My practice (Host edition)

WHO	Solo+group
WHERE	Group-room
MATERIAL	Training program
FACILITATOR	Head of Program

Introduction:

My practice is about the act of learning something new, to acquire or improve an ability/skill or change your habitual way of thinking. Is it action-based, it is something you consciously do repeatedly to make something stick. It can have both a physical and/or cognitive focus. For example, it can be about learning a new dance move or to become better at critical thinking. We can, therefore, say that practice is about repeatedly or regularly do something until it comes to be applied automatically, without conscious effort. The question is then; what is relevant from this gathering to put into your own practice?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2O6mQkFiiw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNHBMFCzznE

Intention: The intention of this task is to narrow down and find specific and concrete points that you commit to putting into practice. When we go through a gathering we might become aware of five new things, but our capacity to do something with all of them is limited. Therefore, we have to be strategic about what we choose to implement and cultivate. When planning a training-program or practice-program for yourself, it is important to be realistic. The first question is how much time you would realistically be able to spend on your practice, not how much time you would use in an ideal world. An important part of my practice is following them up, and keeping what you promised yourself. If nothing unforeseen occurs, then you will be carrying out each session as you planned it. For that reason, it is important to be realistic about the amount of time you want to spend on a program. Decide based on what kind of person you are right now (rather than the person you would like to be), how busy you are, and how complicated your life is, and make plans and commitments on that basis. An important part of this is also the act of committing. A commitment is a promise or agreement to do something. We aim to cultivate integrity through the program, to avoid the act of fooling ourselves and others. When we commit, we act and follow through to the best of our ability. We end the gathering with this to assure that we don't try to change too many things at once, to assure that we make slow and steady process through the program, and to assure that the program results in actual behavior change.

How:

1	(20min) Based on your insights from this gathering and the situation you are in outside the program, reflect on what you would like to put into practice until the next gathering. Define specific points that you commit to practicing. Try to make sure that each commitment is realistic and that you have few enough commitments to ensure slow and steady progress.
2	(20min) Share your commitments with your group, and help each other in choosing commitments that have an actual effect and are practically doable.

Tips:

1. All sentences should be written in an "I'm practicing ..... because I want to ....." form. Doing this emphasizes that learning is a process, and connects your practice to the purpose. 2. You should include both small "to do's" and larger commitments. Example: I'm going to talk to "person A" to solve a conflict at work, and, I'm practicing meditating 30min each morning to increase stillness and reduce stress.

References

Barnett, Susan M., and Stephen J. Ceci. 2002. “When and Where Do We Apply What We Learn?: A Taxonomy for Far Transfer.” Psychological Bulletin 128 (4): 612–37. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.128.4.612.

Brown, Peter C. 2014. Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Butler, Andrew C., and Henry L. Roediger. 2011. “Testing Improves Long-Term Retention in a Simulated Classroom Setting.”Kilgo, Cindy A., Jessica K. Ezell Sheets, and Ernest T. Pascarella. 2015. “The Link between High-Impact Practices and Student Learning: Some Longitudinal Evidence.” Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning 69 (4): 509–25. doi:10.1007/s10734-014-9788-z.

Kosslyn, Stephen M. 2015. Image and Brain. Vol. 25. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0960982214016194.