Archive
My dad in France on a recent trip
My dad sorting it all out with his cronies in Morgat
Educational excellence in the Information Age
What is needed?
As we look at curriculum as part of our annual review, we have to consider how do we accomodate as much flexibility as possible for students and instriuctors (with their variety of interests, expereinces, and needs) and the institutional requirement to have field grade officers competent at some level with managing the existing system.
What’s the trade off between educating on “systems as designed /operating” and “system as could/should be?” How much autonomy are we really giving students to design the educational experience they need? We trust our officers with the security of the nation and the lives of our children, so why don’t they have more voice in their education? This line of reasoning leads you to more electivess and more offerings, and let the market decide what is working.
Dr Chris Paparone’s thoughts in these areas are essential considerations for us as we design curriculum. He in particular challenges us to question our reliance on science and scientism, systems engineering and quantitative approaches, and to engage critically with our own biases and metaphors in the construction of knowledge. These are non-trivial issues. I encourage you to reflect on his writings in Military Review and Army Logistician as well as his initial commentary in this blog.
One size fits all education isn’t education at all, but indoctrination. And how do we break the industrual age model which has identical “correct” curriculum being taught identically in identical rooms of homogenous staff groups? Ho do we get people up and out of their boxes to engage in dialoguie between staff groups and with the faculy at large, in settings that challenge our comfort zones?
Systems models for classroom learning
I had an opportunity to spend quality time with Mark Prensky, examining the utility of the educational value of games. He made an excellent point that games designed by teachers to be educational are extremely boring when compared with commercially available educational games. It’s as if our children can sense that the teacher’s games are good for them, which eliminates any desire to play them. I strongly recommend you read his book “Don’t bother me mom, I’m learning” available at Amazon.
In a recent force management class examining Planning, Programming, Budgeting, Execution (PPBE) the class and I developed a systems dynamics model for the Chief of Staff of the Army’s decision-making cycle. We wanted to understand collectively the kinds of decisions he made, and the information he required to make those decisions when competing against a thinking, adapting enemy and constrained by a world of uncertainty. Using a whiteboard and based on our preparatory readings, we quickly sketched out the logic model for a Chief of Staff of the Army decision game which you see posted below.
Chief of Staff, Army decision model
This generated a lot of discussion and mutual understanding. It is an example of the kind of interactive practical exercise that a small group can use to create community knowledge and bring to life an interest to dry material. I strongly recommend the technique, when feasible. It develops the visualization skills that our leaders need to see and then describe the next end state in support of JOPP and MDMP.
We met the lessons terminal learning objectives and we learned a few other things along the way, namely:
- Games are a lot more fun than lecture.
- Systems dynamics models are excellent tools for communicating group understanding.
- The delay between information and action, and between action and results was an important feature of the model, contributing a lot to the dymaics and uncertainty
- The fact that the enemy was thinking and adaptive, and capable of deception put a premium of flexibility, robust sensing and information
- The absence of clut and dried, reliable cause and effect made us aware of the need for alternative points of view and caution
- We created learning that lasted, as evidenced by our ability to reference the process model and later classes.
- Systems models when converted into simulations, allow managers and leaders to practice decision-making under conditions of uncertainty.
- Student after action review comments rated this lesson as one of the best in the entire series because of its interactivity and effectiveness and communicating important information.
I am currently searching for a programmer who can take the process model as outlined in turn that into a web-based individual game that could be played at home or on the web as preparation for this lesson. The concept will be similar to that of the beer game, which is a systems dynamics model that illustrates the complexity of managing a multi-note supply chain. This is been used effectively at MIT in the Army war College already. If you’re interested in that game, you can google it up as long as you are prepared to spend two hours of humbling fun.
Keep going!
There is a Moment in every closely contested MMA or judo match when both guys think they are losing and are almost lost. They have taken themselves right to the edge, and they can see what the other guy can do to win.
It is not unusual for that moment to happen simultaneously in close matches. The win often (but not always) goes to the guy that finds a way to keep going in that moment of maximum uncertainty, to the guy who is fully committed to the moment. That full committment is necessary but not sufficient; it is not a guarantee of the outcome.
All games worth playing have that element of dynamic uncertainty right up until the decision. It’s why we play good games, because that reality captures our sense of life itself. We don’t know how it will turn out in the close ones,in the ones that matter, the ones that pull us in to the Moment. That’s the moment you MUST make that full committment and then let Life have its way. Trust in the outcome and Life will be Just.
Your rewards come from the act of committment not from the specific outcome. Life asks: can you find a game (any activity, purpose, project, goal, value) to which you will committ your everything? and in the moment of decision can you go all in? If you are engaged in games other than that, ask why? and then ask when? and why not start now?
My under 10 girl’s soccer team is going to talk about this today before we go try to put a whuppin’ on Blue valley Soccer Club, a most excellent team to play against. They are strong, fast and skilled, and are committed to playing at their highest level. We aim to be a team worthy of playing them. We honor ourselves, our opponents and the game when we do that.
Keep going! and see what happens!
How can a trader be short term bullish in such a bear market?
daily trading plan summary
Ready, Fire, Aim for chaotic markets
this picture and concept map reflects our emerging trading technique for chaotic markets, affectionately called, Ready-Fire-Aim which takes measured action within a framework of understanding, with finetuning for position sizing once we are in the trade and it begins to unfold
Ready-Fire-Aim
Framing the market condition to support trades in either direction
There is ample evidence to support both long and short side here. Follow the logic to see why i am very willing here to be long intraday, but am prepared to quickly reverse and go short on evidence of resumption of weakness. I believe this kind of market outlook will allow you to trade with the market on EVIDENCE OF PRICE ACTION IN THE “NOW “
Market Health Check
Washout pattern strategy
WO stats in besr mkt
Democratic Party Dilemma: Rock meet hard place
Consider the dilemma of the Democratic Party: Do they support a couple hundred thousand aging UAW workers that vote reliably and are tied economically to the GM retirement and healthcare plan? or do they support the thousands of young voters recently attracted to the party who will be the source of funding for any GM, F bailout for generations going forward?
GM General Motors: Pershing’s Ackman says GM should be allowed to fail – Globe and Mail (2.89 -0.47) -Update-
Globe and Mail reports hedge fund manager William Ackman, an activist investor known for pushing companies to do their jobs better, said U.S. automaker General Motors should not be bailed out but enter bankruptcy. “What should happen is they should do a prepackage bankruptcy,” Mr. Ackman, who runs Pershing Square Capital Management, told television journalist Charlie Rose. A publicist for Mr. Rose made the comments available before his interview show will be aired on PBS Tuesday evening. Mr. Ackman, who does not own GM shares, said the company has “been hamstrung for years because it has too much debt, and it has contracts that are uneconomic.” “And the way to solve that problem is not to lend more money to GM,” the fund manager told Mr. Rose.
And:
Democratic aides: Pelosi supports automakers help – AP
AP reports that Democratic aides say Speaker Nancy Pelosi intends to seek legislation to provide relief to the battered auto industry, and wants it done in a post-election session of Congress likely to convene in the next few days. Pelosi is not expected to specify how large a bailout she wants. The aides who described her views Tuesday did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The speaker’s decision comes a few days after General Motors warned it is rapidly running out of cash, and Ford announced its situation was only slightly better. President Bush would have to agree to sign the legislation, which would be passed well before President-elect Obama takes office. (GM, F)
Veteran’s Day reflection: thanks grandfather
Some pictures of the national WW1 monument in Kansas City and my grandfather’s memorial brick. Grandfather was a cook in the 80th Division. As the family story goes, he was in a foxhole with fellow soldiers and an artillery shell exploded nearby killing a number of Soldiers. His life was spared by the fact that he was wearing a backpack that had some hard biscuits in it which stopped the shrapnel before it reached his vital organs. This was prior to his marriage, and so our family tree is connected to this event.
my grandfather
close up of the brick
