Journal Prompt
#2
Why am I here? (i.e., in the course rather than the more general existential dilemma)
Reflect on the following questions:
- What can I do over the next three months that will make a truly significant difference individually, on a group level, as a class, and beyond?
- What can I do over the next three months that would allow me to say (following Hock) “If we could achieve that, my life (or at least this course) would have meaning.”
Now, following Zander, “stand in the future” and write a letter dated May 6, 2005, that begins “Dear John & Glenn” and tells your own Organizations That Learn story. Describe, in as much detail as you can, what you’ve achieved during the semester, on an individual, group and class level, and how you were able to achieve it. Tell us about what you and the class have accomplished, the transformations you and the class have experienced, how you made it happen and perhaps even the mistakes from which you learned.
Remember to write from the future; don’t use “I will,” “I hope,” or “I plan.” Try not to limit yourself. Write from the perspective of that person who has achieved everything you set to … and maybe more. Don’t limit yourself. There’s no reason not to set ambitious goals.
Evaluation
Reflect on the role of academic evaluation at an individual, group and class level. Think about what’s usually evaluated in a course. How is it evaluated? What role does or ought evaluation to play? What, if anything, ought to be evaluated? How might evaluation be done in a way that supports our overall purpose – as individuals, groups and a learning organization?
Zander & Zander, The Art of Possibility, pp. 27-28