Environment
The living environment will need to be diverse in many ways. There will need to be locations for individuals to be alone as well as space where several individuals can gather to interact. Living quarters should be made up of private bedrooms with common area and private bath(s) -1 per 2 or 3 people. This pods or apartment maybe mixed gender. The common space should be shared by no more then 8 and no less then 4 people. The common space could actual be an outdoor space, that the rooms surround. The private space should be relatively small in size, with the hope that individuals choose to spend most there time in the common space, either interacting with others or by themselves.
Staff and faculty should live near the students, and be assigned to a living common as a proctor/community development agent. Each living unit would be able to develop their own standards for behavior-noise, cleanliness, etc.
Ken
Community Standards
Their should be a set of community standards which are global:
1) Be respectful of:
Self, others, environment
2) Be Honest:
With self and others
3) Ethical behavior
These are some general guidelines they need be modified and flushed out. My thought is that one of the first experiences that the group goes through as a developing group (learning organization) is to review the standards and public accept them. They are also asked if there are other standards that they want to adapt. They can bring them up at this time or they are provided with an explanation of how they can start the conversation about modifying the standards at a later date.
As each group comes through the ranch they are allowed to go through this process.
ken
Engaging Students Continuously
I have created this blog as an example. Blogs can be used to keep students engaged in the conversation. Questions (threads) can be posted by staff at Patagonia or by students to create conversations around topics, issues, frustrations, etc. Individuals on site as well as those who have returned to their home institution.
Questions can be targeted to attain how the student is doing since returning to their home institution. Have ongoing conversations about their action plans and their own development. Students currently on site could engage past participants.
Just a thought.
Ken
