Tag Archives: squareONE

New squareONE Tool: Cube-O-Probe

Cube-O-Probe

Intention: What are clues to the positive and negative aspects of using the Cube-O-Probe?

 

 

[Above: random Cube-O-Probe “roll” nailed to the Heaven & Hell Mandala. In this form for interpretation, the Heavenly opportunities are betwixt the cubes in the upper right quadrant, and the Hellish obstacles are between the cubes in the lower left quadrant. These two conventions are explicit conceptual anchors given to the heuristic means of the tool. Less explicit would be what Ken and I call the flickering aspects in the other two quadrants.]

I invented, with assistance from Kenneth Warren, two new squareONE tools over the last several months. Both have applications in discovery-based self-knowledge. Additionally, the Cube-O-Probe has already been given a trial run as a method for adducing insight about organizational development. As it turns out, the Cube-O-Probe is organically integrated with the earlier tool, Calhoun/Warren Heaven & Hell Archetypal Assessment Mandala because the form of the Mandala provides a very sharp interpretive format for the roll of the cubes.

The ‘Archetypal Assessment Mandala,’ as this is being written, is being beta tested  by intrepid volunteers. It was rolled out to participants at Ken and my program Repairing the Opposites, Doubling Stars, Turning Swine Into Pears, that we presented at the Analytical Psychology Society of Western New York December 12th.

I am working on a post to explain how I came to liberate astrology from the confines of space and time, and also free astrology from its deterministic meta-theories. In doing so, I could add on additional cubes to the new tool the Cube-O-Probe. Those add-on cubes increase the original set of cubes based in masculine, feminine, mythological archetypes, and psychodynamic polarities (or dichotomies,) and, the explicit so-called oppositions of the typological constructs taken from Dr. Jung and variously identified by John Beebe and John Giannini.

These new cubes, based in a matrix devised from the basic developmental psychological positions given by the twelve houses and twelve signs–think of the signs as a Y axis, and the houses as a X axis–implicate those positions and also the polarities given in the astro-psychology to be food for reflection/exploration/self-discovery.

The Cube-O-Probe is anchored to my theoretical wondering about the role of generative inducements for praxis using polarities in personal meaning-making. In turn, this has to do with freeing practical means for self-knowledge from linear and stage-based regimens of self-seeking. Both these ‘second orders’ of experiential learning aim at providing spontaneous ‘third order’ methods for self-recognition and self-development, or, alternately, for synchronic (insight-based,) individuation.

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under adult learning, analytic(al) psychology, experiential learning, Kenneth Warren, my research, self-knowledge, serendipity

Experience, Chance, Discovery, Insight, (and Amputation.)

2-SLIDE(Slide #2)

Experience, Chance, Discovery, Insight

An interactive presentation and group exploration of the element of serendipity and novelty in programmed experiential learning, centered on a learning experience and discussion about the interplay of fortuity, learning style, sympathy/antipathy, deep meaningfulness, and, symbolic cognition.

This is the heart of “transformative learning”
the breaking in of another view,
over which we have no control,
of which we understand little,
but which asks us questions
and puts us in a position of listening.
adapted from Martin Palmer

“Masters in the Art of Living draw no distinction between their work and their play, their labor and their leisure, their mind and their body, their education and their recreation. They simply pursue their vision of excellence in whatever they are doing and leave it to others to decide whether they are working or playing. To themselves they are always doing both.” James Michener

1-SLIDE (Slide #1)

3-SLIDE (Slide #3)

The Experiential Learning Community of Practice (EL-COP) held their annual symposium yesterday. I participated and presented.

My presentation was an experiment in pulling a room full of learners through a very compressed phase of generating novel data, then forming an intention, then, instead of facilitation, taking questions and impressions, while offering to do the facilitation one-on-one.

As my colleague Ken Warren would put it, I implemented an amputation (of the facilitation.) I did this intentionally simply because I wanted participants to at least have acquired the set of data and developed their individual intention to learn. Hopefully somebody will take me up on my offer; although I will make some effort to compel closer colleagues to do so!

I spent several weeks back in February pondering whether I should: present research; do a mini demonstration, or, give the participants a shot at truly transformative learning by bringing them through half the usual squareONE process, and then offering to guide individuals through the entire process. I knew I couldn’t do a full group process in one hour; almost always it requires a minimum three hours.

Design Elements:

create an assembly of data
develop a personal focus
develop a charged intention-to-learn
explore a field of data
discover; then realize an objective; then propose a developmental action

(My presentation was the day’s capper. The whole Powerpoint moment was sucked into technological follies. I use Apple, I convert to Microsoft Powerpoint (from OpenOffice,) and stuck it on the USB thumb drive I assume can be read by a Windows laptop. Ooops, forgot to format the thumb drive for Windows. Plan B: use another participant’s MacBook, except it didn’t have the facility to import a Powerpoint. The result was I had to use the OpenOffice word processing document and couldn’t project the slides. Okay, here they are–all three of ’em.)

squareONE experiential toolmakers – home base

Leave a Comment

Filed under adult learning, experiential learning, Kenneth Warren

Complex World

Learning for a complex world

I put together a wall exhibit of various materials prior to facilitating a staff inquiry for a strategic planning project recently, and this graphic purloined via google image search was part of the display.

Leave a Comment

Filed under adult learning

new squareONE: experiential toolmakers web site in progress

BAsic Goal

 

And, the fundamental approach is to intentionally take wrong turns. 

The squareONE web site, my professional web site, is published but will remain for the next several months a kind of swirling work-in-progress.

My hope is to make 2014 the year squareONE finds its beneficial grip on the diffuse, and difficult-to-grab clientele of persons who could benefit from building their ability to explore, discover and transform.

Linked-In experiential toolmakers

from the home page:

SquareONE combines innovative and accessible experiential processes with keen facilitation skills to provide powerful applications for professional and personal development, and, for open-ended collaborative exploration.

squareONE’s goal is to guide learners to remarkable insights using playful exploration and collaborative discovery. Once realized, such discoveries often provide a way to address a wide variety of everyday or unusual human challenges.

Other times, truly intrepid learners may simply enjoin squareONE to capture what arises from unique and creative forms of open-ended experience.

Leave a Comment

Filed under personal

The Approach-a-tron

Approach-a-tron

Working name for new squareONE tool is The Approach-a-tron. It’s named so because it could be used to jiggle and juggle around a person’s approach to something or another.

[QT:http://squareone-learning.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/APPROACHATRON.mp4 640 480]

I found the spinning cubes at a garage sale last summer. This tool is a variation on the ‘classic’ squareONE tool model. It provides a randomly generated set of data points which start from a point of possessing zero relationship or meaningfulness to what the learner brings forth.

First step for squareONE tools and for my playful collaborative co-creation with a learner is to develop a powerful intention to learn about a crucial situation of the learner. The next step is for the learner to explore, then discover, possible relations and meaningfulness in the field betwixt his or her challenge, question, or problem. Finally, the last step for a learner is to highlight the most worthwhile relations and meaningfulness for the sake of further exploration or doing an active experiment based in any insight evoked by the worthwhile discovery, or taking advantage of such an insight in any other way.

I have not tested this new tool and I would be open to anybody volunteering to be a test subject. This can be brought about face-to-face or by Skype.
sc.calhoun (at) gmail.com


squareONE: experiential toolmakers is to receive some attention in the coming months. I will roll out a new web site. I will update the pitch and thrust of squareONE’s mission.

Leave a Comment

Filed under adult learning, experiential learning