Tuesdays with Jane: Week #9

(Tuesdays with Jane is a virtual learning series for those wishing to read or re-read Jane's books and immediately apply their new learning to their workplace. In preparation for this task, read Chapter 8 of Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach.)

Praxis:  Turning Practice into Action and Reflection

Chapter Eight shows an almost impossible training situation in a distant island republic on the most distant small island of that nation. The diversity of the learners—from many different organizations—and the breadth of the mandate from Save the Children was overwhelming. Without the collaboration of Karen and Michael, I might well have given up! However, I made enough mistakes for all of us to learn a great deal!

I found many lessons for my present life as I read the story and remembered the blue-green water and bright blue skies of that island event. This chapter can be praxis for you as you read about and picture the action, and consider what you might do in such a demanding situation!

Some great lines from Chapter Eight:

  • “We do indeed evoke the world we perceive.” p118
  • “They knew they knew, because they had just done what they were learning. Their practice was becoming praxis.” p120
  • “What we did in the training room is what they would do in the villages.” p121
  • “When you do not know what to do next, admit it and get some help from colleagues.” p123
  • “Mustafa Hussein put it clearly: ”We see now that change is from the heart!” p126

A LEARNING TASK: 

Describe when your mistakes proved a rich source of learning for you and the group of learners. Why do you think the mistakes described in this story are so helpful to your learning the value of praxis?

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE