Category: Taking part

The fifth and final workshop in our series will be on ‘Re-designing education, not retrofitting’ (including the opportunity cost of including or excluding aspects of education and highlighting tensions between system components). This will also be a wrap-up of our project and a short presentations will be included to review all the themes covered in the previous sessions.

Date of workshop to be confirmed.

Final details on how we propose to run the workshop will be made available one week prior to the event. However, here is a rough structure:

Pre-workshop:

• We would like to ask you to flick through our material in the ‘Our Inspiration‘ section before attending the workshop. This will familiarise you with ideas and theories from fields outside your own which may be relevant to our discussion on education.

Section 1: Intros & Recap

• In the first 30 min we shall be doing a short recap of the ideas discussed during the previous workshops.
• 20 min of group discussion
• 10 min reconvene to share highlights discussed during the breakout session.

Section 2: Toolkit for Innovative Thinking 

• 10 min presentation
• 20 min interactive group discussion reflecting on the opportunities of applying such concepts to education.
• 5 min reconvene to share highlights discussed during the breakout session.

Section 3: Project Wrap-up. What Next?

• 10 min contributions from project team
• 15 min whole group discussion

We are taking an Agile methodology approach to running this project, meaning that we are aiming to learn and adjust course as we go through our activities. Similarly, we plan on trialling structure of workshops, duration and prep ahead of discussions through this first meeting. So your feedback will be important to securing a better experience for the participants, with every workshop we hold.

The third workshop in our series will take place on Thu, 22 July, 10am-12pm, on the topic of child-centrism (their needs; internal & external factors to the learning process, etc), personalised education trends and chaos theory applied to education;

Register to attend through this Eventbrite link.

Final details on how we propose to run the workshop will be made available one week prior to the event. However, here is a rough structure:

Pre-workshop:

• We would like to ask you to flick through our material in the ‘Our Inspiration‘ section before attending the workshop. The blog post on Chaos Theory of Change in Education is ready for you to give a read. This will familiarise you with ideas and theories from fields outside your own which may be relevant to our discussion on education.

Section 1: Intros & Recap (c.25 min)

• In the first 20 min we shall be reminding everyone of our mission, introducing the team and doing a short recap of the ideas discussed during the LAUNCH and 2nd Workshops.

Section 2: Modelling what we know about the children we educate (c.30 min)

• 10 min presentation
• 20 min interactive group discussion

Section 3: Chaos Theory and Personalised vs Group-level education (c.1 hour)

• 30 min presentation
• 20 min interactive group discussion
• 10 min reconvene to share highlights discussed during the breakout session

Section 4: Wrapping up (c.5 min)

• 5 min for short reflection on concepts introduced on the day, concluding remarks and next steps.

We are taking an Agile methodology approach to running this project, meaning that we are aiming to learn and adjust course as we go through our activities. Similarly, we plan on trialling structure of workshops, duration and prep ahead of discussions through this first meeting. So your feedback will be important to securing a better experience for the participants, with every workshop we hold.

[Please note that this event has been rescheduled and will now be taking place on Fri, 1 Oct, 10am-12pm]

The fourth workshop in our series will be tackling the themes of Aims and learning outcomes in education. In doing so it will include discussions on instructional design, backward design and assessment-driven design of curriculum.

Register to attend through this Eventbrite link.

Proposed structure:

Pre-workshop:

• We would like to ask you to flick through our material in the ‘Our Inspiration‘ section before attending the workshop. This will familiarise you with ideas and theories from fields outside your own which may be relevant to our discussion on education.

Section 1: Intros & Recap

• In the first 15 min we shall be reminding everyone of our mission, introducing the team and doing a short recap of the ideas discussed during the previous workshops.

Section 2: Aims-Based Education and Instructional Design

• 20 min presentation
• 20 min interactive group discussion
• 10 min reconvene to share highlights discussed during the breakout session.

Section 3: Role of Assessment (by curriculum types)

• 20 min presentation
• 20 min interactive group discussion
• 10 min reconvene to share highlights discussed during the breakout session.

Section 4: Wrapping up

• 5 min for short reflection on concepts introduced on the day, concluding remarks and next steps.

We are taking an Agile methodology approach to running this project, meaning that we are aiming to learn and adjust course as we go through our activities. Similarly, we plan on trialling structure of workshops, duration and prep ahead of discussions through this first meeting. So your feedback will be important to securing a better experience for the participants, with every workshop we hold.

The second workshop in our series will take place on Thu, 24 June, 10am-12pm. 

Register to attend through this Eventbrite link.

How we propose to run the 2nd Workshop:

Pre-workshop:

• We would like to ask you to flick through our material in the ‘Our Inspiration‘ section before attending the workshop. This will familiarise you with ideas and theories from fields outside your own which may be relevant to our discussion on education.

Section 1: Intros & Recap

• In the first 15 min we shall be reminding everyone of our mission, introducing the team and doing a short recap of the ideas discussed during the LAUNCH Workshop. Check out our blogs on Sandbox Approach and Systems Thinking Theory.

Section 2: Intro to Design Theories

• 10 min presentation on applying Design Theories to existing project. Check out our short blog where we cover the fundamentals of these theories.
• 15 min interactive group discussion reflecting on the opportunities of applying such concepts to education.
• 5 min reconvene to share highlights discussed during the breakout session.

Section 3: 21st Century Challenges

• 10 min presentation on a changing society and the new challenges we are facing, collectively and individually.
• 15 min interactive group discussion on the extent to which the purpose of education needs to adapt to better equip the next generation to tackle these challenges.
• 5 min reconvene to share highlights discussed during the breakout session.

Section 4: Stakeholder Mapping 

• 10 min presentation on elements of change theory, how to use the stakeholder mapping tool and what the group exercise will entail.
• 10 min exercise on creating our own stakeholder map, with their particular interests and with what each sees as the purpose of education.
• 10 min group discussion on the challenges posed by different stakeholders on rethinking education to suit a 21st Century agenda.

Section 4: Wrapping up

• 15 min for short reflection on concepts introduced on the day, concluding remarks and next steps

We are taking an Agile methodology approach to running this project, meaning that we are aiming to learn and adjust course as we go through our activities. Similarly, we plan on trialling structure of workshops, duration and prep ahead of discussions through this first meeting. So your feedback will be important to securing a better experience for the participants, with every workshop we hold.

Here are some questions and answers to the queries raised during the workshop discussions.

Overview

• Will we be discussing theories and approaches from within the field of education during our workshops?

Yes, but to a lesser extent. The aim of the project is to carry out a conversation on issues in education through novel lenses from outside the field of education. Therefore, the focus in our blogs and short presentations during the workshops will be mostly on this. We will be touching upon new (and old)  ideas within the field of education, but there won’t be a lot of emphasis placed on them.

• Why are our workshop discussions around compulsory education and what does that mean for other types of education, such as university and lifelong learning?

While the focus of our project is on compulsory education, we will by no means restrict our conversations to it. Taking a systems thinking approach, all types of learning are interrelated (inside and outside of school) and all phases of education are part of a bigger whole. The focus on compulsory education (defined here as the schooling we mandate that children go through) comes from the idea that if we (as a society) are giving children no alternative but to go to school, do coursework and go through a rigorous assessment process, we should ensure that we are asking the right things of them and that the educational system we provide is purpose-led and well thought through. 

• What is the ‘Toolkit for Innovative Thinking in Education’ and what will it include?

The toolkit will be a paper that aims to help students, and anyone else interested in education, be exposed to the kinds of thinking tools and approaches that are conducive to innovative thinking. We hope that this will give them a good start in being equipped to tackle complex problems, such as those present in the field of education. The toolkit will encompass all the novel ideas discussed during our workshops and a complete write-up of the project. Participant names will not be featured, unless we have their explicit permission to do so. 

Sandbox approach & Systems Thinking

• Are there any analytical tools available to help us map out complex problems?

Please check out these two blogs for a long list of tools associated with systems thinking: ‘A pallets for systems thinking tools‘ and ‘Systems Thinking Tools‘. These lists are meant to give you a flavour for what kind of thinking tools we have at our disposal for analysing the complex system that is education. 

• What do we mean by ‘switching off’ restrictions in a sandbox scenario and what are some examples of this?

Sandbox scenarios are meant to be thought exercises where we are explicit about what real world restrictions apply or which ones we choose to ‘switch off’ during our discussions. These include, but are not limited to: cost of implementation, time it would take for proposed change to be implemented, certain national rules and regulations, etc. 

• What is the link between a sandbox approach and systems thinking?

Taking a sandbox approach to solving complex problems involves taking a holistic, systems thinking approach.

Launch Workshop

The first workshop will take place on Thu, 3 June, 10am-12pm.

Register to attend through this Eventbrite link.

How we propose to run the LAUNCH Workshop:

Pre-workshop:

• We would like to ask you to flick through our material in the ‘Our Inspiration‘ section before attending the workshop. This will familiarise you with ideas and theories from fields outside your own which may be relevant to our discussion on education.

Section 1: Intro

• In the first 10 min we shall be going through context, aims and objectives of the conversation
• Followed up by 20 min of introductions and opening statements. It is relevant to the workshop discussion what make-up of professional and personal backgrounds we have represented around the table.

Section 2: Sandbox Approach

• 10 min presentation on applying a Sandbox Approach to existing project.
• 20 min interactive group discussion reflecting on the opportunities of applying such concepts to education
• short 10 min break to stretch our legs

Section 3: Intro to Systems Thinking 

• 10 min presentation on Systems Thinking theory.
• 30 min interactive group discussion on the value of using Systems Thinking in thinking differently about education.

Section 4: Wrapping up

• 5 min for concluding remarks and next steps

We are taking an Agile methodology approach to running this project, meaning that we are aiming to learn and adjust course as we go through our activities. Similarly, we plan on trialling structure of workshops, duration and prep ahead of discussions through this first meeting. So your feedback will be important to securing a better experience for the participants, with every workshop we hold.

Get involved as a…

• WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT – We are inviting UCL students and members of the faculty, from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, to participate in these collaborative and intellectually stimulating workshops. To participate it is mandatory to fill in our consent form (link below) before attending your first workshop.
• IDEA CONTRIBUTOR – If you can’t attend one or more of our workshops you can also send us your comments or think pieces by emailing stnvtbo@ucl.ac.uk. To take part in this way, you will also need to fill in the consent form (link below) so we can receive your permission to use the content you provided in discussions and publications.
• SPECTATOR – If you don’t have capacity to attend the workshops or get involved in running the project, but you are interested in its development and findings, make sure to sign up to our newsletter for monthly progress reports, by emailing stnvtbo@ucl.ac.uk.

To participate…

• Put your name down by registering to attend one of our workshops or ask to take part by emailing stnvtbo@ucl.ac.uk.
• Fill in the mandatory CONSENT FORM before attending your first workshop. You only need to fill in the form once. Carefully read the information under each section as it is important for you to know how we plan on using your details and the information you provide.

Inspired by our project? Not able to join us for our workshops discussions? Send us your thoughts and comments in a short think piece and we may incorporate them in our discussions and final report. 

Schedule of Project and Workshops

**Please note the revised timeline**

Sign up to attend one or more of the following workshops following the respective registration links below. You can also add your comments or think pieces by emailing stnvtbo@ucl.ac.uk.

Remaining Workshops:

• Fri, 1 Oct, 10am-12pm: 4^th Workshop – Aims and learning outcomes in education (including a discussion on types of curriculum and role of assessment) – Registration link for the 4th Workshop.

• Date TBC 5th & FINAL Workshop – Re-designing education, not retrofitting (including the opportunity cost of including or excluding aspects of education and highlighting tensions between system components). This will also be a wrap-up of our project and a short presentation will be included to review all themes covered in the previous sessions – Registration link for the FINAL Workshop (coming soon).

Previous workshops

• Thu, 3 June, 10am-12pm: LAUNCH Workshop – Presentation of project scope and concepts (including sandbox approach & systems thinking theories).

• Thu, 24 June, 10am-12pm: 2^nd Workshop – ‘Purpose’ in designing an Educational System (including the role of school in contemporary society and stakeholder analysis).
• Thu, 22 July, 10am-12pm: 3^rd Workshop – Child-centrism (their needs; internal & external factors to the learning process, etc), personalised education trends and chaos theory applied to education.

We’ve also prepared an FAQ page with queries raised during our discussions. We will be expanding the list as more queries come in.