(Activity 2.30 based on Chapter 7, Ison (2010))
The C-ball is for Contextualising. Ison (2010) summarises it as:
symbolises the act of Contextualising a particular approach to a new situation (page 58)
So it includes choosing methods, tools and techniques and adapting the use of them to the situation as part of Practice Continue reading
(Activity 2.29, based on Chapter 6, Ison (2010))
The E-ball is for Engaging. It is about the choice we make for Engaging with a situation. Ison (2010) summarises it as:
symbolises the characteristics ascribed to the ‘real-world’ situation that the juggler is Engaging with (page 58)
Most of the concepts and ideas about Situations in the Chapter were familiar to me already – from management, development management and Systems courses. However, reading the Chapter reminded me of the feeling I had moving from O’level to A’level Biology – I had to revisit what I thought I knew and learn a whole new level of subtlety. Continue reading
(Activity 2.28 based on Chapter 5, Ison (2010))
The B-ball is for Being. Ison (2010, 58) says it
“symbolises the attributes of Being a practitioner with a particular tradition of understanding”.
To me it entails touching base with the relationship I (the practitioner) have with my framework of ideas. Those ideas are grounded in my experiences to date – experiences that have come from my history. Continue reading
(Activity 2.25)
How do each of the juggling balls manifest in an aspect or activity in my life?
I am going to consider this in relation to my practice as a student engaged in studying/learning – because I am doing it now so it should be relatively easy to reflect on (famous last words…) Continue reading
(Activity 2.20, 2.22)
I do use the metaphor of juggling in relation to the competing priorities in my life – being at work; being an OU student; domestic life; spending time with my husband; getting to see our wider family; organising holidays; my allotment; my other hobbies. When any one of these ‘balls’ is active, there is another sub-set of tasks to juggle – so the allotment ball opens up a series of other balls – plant potatoes; dig in compost; sow leeks and so on. Continue reading
(Activity 2.13)
Ison (2010, 19) says that what constitutes systems practices arises in social relations – if an observer attributes the adjective ‘systemic’ to behaviour they observe or the writings of another. The observer could be the practitioner themself or another party.
So when I am ‘doing systems practice’ what is it that marks out that behaviour for me? What makes me feel I am doing it for ‘real’? Continue reading
(Activity 2.8)
Ison* (2010, chapter 13) discusses a systems view of valuing and evaluation. Before, I try and summarise these views, I thought it would be good to take stock of where my understanding is starting from. Continue reading
(Activity 2.6)
It seems it is important that I get my head around this question. I have decided to do it through iterative questioning – in problem solving, there is a way of looking at causes called the 5 Whys – essentially you keep asking why to every level of answer. I am going to use a similiar approach but ask “And, what do I do when I do that?” to see how far I get. Continue reading
(Activity 2.4)
I want to use this post to pull together thoughts so far on Systemic Inquiry. I am not sure whether I have thoughts of my own yet – it is all about distilling, making sense of and grasping what has been presented in TU812 course materials – Open University (2010)* and Ison (2010)**. Continue reading
My first routine use of the word “practice” was when I had piano lessons as a kid. Practice was about repetition – playing the same pieces again and again until somehow they became easier to do. My husband is currently studying the OU’s Beginner’s French course – there seems to be a lot of practice in that – partly the motor skills of pronunciation but again lots of repetition until it ‘goes in’. So I suppose at its most basic level, the word “practice” is about becoming much more familiar with doing something so that it becomes a more natural part of your skill set. I think that one of the reasons I have chosen to study Systems Practice is so that I can practice it – to keep using it so it is a much more natural part of the way I think and do. Continue reading