In this Discussion exercise, we focus on educational organizations.  First, take a quick look at pages 93-97 in our book.  There Laloux writes, “Our schools today are probably further away from self-management than most other types of organizations.  We have turned schools, almost everywhere, into soulless factories that process students in batches of 25 per class, one year at a time.  Children are viewed essentially as interchangeable units that need to be channeled through a pre-defined curriculum.”  He goes on to state that this factory-like system is out of date.  And note that Laloux is writing in Europe, not America.  What he states here seems to hold true throughout most of the contemporary Western society.  He asks, “But is it possible to build a truly Evolutionary/Teal school?  And what would it look like?”  Laloux shares examples (i.e. ESBZ) where students, teachers, and parents all “self-manage.”  Note, by the way, the similarities between how ESBZ is structured and your own ASU online educational experiences (i.e. self-pacing, discussion exercises, the community forum, conversations, etc); but ESBZ is a grammar school!

For some cultural context in regard to America, examine the following e-mail that I received from a friend of mine a while back.

“Doug Deucey [at the time, Arizona’s newly elected govenor] is a wiener!  You already know that though.  There was an English teacher on this morning’s news saying that even before these latest cuts [immediately upon taking office, AZ’s new governor implemented unprecedented cuts in education at all levels throughout the state] — she had no textbooks for her students!  What’s left for them to cut back on now?  Teachers already pay out of pocket for so many of their own materials [true] . . . It’s so f__ked!!!!  And people like Deucey send their children to schools where the parents donate obscene amounts of money to insure that their own children have the necessary tools.”

Concerned mothers like this one (she has a daughter in grammar school), are obviously forced to scramble for non-tradtional educational structures (i.e. home-schooling and charter schools) for their children.

Is it time to reinvent how we educate our children?  For this Discussion exercise, answer the following questions: Is it possible to build a truly Evolutionary/Teal school?  And what would it look like?  In your opinion, how should/could the school be structured and what should/could the curriculum look like?  Obviously, I am looking for a brief outline here, but do give this some thought.

On the Discussion page, write at least 150-250 words (again, word counts are minimums — you may write over the count if you need to).  When composing your posts, do note that I am particularly looking to see how well you are assimilating the content of Laloux’s thoughts on the nature of Teal/Evolutionary/Integral organizations.

Then, writing at least 150-250 words per post, post a response to TWO of your classmates. Share whether you agree or disagree with what your classmates have shared.  Where is your thinking similar and/or dissimilar?

For help, examine the resources below:

Transforming History: A New Curriculum for a Planetary Culture

Above is the title of a book written by integral thinker William Irwin Thompson.  Click on the link and you will find the brief “Forward” and a small section from a chapter summarizing what a curriculum might look like for Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade.  Thompson created and implemented an “evolution of consciousness curriculum” based on the philosopher Jean Gebser’s

“structures of consciousness” (magical, mythical, mental, and integral) which was, as you now know, utilized by Ken Wilber and Frederic Laloux. 

The resources listed below are all optional, but recommended.

The Ross School (East Hampton, New York) (Links to an external site.)

The Wikipedia entry for where Thompson’s curriculum was implemented.

Cultural History and Complex Dynamical System

This is a chapter taken from Transforming History that contains the philosophical foundation of Thompson’s work at The Ross School.

William Irwin Thompson (Links to an external site.)

The Wikipedia entry for Thompson himself.

Gain Politics (Links to an external site.)

A superb/very informative article about William Irwin Thompson.

NOTE: Below are three YouTube clips on various aspects of The Ross School Curriculum: