CUBA 2014: Culture Shock? A pleasant surprise, really.

                I fit in well with the people that I met in Cuba. Whether this is something that would last over time, or whether I was just lucky, or perhaps it was a façade because I was a “rich tourist,” I do not know. But I met the kindest and warmest people and had a wonderful time. This was partly because I went out of my way to interact with locals and ask questions. The people that I met seemed to really enjoy talking about their lives and sharing with me places to go and do which are off the beaten path. I even had a number of them invite me to come back, offer to find me a Casa Particular (which is local housing for foreigners rather than a hotel), etc. I was impressed by the hospitality. Perhaps if you live in the Mid-Atlantic, you will understand why I found this so enchanting; compared to us, the Cuban people are so very friendly and kind. There are plenty of good people here, but in terms of laying out the welcome mat, Cubans show us that we have a long way to go. 

                          Being a tourist in Habana Vieja with a local cover model from Nat Geo

                The Cuban style of dress is very similar to trends in the United States. The young men and women could have stepped out of any US university campus or mall. Additionally, there is an abundance of musical talent, and this is apparent in many of the local restaurants, street corners, discotecas, clubs, bars, even the hotel lobby. To make extra money (and especially in the lucrative tourist peso, which is worth 24 national pesos), people of all ages will use their talents to market CD’s, artwork, crafts, etc. You might pay $10 or $15 for an original painting (oil, acrylic, you name it), which for the locals is a month of wages. The further from the tourist path you are, the more likely this money will circulate among the local population rather than getting siphoned into the socialist bureaucracy. So I felt good about buying the few things I did buy for my kids and family and actually wished I could have bought more. If you go to Cuba, leave room in your suitcase for music, books, paintings, carvings, and instruments – handmade wares that are pretty much a steal if you compare them to prices back home. They might stop you in customs on the Cuban side if you buy too many, though, because they think you are reselling them. So, be reasonable and not extravagant. 

                A note to the future traveler on culture:

To be careful of – the dual economy means that you are much richer, freer, more privileged and more powerful than anyone you meet. So be very careful of your presence and how it affects those you are interacting with. Crime is very low in Cuba – almost non-existent – because of the careful surveillance and constant control of people’s behaviors. While in Cuba, be respectful of the fact that there are many questions that the locals are not able to answer (by law) and which you really should not be asking (also by law) and no one should flaunt their freedom, money or possessions in front of others who do not have access. Downplay your affluence and don’t act either rich or spoiled. It will only ruin your trip and isolate you from your potential friends and experiences. It may also make you a target for manipulation. Be smart and considerate when you interact with others. 

CUBA 2014: Getting Situated

                 Upon arrival in Cuba, I began to locate people with whom to practice my Spanish. At first, I found that many of the hotel employees, workers at museums, etc. would ignore me and just say something simple in English, if they said anything at all. Toward the end of the first day, I asked a fellow student from Puerto Rico about this. I thought that perhaps my enunciation was poor or that I was speaking badly (accent, improper grammar, etc.). She assured me that everyone was doing it to her as well and she did not understand. She also affirmed that I was speaking clearly and understandably, and it must be a cultural thing.

I decided rather than to revert to English, to simply keep trying. So I talked to everyone I could and after a day or two, they started to warm up and smile, even telling me that I was doing a good job with my Spanish and talking back to me in Spanish. I think that this is an artifact of the tourism industry here – probably, they have been treated poorly by tourists, are not used to tourists actually speaking to them rather than complaining or telling them what to do. It is kind of like living somewhere touristy – like the Florida Keys – and having to deal with strangers all the time, most of whom do not care about you at all. So I learned that being considerate and genuine, as well as persistent, was the key to interacting with the locals.

                After that, I talked to everyone and made many friends. I learned and used more Spanish in my week in Cuba than I have before, even when I travelled to Mexico. I found it refreshing that so many people would speak slowly to me because they knew that I was learning and that they would actually ask me questions and answer mine in a way that was warm and open. I really fell in love with the people – they just seem so warm and friendly, especially once they found out that I am American. They are very used to meeting Canadians (Cuba is the vacation secret of Canadians, especially French speaking Canadians) but many had never met someone from the USA or at least, not in a while. Many had a friend or family member who “moved” to the US, but because of the embargo, it is rare to have visitors come over from the US.

                There were many misconceptions that the Cuban people had of us, and perhaps some that I had of them. For one, Cubans are very friendly to the US and look hopefully toward Obama to lift the “Blockade” (which we call the embargo). They do not think of themselves as communists, and although they do not enjoy all of the freedoms that we enjoy, they find very intelligently coded ways to express their opinions and feelings. They are very politically minded and well educated – one problem with the quality of life in Cuba is the government restricted salary – but the educational system is pretty exceptional. At the same time, like many of our neighbors, the Cuban people tend to think that we are all rich (which is understandable, since the aforementioned salary is equivalent to $10 USD per month). This may be exacerbated by the fact that only the more affluent are able to travel. It was hard to explain that teachers in the United States really do not make that much money considering how expensive it is to live here and that there is high unemployment and underemployment in the United States, as well. It sounds pretty empty when you hear yourself trying to explain this to someone who makes less in a month than you do in an hour.

                The food was actually a pleasant surprise. I ate very well in Cuba. Images follow, but in a nutshell, lots of fish, lobster, beefsteaks, beans and rice, salads, tropical fruits and great coffee, depending on where you get it. Of course, tourists also have access to a steady supply of alcohol. Since I don’t drink often, I got sticker shock over a soda, which cost much more than a beer or mixed drink. Because of the dual economy (tourists are charged with a different price and use different currency than locals) everything except alcohol is very similar in price to the US. I would equate it to Las Vegas type prices. Very variable and don’t expect to save money or operate on a shoestring budget without going into local neighborhoods and trying out the non-tourist spots (which I strongly suggest and hope to do more of in the future). 

Above are images of food selections in Cuba. The center is the breakfast in Hotel Vedado, the top picture and bottom picture are from Artechef, the culinary institute that we visited as part of our educational program. All delicious. 

Educational Policy and Systems Theory

As mentioned previously, I have been doing a great deal of thinking about systems theory. So, when I came across this blog about four days ago, I realized that now I really have something to write about:http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/alone-in-the-classroom-why-teachers-are-too-isolated/255976/#.T5GwzLtxmpQ.mailto
This is a blog related to teacher isolation and collaboration. In it, Mirel and Golden relay the statistic that only 3% of teachers' time is spent in collaboration. While I agree that this is a travesty, their solution to the problem is to create national curriculum (or uniform curricular units nationwide) which would serve to make collaboration easier across the board. This is a leap beyond the current work pertaining to common core standards, which are not curriculum in and of themselves. The idea is that if teachers all have the same curriculum, then they will all be working on exactly the same lessons at the same time, and that should make collaboration simpler.
They also "demerit" merit pay, saying that it will create a culture of competition between teachers which will decrease collaboration even further and create more isolation, leading to teacher attrition (departure) and lower the quality of teaching. This is an example of systems thinking, where long term results are evaluated based on the current motions and trends in the system. Incidentally,  I agree with their assessment of merit pay and its outcome. However, their first "solution" has multiple shortcomings as well.
For one, creating a uniform curriculum nationwide does not address the problem of teacher collaboration. Collaboration usually happens at the level of the school between teachers who are already working on a similar pacing guide, curriculum or common unit themes. The fact that collaboration is not occurring is therefore not coupled to a disconnect in the timing of unit themes or lesson plans.
Secondly, a movement toward a common curriculum will restrict teachers who are using community based activities and lessons to teach students in culturally specific ways which are more relevant, well rounded and socially minded than the detached, place independent, content driven curricular units which will be created by people in federal offices many thousands of miles away from the communities in which the teachers are working. This lack of contextual knowledge strips the teacher of the rich interaction which takes place between teacher, student and community. Even stuffing social justice ideals into a common curriculum will not create a culturally specific and community minded model of teaching. It is simply too detached and too ignorant to do so.
Finally, and in my mind, the most sinister effect of a common curriculum is that by creating a uniform curriculum which is taught and enforced nationwide will ensure that diversity of knowledge is lost. All students will be indoctrinated with all of the same knowledge in exactly the same manner of conformity. What will happen to universities when the students graduate with a unified understanding and no alternative perspectives? What kind of educational model are we establishing by creating a bounded area of knowledge and disregarding all other epistemologies, viewpoints, subjects and disciplines? More importantly, who are the elite decision-makers who have the power to determine what is being taught nationwide and how that teaching should take place within diverse communities?

There are other systemic effects of adopting a national curriculum. Can you think of any of the problems associated with such a measure? What would some outcomes - positive or negative - be on education?

Systems thinking: Bioecological Systems Theory

I have been doing quite a bit of thinking about systems theory lately. Not only for this class, but for others as well. Lately, I have come across someone named Bronfenbrenner (you should check him out), who started the idea of Bioecological Systems Theory.

This theory reveals the individual as being embedded in a microsocial system (those factors closest to him or her) and a macrosocial system (those environmental factors which put input pressure on the individual - such as geographic constraints, culture, language, etc.), as well as a chronosystem (timing and temporal perceptions). It is a great example of the systems thinking which we have been discussing in class.

Here is a link to some information about the theory:
http://pt3.nl.edu/paquetteryanwebquest.pdf

Do you have an example of the Bioecological System at work or life? Does this add to your understanding of systems theory?

Intergroup Influences

This chapter really kind of tied it all together for me. I have been trying to get the last three paradoxes to crystallize, and for some reason they still seemed too...complex...contradictory....to visualize. However, I think I can now grasp some of the practical implications of the paradoxes in a more meaningful way.
In the context that interests me (schools and school systems), I can see the paradox of scarcity. This framing pattern goes on between schools, districts, and even departments within a single school. The discordance which can lead to group cohesion (p 190) is visible along the administrator vs. teacher lines. In extremely dysfunctional schools (where I am sad to say that I have worked), this leads to endless conflict between the two groups, with administrators blaming teachers for their unscrupulous use of resources and teachers blaming administrators for not supplying the resources necessary to meet the basic needs of their classrooms.
Smith and Berg pay homage to Howard Shein at the bottom of p. 191 when they mention conflicts in values and goals. Within a school (where it is assumed by outsiders that the goals are the same for teachers and administrators), these value conflicts persist. Commonly, I see it as a result of attempting to reconcile outside demands and priorities with the needs of students and personal meanings associated with their respective positions. This can also be explosive, since what results has the potential of becoming a culture war between the two camps. Sadly, who pays for this is the students.
Smith and Berg portray these external conflicts as being neutral - we can't say that any one group is more right or wrong to adhere to their values or decide what boundaries to give up or stand firm to. I am very interested in the practical applications of these paradoxes, now that they seem to be pointing toward practical applications (for awhile there I was questioning the relevance). I may be reading the rest of the book out of personal interest now, instead of out of respect for the subject.
Do you have any practical applications of the paradoxes? Can you imagine how they can be used or referenced if you were trying to resolve conflict within an organization?

Intelligent Decision Making

I found this section (chapter 9) valuable on many levels. For one, I started imaging how a board would effectively make decisions within an emerging non-profit - for example, which projects to create and which funders to involve and what evaluative tools to use, etc. I was seeing some of the working teams which I have been on which have been hasty to enact decision making processes and have then failed in implementation. "It is psychologically easier to adopt a quick solution strategy rather then to be patient, listen and search for collaborative solutions" (p. 161). I had never read or thought about the connection between decision making and implementation in this way before; and this definitely allowed me to think about how that connection plays out in the achievement of the goals (or the failure of implementation). Have you seen this happen in your workplace or in another setting?
I am fascinated by the concepts of group polarization and the Ringi Technique used for decision making. Group polarization could help explain extremism in many settings - critically important in understanding politics both locally and globally. This is obvious when someone who is not really religious becomes very religious within an outspoken religious group. It is also visible in cliques, when you have people enacting a stereotype to an extreme because that is the way to "fit in." Can you think of examples of group polarization? How do you think it has played out in history or is currently playing out in politics?
On the Ringi Technique, I tend to think that this could be a powerful way to avoid confrontation and to alleviate animosity when it comes to controversial issues. Also I am sure that it is not entirely anonymous, it would at least distance those members from each other who might otherwise be explosive in a group setting. However, I can also see that it might hinder the growth of the team in handling conflict. Do you see this as an avoidance strategy and if so, is it good for group development? Does it hinder the "process gain" (p. 148) which is the result of group decision making? 

Paradoxes of Engaging

I was able to easily recognize two examples of the paradoxes of engaging (Smith and Berg, 1987, Chapter 6), one from our class and another from my job. During the first weeks of class, we were told to write the "Where I'm From" assignment, and, if we were comfortable with it, to post it to BlackBoard. I initially thought, well, that's fine, I will do it but probably not post it. I just couldn't imagine sharing it with a class group. Smith and Berg point out "the most natural thing to do is reveal only those things that we are sure will be accepted" (p. 112). On the day that the assignment was due, I went to blackboard and saw that all three of my team-members had posted theirs. Not only did I enjoy reading them, I realized that in order to be a part of the group, I better post mine as well. So I did. This allowed the process of trust to begin among our group members. Did you encounter any examples of Smith and Berg's paradoxes the first few weeks of class? If so, which ones?
The other example is also one of disclosure, but it comes from my work. This time, it pertains to feedback, which is the benefit of having a group to begin with. As Smith and Berg point out, positive feedback does not lead to learning. Negative feedback has the potential to lead to learning. At work, I lead professional development groups (learning communities) with teachers. It is clear when leading the groups how few people are accustomed to giving or accepting feedback which is anything less than glorious. My big challenge to is create an environment of trust and disclosure which allows the teachers to learn how to give and accept feedback which leads to learning. This means making them comfortable with vulnerability and criticism. I do something similar to the example on pages 122-125, where we share common fears and lay groundwork for trust to be built. I use modelling, protocols and sharing to carry this out. The group spends about 90% of the time talking and I listen and facilitate. This works very well with small groups,  but I am not sure how to scale it up to be successful for a large group. Have you ever had to lead a large group to face and move beyond fears of disclosure and trust? How did you do it? If not, how do you imagine that you would do it?