IDEAS, NEWS AND RESOURCES | October 2021
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The Taos Institute's mission is to bring together scholars and practitioners concerned with the social processes essential for the construction of reason, knowledge, and human value, and their application in relational, collaborative and appreciative practices around the world. |
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The Many Ways to Get Involved! |
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Brief Encounter with The Taos Institute |
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"...a turn in the relationship ignited interest, curiosity, and pleasure in learning."
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"The system not only fails the new generations, but poorly prepares us for a future in which global well-being will depend on innovation, improvisation, and collaboration. Recognizing the failings of this tradition, educators from around the world have responded with fresh ideas and innovations." |
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The Joy of Learning
I was asked at a recent education conference to talk about joy in learning. I found myself startled by the question; I had never heard anyone talk about the joy of learning at school. Sure, my parents frequently asked about my scholastic efforts and interests, but scarcely, “what did you find joyful in school today?” So, the question invited a stroll through distant memories. When, if ever, did I find such joy? Two memories took shape. Interestingly, while the first occurred when I was an adolescent and the second in graduate school, they had a certain similarity: In both cases a teacher had expressed special interest in something I had written. In both cases, a turn in the relationship ignited interest, curiosity, and pleasure in learning.
A more profound question now emerges: why don’t school systems foster the kinds of relationships that contribute to such ends - to a love and joy of learning, and indeed an appreciation of the potentials of relationships themselves? In my view, our major practices of education largely have the opposite effects. If my major responsibility as a student is to learn material of someone else’s choosing, and with little relevance to my life, I may well respond with sullen resentment. If grades and tests are then used to force my participation, with failure casting me as “a failure” to all concerned, my resentment may be layered with fear. If my relations with my classmates are also structured as a competition for “a successful future,” the layers are thickened by distrust. Except for a small group of “insiders,” I am alone.
We must recognize that the ingredients of this alienated world of education - standardized curricula, top-down pedagogy, testing – are all byproducts of a century-old image of schools. It is an image that in many ways resembles a factory. The young are raw material, schools shape them into a standardized product, and testing ensure quality control. And then, of course, there is the market, where test scores serve as capital. The system not only fails the new generations, but poorly prepares us for a future in which global well-being will depend on innovation, improvisation, and collaboration.
And now to the present: Recognizing the failings of this tradition, educators from around the world have responded with fresh ideas and innovations. A range of new practices is emerging, one that recognizes the central place of relationship in the educational process, and the critical need for education with better promise for global well-being. It is precisely such advances that will be centrally featured in the Taos Institute’s upcoming virtual conference, Education as Relating, November 4-6, 2021. This event will include over a hundred presentations, workshops, and focused dialogues, proposed by educators, scholars, and students from around the world. There are topics of interest to all concerned from education, from childhood and beyond. It is a conference devoted to shedding the industrial model, sharing practices and resources, and shaping the future of education.
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Coming up in less than a month...
There is still time to register!
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The world is ready for replacing assembly-line classrooms with the vitalizing powers of relating. The directions are clear: from standardization to dialogue, from control to co-creation, and from regimentation to collaboration. Here lie the wellsprings of creativity, caring, and curiosity. Here we prepare for a global future in which inclusion, innovation, and improvisation are essential for a world in harmony.
We will gather from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm EDT, over three days, for stimulating conversations. The program includes plenary sessions with international thought-leaders, many concurrent sessions to choose from on a variety of topics related to all levels of education, from primary to university, many opportunities for small group discussions, and a chance for you to host your own dialogue. Participants get access to a dedicated conference website, lots of resources to take home, CCU if required, and are sure to form rich and lasting connections around the world.
Join us shaping the future of education!
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Invite a young person to join you for this conference - the voices of students need
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with Lorraine Hedtke, MSW, ACSW, Ph.D.
Free webinar on November 10, 2021
11:00 am - 12:30 pm EDT (New York time)
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This webinar will showcase ideas from Lorraine’s research and career about new ideas in grief psychology. Whether speaking to someone in a group or an individual setting, or even friends and family members, when we speak about all that remains after death and celebrate the legacy of stories, we enter into more loving conversations in the face of loss. The webinar will offer unique ideas to enliven conversations about the dead in ways that call on the best of a loving past to chart a way forward. |
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All past Dialogue with the Authors webinars are now available on YouTube!
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Additional Workshop of Interest |
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The Narrative Therapy Initiative presents:
an online workshop with Suzanne Gazzolo, PhD, LCPC
and Matt Mooney, LICSW
December 3 & 4, 2021
10 am - 5 pm EDT (New York time)
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This skill-based, two-day training is for people wanting to learn how narrative therapy ideas are put into practice in therapeutic settings. In particular, we explore externalizing practices and skills in the context of deconstructing and re-authoring therapy conversations. Clinical examples and experiential exercises will help support participants’ learning. Participants can expect to learn how narrative practitioners work to help people separate their lives from problems and identify new steps they can take that fit with their hopes and values. |
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Now available as a free download! |
by Ken J. Gergen, Ph.D.
Social constructionist thought transforms psychotherapy, opening new vistas in understanding and practice. This work provides a brief introduction to social construction, and then illuminates the landscape of change. Special emphasis is given to topics of therapeutic communication, narrative, and therapeutic practices both traditional and contemporary. Critical chapters focus on the oppression of psychodiagnostic categories and the neuro/biological and pharmaceutical investments that support them. Additional chapters provide a range of insights into the poetics of therapy, collaborative practices with clients, and the broader flow of relationships in which therapy takes place.
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#Learning401
by Taos Associate Jen Silbert
Check out Jen Silbert's Ignite Southern RI presentation on #Learning401, speaking to the power of stories to increase engagement in schools. For more inspiration on how to shape the future of education, join the Taos Institute's Education as Relating virtual conference coming up next month!
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ISSUE 11 Available Now!
This free journal brings together members of a growing international community of practitioners, scholars, educators, researchers, and consultants interested in postmodern collaborative practices.
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FREE downloadable books in 12 different languages. Like all of the Taos Institute Publications, WorldShare Books represent significant contributions relevant to social constructionist theory and practice. With over 30 books in English and many more from around the world, you will enjoy reading about education, spirituality, organizational life, community building, group dynamics, leadership and more.
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By focusing on the positive aspects of aging and the availability of resources, skills, and resiliencies, research brings useful insights into the realm of practice, creates hope and empowers action among older people. By moving beyond practices of repair and prevention, to emphasize growth-enhancing activities, practitioners also contribute more effectively to the societal reconstruction of aging. For 20 years, late Taos Institute co-founder Mary Gergen, Ph.D. has inspired and driven the publication of this free newsletter - also translated in 9 languages!
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Access hundreds of articles and papers on topics such as:
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Collaborative Practices
- Dialogic Practices
- Creativity and Change
- Narrative Practices
- Relational Research
- Relational Learning
- Qualitative Research
- and so much more!
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Donate to the Taos Institute
In the current global context, the work in which we engage is more important than ever. You can make a difference by supporting our mission to create a promising future through social construction. Read more
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In loving memory of Taos Institute co-founder and board member Mary Gergen, Ph.D.. Mary was an innovator in feminist theory, social constructionism, and qualitative methods. She was an inspiration and mentor to thousands of people around the world. She deeply cared about making the world a better place and her contributions will be felt for generations. Read more
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