Who decides: some observations about Ultimate Frisbee

Since my son invited me, I went to watch him play ultimate frisbee.  Although I've had several students who play, this was the first time I'd watched or learned much about this game.  What I saw was influenced by the discussion we've been having in Am Con about who decides what behaviors are acceptable in public and by my on-going musing about how human beings learn.

1)  There are no referees in ultimate.  If there is an infringement of the rules, the players have to work it out between themselves.  Now, this is not to way that there are no rules.  Nonetheless, there is something deeply democratic and attractive about a game that encourages opponents to figure out how to play well together.

2) The three teams I saw play all seemed to have a player on the sidelines watching each player in the game.  Then, when the players turned over the observer did a little coaching, suggesting how to improve the game.  What a great model for collaborative learning.  I think this is similar to what we hope will happen with peer editing.