Touchstones Discussion Project

Final Day at Sea: Final Seminar Aboard the Explorer

2009-11-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

Seminar in the Chart Room

The final reading selection for the Aspen seminar groups was Montaigne’s essay on cannibals. Because of tight scheduling, the two seminars met as a combined group for one last seminar in the Explorer’s Chart Room. While the topic of cannibalism didn’t appeal to several participants, the mid-afternoon cocktail hour hosted by the ship’s captain eased their pain.

http://courses.csusm.edu/hist318ae/Montaigne%20essay.htm

As the participants discussed Montaigne’s essay and their own understanding of cannibalism, there were frequent but minor and jubilant incursions into the conversation from outside on the bow—whales were breaching at 10 o’clock! The unquenchable appetite to watch these magnificent mammals overcame a number of the participants, who quietly slipped away from the discussion and just as quietly returned some time later.

Meanwhile, the stalwarts of the seminar groups persevered with their examination of human behavior in its many strange and horrific illustrations. What were we to think of Montaigne’s assertion that cannibalism hardly exceeds the terrors and murderous rampages inflicted on the “savages” of the New World by the esteemed explorers from the Old? Are there various forms of cannibalism? Might the systematic destruction of the New World’s inhabitants by the Europeans be seen as consuming one’s enemies—metaphorically if not literally? How do we see ourselves some four hundred years later?

The sun moved low on the horizon and the seminar ended. We all retired to the next celebration and our final evening together as fellow explorers.

Before dawn the next morning, we pulled into port in Salvador Bahia. We had taken the Middle Passage. But unlike the millions of enslaved peoples who crossed before us, we were free to step off the ship—to choose how and where and when to continue our exploration, to live every day as we wish.

Sessions 3 and 4 of the Aspen Institute Seminar Aboard Explorer

2009-10-27T04:44:00.001-07:00

The third and fourth seminar sessions were lively—even heated—discussions about deeply troubling issues. In the third session, the group read selections from A Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies by Las Casas and On the American Indians by Vitoria. Both readings present details of the near total devastation of the people and lands in the New World within forty years of the Spanish “discovery.” And both are appeals to the court and magistrates for the immediate termination (in the name of the King and Queen of Spain) of the human slaughter and destruction of property and fertile domain.

The discussion ranged over the possible motives that would prompt people, “Christians,” not only to conquer and subjugate but also to commit genocide, particularly among a people described as “most guileless and the most devoid of duplicity, the most obedient and faithful to their native master and to the Christians whom they serve” (Las Casas). The seminar participants considered how when one confronts something entirely new that it sometimes may seem so alien that massive destruction is the fastest way to transform it to something known. From their own extensive experience, people raised issues of genocide in Africa, the Baltics, as well as the holocaust, which led us to consider that these acts are all too present through human history.

As the Explorer sailed through The Middle Passage, this part of the trade triangle between Africa and the New World that transported enslaved humans, the two seminars read excerpts from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano and Aristotle’s exposition on natural slavery and Melville’s Benito Cereno. The groups questioned whether the enslavement of others is a necessary element of human nature or rather a deliberate means by which humans capitalize on economic and social conditions at the expense of life.

As the sessions pursued these difficult issues, the participants thought that “slave” was not an entirely accurate rendering of what Aristotle meant or that the definition and reality of enslavement changed significantly through human history. The groups looked at the emergence of slavery as a racial and gender issue rather than one of conquest and subjugation or even “mutual benefit” such as Aristotle proposes between master and “slave,” in which the relationship is a natural outcome and friendship is possible. (Smartly, the moderator eliminated all of Aristotle’s “observations” on women, lest the group commit mutiny.) Some participants postulated that there are natural leaders and natural followers, while others thought that everyone has the capacity to lead.

Pre-dawn St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks

2009-10-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter_and_Saint_Paul_Archipelago
At about 6:00 this morning, an announcement was made that the ship was approaching St. Peter and St. Paul rocks, a rather curious archipelago (that's an awfully long label for this tiny chain) in the Atlantic Ocean. Just north of the equator, these rocks house a Brazilian research station and a lot of brown boobies. After a few moments spent lingering off "shore," the ship sailed on.

The crossing of the equator was the next excitement this morning around 11:00 AM. Even with the strong surf, it was easy to spot that imaginary red line running east-west right under the boat!

The ship's current coordinates are 00 36.97 S, 30 10.61 W. Two more days at sea before we reach Salvador Bahia, but with luck we will see the Fernando de Noronha later today or tomorrow. Unfortunately there is no time for a stop, but that will be a place worth coming back to!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_de_Noronha

More later on the equatorial ceremonies planned for later this afternoon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-crossing_ceremony

Here is the sun at 6:41 this morning... gorgeous!

From Fogo, Cape Verde to the Mid-Atlantic Seminars

2009-10-24T04:35:00.001-07:00

Ship's coordinates are: 5 47.12 N, 27 55.02 W

The ship’s last port of call in Cape Verde was on the island of Fogo—the second to last in the chain as one travels clockwise from the northernmost islands. Fogo is fascinating and beautiful, with dramatic contrasts between the seasonally verdant hillsides to the ash and lava covered interiors of the calderas. There is no docking potential at the island, except for small boats or ships. So our trip ashore to meet the vans to take us around the island was aboard Zodiacs. The Explorer has a number of Zodiacs, which each accommodate about 13-14 people.

Our 1 ½ hour trip to the caldera took us to the village of Cha das Caldeiras, after landing in São Felipe. Climbing on cobblestone roads around the south eastern side of the island and then up into the interior provided excellent opportunities to glimpse agricultural methods, crops, construction projects (particularly new cobblestone roads and retaining walls), catchwater basins, and goat herders with their flocks. A young Peace Corp member joined us for the ride to the caldera, and he explained economic incentives that encourage farmers to switch to drip irrigation—the cost of purchasing water drops by 60% for those who do install drip systems. Fogo receives about 10” of rainfall a year, at most, so water conservation methods are essential for all aspects of island life.

As the group entered lands designated as national park, the scene changed dramatically. We found ourselves surrounded by volcanic landscape—aa (pronounced “ah ah”) lava (sharp and fractured flows), pahoehoe lava (smoother and more ropey formations), very small granular black rocks (ash), and enormous walls of what remains of the volcano and its cone. There have been numerous eruptions, which means there are many flows from various times before and since recorded history.

Cha das Caldeiras, which is within the park, is itself remarkable in its general isolation from the rest of the island’s inhabitants in its position in the interior of the caldera.

Not far away from the village center and against one of the crater walls, there is a small vineyard where there is access to underground water sources. The wine produced is surprisingly potable and the vineyard owners have opened a tasting room for tourists who come to see the spectacular scenery. This establishment, with its new and attractive architecture, immaculate bathrooms, and landscaped interior garden is a marked contrast to the rest of the village.

After our trip to Fogo, our final activity before heading out to sea was a late afternoon kayaking trip on the deep blue and gently swelling waters off the coast of Brava, the south-westernmost island in the chain.

Now on our second day at sea since departing land, there is less and less to report from outside the ship. Occasionally, sea birds have been spotted, and there was a single group of dolphins yesterday that were quickly outpaced by the ship. One starts to get a glimpse of what life at sea was like for mariners of eras past—a lot of time spent scanning the horizon and keeping vigil for something, perhaps anything, of interest.

Inside this modern and climate controlled vessel, however, life is quite different—with three or four talks a day by naturalists and the two seminar sessions each afternoon. Yesterday’s sessions focused on two readings about Cortes’ meeting with Montezuma, cacique of the Aztec empire. The first reading was from Cortes’ letter or report to the king, and the second was from accounts recorded around 1528 (seven years after the fall of the city) by Aztec priests and “wise men” who escaped the struggle and persecution.

Both of the selections lend themselves to serious investigation, as they describe strange and unexpected situations. Cortes’ account of the Aztec kingdom is almost unbelievable: a place far superior in order, engineering, and wealth to cities such as Seville, Salamanca, and Grenada in Spain. The seminar ruminated on whether this account was augmented for political purposes—perhaps to justify the ensuing decimation of this advanced culture. What would it have meant for the European explorers to allow a superior culture to continue after its “discovery” by a nation that thought itself above and beyond anything known to man?

Or perhaps Cortes’ report was embellished to ensure continued financial support from the court. What was most interesting for the seminars to consider is the parallelism between Cortes’ account of Montezuma’s greeting him as ‘one of them’ and the Aztecs’ account that they had indeed been awaiting the arrival of a people from the east, as foretold by their legends and wise men. What role did the belief in legends play in the undoing of the Aztec empire? And what is the process of assimilating something “new” into our general understanding of the world when we encounter an unknown place or people?

Man vs Mountain

2009-10-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

News from an “arid” island: Hard to believe this place is usually dry!

All twenty one of us are back from the hike and slowly drying out. Six miles, a 3,000 foot vertical drop, and almost six hours later, we are back onboard ship and have packed our drenched gear off to the laundry. The drizzle at the trail head became an ever steadier rain over the course of the hike. (Sneakers may need to be tossed—the verdict will be out until we can set them in the sun.) And, the abundant rainfall received today and in the past few days meant there were waterfalls everywhere. Tall waterfalls, big waterfalls, trickles, cascades, waterfalls through and over stone walls, and waterfalls over the trail in a number of places. Fingers and feet remain prune-like, but we are all still speaking to one another and perhaps are all the more friendly after our mutual foray into the discomfort zone. This hike was no walk in the park.

As Santo Antão is a volcanic island, the topography is stunning! Beyond the gentle sloping hills that meet the ocean, there are enormous monoliths of rock emerging out of the bottom of deep, narrow valleys. Cultivated terraces—primarily planted with young corn, beans, and manioc—carve parallel lines into even the steepest hillsides. Here and there, cabbages, bananas, sugar cane, coffee, mango and breadfruit trees add variety to the vista.

In spite of the adverse weather, the trek was amazing—switching back and forth through low-hanging clouds and a world of saturated greenery and glimpsing (while keeping one eye on the footing) spectacular scenery. The path, constructed of hand-laid cobblestones, is used with some regularity by the people whose villages would otherwise be almost completely disconnected. And, as we discovered on our (rather terrifying) ride back, one finds this impressive network of hand-laid roads and paths throughout Santo Antão. They are functional works of art that are best appreciated on foot!

Porto Novo, Santo Antao, Cape Verde Islands

2009-10-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Arrival into Porto Novo, Santo Antão, Cape Verde Islands

The ship is docked here in port under mostly cloudy skies and on calm seas. The town, set on a low bluff immediately ahead of the ship’s bow, was still sleeping when we arrived. Colorful houses intermingle with unpainted cement structures. They feature few architectural details other than occasional slanted terracotta shingled roofs to shade the porches that face the harbor.
The west side of the island, where we are docked, is particularly green (compared to what is typical at this time of year), and there was more rain here last night. The trail for which we’re headed may be washed out in places, so there is great opportunity for adventure! Will report more back after our all-day hike.

Meanwhile, a bit about the two seminar groups yesterday afternoon… They both went smoothly, and the 38 participants seemingly enjoyed the collaborative exploration of Tennyson’s Ulysses. The discussion ranged from the question of why people explore, what it means to explore—physical journeys and mental or intellectual exploration—whether Ulysses was himself an explorer, and what happens when one ceases to explore. Participants wondered about the roles of vulnerability, curiosity, and focus in the lives of explorers, as they worked together to build connections between their own experiences and the ideas in the poem.

En Route to Cape Verde--Second Day at Sea

2009-10-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

Coordinates as of 10:37 ET: 19 57.64 N, 23 4.65 W and headed for the Cape Verde Islands. We expect to arrive in the islands this evening.

The seas and winds are favorable, and we’re informed that the ship is making good time. Aside from occasional swells, navigating aboard is relatively easy. Well, unless you’re on the treadmill… that requires a bit more skill even on calm seas.

Only one animal has been spotted today, and that was the Squacco heron. This 40-49 cm long bird, white underneath with tawny wing tops, had found a quiet place to freeload above the ship’s library—at least until some eager camera buffs approached it too quickly. It’s unusual to see this bird at sea, as it’s typically a land creature. Hopefully it has found another secret spot, is resting, and will remain unperturbed until we are closer to land (none yet in sight).

The first official seminar session is only 2.5 hours away, and there are two groups of interested participants. Though there are also selections from Columbus’s and Vespucci’s voyages and Martyr’s account to the King Don Juan of Spain, today’s focus will be on Tennyson’s poem, Ulysses. The discussion will be (at least at the start) about why exploration is ‘as necessary as air’ for characters and people like Ulysses (aka Odysseus) and whether such activity is part of being a leader or part of what makes one a leader.

After the seminar, the participants in each group will complete a questionnaire about leadership, where they will rate the importance/necessity of given characteristics for leadership. Data will be collated tonight and presented to the group in their next session, whatever date that may be.

NOTE: One discovers quickly at sea that dates and days slip away with ease, even for the neurotic. Watches, too, become unnecessary accessories as the time of day can be approximated given the position of the sun and our heading. That is, if one really cares what time is it.

Spotted Dolphin Leaping Ahead of the Ship

2009-10-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

First Full Day at Sea

2009-10-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Coordinates 24 16.54 N, 20 16.49 W

Morning talks on sub-oceanic (specifically Atlantic) geologic activity and the Cape Verde Islands were followed by more preparation and coordination of logistics for the seminar sessions, which will start tomorrow.

An introduction to the seminar environment is scheduled for this afternoon, provided that the entire ship isn't on the bow watching Sperm whales (one sighted earlier), Bryde's whales (spotted yesterday afternoon), or various dolphins (Spotted dolphins were seen yesterday playing off the bow.)

Images and Video from Madeira

2009-10-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

La Palma and La Gomera, Canary Islands

2009-10-18T00:22:00.000-07:00

Three days into the journey have revealed cobblestone alleys and streets of Madeira, with magnificent botanical gardens and immaculate fish market, the steep slopes of La Palma (of the Canary Island group) and a laurel forest with a variety of ferns, and more bananas than one could ever imagine existing in one place.

Following a decent hike in the forest yesterday, the group of intrepid hikers and birders stopped at a local taverna for typical tapas of boiled potatoes, local smoked goat cheese, fresh bread, a red and a green salsa, bananas, meringue, and red wine. La Palma, once the third most important port in Europe—particularly during the Colonial era—is now a much quieter port. Unlike its highly developed counterpart, Tenerife, tourism is the third largest source of revenue, following agricultural exports. Bananas, of course, top the list.

The Explorer is pulling into port now at La Gomera, the last stop in the Canary Islands and the last land before the seminar sessions start. An organizational meeting is planned for tomorrow, as fellow passengers keep asking what the lectures will be about. The seminar experience should be an interesting departure from general expectations and the daily reports and lectures offered by staff experts.

Stop 1 Madeira

2009-10-16T02:03:00.000-07:00

After a few hours spent wandering the historic streets of Lisbon--what a beautiful city!--we arrived to Madeira. The runway is carved into the hillside, which provides for an exciting and scenic approach to landing.

The ship is large and exceptionally comfortable and staffed by friendly crew. Photos to come this afternoon.

Dinner was the next adventure, following a twisty climb via tour bus to one of the tallest spots on the island. Local cuisine of fish and potatoes and maiz (a delicious polenta cake) was topped off with passion fruit pudding and local entertainment of fado and folklore dancers and singers.

Off now to the teleferico and the Botanic Gardens before exploring Funchal.

Touchstones Aboard the National Geographic Explorer

2009-10-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for posts and images from the Nat Geo Explorer as Touchstones makes the journey from Madeira, Portugal to the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, and across the Atlantic to Brazil. Aboard ship, Touchstones President and Co-founder, Howard Zeiderman, will run an Aspen Institute seminar titled, "The Old World & the New - Exploring the European Soul."

Related links to explore:

http://pibmirim.socioambiental.org/en/before-cabral

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Brazil

http://www.blackstudies.ucsb.edu/images/students/mapblackstudies.pdf

http://africanhistory.about.com/od/slavery/tp/TransAtlantic001.htm

Thursday June 4, 2009

2009-06-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a particularly busy day for programming and started with discussions on selections from Sir Francis Bacon, Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The topics for the morning were: presuppositions, assumptions, and mindset. In the discussion on Bacon, participants grappled with the question of which of the idols to which Bacon refers presents the greatest difficulty for a society to overcome. Their discussion mostly concluded that ideology, philosophy, and religion are the hardest to change and must be managed on an individual by individual basis. When considering Gandhi, the group examined the degrees of success and failure in Gandhis leadership. They explored the applicability of satygraha to environments and situations outside of India and drew contrasts and comparisons with more recent movements such as the end of apartheid in South Africa.

Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail was yet another tool for the group to approach the issue of change and various forms of leadership that seek to inform perspectives. When asked the opening question of whether the tension that King wishes to create is effective for change, the group deliberated for almost an hour. It is often difficult for the participants to openly debate issues related to leaders who are almost unilaterally hailed as heroes. Their politeness and respect means that most criticism is carefully book-ended. Yet, if the participants are to better understand their own schema and consider more effective leadership models to employ now and in the future, unhindered critical evaluation is crucial.

In the afternoon, the group explored assumptions in greater detail by working in small groups to analyze the most important challenges that face Tanzania. Each group investigated a different challenge or goal, the resources available to address the challenge, and the resources that are needed to accomplish change. They then outlined a possible plan to effect change. For many of these challengesHIV AIDS, clean water for all, better infrastructuremindset may play a role in the solution, but tangible and real resources are needed. Other issues such as gender equality, improved governance, and increased literacy rates are more dependent upon systematic and deliberate plans to change the attitudes and presuppositions of the Tanzanian people. The resources for such movement are availablethey exist in the strategies that are already in motion and that are succeeding. And the vision and drive lives within the current and rising leaders of this peaceful nation.
Change may be slow, but many members of this group had a strong sense that more can and must be done now.

At the end of the day, it was time for the group to practice new roles and to take on different perspectives by performing the story of Midas from Mary Zimmermans contemporary stage adaptation of Ovids Metamorphoses. The larger group was divided into two smaller groups and each was given a different ending to the play. In addition to teamwork, collaboration, and exploring new roles, the question the groups were asked to consider was if it is really possible for a person to change and if so, how it happens.

Both groups provided lively performances that were flavored with their own interpretations and humor. Their enthusiastic collaborations once again illustrated the earnestness with which the participants approach their work and their play.

Three participants from EPSL Group 4 watch their peers perform "Midas.

Wednesday, June 3 2009

2009-06-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

2009-06-02T11:49:00.003-07:00

Yesterday, Monday, June 1, marked the beginning of the fourth and final group for the first year of the Enhanced Public Service Leadership programming. Seventeen leaders from government and private sector convened to start the process of building collaborative leadership to advance the country’s primary goals. Among those present in the group are senior members of the Ministry of State and Constitutional Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Road Fund Board, UCB Bank, Community Education, Labour Employment and Youth Development, Dar Rapid Transit, and Public Service. It is the most diverse group yet, with five women bringing their distinct perspectives and experiences to this collective endeavor. In addition, the range of professional backgrounds—from a hydrogeologist from the Dam and Drilling Agency to a judge on the Ethics Commission—has already translated to discussions rich with views that reflect contemporary issues in Tanzania.

As in each week’s session, day one introduces participants to the structured seminar environment and several difficult topics meant to initiate discussion around mindset—how to recognize one’s own mindset and the mindsets of others. In discussions about gender equality, it became clear early on that this issue is highly resistant to change. Questions arose about how and why ‘in social rights, men trespass to take more than their share.’ Another participant wondered if ‘because woman is subordinated to man in many religious foundational works, God could truly have been present when those texts were written.’

Today, the readings centered on issues of the use and abuse of power. In the discussion on a selection from a Platonic dialogue, participants discussed the idea of justice and if it exists in fact or merely as an ideal. Though generally agreeing on certain points in the discussion, the group was split about whether there is absolute justice or only somewhat contextualized justice. Participants provided compelling support for their perspectives and respectfully listened and responded to their colleagues’ ideas. There was consensus that instruments such as constitutions and the rule of law do help check potential abuse of power, but many in the group felt that the eradication of corruption and abuse of power is not an attainable goal.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

2009-06-02T11:49:00.001-07:00

The weekend provided the moderator team with a rare and relished break to explore outside the seminar room. On Sunday morning, the three of us headed to historic Stone Town for breakfast overlooking the dhows and other wooden fishing boats at the quiet southern end of the town beach. Over delicious coffee and freshly made flat bread, we reflected on our prior day’s jaunt to Prison Island, more appropriately called Changuu Island. There, we met and fed some of the island’s hundred or more giant Seychelles tortoises and marveled at their vast size and strangeness.

The island is a quiet sanctuary, though there is a hotel of sorts. It is uncommon to find all the evidence of a hotel—a pool, tennis courts hidden amongst low pines, restaurants with chairs and tables—without a single guest. Where was everyone? Over a beer, we learned the answer. Things are busy only from July to December. We were glad for this fact; aside from a skeleton staff and one family picnicking on the beach, we had the island to ourselves.

Now, after lingering over the first cup of non-instant coffee since arriving to Zanzibar, we planned our day’s work in Stone Town: to find gifts to carry home to loved ones when we depart on Saturday. For more than an hour, we meandered through the narrow and shopped-lined streets. Wares pour out of the shops to decorate the heavy and carved door frames and cement steps. The Zanzibar doors are of legendary proportion. They are wide and tall, made of massive and dark wood and framed with elaborately engraved floral and geometric designs. We learned last year how the details reveal cultural clues about those who live or lived inside. Onion-domed brass decorations protrude horizontally out of these already formidable doors, making them all the more powerful and strong-looking.

On every street, eager children greet us in English, apparently proud of their skills. Their open and friendly approaches underscore the communal atmosphere found among these walkways shaded by the closeness of the buildings. Women—some in burkhas, others in abundantly colorful and traditional East African attire of matching top, skirt, and headscarf, and still others in western attire—move freely through the town. There is a pervasive feeling of peace and an ease of movement everywhere we wander.

It strikes us that Stone Town, with its winding alleys and dark passages between buildings—often leading to dead ends or back to where you were five minutes ago—is like a dry Venice. As is the case with its Italian cousin, Stone Town’s history is intimately linked with merchant trade and the resulting wealth. Unlike Venice, however, modern Stone Town isn’t scrubbed clean by the money of millions of tourists. There are trash heaps tucked into many corners. Piles of ash, bits of unmelted metal, and smoke stains on the long-ago whitewashed walls remain after the trash is burned. Along the lowest point of the street, a small stream of muddy water leads the way to nowhere. As our feet tired, one man from a group who were sitting sharing their stories, asked if we were lost. We had been lost with the first right turn, or was that a left turn? Nevertheless, we were successful. Each of us found something to bring home. But I was the only one with a bag in my hand at the end of the day.

Resources for EPSL Particpants

2009-05-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Research and Report Links:

International Literacy Rates from UNESCO 2007

United Nations 2007/2008 Human Development Report on Climate Change

Renewable Energy: Global Status Report, 2009 Update

Leadership and Public Service Links:

Why Innovative Government Doesn’t Need to be a Contradiction

Center for Public Leadership

Center for Creative Leadership

The Tavistock Institute

Other Links:

THE TANZANIA DEVELOPMENT VISION 2025

Complete version of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail

Ovid's Metamorphoses - Tale of Midas

The Bhagavad-gita

Program Press Coverage:

CEO Roundtable - Tanzania: Media Room

EPSL project set for launch

Tanzania: EPSL Project Set for Launch

Friday May 29, 2009

2009-05-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

This morning, the EPSL participants performed two versions of Ovid’s play Midas from “Metamorphoses.” The body of the play follows the contemporary version by Mary Zimmerman, but each of the two subgroups from this EPSL session performed a different ending: one in which Midas is redeemed and the other in which, though he is given a chance at redemption, Midas has so ignored the natural world and all that is around him that he cannot remember what the stars look like so that he may recognize their reflection in a pool of water and be released from his cursed gift.

The participants did a great job of collaborating and of interpreting the play, and their work together on it helped prepare them to take on, for the first time in any of the EPSL programme sessions, the role of moderator in the last four sessions of the programme.

Four groups, with two group-designated primary moderators in each, moderated discussions on selections from Plutarch, Confucius, Machiavelli, and Al-Farabi. The moderators deftly navigated the difficult task of both participating as members of the group while simultaneously serving to monitor and respond to the group’s progress, ensuring balanced participation and collaborative, fruitful, and respectful discussions.

This afternoon, the group will examine three goals that they have identified as having primary importance relative to the progress of Tanzania. Those goals are to provide access to education for all children (primary and secondary) and increase literacy rates, better health services for all Tanzanians, and improved infrastructure—particularly better roads to rural places within the country.

More later on the groups’ presentations on the goals and on the ceremony to recognize their participation in this important program.

Thursday May 28, 2009

2009-05-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

EPSL group 3 participants have now explored the topics of power, authority, beliefs and attitudes. Today they are exploring presuppositions and their role in decision making and leadership.

Discussions continue to be lively and thoughtful, as the group members work to build on each others’ contributions and to ask each other questions about what they are sharing. This morning’s discussion, on a selection of Bacon’s New Organan, raised issues about how the associations we form through language and the formation of community are great sources of conflict in society—whether those are associations formed in a church or mosque, through trade, by tribal unity, or some other connection. The discussion continued for about 30 minutes before the group moved naturally into the question of how, if one is to change his or her mindset, a visionary convinces people to follow a new plan. Nyerere’s and Gandhi’s strategies were cited as examples of effective communicators of vision—Nyerere with his oratorical and teaching skills and Gandhi with his willingness to be one with the people he wanted to help change. Most of the group concurred that mindset can be changed, particularly with exposure and strategic education.

Monday, May 25, 2009

2009-05-27T07:14:00.001-07:00

Zanzibar, like many equatorial places, enjoys temperate breezes, sun showers, and equal parts day and night. But one cannot write about Zanzibar without including a description of the dhows that skim the waves, with their simple ancient structure and excellent balance, billowing sails and important cargo. Nor can one exclude the tall palm trees that fringe the sandy coast—sometimes chalk white and other times dusky and rocky. On either the east or west coast of the island, the receding tide leaves rippled flats that stretch far out toward deeper and dark blue water, where sand bars surprise and interrupt the otherwise flat horizon. On the beachfront or in the towns, men and women are busy with their industry: unloading the day’s catch, weaving fishing baskets, making large clay pots for houseplants and cooking, selling wares, conducting business, puttering on wide and narrow streets on their motorbikes. Moments after sunset, one hears the Imams call from the mosques to bring many of Zanzibar’s faithful to prayer. It’s a place to escape the bustle of the modern world and appreciate different sights, sounds, scents, customs, and beliefs—to hang a hammock by the sea and slip into a gracious society.

This is where we are to conduct the third and fourth sessions of Tanzania’s Enhanced Public Service Leadership (EPSL) Programme, which seeks to bring top level civil servants from mainland Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar together with the country’s CEOs so they can forge new understandings of their respective goals and build collaborative relationships that allow them to reach those goals successfully. Unlike any other group with which Touchstones works, this group has the future of an entire nation in its sights. They are dedicated and passionate participants who have set aside a week from their exceptionally busy work schedules—and away from their families—to focus on a new approach to problem solving and to investigate innovative forms of leadership during phase I of this programme.

The EPSL seminar, which first launched in August 2008, is part of a three-year programme that Touchstones will run with 80 Tanzanian leaders. The programme is the brainchild of CEO Roundtable Chair and Aspen Crown Fellow, Ali Mufuruki, who found support for his vision with Tanzania’s past President and who continues to champion the programme in partnership with the current administration under President Kikwete, the CEO Roundtable Scholarship Fund, and the World Bank. In consultation with Mr. Mufurki, Touchstones President, Howard Zeiderman, developed the custom seminar curriculum and programme format. He and Ford Rowan co-moderated the first two sessions last August and have returned now to run the final two sessions of the first phase of the programme.

Yesterday’s launch included opening comments by guests of honor, the Chief Minister of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Hon. Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, and the Tanzanian Minister of Constitutional Affairs and Justice, Hon. Mathias Chikawe in which they both urged participants to make the most of this opportunity to collaborate and build new and more effective means for achieving progress in Tanzania. After a short tea break and a chance to thank the guest speakers for their commitment to the programme, the participants and moderators set to work. First by covering introductions and then the Touchstones ground rules, they ease slowly into this unknown approach. With the first discussion on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave from The Republic, the group comes to life. By the time that they finish the afternoon session on a selection from Simone de Beauvoir’s Second Sex, the group is actively and openly exploring whether central issues in the texts are helpful tools for dismantling barriers between people. There are fireworks, as different perspectives expressed by men and women reveal the sensitivity to existing problems of gender equality. But humor never completely deserts the room, and even the most passionate exchanges remain mostly respectful and are followed by laughter or gentle teasing. Though the session ends on one of the lighter notes, the group has already done much hard work to forge new and respectful relationships. Thoughtful engagement and lively participation is securely underway.

More tomorrow on Day 2, as the group explores the topic of power—its use and abuse.

from Garreth Heidt

2009-05-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Several years ago my students were discussing “The Koran”—lesson 4 from Volume A. We were discussing the issue of revenge and how one would respond to real life instances where someone had injured or wronged you or a member of your family. Students were offering examples from their life and reflecting on how their reactions connected to the passages from the Koran. A certain student spoke up--someone who rarely spoke up before—and said, “If someone shoots my brother, I’m going to go after them and shoot them.” A certain silence, deeper than the patient silence of the pause before someone speaks, settled over the room. I did not intervene. I did not point out that the law prevents such vigilantism. I waited. Soon, the class began to question him. Not in an accusatory fashion, but probing…trying to figure out where such a response came from and why. I didn’t speak for several minutes. They understood the import of what they were doing. There was no blame or labeling. There was simply discussion of right and wrong, comparison to the text and use of the text to defend or think critically about the position. What I was watching was the class offering this single student a chance to achieve a goal: to understand how others saw him; to learn from others.

Never before at such an early stage had I experienced such a response with a group of students. Not even with my “gifted/academically talented” students. Certainly they had to have been comfortable enough with one another to reach such a stage so early. And they had to respect each other enough to approach the subject as they did. That is a testament to the teachers they had had before me. However, it was the content and the structure of the Touchstones discussion project that allowed for such growth to happen so soon in the project.

from Karl Adler

2009-05-11T12:54:00.001-07:00

Day 3 of Swine Flu as a headline story in the news: Six students and a teacher sitting around a table. One student coughs, and the teacher reminds her to cover her cough. Immediately the other five students start coughing with their mouths covered.

from Diane Sepe

2009-05-11T07:56:00.003-07:00

I love using the essay "Revenge" when working with ninth graders who read "The cask of Amontillado" and "The Most Dangerous Game." The kids become animated in their discussions, and they realize the universality of human emotions.

from Donna Meyer

2009-05-11T07:56:00.001-07:00

My favorite Touchstones experience always come from the "Case Study of Lying and Medical Ethics" activity. It is fascinating to watch 7th and 8th grade students struggle to come to terms with "when is it okay to lie" - if ever!'

from MaryAnne Farley

2009-05-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

We love Touchstones here at Barnstable Middle School. I have used it with students in Grades 7 and 8 for 8 years now. I teach small groups of students in a pullout gifted student program, so you would think all my students would freely talk about many issue. Sometimes, however, I find that some are reluctant. I find that often a group that doesn't usually talk will feel completely free in the Touchstones classroom. Thank you for this incredible program.

I am not sure what you mean by favorite Touchstones class experience...but here is an activity which I add early in the seminars, when I find students who do not look for clues from others that there is a space where they many enter the conversation without interrupting someone else.

Students sit in a circle, as in the Touchstones style. The goal is to cooperatively count as high as they can with the following rules:

Only one student can name a number at a time.
No visual or oral signals may be used.
No patterns of speakers may be incorporated.
All students must participate.

A given student begins by saying "1". Any other student may then say "2". Individual students say the numbers in ascending order. If two or more students say a number together, the game starts all over again. We keep track of how high a class can go. Sometimes we have to stop and analyze what works for us: watching all other speakers, taking time to go slowly, etc.

The students give their ideas, and off they go again. They love this activity! It does help them to learn to pay attention to everyone else in the group.