Pilot Next Steps – Ditch: Discussion Questions
These discussion questions accompany the Activity: Pilot Next Steps strategy card.
February 23, 2021
Craft Category: Artifacts
Reflect on the Pilot Discussion Questions
These discussion questions accompany the Activity: Reflect on the Pilot strategy card.
February 23, 2021
Monterey Peninsula: Students and Teachers Co-Design Process Pilot
Monterey Peninsula wanted to solve a problem in their district: “How might we increase flexibility and personalization to build a sense of belonging and connection within the context of our labor and policy constraints?” After seeking stakeholder input and brainstorming a range of options, the design team decided to pilot a process to engage students and teachers to design new systems for personalization and connection.
This pilot had several assumed benefits. It was a chance to make sure that those most impacted by teaching and learning – students and teachers – led the change. Bringing together students and teachers for this work created an early opportunity to build connections. Lastly, the design team was also excited to build a reusable process that could be replicated to drive similar changes in the future.
To start, the design team wrote a project plan that would help identify participants, prepare them to engage in a design thinking process, and help them focus their efforts. They identified two teachers, two administrators, and 12 students as participants. Then, the design team curated resources and created short training sessions to introduce the participants to the process and design principles. Finally, they created a timeline for participants and a process by which participants’ solutions could be integrated into the district’s broader approach to teaching and learning.
February 23, 2021
Mastery Charter Schools: Blended, Culturally Responsive Teaching Pilot
Mastery Charter Schools wanted to solve a problem in their network: “How might we build a blended learning model that fosters achievement and independence in our high school students?” After seeking stakeholder input and brainstorming a range of options, the design team decided to pilot the integration of ISTE Standards for Students into high school lesson plans.
This pilot had several assumed benefits. It would provide a clear anchor point for the district’s transition to a blended learning model, it would clarify what it looks like to build student ownership and independence in their learning, and it would give teachers much-needed guidelines and supports as they facilitate this change.
Mastery’s pilot focused on a couple of classrooms to start. Teachers were coached to integrate ISTE Standards for Students with selected course content. The design team specifically focused on two standards (Knowledge Constructor and Creative Communicator), as those most closely align with the network’s goal of boosting student independence and with the Ready for Rigor culturally responsive teaching (CRT) framework used in the network. Lastly, the design team created a project plan to map out the pilot timeline, engage school leaders and teachers, and get to work.
February 23, 2021
Cedar Rapids: Student Reflection and Goal-Setting Pilot
Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) wanted to solve a problem in their district: “How might we provide relevant, standards-aligned feedback to students so that every student reaches mastery?” After seeking stakeholder input and brainstorming a range of options, the design team decided to pilot a reflection and goal-setting process with students.
This pilot had several assumed benefits. It could help students understand the “why” behind learning and make authentic connections between courses and the world around them. It could also help teachers give more personalized feedback in alignment with the district’s goal of adopting standards-based grading; this process helped teachers and students reflect on their learning progress and chart a course toward mastery together.
To keep the pilot simple, the team followed these steps:
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The design team started with a single learning task in one middle school classroom.
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Students completed a goal-setting template after an assessment to reinforce the learning task and its purpose, reflect on what they did well, and set goals to reach the next level of mastery.
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The teacher tracked simple measures for engagement and performance for each student and the class as a whole.
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Finally, the design team worked with the teacher to document the process and lessons learned in hopes of expanding the pilot to other classrooms later.
February 23, 2021
Plan to Pilot Your Prototype
This template provides design teams with space to clearly define the parameters of a pilot plan (or small test) – including the format, who will interact with the pilot, what messaging and resources are required, and what measures will determine whether your pilot meets its goals. Teams may also document the progress of the pilot and capture reflections.
February 23, 2021
IDEO Design Kit: Role Play
When building a prototype, it is important to get clear on what the solution looks like in practice. This exercise from IDEO helps teams define a clear prototype by creating a role play.
February 23, 2021
IDEO Design Kit: Rapid Prototyping
Building a prototype is a key step in the design process to clarify your idea and get feedback. Use this simple exercise from IDEO to quickly create a simple prototype.
February 23, 2021
IDEO Design Kit: Storyboard
When building a prototype, it is important to get clear on what the solution looks like in practice. This exercise from IDEO helps teams define a clear prototype through the creation of a storyboard.
February 23, 2021
Visualize and Build Prototype Discussion Questions
These discussion questions accompany the Activity: Visualize and Build a Prototype strategy card.
February 23, 2021