Osama bin Laden has blamed the U.S. for…….Global Warming…….If anyone needed any more evidence of ideology long past reason–past the 72 virgins–Alas, it’s one 72 year old virgin–beyond the random killing of innocents–beyond the axiom that one not sharing the belief is an Untermensch and deserving of death–we have the most irrational of all–Global Warming. I’ll bet a lot of the GW crazies are just delighted with OBL as a new ally in the fight against consumerism, corporate greed and environmental destruction. This new coalition can look down upon the rest of us as misguided fools in need of the kind of guidance only provided by the enlightened and, if we don’t believe them, they’ll kill us.
A couple of weeks ago, a couple brought in their daughter to be assessed. The mother asked if I’d heard of “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons”, the program she used to teach her child to read after “official” agencies had failed. I told mom that the “100 Lessons Book” was the super-fast program derived from Direct Instruction. The dad then told me that he had taught the daughter to tell time using the methods described in Connecting Math Concepts, another Direct Instruction program. He was unaware of the methods before he formulated his. I told them that, between them, they had more educational expertise than entire faculties of education and school districts. In itself, that is not difficult, but their accomplishment was impressive because the programs worked so well.
Finishing up the Characteristics of a Successful Program
from the book: Shadow Dancing on the Grave of Hope:
16. The Skill Set Analysis Should Be Complete
This is one of the most difficult steps of all. What looks like a skill may be a complex composite and\or have many prerequisites which are not apparent. The only way around this is time-consuming analysis with real people. Logical analysis is only the start.
There are many ways to ensure that programmers carry out these effort-intense steps. Having only your hands on the economic lever is essential. How to persuade staff? "Do what I say or get out." Martin Kozloff, is the best. That does not mean that the workplace is aversive. It means that there is an understanding that there is a person who has authority over hiring and firing. It’s quite amusing to watch civil servants talk about “getting staff on board”, “gaining commitment”, “getting consensus” and all the silly things they do instead of being able to require compliance. This searching for consensus and commitment means that there is no requirement to do effective programs and that effectiveness will occur sporadically, unreliably and only by certain people.
Now, Dear Reader, if you found reading this list exhausting, imagine how effortful designing an effective program would be. Then, of course, the program has to be tested and revised, usually several times. The great effort required to apply an effective program properly can only be sustained by someone who benefits from successful application.
“The real and effectual discipline which is exercised over a workman is … that of his customers. It is the fear of losing their employment which restrains his frauds and corrects his negligence.” Adam Smith
Cheerio and ttfn,
Grant Coulson
Cui Bono–Cherchez les Contingencies
