Session 1 - Redesign Project Framing
Generate and align on blended learning initiatives at your school.
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Last updated
Generate and align on blended learning initiatives at your school.
Last updated
To create team-wide awareness and select course redesign initiatives for continuous blended teaching and learning improvement.
Focus on sharing and mapping student achievement challenges to identify design opportunities in your course(s).
A completed Project Sheet template for each redesign initiative, outlining challenges, goals, scope, and context. These sheets help assess each project's readiness and communicate ideas to others before kicking off a project.
This session is designed for individual teachers or, preferably, a collaboration of at least two teachers. It can be completed asynchronously, guiding you to precisely define the focus and boundaries for adapting your course to a blended learning format.
You can upload this template in Mural or Miro.
⌛ - 45 min
To detect a wide range of opportunities related to student achievement at your school that the team wants to tackle through a student-centred blended learning initiative.
The group has the opportunity to approach the following perspectives individually:
Harbour: Communicate and align on the final destination of this exercise, which is to improve student achievement. Make the destination tangible.
Wind: Positive behaviour, actions, or elements the school already demonstrates towards achieving the goal (the harbour).
Anchors: Negative behaviour, actions, or elements hindering increasing student achievement (the harbour).
Icebergs: Negative behaviour, actions, or threats that could potentially slow you down in the future to support and improve student achievement.
STEP 1 - HARBOUR
Explain Student Achievement. Clarify the definition of student achievement. Action: Discuss and expand upon the definition: "Student achievement refers to a student's academic progress and accomplishments, typically measured through grades, test scores, and academic milestones." Ensure everyone is on board with this exercise. 's goal is to map challenges and opportunities linked to boosting student achievement. - 1 min
Understanding the process rationale. As a facilitator, explain this step in the design process. Instead of purely focusing on the technical aspects of blended learning, we aim to take a step back and reflect on what problems we want to solve with a blended approach. Without a clear vision of what challenges and opportunities we want to target, we risk decreasing our students' and teachers' learning experience instead of improving it. That's why we aim to determine key elements (challenges and opportunities) that enhance or hinder student achievement in the current or future blended learning environment. To conclude, share with the team that we avoid redesigning without a clear focus, as this can lead to a poorer course experience and lower student achievement. - 2 min
Preview of Next Steps - Identifying Influencing Factors. Prepare for the upcoming steps by walking the team quickly through the canvas. Explain that the canvas aims to surface and discuss the factors, challenges, and opportunities that impact student achievement in the targeted (courses). For example, some students may lack essential prior knowledge, affecting their learning base. Other challenges might include limitations in school resources, like insufficient WiFi for distance learning or the inability to provide retests due to manual grading constraints. - 2 min
Brainstorming and Mapping Challenges. Define and understand the concept of student achievement as a group. Action: Note big themes or areas related to influencing 'student achievement', and the team wants to expand further in the next steps. Stay aligned with the definition of 'academic achievement,' but make it tangible by identifying specific areas that influence it. Document these areas or topics and place them in the 'harbour' area. - 3 min
Examples and Non-examples. Please share some example and non-example areas to close this first step and further align on what opportunities and challenges are in and out of scope in the next steps. - 3 min
Examples
Good Student-Teacher Relationship: Positive interactions between students and teachers can enhance engagement and motivation.
Student Well-Being: Focusing on mental health and emotional support can improve students' learning and achievement.
School Culture: A supportive and inclusive school culture fosters a conducive learning environment.
High-Quality Teaching: Effective teaching methods and well-prepared lessons directly impact student learning outcomes.
Non-Examples
Extracurricular Activity Participation: While beneficial for overall development, it doesn’t directly impact academic achievement.
Restaurant Infrastructure: Although important, facilities like sports fields or cafeterias are not direct indicators of academic success.
Parental Occupation: While possibly influential, parents' jobs are not direct factors in student academic performance.
STEP 2 - WIND
Note down positive behaviors, actions, or elements your school is already doing and contribute to support or improve student achievement. - 2 min
Each team member reads their wind ideas one by one. - 5 min
STEP 3 - ANCHORS
Note the current challenges (behaviour, actions, structures, or other elements) that you now experience in the school and that hinder or slow you down in supporting or improving student achievement (the harbour). Focus in this step on the elements that currently slow down the organization related to student achievement. - 4 min
Each team member reads their anchor ideas one by one. - 5 min
The group clusters the post-its based on mutual relationships or connections between them. Stick duplicates together, but don't discard them. Duplicates indicate how many people think the same. Pause to clarify elements in the group. - 5 min
Once the information is sorted, name each cluster in the group. Please write the title on a separate Post-it and stick it above each cluster. Don't spend much time naming the clusters. The facilitator can note one or more names per cluster. - 2 min
STEP 4 - ICEBERGS
Note future or non-consumption challenges (behaviour, actions, structures, or other elements) that might arise, or that we want to explore on the way to the harbour. Future challenges mean: what future risks do we detect in your school that we need to consider? Non-consumption challenges mean: what things can't we provide now at school that would positively impact the learning experience? - 8 min
Each team member reads their iceberg ideas one by one. - 5 min
The group clusters the post-its based on mutual relationships or connections between them. Stick duplicates together, but don't discard them. Duplicates indicate how many people think the same. Pause to clarify elements in the group. - 5 min
Once the information is sorted, name each cluster in the group. Please write the title on a separate Post-it and stick it above each cluster. Don't spend much time naming the clusters. The facilitator can note one or more names per cluster. - 2 min
The team built a common understanding (perspective) on what influences student achievement, gained confidence based on past successes of the school, and aligned on the spectrum of current and future challenges and opportunities they want to investigate further.
⌛ - 30 min
This exercise identifies and prioritises challenges and opportunities in your educational context where blended learning can be most impactful. Understanding the specific issues blended learning can address ensures our efforts are targeted and effective.
The group brainstorms to determine which challenges are best addressed through blended learning. We utilize a bullseye diagram to visually categorize the relevance and potential impact of blended learning on these challenges and opportunities, incorporating all stickies from the Wind, Anchors, and Icebergs.
Before selecting challenges, it's crucial to understand what blended learning can and cannot address. For instance, blended learning may not be effective for issues related to physical infrastructure, like the acoustic quality of the building's impact on student achievement. On the other hand, it's highly suitable for challenges such as:
Enhancing student achievement and well-being through personalized learning.
Empowering student ownership to increase motivation and agency.
Freeing up teachers' time for personalized coaching.
Providing access to distant courses and resources.
Improving the financial sustainability of schools.
Discuss and align on the definition and potential of blended learning, using these five points as a guide. Introduce the bullseye diagram, explaining that it has three concentric circles: the center circle represents the most relevant challenges for blended learning, the middle for moderately relevant, and the outer for the least.
Transfer all the Wind, Anchors, and Icebergs stickies from the previous exercise into the designated area within the purple box. Remember, Anchors and Icebergs represent challenges, while Wind elements signify opportunities.
Each team member places one sticky note at a time (Wind, Anchors, Icebergs) onto the bullseye diagram, considering its relevance to solving it with blended learning.
The facilitator reads out all the sticky notes. Team members silently consider the placement, considering any questions or insights about each note.
Open the floor for team members to suggest adjustments to the placement of sticky notes. This step ensures consent and fine-tunes the categorization of challenges and opportunities.
The team has successfully identified all challenges and opportunities in the three sections of the bullseye diagram. The critical outcome is identifying the most pertinent issues that fit for blended learning, located in the centre circle. These selected items will be the focus of the next step, "Problem Categorization".
⌛ - 30 min
This exercise is designed to determine which challenges and opportunities identified in Exercise B are most crucial and feasible to address from an educational perspective, focusing on their potential impact on student achievement and the effort required for resolution.
The group will evaluate and prioritize the challenges and opportunities from the centre circle of the bullseye of Exercise B. This is done using two criteria:
Impact: The potential effect on student achievement.
Difficulty: The relative effort needed to tackle the challenge or seize the opportunity.
Copy the problems and opportunities selected from Exercise B's centre bullseye below the 2x2 grid. - 1 min
Start by placing the first sticky at the centre of the Impact axis. - 1 min
For each subsequent sticky, the group decides if solving it would create more or less impact than those already placed, and the facilitator positions it accordingly on the grid. - 20 seconds per sticky.
Continue until all problems are plotted along the Impact axis. - Total time varies
From the second-highest problem on the Impact axis, compare its difficulty to the top problem/opportunity. Adjust their positions relative to each other along the Difficulty axis. - 1 min
Proceed down the list, comparing and adjusting the difficulty positioning of each problem. - 1 min per problem
Complete this process for all identified stickies. - Total time varies
Adjust the 2x2 grid based on the stickies' positions (see visual example). - 3 min
Allow time for the group to review and adjust the revised grid placements. - 3 min
Open the floor for discussions about the placement of problems. - 3 min ADD GRID OVERLAY PICTURE
Each group member votes on the top problem they believe should be prioritized. - 1 min
Reflect on the voting outcome and prepare to move forward with the top 2 chosen problems. - 3 min
The group has distilled the top two challenges and opportunities to explore further from the many problems and opportunities identified in Exercise A. These prioritized items are chosen based on their potential impact on student achievement, setting the stage for framing a "Blended Learning Project Initiative" in the subsequent activity.
⌛ - 60 min / project card
This exercise is designed to concretize and refine the chosen blended learning problems and opportunities. By creating a Project Initiative Card, teams clearly define a project initiative to address their challenge or opportunity, set clear goals, and outline project scope and boundaries. This structured approach helps identify potential risks, ensure the project aligns with student-centred learning principles, and prepare teams for successful design and later implementation.
Teams will use a structured format to articulate their project initiative, focusing on student-centred learning blended learning. The Project Initiative Card will clarify the problem statement, define the project's scope and constraints, and highlight its potential impact on student achievement. It also guides selecting appropriate team members and evaluates the project's readiness by mapping underlying assumptions and planning validation of these assumptions.
A detailed Blended Learning Project Initiative Card outlining a clear problem statement, defined scope, team composition, and a plan for addressing assumptions. This card becomes a foundational document for confidently moving forward, ensuring the project is well-aligned with student-centred learning objectives and is feasibly structured for successful implementation.
Each group member completes the provided Madlib to create a clear and concise problem statement, trying to capture the discovered challenge and opportunity that hinders or promotes students' achievement. - 5 min
Each team member reads their initial problem statement ideas one by one. - 4 min
Each team member uses three dots to vote on their favourite line of each Madlib part. - 1 min
Open the floor for team members to suggest adjustments in the top-selected problem statement. This step ensures consent and fine-tunes the initial problem statement formulation. Complete the final initial problem statement in the dedicated box. - 5 min
Following the Madlib, add context to the problem statement. Discuss what issues you've identified with the current instructional design or opportunities for progressing towards student-centered learning. This is a chance to elaborate on why this challenge or opportunity was chosen and its relevance to your educational setting. - 10 min
Level of Change: Assess the extent of change your initiative will bring to the organization. Use a 1-5 scale, where 1 indicates minimal change, and 5 signifies extensive organizational transformation. Discuss and document the implications of your project on physical space, digital infrastructure, school rules, and organizational structure.
Short-Term Impact on Student Achievement: Evaluate the immediate effects of your project on students' achievement using a 1-5 scale. Provide a rationale for your score.
Long-Term Impact on Student Achievement: Consider the long-term outcomes of your project on students'' achievement. Again, use a 1-5 scale and explain your reasoning, focusing on how the project's objectives will evolve.
Time to Implementation: Estimate the time required to implement your project. Provide context for your time indication.
Estimated Budget: Evaluate the potential budget needed. We understand the challenge of estimating costs before a solution is completely known, but we try to provide a ballpark figure.
STEP 3 - Team Selection Guidance
Brainstorm Team Structure: Complement the project card by an initial estimate on staffing for implementing the project. Take three team categories into account to complete the team bulls-eye diagram:
Core Team: This innermost circle represents the Core Team. These are individuals directly involved in project execution and decision-making. They are responsible for the day-to-day management, coordination, and implementation of project activities. E.g., lead teachers, IT coordinator, pedagogical director, teacher team leader, etc.
Key Stakeholders: The middle ring consists of Key Stakeholders. These are individuals or groups who, while not involved in the daily activities of the project, have a significant interest in its outcome. They may include teacher department heads, headmasters, board of directors or external partners whose input and support are crucial for the project's success.
Critical Supporters: The outer ring includes Critical Supporters. These individuals or entities provide essential support or resources for the project’s success but are not directly involved in its execution or decision-making. Examples include students, teacher teams, supportive administration staff, technology vendors, and community leaders.
STEP 4 - Assumption Smash
Fact and Assumption Identification: List known facts about the problem statement. Move any uncertain items to an Assumption Quadrant.
Validation and Knowledge Gaps: List and list which assumptions need validation. Also, note any knowledge gaps that need addressing.
Discussion and Prioritization: Present, discuss, and, if necessary, vote on these items to prioritize validation and learning efforts.
STEP 5 - Activities and Tools Planning
Planning for Validation: Based on the assumptions, questions, and knowledge gaps identified, plan activities required for validation.
Collaborative Discussion: Present and discuss your ideas, clustering similar notes.
Divide and Conquer: Assign tasks based on individual roles, skills, and availability, ensuring efficient progress towards assumption validation.
You can detail a Blended Learning Project Initiative Card for each selected top opportunity or challenge, outlining a clear problem statement, defined scope, team composition, and a plan for addressing assumptions. This card becomes a foundational document for confidently moving forward, ensuring the project is well-aligned with student-centred learning objectives and a right fit for blended learning.
