Interest in PCT

from Ed Ford (920717:12:50)

Rick and all -

My sympathies concerning your Blind Men paper. I guess they perceive
that what you have to offer won't improve the quality of what they
produce. I've heard this frustration from many other CSGers over the
years. Recently, I've been more fortunate.

I've been dealing with the former superintendent of Johnson City
Schools in N.Y. who created and still teaches The Outcomes-Driven
Developmental Model (known as ODDM) which is presently in nearly 200
school districts in the U.S. It really is a dynamite program. Six
months ago, he asked me to develop (and I did) a program of instruction
for teachers and/or parents who in turn would teach interested school
district parents the necessary techniques for raising children as a
tie-in to his model. I called it the Outcome Based Parenting Program.
I've named my program Teaching Responsibility To Youth.

Lately, I have been helping him in several areas where he saw needed
improvement within certain aspects of his model. With my using PCT as
the theoretical basis and as we planned and thought things through in
the development, delivery, and the testing of new ideas for his model,
some really great new vehicles came to life. He has watched me
thinking and suggesting, using PCT and thinking PCT, and obviously, his
interest in PCT has grown immensely. In short, he saw the wisdom of
using PCT as the basis for his model.

For example, he has always been looking for a way to implement what
Deming called statistical process control into his model. I showed him
how he could set up individual charts that everyone at their own level
could use, from the school board down to and including the student. I
showed him how the reference signal and the controlled variable both
must be measurable and specific for any human control system to work
effectively and achieve what it wants. The more immediate the
feedback, the better. The more delayed the feedback, the less
efficient the system will operate. The lower goals (students,
teachers, principals, superintendents) had to reflect and tie-in to the
highest goal (school board) for the system to work in a coordinated
way.

To all -

Closed Loop arrived yesterday from Greg and I took it to the printers
today. As I said earlier, I plan to hand it out at the conference.
The balance will be mailed Monday, Aug. 3rd.

Ed Ford ATEDF@ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU
10209 N. 56th St., Scottsdale, Arizona 85253 Ph.602 991-4860