DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY! !

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BONNIE BENHAM!

Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is !

keep us out of war. Maria Montessori !

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I came to MIIS with a strong understanding of how I thought I would make a difference in
the world. With a 13 year old career in teaching adolescents with varying lived experiences, I
came to graduate school toting a strong conviction that the developmental needs of the
adolescent are universal; that no matter where a child is born (Ghana, Nigeria, Watsonville,
Michoacan, or Aptos- to reference some of the birthplaces of my students) or in which culture
she is raised, she has the need for (1) protection from societys expectations of who she should
be and (2) the opportunity to discover who she is. If adolescents have a strong sense of self,
they will be able to navigate the rocky pathway into adulthood. It is with this understanding of
self, with being able to identify strengths and challenges, to think ethically and discover personal
impact on society, that adolescents can feel at peace within their own personhood. It is the
responsibility of the education system to provide adolescents with opportunities where they can
discover this internal peace. This is my soap box and I proudly stand tall upon it. !
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When I think of my development philosophy, I have to not only consider my passion and
what I feel I know, but also the many questions that I brought to MIIS, and to DPMI. How do I
get more people on my soap box? How do I work within the institution of education so that I can
change it? How do I let my voice, my expertise, be heard without appearing overly confident,
presumptuous, or righteous? What if Im wrong and my aim is too far reaching? Over the past
year, I have begun to answer some of these questions, but with answers come more questions,
and so I still have much work to do. There are three themes that I have taken particular interest
in based on their relevance to my past experiences and utility for facing my future endeavors:
human-centered design & approach, complexity & systems thinking, and action/participatory
research.!
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As a Montessori teacher, we are trained to guide the student in his learning. In order to
do so, you have to be a keen observer; knowing where the student stands in terms of
understanding, what he has accomplished, what he has yet to tackle, the right time to present
new ideas and what ideas should be presented. As a guide to adolescents, you engage the
students in purposeful conversations which not only point to the acquisition of knowledge, but
also to how they are surviving socially and physically. Because of this training, I naturally
gravitate toward research and development practices that are human centered in their design. I
strongly believe that communities have a good sense of what they are experiencing or lacking;
they only need to be prompted with the right questions. And the right questions depend on a
level of humility and the use of language that everyone understands. Humble inquiry helps to
build relationships between you and the stakeholder because it requires interdependence; it
reveals vulnerability and builds trust between parties1. In addition, it is through conversations
with stakeholders that positive deviants and/or innovative thinkers- people who can potentially
support the research - as well as opponents to the cause may be revealed. As Hargadon wrote
in How Breakthroughs Happen, the future is already here; the point is to bridge worlds and

Schein, Edgar H. Humble Inquiry. The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling. BK Publishers, Inc., San Francisco,
2013.

find ideas (that already exist within the context of what you are exploring)2. I appreciate design
thinking methodology because it begins with empathizing with the client. It seems as though
there isnt enough empathy in education; for students, teachers, parents, communities,
administrators, etc. The power of the institution is based in hegemony: rarely is it questioned (in
a productive manner) so that barriers are broken down and meaningful, personal conversations
are initiated with stakeholders. To have productive conversations requires the use of a common
language. !
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The language I have learned in my training is different than what is used in mainstream
education and Im sure is different than that which is spoken by many communities across the
world. One word can take many meanings. Polysemy in this sense can be dangerous if we are
not all on the same page. In my work, for example, I want to know that when I speak about
youth development, people will understand that it means more than the physical development of
children. Or that when I say project, it means more than building a garden or designing an egg
drop vehicle. At the same time, I will need to learn the language of the people Im working with.
Perhaps experiential learning would be a foreign concept to them because they experience
learning each day they are working in the home, at their jobs, or in the field. So in order to best
understand each other, not only do we need to inquire, but we need to do so with empathy and
a common language, which is often dictated by the stakeholder. Some activities that I learned in
DPMI that I think will come in handy are: reflection circles, asset mapping, appreciative inquiry,
card and chart, the kaner diamond, community mapping, empathy mapping, and journey
mapping. What is integral to my understanding of the stakeholder group I will be working with is
the system in which they operate and its complexity. !
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At first glance, complexity theory conflicts with the current social paradigm. Social media
has unleashed a platform for our ego that disconnects us from what is truly meaningful. It has
made bragging or complaining about ones life acceptable. Smartphones not only provide an
avenue for immediate connection (because someone is surely going to call my amazing self),
but the selfie creates the idea that we are so important that every move, even if mundane,
should be recorded and sent off into cyberspace. In order to grasp complexity theory, one must
remove herself from life, shed the ego and look at things from afar. How can we understand all
of our connections if we are unable to see them and their relationships? What is crazy or so
complex about it, though, is that there is no way of removing yourself from life, from the system.
You are inherently part of a system and your mere existence in it increases its complexity. I have
appreciated my study of complexity and systems thinking (albeit brief) because I think it is
extremely useful to consider all of the actors within a system and how they make or break the
sought after outcome. Whether it be a bad seed or a bad day, each person can alter the system
and by doing so, the potential for accomplishing goals is affected. Sustainability of an outcome
is dependent on the sustainability of the system in which it exists. !

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Sustaining development outcomes depends on the sustainability of

the local system - specifically, its built-in durability and adaptability
that allows actors and their interrelationships to accommodate
shocks and respond to changing circumstances3.!

2Hargadon,

Andrew. "How Breakthroughs Happen The Surprising Truth About How Companies Innovate." Audio-Tech
Business Book Summaries 12.7 (2003): 12-14. Web. 2 June 2014.
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LOCAL SYSTEMS: A Framework For Supporting Sustained Development (2014): 1-18. USAID, Apr. 2014. Web. 20
May 2014.

Therefore, an outcome is only as strong as the system that sustains it. When considering the
local systems framework (rules, resources, roles, relationships, and results therein), one is able
to design more holistically, including avenues for approaching a problem that are reflexive of the
actors in the system. Power dynamics are identified and how they may affect action is
determined. As I investigate this further, the activities or tools that may be utilitarian are: local
systems mapping, soft systems thinking (SSM), the power cube, and network mapping. The
latter will enable me to look at a system and analyze its actors based on centrality, the shape of
the network, relationships, networkers, resource hubs, brokers, the informal network, and
bridging4. Observing complexity and systems thinking as well as investigating with a humancentered approach can both be accomplished through action research methodology.!
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Action research calls for the participation of community members to define their

needs and pursue solutions to their needs through a transparent and reflective practice.
Solutions are explored by taking action and reflecting on action in order to learn from
the experience. It is learning from concrete experience, through group discussion, trial
and error, discovery and learning from each other (Ortrum Zuber-Skerritt, CDRA, Action
Learning Guide). Furthermore, the tasks are a vehicle for learning and based on the
premise that there is no learning without action and no sober and deliberate action
without learning (Mike Pedler, CDRA, Action Learning Guide). This methodology seems
very similar to what I already do as a Montessori guide. I ask questions, observe action
and reaction, reflect, and do it all over again. The difference with action research is that I
would be facilitating the practice with stakeholders so that they may discover their
needs themselves.!

We are not teachers or transfers of technology, but instead

conveners, catalysts, and facilitators. We have to unlearn, and
put our knowledge, ideas and categories in second place. Our
role is to enable others to do their own appraisal, analysis,
presentations, planning and action, to own the outcome, and to
teach us, sharing their knowledge.5!

Activities learned in DPMI that could be used in this participatory research and evaluation are:
alliance mapping, strategy canvas (to see how the ecosystem should be responding to strategic
challenges), SCAMPER, and participatory evaluation, as well as the aforementioned facilitation,
networking and systems thinking activities.!
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To conclude, imagine if someone walked into a public school and asked to meet with a
group of teachers. And then they were led through an exercise where they were given a genuine
platform to be heard, and the conversation was actually used to determine their needs; to
problem solve; to support their teaching; to design their own curriculum; to give them power
over their practice. I feel that this would create a much needed paradigm shift in education.!

A paradigm is a coherent and mutually supporting pattern of:

concepts and ontological assumptions; values and principles;

Battilana, Julia, and Tiziana Casciaro. "The Network Secrets of Great Change Agents." Harvard Business Review
(2013): 1-8. Web. 4 June 2014.
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Chambers, Robert. "The National Resource Centre for Consumer Participation in Health (NRCCPH)." Australasian
Psychiatry 10.4 (2002): n. pag. Institute of Development Studies, 2005. Web. 25 May 2014.

methods, procedures and processes; roles and behaviors;

relationships; and mindsets, orientations and predispositions6.!

I have latched onto the mantra that I want to create a paradigm shift in education. In order to
do so, I must understand the paradigm: who and what are supporting it, the roles, behaviors,
and world views that reinforce it. I believe that with a human-centered approach focusing on
active participation and systems thinking, I will be better equipped to read, analyze, and
evaluate the paradigm so that programs can be created that will cause a shift in ways of thinking
and doing.!

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Chambers, Robert. "Paradigms, Poverty and Adaptive Pluralism." IDS Working Papers 2010.344 (2010): 01-57.
Web. 1 Oct. 2014.