ACTIVE REVIEWING TIPS
for Dynamic Experiential Learning

Active Reviewing Tips 2.3 Celebrations to Remember Tips: Celebrations to Remember Site News: New Page on Sharing Learning Readers' Responses Other Websites and Ezines Next Issue: Therapy for All

You are receiving this free monthly newsletter either because you asked [thank you] or because someone has forwarded it to you [thank them - check the message header].   Now published on (or near) the first Friday of each month ...   ~ ~ A C T I V E . R E V I E W I N G . T I P S ~ ~ FOR DYNAMIC EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ~ ~ the free monthly newsletter associated with the ~ ~ 'GUIDE TO ACTIVE REVIEWING' <www.reviewing.co.uk> ~ ~ Editor: Roger Greenaway < roger@reviewing.co.uk> ~ ~ Vol. 2.3 March 1999 ~ ~ CELEBRATIONS TO REMEMBER   REVIEWING = PROCESSING = REFLECTION = DEBRIEFING   It's my birthday today! Which is why CELEBRATION is the main topic for this issue!   Don't send me a book for my birthday - just buy yourself one! I receive a commission if you buy ANY books online from Amazon.co.uk via my coded associate link below: www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/redirect-home/reviewingskillst CONTENTS (TOP) ~~~~ CELEBRATIONS TO REMEMBER ~~~~   If an achievement is worth celebrating, it's an achievement worth reviewing. In fact, 'review' and 'celebration' can be one and the same event - as you will see in the examples below.   A good review/celebration of an ACHIEVEMENT includes ... ~ praise ~ rejoicing ~ lots of people ~ sharing of the stories behind the achievement.   A good review/celebration generates benefits all round. The world looks different afterwards. The achievers feel noticed, honoured and proud of their achievement. They will also have 'gone up' in the estimation of others (as well as in their 'self-estimation'). By creating a real sense of occasion you ensure that both the original achievement AND its celebration will be remembered and 'recycled' (improving the odds for transfer of learning).   The best CELEBRATIONS ... ~ mark achievements ~ inspire others ~ and create fertile ground for future development.   Similarly, a good REVIEW of an achievement ... ~ adds value and significance to the original achievement ~ inspires all involved ~ involves lots of senses - and is itself a 'rich' experience ~ changes the 'stories' that people tell about themselves and about each other ~ spreads the good news into a wider community ~ builds a platform for future achievement ~ makes it more likely that success will breed success   Reviewing can involve both 'ceRebration' and 'ceLebration'! Here are three strategies for 'partying with a purpose' ...   ~~ # 1: Don't Spoil the Party! - Just Make it Even Better!   Once people get into 'celebration mode', opportunities for reviewing and learning can easily get brushed aside. Celebrations can be far better occasions all round if reviewing and learning are designed into them.   EX: Expedition Celebrations   'Into the Land of Many Waters Expedition 97' (from the UK to Guyana) achieved many objectives worth celebrating. The (adult) expedition members chose from one of four projects: health, environmental, construction and adventure. After completing their projects, the four groups met up at the summit of the remote and spectacular Kaieteur Falls and then travelled to Mahaica to build an adventure playground at a children's orphanage.   A lot to review! And a lot to celebrate!   On their return to the UK, the expedition leaders had two celebrations to organise - a REUNION for expedition members and a RECEPTION for members, friends, families, supporters and sponsors. You can guess the rest! Yes - both events were seen as opportunities for learning. The reunion included: ~ guided reflection ~ story-telling ~ mapping 'routes to success' ~ action replays ~ model-making ~ and other active reviewing techniques.   (Yes I did have a hand in it!) The reception included music, stories, video, displays, diaries, models, photos, objects, food-tasting - plenty of visual and tactile aids, that helped expedition members to communicate with their visitors about their expedition experiences.   The reunion also generated useful material for the expedition report - yet another means of celebrating success.   ~~ # 2: Don't Miss a Chance to Celebrate Achievement!   When an individual or a group achieves something don't miss this opportunity for reviewing, learning and celebrating. Celebrations do not need to be on the grand scale of an expedition re-union. By noticing and celebrating SMALL achievements, you will be setting in motion the cycle of 'success breeds success'. Think about it: if small achievements pass by un-noticed, where are the bigger achievements going to come from?   RECORDING: Making an individual or group record of an achievement is a good starting point. The record may be simply be in the form of a diary or scrapbook. Sketch maps, cartoon stories, video, photos, sculptures, etc. provide more elaborate ways of recording the achievement. But these may not include another important aspect of celebration which is the giving and receiving of praise ...   PRAISE: If words of thanks, appreciation or praise are accompanied by a gift, the occasion becomes more special and the words are given more weight. If the gift is saved and displayed, the achievement is more likely to be remembered, re-visited, re-enjoyed and 're-cycled' for future use. see www.reviewing.co.uk/feedback.htm   AUDIENCE: Who should the audience be? Just those immediately involved or is there a wider audience of stake-holders and well-wishers? An action replay of the event without an audience may be enough. But if the replay goes well, and an interested audience is easily found, it is clearly possible to keep building on these cumulative successes ... www.reviewing.co.uk/stories/replay.htm   ~~ #3: Celebrate Anyway!   Even when you don't know how things are going to turn out, you can still design celebration into a programme.   EX.  A Business School in Scotland attracts students from around the world to its International Marketing Course. At the start of their course they attend a four day residential where the emphasis is on team building and on learning about each other's cultures, beliefs and lifestyles. The built in climax to the residential is a truly multi-cultural experience. The students' task is to plan and prepare a meal and entertainment in which everyone's home culture is represented. Every detail is attended to: decorations, layout of tables (if any), eating customs, food, drinks, games, stories, dances, etc. Yes it's fun. And yes, there's a lot of learning - totally in line with the course objectives.   EX. From ancient times the tops of hills have been places for ceremonies. A summit photo is the high-tech (but low-depth?) modern ritual. Reaching the top of a hill is an achievement worth celebrating - so plan it that way. Ask the group to plan their own celebration in advance. When you are 'on top of the world' you have a fantastic opportunity (weather and safety permitting) for some inspirational reviewing. Singing, dancing, sculptures, rounds, meditation and bivouacking can all turn the top of a hill from a high point of ground to a high point for reflection and learning.   If you don't work in the outdoors, these principles and ideas can be applied equally well to more down to earth achievements. Simply ask groups to plan their own ceremonies and celebrations, and provide a simple structure that brings out their creativity.   EX: And finally ... 'a vote of thanks'. This reviewing exercise leaves no stone unturned when giving thanks. www.reviewing.co.uk/success/success7.htm   CONTENTS (TOP) ~~~~ Site News: NEW PAGE: SHARING LEARNING   You will find an extension of the ideas in this issue at: www.reviewing.co.uk/toolkit/sharing.htm a new page about more 'public' kinds of reviewing.   CONTENTS (TOP) ~~~~ READERS'  RESPONSES   I have received some interesting responses to the 'No Questions Asked' issue. They will be appearing in a future issue.   I take great care to distinguish between messages that are intended for publication and those that are not. If there is ANY doubt, I will always check first before publishing anything you send to me.   Please keep writing in - about questions, celebrations or any aspects of reviewing.   CONTENTS (TOP) ~~~~ Other Websites and Ezines ~~~~   Campaign for Learning: www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk   Please send your recommendations to: < roger@reviewing.co.uk>   CONTENTS (TOP) ~~~~ NEXT ISSUE: 'ARTips 2.4 Therapy for All' ~~~~ What do music, art, play, exercise, adventure, drama, brief, group, narrative, recreational, psycho- and solution-focused have in common? All are therapies brimming over with ideas for active reviewing. More next month! Contributions welcome.