For two days in September, I attended a workshop by a facilitator from Forum Corporation. It was the first time I had been a participant in 'teaching as training'. As outlined by Clabaugh and Rozycki (2011), this conception of teaching is intended to "meet certain external demands imposed on the individual". In addition to the functional improvements, I found interaction with this conception of teaching incredibly informative.
The workshop was entitled Leading Change. The primary teaching material was by Forum New Zealand and Massey University (2012). Of the two days, I found the first the most useful. Our group of 10 participants learnt about building adaptability to manage continuous change. The first skill we learnt was to raise our "ambiguity threshold" through five practices:
- considering future impacts,
- being open to uncertainty,
- employing self-determined improvisation,
- applying perseverance; and
- leveraging inquisitiveness. (ibid., pp. 8-12)
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| Image: © Copyright Ian Greig and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence |
The second skill involved managing our "internal monologue[s]" by finding and applying controls, taking responsibility, scoping, and judging the duration (ibid., pp. 13-15). The third skill was the one I found needed the most improvement: developing my "energy supply" (ibid., pp. 16-18). Although I assessed myself as having a good understanding of my meaning-making processes, healthy behaviours (for example, adequate sleep, drinking enough water, and not exceeding my limits) required significant and immediate improvement. Thus, I could perceive ways to apply the skills to manage external pressures.
Unlinked Reference
Forum New Zealand, & Massey University. (2011). Leading change at Massey University [Workbook]. Christchurch, New Zealand: Forum New Zealand.
