Every now and then, I read something that reminds me of how rare but
important it is for people in life to have a true "team" experience, which
is different than a "group" experience."
One of the things Larry Michaelsen and I eventually realized while at
Oklahoma, when trying to introduce the ideas of TBL to faculty there, was
that many people didn't know what we were talking about because they had
never had a true team experience.
An article about "People Making a Difference" described the efforts of Nico
Marcolongo, a former Marine who organizes flag football events called "Buddy
Bowls". These involve war veterans who are still trying to heal from the
trauma of war. The Buddy Bowls raise money that is then donated to some
worthy local community organization.
A major part of his strategy is "to *re-create the kind of team
experience* the participants had in the military" which then "has a healing
effect." Marcolongo's experience is that the team experience created in
flag football is close enough to what they experienced in the military, such
that it goes a long way to help healing the mental cloud he experienced
after coming home, and others experience as debilitating depression, anxiety
attacks, etc, i.e., various forms of severe post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD).
My interpretation of this is that a high quality team experience is healthy:
mentally, socially, and spiritually. It helps us feel and become part of
something bigger than ourselves.
Regards, Dee Fink
P.S. This article was published in the Christian Science Monitor: A Weekly
Review of Global News & Ideas, Dec. 13, 2009, p. 7.
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***********************
L. Dee Fink
234 Foreman Ave.
Norman, OK 73069
Phone/FAX: 405-364-6464
Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.finkconsulting.info
**National Project Director: Teaching & Curriculum Improvement (TCI)
Project
**Senior Associate, Dee Fink & Associates Consulting Services
**Author of: Creating Significant Learning Experiences
**Former President of the POD Network in Higher Education (2004-2005)