permaculture

[Victor Guest <vic@daena.eepo.com.au>]

From: d.richardson@mail.utexas.edu

A few weeks ago I was prompted to consider really what WAS the difference
between multiple goals and a holistic goal when Pat and I were invited to a
Wakonse Conference for Experienced Faculty. We had been asked to facilitate
a session for forming a holistic goal as we do in my class in Natural
Resource Management. This was for the faculty present (Texas A&M, Texas
Tech, Baylor U., and U. of Texas) to critique our teaching, and comment on
the subject matter. We were the "guinea pigs", which was an incentive to
reevaluate beforehand what we'd say to a more demanding audience than most
students, yet also a more attentive audience since any comments would also
reflect on the commentor among other acadimicians. Also, we had 45 minutes
to do what we normally do in about 2 hours, sometimes more. This is what I
came up with:

The Holistic Goal becomes poetry as the meanings in the words become more
dense. It evolves, and the separate statements begin to represent meanings
by their relationships. Eventually, the meanings in the holistic goal
become the relationships. The words become reminders of the relationships.
That is the essence of difference between a "holistic" goal and multiple
goals.

We got top ratings, but this was among acadamicians. I'd like to know what
"real practitioners" think, based on their experience.

If you want to see the rest of the context used in class, it's on the web at

http://www.esb.utexas.edu/drnrm/HolisticGoal/building.htm

You will see how the person building their holistic goal is also an
architech, if you follow a link in this description of a holistic goal. Now
that class is over for this semester, I'm ready to make revisions. If you
have any suggestions, let me know.

Thanks

Dick (in Texas)


R. H. (Dick) Richardson                     (512) 471-4128 office
Zoology Dept.                                     471-9651 FAX
University of Texas                               
Austin, TX 78712