a way to build social capital. I meant it earestly but when he responded to my genuine thank you tweet I went through that open door and proceeded to ask him for some information about his program planning process.

So, reflecting on these actions, it seems that I conform to social rules around building and using social capital in Twitterin the same way I would if interacting face to face. The difference of course is that I live many hundreds of miles for these folks and would likely not bump into them in a hallway lol

Shifting Mindsets - get outta that box

2009-10-13T18:41:00.003-07:00

In reading Simon U Ford’s blog titled “Social Media – an online mindset shift”, I couldn’t help but think that this could easily be applied to teaching online.

Ford says “When it comes to social media, you have to have a complete mindset shift or else you’d end up wasting time and energy with little or no rewards.” I say when it comes to Technology Mediated Learning (TML), aka online or distributed learning, you have to have a complete mindset shift or else you’d end up wasting time and energy with little or no rewards.

He goes on to make some suggestion which I have adapted below:

1- Know what’s going on in the edtech world. Subscribe to different blogs related to learning and technology. Do some research. Subscribe to Google alerts for updates or subscribe to have relevant bloggers new posts sent directly to you inbox (I prefer the push over the pull). Follow edtech guru’s on Twitter to keep current.

2- Learn from others. There are tons of free webinars and even courses available that focus on TML and related issues. Share what you know. Start you own blog or try Twitter as an entry into micro-blogging.

3- Keep a look out for new tools and spend time playing with them. If you don’t like a tool, you don’t have to use it - but at least give them a try. There are so many cool free online applications that can benefit you and your learners. Don’t forget to get familiar with the old standby applications like Moodle, Jing and various wiki’s.

4- If you think you are still not the tech type - Get tech friendly people on your team and empower them to get creative with TML.

YouTube - Michael Wesch - PdF2009 - The Machine is (Changing) Us

2009-10-11T15:23:00.001-07:00

I was watching Michael Wesch's take on social media and reflecting on some of the conversations I have been involved in lately about social media and it's use. One perspective I have been exposed to repeatedly it that social media, like Twitter, are leading to the decline of sociality. The arguements supporting this seem to come from folks who are unfamilar with technology in general and are at the slow edge of integrating any kind of technology into thier lives.

My irritation at this stems in part from my knowing that these same folks who wax poetic at the loss of face to face conversation and lament over why people don't just phone them to ask a question or to say hello are the same folks who whould be at the forfront of protests against cuts to education in literature. I know this because most of the folks in this conversation are educators.

K, you might be scratching your head now. Follow my logic, as twisted as it might seem, for a moment. The arguement goes kinda like this: This new media (insert any one here) is taking time away from developing relationships. We need to connect with learners face to face, speak to them directly, be able to hear what they are saying.

My response is that communication is critical to relationship building AND relationships are critical to growth and learning AND how we communicate has evolved over time. In some ways email, Twitter, blogs, online forums, Facebook and the like are a throw-back to a time when the written word was king/queen. Don't you get it, people are using written commmunication again! Oh, but you don't like the form of written communication. What? You want it in APA format you say. Sheesh!

What also comes to (my) mind is that our ability to communicate as a species has evolved in pretty much the same way that an individual's ability to communicate evolves. We start and humanoids started the communication process by babbling. Short grunts and monosylable words to get the point across. Then pictures, cave drawing emerged and then symbols. One form of communication enriched the other. As pictographs became more symolic, langauge began to change, evolve, and as more words are learned pictures become more dymamic. Laddered learning occured all through history in the same way it occurs in children.

As with children, when a new tool or media is introduced a new form of communication begins to emerge. The printing press had a huge impact on how we communicate. Books were mass produced and the oral tradition began to decay. I can imaging the leaders and great thinkers of that time having perhaps the same kind of conversation as we are having now. "Memory will lapse" or "stories will lose their impact" they might have said. Of course it wouldn't have sounded like that because the mass produced new media of books changed the way we speak. Just as the way we write now will change the way we speak and the way we speak will change the way we write.

Now enters video, the next BIG wave in social media. K, it's simply back to the cave paintings folks. We are once again trying to communicate visually. The first genre of educational video was the talking head, direct instructional videos. Now we're seeing more and more of an artistic approach, more symbolism and metaphor. We're even seeing a call for a repository of graphic and video work for educatiors courtesy of Doug Belshaw Sites like YouTube, Qik, UStream, and Almost At offer new and excitingly visual ways to connect, communicate, teach and learn.

I can just hear the folks in opposition to this... "Why can't we just write about it, why do I have to let people see and hear me".. or something like that.

Reading list

2009-09-30T14:33:00.005-07:00

Posted this to fellow Royal Roads learner Clint LaLonde's blog today. His question was - Building an Edtech library - What would you recommend?

My response (cos all the really good resources had already been mentioned lol)

Not directly related to edtech or online learning, these books provide more of the back story or the context that we need to be able to swim in the whitewater of new learning practices and paradigms:

Peter Senge's "The Fifth Discipline" - talks about generative learning, systems thinking and barriers to growth and learning. I think it's a must read for anyone who works in a learning environment (aka everyone)

Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler's "Connected" - all about social networks, how emotions are contagious and the impact this has had on human evolution. This is the backstory. Critical to understanding the impact of social media now.

Chris Anderson's "Free" - He authored "The Long Tail". Again, this provided context for the way the world is going. You can download the free abridged audiobook of "Free" from www.hyperionbooks.com/free

BEAST Facilitation Skills

2009-09-15T21:11:00.003-07:00

Click to Play

Demonstration of one way to facilitate the BEAST cognitive skills session from the SAM program.

On a whim today I decided to see what kind of video quality I could get from my bottom of the line Acer laptop, the free version of Debut Video Capture software and Windows Movie Maker that comes with Windows. It was the end of a very long day but wanted to demo something for my group so I did and recorded it.

After all of 5 minutes editing (added title, trimmed the end and added credits) I uploaded to BlipTV (also free) and within 20 minutes (during which time I had a shower and relaxed) BlipTV had not only rendered it, it was auto posted to my blog, my facebook and Twitter. Perma link here http://www.blip.tv/file/2607870 Crazy thing is it that it is also monitized. Blip.TV share 50% of ad revenue with show creators. Now if schools could do that and 50% of revenue.. well, that would be a cool business model to look at.

I also uploaded to TeacherTube and a Ning site I maintain for Aboriginal Justice Workers in BC. TeacherTube is still deciding if I can post it or not. Ning rendered and provided embeddable code in about 15 minutes.

The sounds not the best but it works. I'm kinda impressed.

A Virtual Revolution Is Brewing for Colleges - washingtonpost.com

2009-09-13T10:29:00.001-07:00

Link above to an article about how the education system may change due to increase in online format. The author suggests that with the move to online learning that the quality of education will falter. He also suggests that newspapers have learned by shock that they can be replaced. He doesn’t say this directly but the implication is clear. I personally don’t think that this is a foregone conclusion. I think that by anticipating what might happen, the education system can create a participatory, innovative and new system structure for the next generation.

He compares the impact of the (social) net(work) has had on newspapers to the possible impact on universities and colleges. He says “… we will see a structural disintegration in the academy akin to that in newspapers now. The typical 2030 faculty will likely be a collection of adjuncts alone in their apartments, using recycled syllabuses and administering multiple-choice tests from afar.”
I think the opposite is also possible.

I foresee a time when learners will be able to take courses from the best of the best and that collaborative learning will replace, to a large extent, individual-centered learning tasks. In some ways this is business as usual for institutions.

The goal of formal public education is to create a workforce. The workforce required over the next generations is one that is networked, can collaborate and, is less ego-centric. The cost of that, if not managed well is that the cream will have a harder time rising to the top. The benefit however could be a world that learns through innovation, anticipation and participation rather than shock.

Seth Godin on Leadership and Tribes

2009-07-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

Reflections on The Leadership Challenge - Part 1

2009-06-21T17:47:00.004-07:00

Link to Refections on The Leadership Challenge on TokBox.. which has a time limit apparently lol

Reflections on The Leadership Challenge - Part 2

2009-06-21T17:36:00.003-07:00

Net Change Skills Exchange - Eventbrite

2009-06-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

Net Change Skills Exchange Friday, June 12, 2009 from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (ET)

"The Skills Exchange is an event unique to Net Change Week. Designed to show how interactive agencies can work with non-profits to solve a “wicked problem,” the outcomes are meant to lift these organizations to the next level. On May 25th, three of Canada’s most talented interactive agencies were paired with three organizations. The teams have two weeks to come up with a solution for the organizations that will be presented at MaRS on Friday, June 12th." http://netchange-skills-exchange.eventbrite.com/?ref=twittershare

Not crazy about "wicked roblem" designation but other than that this looks like a very worthwhile experiment and initiative. Just wish I could figure out of it was just face to face or if there will be an online portion. Hard to tell from the registration page. (Note to self - If doing something similar clearly state, please join us "in person" or please join us "online" or both).

Keynote 3: Chris Lott - From Plato to Perl: the Problem of Sociality and the 'Idea', TTIX Lakeview Room - 06/05/2009 at 03:30PM on USTREAM. Conference

2009-06-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Twitter in the Classroom

2009-05-30T09:54:00.002-07:00

Kesmit-ing: The Twitter Experiment - Bringing Twitter to the Classroom at UT Dallas- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

video: Mike Ashton on the Jolt of the unexpected research finding - in: POLICY, STRATEGY AND RESEARCH - by: Mike Ashton - FEAD

2009-05-27T18:31:00.003-07:00

You just can't "manualize" something as complex as changing human behaviour. This further proives the point that we need to stop blindly following evidence-based practice and look closer at practice-based evidence. This article, set of talking points from www.talkingcure.org actually, expands on the problems that come with evidence-based practice and it's child, manualized treatment.

In Search of Recovery - Inexcess » UKESAD

2009-05-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

Video of Outside Edge Theatre Company peice called Broken Glass. Very nicely done.

"Broken Glass is an intense study of dual diagnosis, where people are affected by a mental illness and an addiction problem. It’s a harrowing, heart felt piece of work that is also full of hope, warmth and a real sense of humour."

Dave Cormier, Wiaoc09 on USTREAM. Conference

2009-05-24T11:12:00.002-07:00

This was the best example of a collaborative online learning experience I have ever seen. Simply brilliant.

I have done this in face to face learning but have not been able to replicate the feel/outcome online. This is how to do it.

Charities hurting after NDP stops donating salary increase

2009-05-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Big BOO-HISS! to this. But the bigger story and way bigger question, is why are we still relying on donations to fund services for traumatized and sexually abused children.. or adults for that matter?

If you break your arm you can go to emergency and feel pretty secure in knowing that you will be taken care of. If need be you will even get aftercare in the form of physiotherapy. But if you are a sexually abused, child or adult, if your spirit is broken, don't hold your breath.

When, as a society, will we start taking emotional damage as seriously as physical damage?

PovNet Information and Advocacy

2009-05-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

Keep forgetting about this site. Great resources to help advocate for clients on social assistance, disability, etc. They also have a great email list (have to sign confidentiality agreement to access) that I have used to get specific help for clients.

The site has information specific to BC and Canada.

Aiding Problem Drinkers In The Privacy Of Their Own Homes Using Web-Based, Self-Help Intervention

2009-05-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is cool. With more and more people adopting and becoming more comfortable in an online environment providing alternatives to face to face counselling seems like a natural evolution. (Sorry for the long sentence)

I've often wondered if I could set up a Twitter-like feed for my clients in early recovery. Most have cell phones and sometimes.. a lot of the time.. a trigger/craving can be mediated with just the smallest amount of immediate support or distraction.

video: Mike Ashton on the need for workers to react flexibly to their clients - in: Interventions / Tools / Technologies - Workforce - by: Mike Ashton - FEAD

2009-05-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Mike describes the processes by which the practitioners choices can make things better or worse. "People who have decided that they want to go for treatment... 90% of the work is done".

This is cool. Not as fast as reading ablog but a welcome break from the usual written format.

And I like what he says. He'd like www.myoutcomes.com aand www.talkingcure.com

Coordinated Care Research

2009-05-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Via Daily Dose

"Further demonstration from a US research team that relatively intensive case management support does help welfare applicants overcome substance use problems, but in this case only those not already managed through substitute prescribing."

How many times does this have to be researched and proven?

Wiley InterScience :: Journal :: Article PDF

2009-05-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

Interesting article that supports the formation of integrated and generalized services for substance abusing clients rather than specialized alcohol/drug counseling.

"To attract, engage and retain people more successfully with addiction-related problems, addictions services and the interventions they use need to be more welcoming, atractive and focused broadly toward their clients actual needs."

Article goes on to summarize that programs need to make clients whole lives better, not just focus on suppressing drug/alcohol use.

YouTube - Cleese on PR (full length)

2009-05-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

Irish Needle Exchange Forum - Community Blog - Practitioners - Wired In

2009-05-04T09:05:00.001-07:00

Just opened - "dedicated online resource for those working in the field on needle exchange services, those using the services, and those with an interest in the subject."

I joined this yesterday. Nigel Brunsdon from Injecting Advise and Tim Bingham from INEF.IE have done a great job setting up this forum.

Both Injecting Advise and INEF.IE website are full of timely and accurate information about drug use and harm reduction.

Let the conversations begin!

Staying Alive - InSite - News: the fifth estate

2009-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Video from Fifth Estate about Insite, Vancouver's Safe Injection site. Includes footage from inside. So, if you ever wondered what it looked like in there, here's your chance to see it.

And yes, I fully support InSite!

Anecdote: What do we mean by tacit knowledge?

2009-04-10T17:05:00.001-07:00

K, this guy is becoming a fave. Very clear explanation of Tacit Knowledge. Again with the pictures.. I sense a trend.. or is it a theme?

Anecdote: A simple explanation of the Cynefin Framework

2009-04-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Saw this post referenced on George Siemen's blog.

The post (from www.anecdote.com) is "A simple explanation of the Cynefin Framework" in video form. Finally!

My take on the Cynefin Framework.. it's kinda like what Quantum Physics is to regular math, and this video is akin to Schrodenger's Cat. I get now 'cos someone drew me a picture lol

Decentralized Community - A New Approach to Social Problem Solving

2009-04-10T09:58:00.001-07:00

Garrick Lachance provides a manifesto to end homelessness on this site. In the manifesto he cites both the "Wisdom of Crowds" approach and Gabor Mate's take on the nature and impact of addiction.

It's an interesting idea, something I have thought of in various forms for quite some time. Years ago I had knew a couple who "dated" every Saturday. Without fail they would get a sitter for their kids and drive from Chilliwack into Vancouver to spend the day with each other. Also, without fail, they would have lunch and invite a "street person" to join them. This was their ritual and their way of giving back.

I always thought it was a cool idea and Mr. Lachance seems to think so too. His version of this however includes gathering data while dining and then entering that data on the website.

The website also has a forum which includes more information about the originator of site and concept. The site is new so not a lot of activity as yet, but it has potential, I think.

Mind Map: Best Online Collaboration Tools 2009 - Robin Good's Collaborative Map - MindMeister

2009-04-04T10:57:00.003-07:00

Robin Good's newest list of the best of the best web based collaboration tools. He's used MindMeister to create it thus lending an extra endorsement.

MindMeister looks to be cheap and easy so I'm going to try it out as a tool to store and share a who's who list for my community. Sadly, despite a relatively small population (80,000) we here in the Wack still stumble around trying to find each other when we need to refer a client to services.

Vote!

2009-03-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

Social Innovation Conversations Nonprofits getting more bang for buck| Robert Searle (Free Podcast)#

2009-03-08T13:16:00.004-07:00

Can Nonprofits get more bang for their buck? Robert Serle podcasts about how nonprofits can leverage experience in the same way that for profit companies do. Serle uses an example of buying a flat screen TV. Many have not bought yet as we all know that the price will come down and quality will improve as the companies that produce them get better at what they do.

Economy of scale accounts for some of this but Serle postulates that the experience curve also plays a role, and that is what nonprofits can use to do more with less, or if not less, with the same amount.

He goes on to define outputs as things like number of counselling session and outcomes as the benefits that arise out of the work that we do i.e changes in client's mental health. It is the outcome that is the unit of value that needs to be captured.

Serle goes on to describe a study he and his organization did involving three nonprofit, single, direct service agencies. The results of the research highlight four key practices that lowered the cost of the outcome or in other words increased the value of the service.

The first was that these successful nonprofits standardized their best practices. They looked at what was working and applied those practices across their programs.

Second, they invested in their staff. "Paying more, costs less". All of the nonprofits in the study found that by increasing pay they reduced staff turnover. Putting resources into recruiting and training also increased outcomes over the long term.

Aggressive cost management was noted throughout by all the nonprofits studied. Finally measuring the outcomes. Setting standards of measurement for outcomes and setting (disciplined) goals each year figured prominently. It was this disciplined goal setting that drove innovation in several instances.

Generalizing this Serle presents an equation or a cost per outcome metric. The cost per output is your activity measure. Success rate is based on number of outputs accumulated for each outcome.
In many cases the cost per output has to increase initially in order for the cost per outcome to be driven down.

He wraps up by saying that economies of scale happen pretty much automatically while economies of experience have to be planned for and worked on. Nonprofits must track and manage costs per outcome. This means changing what is reported and how it is reported. It requires clearly defining and measuring outcomes instead of outputs.

I know in the area I work in all we report to our funder is outputs. How many, how often, not how well. Funders no doubt agonize over the lag in ROI when it comes to outcomes and choose to only ask for/pay for output measurments.

In listening to this podcast I am hopeful the initiatives like Scott Millers MyOutcomes will take more of a hold. If funders aren't asking for outcome measures we in the nonprofit sector need to step up to the plate and do them anyway.

I believe we also need to find a way to capture and report on what is not being done, who is not recieving services, what gaps exist, in short our failures need to be recognized and addressed also.

All of us must change the way we think

2009-03-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

Ric Matthews, Minister of First United Church on the Downtown Eastside gets it. People are on a path, often because of a choice they made years ago and often because of things that were done to them that they clearly did not ask for. We have to meet people on the path they are on.

Homelessness is a path, dependence is a path, sex trade work is a path. Very few would say that they would choose that path if they knew what it was going to be like. But it is their path now and getting off it and onto another path can be really hard.

If we as a society really want to help people choose another path, first we have to be willing and able to meet them where they are.

Kudo's to Ric Matthews for opening the doors to his church and for being willing and able to meet people, accept people, where they are now.

TokBox Testing

2009-03-07T11:11:00.002-08:00

Invert(e): Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco

2009-03-01T13:30:00.003-08:00

Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco was one of the presenters at this years Pacific AIDS Network (PAN) conference. His opening of the confernce included a well executed, participatory, human network activity, aka a human chain of connections.

Francisco also closed the conference interweaving some of the video below with other video clips and discussion that focused on the personal side of HIV/AIDS. So hard to capture the power of his stories in a few short words.

No limits to Learning

2009-03-01T10:40:00.001-08:00

This was published in 1998 as a report to the Club of Rome. One of the key messages was that in order to learn by innovation, rather than trauma, you need a society that is able and willing to anticipate problems and participate in the solutions.

The objectives of this kind of learning are autonomy and integration. Sounds very familiar.. Connectivism, Web 2.0, Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, social networking all speak to and from this original document.

Leadership Training

2009-02-28T10:38:00.001-08:00

Just back from the Pacific AIDS Network (PAN) conference. One of the highlights for me was hearing about the Leadership Training that PAN is adopting from the Ontario AIDS Network (OAN). The logis model is well thought out and the training leaders from the community philosophy is long overdue.

It also makes me wonder why other non profits aren't doing the same. Mid and upper level managers are aging out (aka retiring) at an alarming rate. When they leave they take years of knowledge and experience with them. Succession planning ought to be at the top of all Executive Directors to-do lists.

Knowledge Network: FASD Finding Hope

2009-02-24T08:09:00.001-08:00

Documentary: "FASD: Finding Hope", created with the support of grant funding from the ministry to PLEA Community Services Society and was produced by Force Four Productions. The film profiles the lives of four B.C. families raising children with FASD. Website includes the documentary and additional resouces/information.

CSO - Search Criminal - Provincial

2009-02-13T09:04:00.001-08:00

"Court Services Online provides access to the public court record including the criminal court record. You will find information about who has been charged with an offence, the type of offence and the outcome of the charge.

This court record includes charges for offences under a number of provincial and federal Acts including the Motor Vehicle Act, the Fisheries Act and the Criminal Code of Canada."

Not sure how I feel about this. Yes, I like transpearency, especially in the justice system. Not sure if everyone who can now use this site/information is going to use it ethically. I can see it leeding to a lot of exclusions to housing, services and employment resulting from this.

Smallest TV ever fits on your eye | Sympatico / MSN TV Guide

2009-02-12T11:09:00.001-08:00

This is what I would like to see.. literally at face to face conferences. Can you imagine the possibilities?

Marijuana use may increase risk of testicular cancer

2009-02-11T22:26:00.005-08:00

"Frequent and/or long-term marijuana use may significantly increase a man's risk of developing the most aggressive type of testicular cancer, ... Chronic marijuana exposure has multiple adverse effects on the endocrine and reproductive systems, primarily decreased sperm quality. Other possible effects include decreased testosterone and male impotency.", according to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The researches point out that more research needs to be done in this area to prove conclusively that their results are valid.

However, the current body of research certainly does suggest that high levels of use on a regular basis can cause some problems that may stay with you for a very long time and at worse may just endanger your life.

My opinion on this, based on 20 odd years of following the research, is that if you have been a "wake and bake" type user since you were a teen it might be a good idea to go to your doctor, or a clinic, and ask about the symptoms of testicular cancer. If you are one of those guys who wants a large family, you might want to think about cutting down.

I'm not anti drug use, I'm not a fan of legalization either. I am all for informed choice. All plant derived substances seem to have legitimate medicinal uses. Over-use of anything causes problems. The depth and breadth of the problem(s) are impacted by your personal biology, genetics, and life experiences.

Online conference on improving traditional conferences - elearnspace

2009-02-09T21:55:00.004-08:00

Online conference on improving traditional conferences - elearnspace

Signed up for this last night. Curtis Bonk, Margaret Driscoll, George Seimens, should be an interesting online experience.

I like the idea of being part of an online conference that focuses on face to face (f2f) conferences. From what I've seen so far the real focus will be on how to use technology and especially social media to enhance the f2f experince. (Why am I thinking of the Borg ala Star Trek?)

The conference takes place on.. or is it in(?) an Ning platform. First time I've played with Ning, looks, feels ansd works great so far.

My hope, bearing in mind I'm already converted, is that one day in the not to distant future, all f2f confernces will include: tables with pop up screens and keyboards, be preset so that people can post, interact, surf, share and save. How cool would that be?

First they came for the Jews

2009-02-08T23:08:00.003-08:00

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

I think about this every time I read an opinion peice that suggests that the homeless/addicted/etc should not get the best possible services. That they have made a choice and need to deal with it themselves.

I think about it this way. If we restrict services to those whose "lifestyle" choices have caused them harm the next step is to restict services to those with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, most forms of cancer and perhaps all sports related injuries.

We all make poor choices, often before we fully realize the long term implications.

As a society, just how far are we going to go towards individual accountability?

Before you answer that, see if you can "pinch an inch". You might be the next to be on the recieving end of an opinion article saying you deserve what you get.

Resilience and Heritable Traits

2009-02-08T15:18:00.003-08:00

Ok, I think I wrote this, as a forum post for my psych 101 class last year. And yes I just took psych 101, wanted to see what all the fuss was about. No, I didn't like it, got little value out of it and will not return to take psych 102 lol

When I say "I think I wrote this", I mean it. I have a really poor memory, especially for things I write. (the poor memory could explain part of my issues with psych 101). Anyway, if I have inadvertently stolen this from someone I really do apologize.

Inherited Resilience?

When we think of resilience we most often think of it as something that is learned, mostly through healthy parenting and early life experiences that provide support for challenges. In this article James Neill defines psychological resilience as an “individual's capacity to withstand stressors and not manifest psychology dysfunction, such as mental illness or persistent negative mood.”

Twin studies estimate the heritability of major depressive disorder at 0.36 to 0.70. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=OMIM Depression, negative mood, schizophrenia, psychosis, autism and even binge drinking have been recently linked to the neurotransmitter serotonin. http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v3/n4/pdf/4000412a.pdf
5-HTT is a serotonin transporter that plays an important if not critical role in regulating the reuptake of serotonin.

It seems, based on what I can understand about the research, that some people about 57% inherit 5-HTT with a long alleles and 43% with a short alleles. Those with 2 long alleles seem to have an edge when it comes to resilience and those with one or two short alleles seem to be more prone to depression after a triggering event.

This web page titled “5-HTT: The Gene for Susceptibility to Depression?” was produced as an assignment for an undergraduate course at Davidson College. It provided me with the most understandable version of the research and clarified the “short/short” vs. “long/long” allele hypothesis.

R. J. O’Hara for the Collegiate Way (link here) discusses the interrelatedness of genes and environment in children who have been abused. He makes an excellent point in that despite being dealt the genetic equivalent of a poor hand of cards providing support for abused children can mediate the effects of a short/short 5-HTT gene.

What appeals to me about this line of research is the positive side of the double edge sword debate. Some have said that being able to predict a propensity for such things as depression or resilience can have negative effects such as self fulfilling (negative) destiny or the potential that people would be unable to access job opportunities or insurance.

The other side of this is being able to inform people of why they need to take care of themselves. One of the questions most often asked by clients in counseling is “why”. Why is this happening to me? Why do I feel this way?

I think for many people it is comforting to know that it is just the way they are built. In the medical community physicians recognize and incorporate an inherited possibility of cancer, heart disease, etc and help patients manage their lifestyles to mediate the inherited risk. Psychological health is as, if not more, important.

Day Two WCYFA - Resilience

2009-02-08T15:10:00.002-08:00

Day two began with a Plenary about Resiliency with Kimberly Schonert/Reichl

My first question.. Bearing in mind the room was filled with Youth Workers. How many Youth Workers does it take to define Resilience? Punch line - 1 and 25 people to support them.

Ok, if you have a better punch line that (in some weird way) defines the essence of resilience, please send it to me.

And if you are offended by that, please don’t be, it may just be that it missed a lot in the translation from my head to the typed word.

Ok, we began the plenary with an exercise on gratitude. More accurately, our first task was to focus on something we were grateful for this week. The idea behind the exercise was to shift our focus from a risk model to strengths model. It also allowed us to be reminded that gratitude was one way to build resilience.

The other way to build resilience is through relationship. The act of “seeing” children/people differently, seeing their strengths, even when they don’t, builds resilience, said the presenter.

Kimberly went on to say that their were three guiding principles in building resilience: Attending to the development of the whole child, attention to context, and relationships as central.

She really was preaching to the choir. We all know this; at least everyone in the room knew this. And that’s not a bad thing. Knowledge doesn’t have to be new to be worthwhile.

Kimberly went on to talk a bit about risk, noting that 1 in 6 children live in poverty in Canada and sadly (shamefully) 1 in 4 lives in poverty in BC. She also noted that 1 in 5 youth experience mental health problems.

These are things that put children at higher risk. I personally don’t think it’s a direct correlation. These are factors that increase the likelihood of other factors that cause direct harm. Low economic status in and of itself does not cause problems for children, the reasons for poverty (i.e. parents who are not able to care for themselves or their children due to substance abuse and/or mental health issues) and the reduced opportunities that come from living in poverty however do increase risk.

Resilience doesn’t reside in the child. It occurs in context. Although some of the ingredients of resilience are heritable AND heritable traits are impacted by environment. (See next post for more about heritably of resilience.)

The focus of course needs to be on the context, the environmental factors that increase resilience, because this we can impact. Fifty odd years of research have proven time and again that things like early attachment, school experiences, family dynamics, community and neighborhoods are the differences that make the difference in building and destroying resilience.

We also know from research on the impact of early trauma that those who have experienced trauma, even at an early age, manage to not just survive but (some) to thrive IF they have one person in their life that genuinely cares about them. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmy_Werner and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_resilience

The question raised was - How can agencies and programs create opportunities for mentorship and help youth learn resiliency and relationship skills?

As the discussion evolved a participant raised a good point by quoted Bruce Perry saying, “Children are not born resilience, they are born malleable”.

The gist of the answers we came up with involved the most basic principles of positive psychology: maintain a view of the person’s potential regardless of their current behaviour, mentor, model and teach, be the change you want to see. You know, all the good stuff.

Related links: http://traumatreatment.blogspot.com/

http://www.childtraumaacademy.com/ offers free online courses about childhood trauma developed by Bruce Perry.

Supershrinks - Part Two

2009-02-08T15:05:00.002-08:00

The afternoon session began with a video of “Wendy” a bona fide Supershrink, based on her Outcome Rating Scales (ORS) compared to others also using the ORS.

We watch and listen as Wendy questioned her abilities and list what we notice about her. Of course, modesty floats the top of the list. The other trait, or perhaps it’s a state (nature/nurture question) that is apparent is that she continually focuses on what is NOT going well in the therapeutic process.

Notice, I didn’t say she focuses on what was not going right with her clients, she focuses on what is not going right in the process, or more to the point, she notices and focuses on what she is not doing right.

I think this is what’s hard about the counseling or human helping human process. It’s having to hold and be comfortable with seemingly conflicting beliefs. On the one hand, many in the field have embraced a positive psychology stance. In it’s essence that means focusing on strengths, the client’s strengths, what they do well. But to be really effective and to continue to grow as a helper, one has to focus on their own shortcomings. Can you see the conflict in this? It kinda feels like “do what I say, not what I do” or what’s good for the goose isn’t good for the gander. It can create dissonance. I think many professional helpers struggle with this, maybe not concretely, but buried, deep within.

Ok, back to Wendy. As the video continued she said the things like: when I can’t figure something out with a client I always ask for help from others, I’m always learning, I spend most of my time getting on side with a client, I can make mistakes because the client is onboard. What was also clear, from her use of “I” was that she took ownership of problems.

When she talked about the ORS she said: this is not about feeling good, high scores don’t mean much, this is crucial to my personal development, it helps me to develop, the small stuff (small changes in scores) is important.

Research using the ORS suggests strongly that positive client outcomes are indicated not by high scores alone, but rather, the best outcomes are related to low initial scores followed by higher scores. (See slide 12 in the Supershrinks handout 2 for the graph.)

The big message here is, if something is going right, it’s all about the client. If something is going wrong, it’s all about the therapist.

This may not be true, in fact it’s probably some kind of cognitive distortion, however, it is critical to be able to use this kind of distortion as a mental strategy in order to truly become a Supershrink.

This was not a new idea to me. My (ex) father in law, Terry Billingham, who passed away a few years ago, taught me that very principle. Terry, was like me, a grade eight drop out. He left school early to help support his family; I left school early to get high (now referred to as the experiential part of my addictions counselor training). I liked Terry; we talked a lot as I spent many weekends with him and my mom in law, Eunice. I had grown up without parents and I found them quite interesting.

Anyway, one afternoon, as my girls were playing quietly for a change, Terry and I began talking about his work. He worked in a mill and for many years as a part time ambulance attendant. Recently he had begun teaching Industrial First Aid. He had been having some problems with one of the examiners. He felt that it was a personal thing between this particular examiner and him.

During this conversation I had one of those “world standing still” moments. Terry said, and I’ll quote because I can still hear his voice and see him sitting in his gold recliner, “When a student of mine fails an exam it is never about them not being good enough. It’s about me not teaching them good enough”.

At the time I had no idea why this particular conversation and piece of wisdom was so important. I just new it was. And, many years later, Terry has passed away and I have become a trainer and counselor, I still hold that piece of wisdom to be the foundation of both my practices.

Soapbox moment: I also hold society (with myself as a part of society) responsible for at least 50% of a client’s behaviour. It’s our failure to protect and embrace children (and adults) who are in crisis that co-creates their self destructive and destructive behaviour. I think everyone knows this; it’s just really hard to sit with.

Meanwhile, back at the conference, Scott finished off the Supershrinks session by focusing on how to become better at whet you do. Deliberate practice is the key. Again, not a new idea for those of us in the adult leaning/teaching trade. One of the best programs I’ve taken is the Professional Instructor Program at Vancouver Community College. During that program I learned the value of deliberate practice. I video taped myself facilitating, watched myself, first with the sound off, then listened with the picture off and then watched and listened at the same time, all the while critically self assessing in the third person. I then threw out every outfit I wore during the video taping and went on a diet. And I got better. I know deliberate practice works. So why do I not do it in counseling?

I mean, I do to a point, but not with the same fervor, the same dedication to improved practice. Perhaps part of the reason is confidentiality. Not sure how video taping my sessions would go over with my street entrenched, often running from a warrant, type clients.

Well, Scott had the solution for this conundrum. www.myoutcomes.com provides a system, an elegant system, of tracking not only client outcomes but by using the A.S.I.S.T software built into the My Outcomes system, those using it will be prompted to practice and their practice will be tracked. I can’t really do the system justice in words alone so again, download Scott’s handouts and go to the websites, www.talkingcure.com and www.myoutcomes.com to get a fuller picture of what is available.

That wrapped up session 2 of Scott Miller’s Supershrinks session.

Supershrinks - Part One

2009-02-08T14:57:00.002-08:00

When I teach facilitation skills one of the first activities we do in class is called “Describe the best teacher you ever had”. It’s a chance to model a “think-pair-share” process and provides the basis for the learning outcomes.

Groups invariably come up with a list of behaviours and qualities that, most people would agree, describes a Superteacher. Things like open, approachable, available, funny, genuine, they cared, went above and beyond, challenged me respectfully, passionate, always seem to make the list. Knowledgeable is mentioned but not nearly as much as you would think and never ranked above characteristics that make one likeable.

So, it was no surprise when Scott Miller began the session on Supershrinks by asking a similar question - “What makes some people better at some things than others? Of course, we were a room full of counselors, social workers and therapists so we re-worded the question in our heads and came up with lists of some things that made some counselors, social workers and therapists better than others.

Our combined (aggregated) lists looks suspiciously like my facilitation skills list and low and behold, knowledge didn’t really float to the top here either. What did come up was, charisma, passion, likability, belief that you care, unconditional personal regard, client centered, the ability to connect with clients. When knowledge did come up it was in the form of “being able to draw from many hats”, not expertise in one model or process, more of a generalist’s knowledge.

Interesting stuff that I didn’t know:

Medication generally helpful only when given by high ranked therapists.

Freud used a couch because he didn't like looking at his patients for extended periods of time. (his pathology became a treatment approach)

Person Centered Therapy was originally a placebo that was manualized for consistency. A placebo folks! And as a placebo it was as effective as anything else.

The big message here was and is - “It’s not the tool - it’s the hand that wields the tool.”

Scott went on to provide us with some enlightening (although confusing to me) aggregated statistics. Face it, as a field, we have been studying and researching what we do for a long, long time. The bad news, we suck overall.

No real improvement in outcomes since the 1960’s. And that’s across all treatment models, and we have lots of models. What’s more, as we continue to research new models of treatment we are consistently finding that compared to other models, including placebos, there is really no difference in outcomes. Bottom line, there is no little white pill type model of addictions treatment that works really well, most of the time for most people.

Ok, before you decide to become a plumber (cos they have excellent outcomes) there is some good news. Regardless of the models you use, if you are an effective therapist aka Supershrink, your clients can achieve 50% or more improvement and you can have 50% or less dropout.

Naturally this leads to next topic - What exactly do Supershrinks do?

Well, turns out our little brainstorm at the beginning of the session wasn’t too far off the mark.

Supershrinks:

a. Seek, obtain and maintain consumer engagement - They connect with their clients. Their client like them. Their clients come back.

b. Are exceptionally alert to the risk of drop out and treatment failure. - They notice and make explicit problems in sessions and in the relationship. They own and fix those problems.

c. Push the limits of their current realm of reliable performance. - They actively work to get better at what they do. They ask for feedback and use it as a tool to improve what they do.

Scott quoted David Orlinsky - “The quality of patient’s participation in therapy is most important..”. I found this article online but most of the others required membership or payment (that’s another blog topic).

So, the word of the day became “alliance”, or more accurately, therapeutic alliance. That’s what works. To drive this point home a bit more we watched some video clips.

The first was of a client (Anna) reflecting on her experiences in therapy. She stated that the one thing that made the most difference in her therapy was.. wait for it… her chats with the cleaning women.

She explained (thankfully) that the reason the chats with the cleaning woman were so beneficial was that the cleaning woman treated her like a real person, not like a patient. The cleaning woman shared parts of her life with Anna. In short she didn’t maintain those all important professional boundaries.

Anna went on to describe a turning point with one of her therapists.. again.. wait for it… it was when her therapist ordered some food in and they ate a meal together. How’s that for busting through professional boundaries.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think boundaries are important. The client’s boundaries are sacred and should always come before my professionally enforced and codified professional boundaries (aka policies, rules and other crap stuff) that gets in the way of building and maintaining therapeutic alliance.

That ended the first session. Stay tuned for part two.

Again, you can download the presentation Scott Miller used at this conference here. It’s a very large download, three parts, and well worth it.

Western Canadian Youth & Family Addictions (WCYFA) Conference

2009-02-08T14:41:00.002-08:00

First day of the Western Canadian Youth & Family Addictions (WCYFA) Conference. I should add the first day of the first ever WCYFA conference and that it was sold out well before the registration deadline. The planning committee had members from all over Western and Northern Canada. Notably, ASAPBC, the Centre for Addictions Research, VIHA, Alberta Health Services, Northern Health, BC Mental Health and Addictions, the Province of BC and a few others partnered to put on the three day event. Big kudo's to Stacey LeBlanc (of ASAPBC), event coordinator, for pulling it all together.

As with most conferences it was opened by someone who introduced the person who did the opening blessing (Dear Song with drum, very nicely done), who was followed by Michelle Dartnell, the planning committee Chair, who introduced Scott Miller who did the Opening Keynote.

About two minutes into the Keynote it was clear that Scott Miller was going to keep everyone's attention. He's dynamic, funny, genuine and clearly one of the best presenters I've been been privy to. In addition he knows how to use a PowerPoint.. Lots of pictures and sounds, not so much writing. He even had a pop quiz. You can download the presentation he used in the Keynote and the sessions on Supershrinks from here but note that it is a big download, in three separate pdf's. Takes a few minutes even with a fast server, but don't give up, it's worth the wait.

Many things caught my attention while Scott told engaging stories, poked fun at CBT (and every other model you can think of) and educated the very large group on the importance of effect size and the difference between evidence based practice and practice based evidence. The most notable "ideas" and quotes follow.

Quote: "Treatment planning is not science, it's science fiction... (Start treatment planning sessions with) in a galaxy, far, far away.."

Counselors,ad the field in general, have a marketing problem.

Most change happens in the first 4-6 weeks. 1/3 of change happens PRIOR to the first session.

Success in treatment does not depend on the model used. Pretty much all models show the same rate of success.

Successful treatment, better outcomes depend on alliance aka the relationship between the counselor and the client.The better the relationship the better the outcome.

Research on Project Match and CBT says that CBT is not introduced until after the fourth session. (when does most change happen???)

Premature drop-out is the biggest problem.

To have better treatment outcomes - Change what doesn't work!

Magic Question - How was that for you?

Formalize "how was that for you using Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) ans Session Rating Scale (SRS), both available for free at www.talkingcure.com and www.myoutcomes.com .

Three steps to getting better at what you do:

1. Create a culture of feedback.

2. Integrate alliance and outcome feedback into clinical care.

3. Learn to "fail successfully".

Wisdom of Crowds reference - Compare your outcomes with larger group.

What came to mind as I listened to the Keynote was how similar this was to what I learned about facilitating or instructing. I mean when you run a group you always start with a check in that provides a sense of where the group and the individuals in the group are right now. The you get tacit and explicit feedback throughout and then again at the end, informally and formally.

Perhaps this is always done in group because a group can turn on you.. really quickly. So there is lots of pay value in engaging and maintaining a group. Not so much with individual clients. they will just not come back.

K, this is getting too long. More to follow about the actual sessions.

Wisdom of Crowds, Twitter and Bumblebbes

2009-02-08T14:31:00.003-08:00

I was chatting with friend yesterday and during the chat I asked him if I could send him an invite to join Twitter. Below is an edited version of our conversation.

I am greatful for his questioning my enthusiasm about Twitter. Often I make gut decisions about things (thanks Malcolm Gladwell for endorsing the rightness of that lol) but until someone questions it, I fail to make the idea explicit. It remains inarticulated. My friend Joe provided me with an opportunity to really define what I like about Twitter and what I see as the potential residing within it.

Several years ago I came across the notion of Bio-teams I think I may have seen it referenced on Kolabora. Anyway, the basic premise and rule number one is - Broadcast Everything. I liked this right away. No buy-in time required for me at all. It made sense, maybe because I had just read Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software by Steven Johnson.

I'm still drawn to the idea of communicating more openly because it allows for the personal aggregation of knowledge. As Surowiecki points out in Wisdom of Crowds, large non-homogenous groups, acting independently, gathering information from a wide variety of sources, make the best decisions. Better than experts, better than individuals alone.

K, that's it for now but I'll definately come back to this idea again, if for no other reason than to try and clarify it more to myself. And thanks Joe, awesome chat as always.. You make me think and I like that!

Jamie says:

I'm also on Twitter.. mind if i send you an invite to join that?

Joe says:

go ahead

Joe says:

whats twitter?

Jamie says:

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?
Joe says:

lol

Jamie says:

it pretty cool.. cos you can update it via cell phone text message

Jamie says:

i'm going to use it more for work.. professional contacts than social.. but its a cool little application

Joe says:

no cell phone

Jamie says:

geez.. no cell phone lol

Joe says:

i knew a girl who changed her facebook status every 5 minutyes from her cell

Jamie says:

i don't have a landline.. only 2 cells.. one work one personal

Jamie says:

same idea, only simpler

Jamie says:

whats cool is you can follow people

Joe says:

it said "Jenn is getting ready for work" "jenn is leaving the house" "jenn is headed to work" " Jenn is getting a coffee" "Jenn is enjoying her coffee" and so on and so on.

Jamie says:

i follow a couple of my profs and people really active in the world i work in

Joe says:

here's a question... why?

Jamie says:

connections

Jamie says:

like i say.. i can use it for work.. say i'm having a really challenging issue at work.. i can, really quickly post a .. does any one know how to .. type message

Jamie says:

and maybe get responses from people who are following me

Jamie says:

on twitter you are limited to 140 characters so no way that anyone can plug up your inbox or cell phone with too many long messages
Joe says:

i see

Jamie says:

i also use it to keep on top of what my ex profs are reading, researching, teaching about

Jamie says:

its kinda based on an organic communication model... bees, ants.. they broadcast everything.. the idea is that if people do the same they can be more informed without haveing to necissarily do more work.. ya get it
Joe says:

ya... makes me more enthusiastic about building a log cabin in the middle of the woods

Jamie says:

lol
Joe says:

and taking nothing but my fly rod

Jamie says:

k.. the irony.. i'm talking about being more organic.. being like bees and ants.. and your seeing it as the opposite.. that is interesting lol
Joe says:

and before i go i'll call my friends on the "telephone" and say "Hey... i'll be gone fishin all weekend.... talk to ya next week."

Jamie says:

animals.. nature.. intuitively.. innately follow a path of interconnectedness

Joe says:

flower it up any way you like.

Joe says:

lol

Jamie says:

people do the opposite.. seek to be disconnected

Joe says:

ya but bees are all together in one hive and they comunicate through dance patterns

Jamie says:

and then wonder why their lives don't work lol

Jamie says:

they twitter lol
Joe says:

gotcha

Jamie says:

and we all live together in one big hive too.. if more people got that idea we wouldn't be worried about global warnming
Jamie says:

cos we would all be taking better care of "our" hive

Jamie says:

geez!
Joe says:

oh my

Joe says:

i hope i didnt offend you

Joe says:

lol

Joe says:

it just sounds very busy

Jamie says:

no, not offended.. just frustrated...
Joe says:

every time i run into a problem where i need advice I plug it into a cell phone and wait to hear back from several people

Jamie says:

broadcast it once.. if you have the right loose ties, the problem will be solved with help
Jamie says:

it makes a huge difference when you are solving problems that can impact a persons life or health

Jamie says:

doctors and health professional use this kind of system all the time now.. same with police, cia, fbi etc

Responsibility and The Press

2009-02-08T14:21:00.002-08:00

Ok, I know, it can seem like an oxymoron but I still get irked when I read articles in the press that lack a balanced perspective.

This morning as I thumbed through the local Chilliwack Progress newspaper I noticed an article on hypnosis. My first thought was, "Cool, if it's in the local paper maybe it's becoming more accepted". Of course I was only half way through my first cup of coffee at the time so a little slow on the uptake.

I read on and soon discovered it was an endorsement of "stage hypnosis". Well, that got my you know what's in a knot. Further reading revealed that the hypnotist featured was also an RCMP officer. That got me thinking about power and control issues but I won't dwell on that right at this moment.

Anyway, I felt compelled to respond so did a quick Google search for "stage hypnosis danger" and in a Google millisecond found the research paper written by Tracie O'Keefe, that I was looking for, along with several other references to court cases that were won by people claiming to have been damaged by a stage hypnosis "act". I sent off a short and very polite email to the author of the newspaper article and included the link to the research paper and a cc to my friend Sheldon Bilsker.

In a nutshell, the aforementioned research paper outlines the specific case of Sharon Tarbarn, who died five hours after attending a stage hypnosis show. In her discussion of stage hypnosis Ms. O"Keefe says,

"Hypnosis is never benign because it changes the psychological and physiological constituents of experience. To some people suggestions that are contrary to wellbeing are not harmful, since they may have the kind of psychological defence mechanisms that can reject such suggestions. For others those mechanisms may be partially inoperative for psychological or organic reasons."

I work full time as a counsellor and couldn't agree more. I see people daily who do not have the requisite psychological defense mechanisms to ward off the impact of opening up the subconscious mind. Even in a safe and controlled environment I, as a trained counselling hypnotherapist, would not attempt a trance state with these folks. At least not without first, several sessions focusing on containment, grounding and safety. And certainly not without a full history of past traumas and potential abreaction scenarios.

I'm interested to see if the newspaper reporter follows up on this, perhaps restoring a bit of my faith in the local press.. or not.

the gestalt of knowing

2008-07-06T10:04:00.003-07:00

Random thoughts:

I have lousy recall, even my comprehsion is substandard. I tend to leap to synthesis.
Tacit to explict is difficult for me at times. My "knowing" at times is, to coin and old and somewhat innacurate but still useful term, right brained. It's global, instictive, gestalt like. The whole that I know is way greater than the tactit sum of the bits of knowledge I possess.

Is this due to the connections of dendrites that themselve create new knowldge that links up the parts?

Just a thought...

What I want for Christmas in 2027

2007-12-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

Thinking inside the box(es)

2007-11-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

Beta project funded by Microsoft and others.... free to register and use, save, share.

Berkeley You Tube

2007-10-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I can watch Marian Diamond lecture about biology. She was one of the folks tasked with disecting Einstein's brain.

Secrets of Super Learners

2007-08-26T11:10:00.001-07:00

Graig Lambert post on what it means/takes to be a super learner. He includes a link to a pdf of the original article. Very cool! Again, there is a focus on creativity as the foundation of learning. Again via Stephen Downes.

Tony Buzan - Teaching How to Learn

2007-08-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome little video of Tony Buzan (mind mapping guru) talking about the importance of nurturing creativity in education. The point being that creativity is the foundation of learning. He includes some great stats about the "learned" loss of creativity as we age. He makes the point that creativity is innate but like everything else, you have to use it or you may just lose it. Via Stephen Downes

Moving Back

2007-08-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

It's good to be "virtually" home lol I've shut down my Moodle site and am now posting here, again...

jamiebillingham.com

2006-07-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

My blog has moved to my website.

Heroin: The Next Generation - Webcast

2006-03-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

This could be interesting.. or not.. You never know with these kinds of things.

When: 3/30/2006; After 1:00 PM (EST)

Sponsored by: Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training Program (MCTFT)

Broadcast Objectives:

Learn about the different types of heroin being peddled on the streets of America.
Learn how heroine affects the users.
Hear first person accounts about heroin use from a former users.
Find out how the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office broke a major heroin trafficking ring that was selling the drug to young people in the affluent suburb of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Memory Function: There Is Hope For Alcoholics With Korsakoff Syndrome

2006-03-28T23:28:00.000-08:00

People with Korsakoff Syndrome (KS), a brain disorder usually associated with long-term heavy drinking and thiamine deficiency, often have profound deficits in their "explicit memory" or ability to recall recent events. A study in the April issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research looks at a memory process called visuoperceptual learning, a component of "implicit memory," which does not require conscious recollection. Results suggest that individuals with KS retain the ability to learn information that is presented visually, even without a conscious recollection of that learning.

Addiction makes you crave????

2006-03-28T23:06:00.000-08:00

From Daily Dose
Researchers say that a new study demonstrating differing biochemical responses to cocaine among addicted rats supports the theory that the brains of addicts become predisposed to craving, Medical News Today reported March 17.
Ok… Duh… Sorry, but this is just so obvious.

Mindset

2006-03-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

Link in title to ITConversations audio cast with author of new book, Mindset. Dr. Dweck talks about fixed vs. growth Mindsets and how having one or the other impacts success in all areas of life.

I really liked that Dr. Dweck says:

1. "It's just a a belief."
2. "We can't judge people by their current behaviour."

30 minutes.

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks Dr. Carol Dweck, the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, a recognized world leader in the study of personality, and author of "Mindset -- The New Psychology of Success."

Above the Influence - The better response to drug use

2006-03-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

This is one of the best sites of this genre I have ever seen. It's interactive, smooth, cool, fresh, jive... sorry I run out of slang when I get to the 80's.

According to Medical News Today this "New Anti-drug Program Shows 'phenomenal' Success By Focusing On Positives".

This is an example of "what works".

Penn & Teller - The War on Drugs

2006-03-08T23:53:00.000-08:00

30 minute video, well worth the time. Great showcase for Google Video progam also. Original link from Daily Dose.

Free Online Learning Resources

2006-02-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

I love free! Link comes through Stephen Downes blog and leads to a wiki full of resources.

Facial Transformations

2006-01-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

This is just way too much fun - from Bulldog Curiosities.

More predictions for the year ahead in online learning

2006-01-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

Link in title goes to Predictions for 2006: E-learning Experts Map
the Road Ahead - ELearn Magazine by Lisa Neal.

"Who, in 2002, envisioned the popularity of podcasts, wikis, and blogs? Yet for all the emphasis on how content can be created and disseminated, there has been too little focus on the quality of the learning experience. That's why my prediction for 2006 is that people will realize that technology, no matter how innovative, is just an enabler. New technologies only succeed if they help people learn. Read on for more predictions from some of the most thoughtful and opinionated people in the e-learning field." Lisa Neal

Learning Increases Passion: When you know more you appreciate more

2006-01-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

Learning music changes music. Learning about wine changes
wine. Learning about Buddhism changes Buddhism. And learning
Excel changes Excel.

If we want passionate users, we might not have to change our
products - we have to change how our users experience them.
And that change does not necessarily come from product
design, development, and especially marketing.

It comes from helping users learn.

Robin Good's - Kolabora News
Issue #70 - January 19th 2006

Great article.

Two of my favorite subjects joined together.

It does make sense that the more you now about something the more likey you are to become pasionate about it. It also makes sense, to me, that sometimes people are passionate due to misinformation.

Online, mobile and just-in-time learning opportunities can have a huge impact on not only "traditional" learners but on the world as a whole.

Personally, my vision for this has expanded over the past year due to the incredible leap technology has taken. I am now envisioning a future where I can go into a grocery store and under each food item find a some buttons that allow me to instantly access information about nutrition, calories and cost per serving. Ideally, I'd like to be able to plug my Blackberry into it and be able to search for recipes and cost comparisons also.

It may not be entirely necessary but it would increase the likelihood of actually going grocery shopping. Who knows, I may even develop some level of passion for it.

Drug Addiction:Why the Brain Loses Control - Nora Volkow

2006-01-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

From George Siemens. Link in title goes to page of links to video or lectures about the brain. Most are quite long (as university lectures tend to be lol) But IMO well worth the time. The one on drug addiction is excellent once you get used to Nora's accent. Very cool stuff.

I'd post more on this but Lost is on and I'm addicted lol

Revenge Replaces Empathy in the Male Brain

2006-01-18T16:16:00.000-08:00

New York Times Syndicate
E.J. Mundell
January 18, 2006

The Germans have a word for it: schadenfreude, loosely translated as "taking joy in the misery of others."

It's what many folks feel when movie villains get blown away or a nasty co-worker gets fired.

Now a new brain-imaging study suggests that schadenfreude might be a distinctly male phenomenon.

If what is reported in this article is true then the "very real and somber implications" include not only the capital punishment debate but also our entire justice system.

My First Video

2006-01-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

I decided to test out Google's free video upload program. The process was quick and quite painless. It took the stated 3-4 days for the video to go through their checkpoints and become searchable.

The quality is not great but I suspect that the reason for that has more to do with the Windows MovieMaker software that I used to edit than the Google interface. Please take into consideration that this was my first day with my new Panasonic PV-GS150 camcorder, it was pouring rain and it was also the first time I tried to edit with Windows MovieMaker. The whole process, from getting out of my car to uploading to Google maybe took 2 hours.

I gotta say that this is huge boon for online education. I can now incorporate as much video as I want on my Moodle sites and not have to worry about how much space it being eaten up. Very cool!

Free blogs, free videos, what's next?

Fuel for Recovery - pdf

2006-01-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

Linked from Daily Dose. The article refers to research linking increased levels of omega-6 and omega-3 to lower rates of relapse regardless of of past levels of drug use.

There have been many studies on the impact diet has on mood disorders including depression and anxiety. And probably just as many demonstrating the positive impact omega-3 has on aggressive behaviour and ADHD.

More later on this...

Complex Trauma

2006-01-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

I spent 3 days in early December at a workshop on Complex Trauma. The presenters were John Briere Ph.D. and Bessel van der Kolk MD (link in post title). I'm working on a PowerPoint of the highlights and will post... eventually.

One of the most interesting points made by van der Kolk was that Complex Trauma responds best to present centered therapies that involve the body as opposed to cognitive restructuring or the retelling of the story.

van der Kolk suggests that yoga and theatre sports present better and safer therapeutic approaches to Complex Trauma (most notably traumas of abondonment and interpersonal traumatic experiences that occur prior to verbal ability) and suggests EMDR as a preferred treatment for PTSD or simple traumas.

I happen to agree whole-heartedly with Dr. van der Kolk's opinion but still wanted to know why these approaches work. I was pondering this today when I happened to come across this article, and this article. Both explore the Mirroring Neuron and cite research around the lack of this mirroring "ability" in autistic children.

So, I'm thinking that children that are abandoned emotionally and/or physically may not go through the mirroring stage and therefore not engage those particular neurons. As a child brain develops unused neurons get pruned but attachment and mirroring at a later age may allow for partial re-growth of those neurons.

If this is kind of how it works, then activities like yoga and theatre sports that involve the active mirroring of another person could work because the activities are stimulating the mirroring neurons. Just a thought...

Go Daddy Rocks!

2006-01-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not usually one for commercialization or promoting the commercialization of anything but I gotta say, Go Daddy is a very cool company.

Why? Well let me tell ya... They called me.
Simple as that.

Ok, a bit more to the story. I have a couple of domain registered at Go Daddy. One is related to my MA project, the other is... will eventually be, my own site.

A week or so ago I was trying to assign a hosting package to one domain and the Web Site Tonight feature to the other. But I messed it up, got it backwards actually. (sigh, am not as geeky as I may first appear). Anyway, I gave up trying to right the wrongs I had created. I decided to take a breather and go back another day to fix it.

And then this morning, outa the blue, a rep from Go Daddy called me. He said something like "Hi Jamie, I'm calling to help you fix your account options. It looks like you are having some trouble".

I kid you not! Way too cool. Then he very patiently walked me through all the steps needed to make everything right.

If I could just get this kind of service from my bank and my mechanic I'd be set lol

So, I am a fan of Go Daddy and they have, through that one phone call, built a huge surplus of social capital with me.

NUVVO - Free online education portal

2006-01-04T01:53:00.000-08:00

This is pretty cool. Took me all of 5 minute to sign up and start creating an online course. Minimal free mb's though and no glossary feature. But still a bargin and a really nice look to it.
If you want to you can charge for your course(s) and the site deducts 10% and sends you the rest. I kinda like that idea.

The Reality of Personal Development and Change in Prison. By Mark Hughes

2005-12-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine wrote this and has allowed me to share. His unique, first hand perspective provide us with a glimse into the reality of the prison experience.

The penal environment is not one that really lends itself to personal change. From the unforgiving, violent inmate society to the insipid and intransigent bureaucratic attitude of the System that keeps said society, the process is rather arduous and painstaking. Nevertheless, in many cases it is done. In spite of, in the face of, and never mind all adversity, a number of people leave prison better than whenst they came. It can be done. But first have a look at exactly how hard it really is for people in prison to change, what challenges and impediments they face when attempting a transformation. The purpose here is not to judge, only to report, and try to keep in mind that what may seem different or foreign is just that: different and foreign.

Prison has a society of its own. Those outside of it call it a “sub-culture” and name its value system the “con code.” These labels are actually inaccurate, as the prison culture is a society and the value system is a legal system, although unwritten. The society and laws differ from the ones in the community, but not by much. Some things that are illegal in the community are illegal among people prison, illegal in the sense that there are penalties and sanctions for the transgressions of said laws. People in prison actually have two sets of legal systems to contend with, and at times these two are adverse and diametrically opposed: the System’s and the prison’s. This is more stressful than one would believe, especially when dealing with personal change and development.

Change is disliked and even hated by people in prison, it “goes against the grain.” If one wants to change his or her life in prison, he or she has to change the attitudes, values, thinking and behaviours that brought him or her there. Prison is usually fuelled by these old ways of living, as well as nourishing and further promoting them. Consequently, when the person in the prison attempts to change them, he or she meets resistance from their neighbours, peers, and friends. They are seen as defectors and deserters, abandoning the “herd.” Sometimes he or she is drawn back because of this, as the pressure and ostracising is too much. People in prison who try to change are seen as lesser than; a prejudice forms. As with all large groups, the prison society does not like difference.

People in prison do not mind one trying to get out of prison. However, if one is truly trying to change their lives in prison, it will be noticed, and he-or-she will be shunned and spurned. This is because in prison people do things that are adverse to change: drugs, violence, lying, manipulation, etc. and all that promotes and furthers them. People in prison feel they need one another to accomplish all of these things effectively and if one of their own does not help them in these endeavours, then she or he is an alien not to be trusted or accepted.

Then there are the rules and regulations that govern the running of the prison, the System’s rules. If one wants to change their behaviour, the first thing they usually have to start with is the following of these edicts. Go ahead, says the prison society, unless it interferes with our “getting ahead” in some way, then your allegiance is to Us. This can be extremely harrowing to a person trying their best to give up their old lifestyle. They know that the “prison way” is not healthy or effective for them anymore; but a refusal to help, or a hindrance of any kind, is sure to lead to a problem – to say the least. Furthermore, if they continue to capitulate to the “herd” then they will never truly break free from their own behaviours. A dilemma, for sure.

People in prison for, the most part, and yes this is a sweeping, broad statement – believe they are fine the way they are. They do not see anything wrong with their behaviour, only the consequences. They do not really want to benefit from the rehabilitative opportunities offered to them, other than getting out on some form of conditional release. They want to live their lives as they see fit. Until they get caught. Then they will do whatever it takes to avoid those consequences – everything except halting the behaviour that leads to the consequences. Their whole lives are preying on, evading, and manipulating society and the System again and again; some more, some less. Many have been in and out of prison since they were teenagers. Their whole identity, or at least a large part of it, is prison and the mores that belong to it. They see society as the screwed-up ones. The System as villainous fiends who foil their every attempt liberty. However, they hide these feelings when there is a parole or a transfer impending, then they put on the “changed” persona, again, and they claim they have “seen the error of their ways.” Truthfully they are going to do whatever their offence was again, or something worse, or lesser, it all depends, and they probably will not feel any remorse for it. They honestly do not see anything wrong with the lifestyle they live. Only with the people telling them that it is wrong and “punishing” them for it. For people in prison this is their life and that is all there is to it. This is a sad truth.

But it is not really their fault. Now here is where most people would say, “Wait a minute, they know right from wrong, how can it not be their fault; how can they not be responsible?” Because whose right and wrong is it? It is never really known what type or quality of life a person has had, what influences they have had, what pains or traumas have given them the outlook they have. This does not excuse their victimising others or minimize any pain they have caused. Nevertheless, just because one day in their dysfunctional lives someone is telling them: “Because We don’t like that, you will go to prison for X number of years if you do it,” does not mean a person truly appreciates right from wrong. They logically and rationally grasp that there are consequences to their behaviour, but they do not see any inherent evil or malevolence in it. Here is where the system has the most difficulty in reforming people in prison: alien values cannot forced be on others. A Christian cannot force a Muslim to believe in Jesus as his or her personal Saviour. Ergo, one cannot convince another that stealing is immoral and will cause the breakdown of society because of this. If stealing has been a survival tool for said person, and their role models taught them to do steal, or they received contradictory messages, or etc., this will be a fallacy to him. Yes, it harms the theft victims! Yes, it is a burden on society! Yes, society, if it is to remain somewhat stable, cannot condone thievery! But the person whom does not believe stealing is really all that bad – unless he gets caught – does not care about any of that.

Then there is the System to contend with. The System is a large organism that works very slowly and illogically. When Person X tries to reform themselves in and then practice their skills on the System, the skills sometimes work, sometimes not. And most people in prison cannot handle this ambiguity and unpredictability. “I’m straight-up with you now, why can’t you be straight up with me?” Try as they might they will rarely get an honest answer. Patience and honesty with the System do not seem to pay off most of the time, as the System, as it exists, does not truly work with people in prison, it just moves them through itself. It cannot allow people in prison to grow, and then see the System as it is: an illogical organism that does not really accomplish the goal of its own existence, getting people out of itself and never coming back. The System does not allow people in prison to point out its shortcomings, it cannot admit defect or vulnerability. It does not want “them” i.e. the people in prison, pointing out its blemishes; it believes that the people in prison are the problem, not it. In a sense, the System is almost designed to fail in its delivery of rehabilitation. This failure manifests itself as a cycle of recidivism. Its “system” of rehabilitation is destined to perpetuate itself, as it refuses to work with people in prison, and those same people continue to give up trying to deal with a System that cannot work with them. The people in prison, whom are no longer in prison, resort to old behaviour patterns, and then the pattern repeats itself. The System cannot work with people whom are incarcerated and continue to survive itself. If it is going to thrive and grow it cannot concede to its charges, as this is freeing its sustenance. In other words, if the System truly works with people in prison, allows them to practice their newly found skills, and ultimately be released and never come back, it nullifies its existence. Therefore allowing the use of new found skills on itself is a threat to its livelihood and its future.

Programs exist in prisons that address the so-called “the rehabilitative needs” of the people living there. If; however, a person is not going to be released for a number of months to a number of years after completion of these programs, what purpose did these corrective programs serve? Where does the person in prison get to practice these skills? The prison society is not like the society that a “free” citizen lives in. People in the community do not generally solve problems with threats, violence, drugs, manipulation, etc. Of course in the community there are exceptions, but for the sake of this report the majority of people are being referred to. The foregoing skills are the preferred methods of interpersonal problem solving in prison. The intention here is not to judge whether good or bad, remember, just to report. These programs do not teach skills on how to live a “pro-social” life in prison, as mentioned earlier, they end up teaching one how to live an “anti-social” life in prison. One cannot expect to take a set of skills that are effective in one culture and society and apply them in another. The skills taught in the programs work for people in the community, on people in the community. They are an aberration in prison. So what happens when Person X tries his or her newly acquired skills in a context they were not designed for? They fail. And most people who are in prison do not like failure or effort very much, or believe and have faith that it will all work out if they just keep patient and hold onto the skills to apply them once released. The skills then atrophy, are forgotten about, and are then chalked up to a waste of time and energy on the part of the person in prison.

It was said at the beginning that a number of people in prison change despite all the obstacles, some of which have just been illustrated. It is true that personal development and change is not easy or always enjoyable in prison; nevertheless, it can be done. There are a number of common denominators and ways that people in prison who change, do so.

The aforementioned programs seemed redundant and useless; notwithstanding, if rigorously adhered to, despite failures, the skills taught in them do work – just not exactly how they were taught. The prison context is not the proper testing ground for them, admittedly; be that as it may, the person can modify them to work in the penal milieu. Some pride will have to be swallowed, some embarrassment will have to be endured, and some prison societal customs or rules may have to be overlooked or broken; however, the point is no one is harmed in the process and everyone walks away problem free. This is what one is looking for when trying to change: no violence and no problems.

The System as a whole, as an organism, is cold and indifferent, but there are members of the System that truly want to help those who live in it. There are people working within, with, and on the fringes of the System that actually care about what they do and about the people in prison; they could be called humanitarians. They are really trying to better the people living in prison. They will try to allow the people in prison to practice their new way of life, and encourage them when they are frustrated and overwhelmed. This proves that all forces are not working against those in prison, they are not totally alone.

Spirituality is a resource tapped into by many people in prison. The energy and values found in religion can be the new focus for a person trying to forge an identity. This path can give people the strength and courage needed to overcome the loneliness, fear, and frustration encountered while trying to change. After all, personal development is always a spiritual phenomenon, and the holy is part of a person’s change in prison, even if they are not aware of it. To actively incorporate it into one’s life is to strive for maximum growth and change.

Therapy exists in prison in many forms, from twelve-step groups to individual psychotherapy. Therapy is something that is utilized by many people in prison, but if the willingness is there, then it can really heal. The therapy sessions are not actually what change the person, it is the person practicing the therapy outside of the sessions that effects healing or development. This is where many people get confused about therapy: not using it outside the therapeutic setting. Therapy is ultimately up to the individual and the work that she or he does. The therapy or therapist is only a teacher and can only take the patient so far. The process is, at the end of the day, an individual one.

Values and attitudes must change if one is to have a new and different life. The values and attitudes that preceded the incarceration will succeed it, if not changed. And, as is well known, values have a direct correlation to behaviour. People in prison that change know this and start the process while still incarcerated. They change their old values and attitudes to more effective ones. The new values and attitudes will allow them to reintegrate, in a sense, back into society. Because true reintegration may not be possible. The new values and attitudes may not correlate or fit exactly with society’s; the person may never actually be a part of society, they may even snub or offend it from time to time, but as a result of the changes they have made, they will never again harm it. The change is not about becoming a part of another group, it is about becoming a whole individual. The group is not an essential part of the reality, it is a part, but not crucial. The person must make her or his own life.

The paramount objective must not be: Stay out of prison. That will come as a result of the change. A new life must be the priority, and then the maintenance of that new life. Most people who are in prison have been there before, and many of them numerous times. Staying out of prison will become a stagnant goal if left as a priority. People will forget how uncomfortable it was, how lonely, how …. They will fool themselves into believing that the risk of going back is worth it because it has been so long since they have been inside; or they will get fed up with the ups and downs of the “straight” life and rationalize that prison wasn’t really so bad. Prison is not really a deterrent after one has spent a significant amount of time there. It is only another residence.

The fundamental component to change is willingness. The willingness to do whatever it takes to change one’s life, no matter what has to be given up, lost, or sacrificed; no matter how much pain or humiliation has to be endured; no matter how lonely and afraid one has to feel, one has to be willing to endure anything to change. This is the crux of personal development. And all self-help books, tapes, gurus, etc. have said the same thing. Only then will lasting changes take place.

Change does happen all the time in prison. Many people get out of prison and never come back. Many do come back again and again. There does not seem to be a formula for rehabilitation such as the correct time + the correct attitude + the correct programming etc. equals. There is Something larger and more powerful than any of that. The goal of this discourse is to explain what happens with many people in prison who change. Also, to show the System how hard it truly is for these men and women when they do decide to do so.

All of the information in this essay is not black and white, concrete, and factual; nor is documented by research, it is; however, documented by direct observation. There are exceptions to all of what is written here, but most of what is written is generally true. Change is possible in prison, and no matter how many obstacles or problems people in prison face, it can, and will, continue.

Predictions for 2006 - Video is in

2005-12-19T00:04:00.000-08:00

Luigi Canali De Rossi's (aka Robin Good) New Media Predictions 2006: What Will The Web Future Bring? Looks like 2006 will be the year that video breaks through on the web.. and in online education.

I love video. I grew up with TV so what could be more natural than using a similar format for learning and expressing ideas. I've been peaking at Scenariation who claim to be working on a version that will be tailor made for Moodle.

I've also been spending way too much time watching webinars. My current favorite is The Training Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, more specifically the webcast featuring James Prochaska Ph.D speaking about helping populations through the stages of change.

Crystal and the Gay Man

2005-12-18T23:51:00.000-08:00

PDF of a group program for gay men recovering from crystal methamphetamine dependence from www.dailydose.net. Looks like a good source of info for those working with this client group.

Enhancing the Victim Voice

2005-11-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the honour of attending a community forum focusing on the rights and roles of victims of crime. The forum was co-sponsored by the National Parole Board (NPB) and Correctional Services Canada (CSC) and brought together representatives from the NPB, CSC, Victim Services Workers, Restorative Justice advocates and several victims of crime.

And then there was me. I work with offenders. I work to help them reintegrate. I help them get parole, to move back into the community. My role is to support them. Ok, so the CSC people work with offenders also, but they have a different role than me. The full effect of this hit me when I realized that I was sharing a table with the a victim of a horrific crime perpetrated by an offender that I am currently working with.

The woman that I was sharing a table with had lost both her children, her husband and almost her own life at the hands of one of my clients. Strange how a change in context can have such an effect. I was forced to, for a moment anyways, see things through her eyes, from her perspective.

Now you might think that we would be light years away when it came to our views on crime and punishment and reintegration. I thought that we would be. I have to admit that when I realized that I was in room full of people who were for the most part either victims of crime or who had dedicated their lives to working with or on the behalf of victims of crime, I was kinda nervous. Turns out that I had made some pretty wacked assumptions.

Later in the day we switched tables to complete a vision exercise and I ended up sitting beside another incredible survivor. Katy Hutchison's husband was murdered by a young man at a party in Squamish. Since that time Katy has become active in Restorative Justice and maintains contact with the person she refers to as "her offender". Katy said that one of the things that she wanted to say every time she went in to visit her offender was that "the V is for visitor, not victim".

The label "victim" became one of the first things we talked about at our table during our vision exercise. We also talked about the barriers victims of crime are faced with when they want to exercize their rights and maintain their involvement with the person that caused them so much pain and loss.

Eventually I worked up the nerve to speak to Katy and some of the other "Persons Affected by Crime"(the label we thought was most respectful) about the vicimization most offenders go through on their journey to becoming offenders. I had actually vowed to not to express my views, my opinions, about how people get to the point in their life where taking another life becomes a possibility. But, I got the sense that these inspiring people knew exactly what I was talking about. And of course, they did.

Anyway, it was an incredible day and I left with wth a feeling of hope for the survivors and for the rest of us.

again....

2005-11-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm trying this again. I've had many blogs on the go in the past year and have deleted them all...cos.. well I kinda lost track of them.

I think the problem was they were too compartmentalized..One blog about distributed learning, another about substance abuse, yet another about mental health and psychobiology... Crap, what was I thinking?

So, this is an attempt at putting it all in one place. Just the stuff that I think is interesting... cool... or that in some way resonates with me..