http://bit.ly/udg-liberating

About this Studio

Liberating Structures in the classroom: simple rules to unleash and engage everyone in learning, online and offline. With a repertoire of structures, you can (re)design a class or activity to increase learner engagement. Or  use them to have better staff meetings! Better family gatherings! Anywhere, any time. Studio slides are here.

The Activity

Opener Option 1:  Mad Tea:

• Form into two concentric circles, one facing in, one facing out with people equally divided between each circle.
• Identify your “partner” in front of you.
• A question will be shown on the screen. First person takes 30 seconds to complete the sentence, then the other partner completes the sentence.
• When you hear two bells/voice signal, move to the right (new partner!)  (15 minutes)
• Online Variation: Ask the question to the group in a synchronous web meeting space and have people type their answers in the public chat space.

Note the sequence of the type of questions.

• What first inspired me in this work as a teacher is…
• What I find challenging in our current situation is…
• Something we should stop doing (or divest) is…
• What I hope can happen for us in this work is…
• A big opportunity I see for us is…
• A courageous conversation we are not having is…
• An action or practice helping us move forward is…
• A project that gives me confidence we are transforming is…
• Something we need to research is…
• A bold idea I recommend is…
• A question that is emerging for me is…
• Something I plan to do is…
• I like Mad Tea because…

Now, after hearing from your colleagues, take a minute to answer these questions for yourself:

• What is happening in teaching and learning around us that demands the use of mobile technology for student engagement?
• Where are we starting, honestly?
• Given our purpose as UdG educators, what seems possible?
• What is at stake if we do not change?
• How are we moving away from the current state toward the future?

Debrief: (5 minutes)   WWW: What, So What, Now What

• “WHAT? What happened? What did you notice, what facts or observations stood out?” Take one minute to think alone, then share with a partner.
• Share the most compelling observations.
• “SO WHAT? Why is that important? What patterns or conclusions are emerging? What hypotheses can you make?” In pairs or groups of four, discuss.
• Share the most compelling observations.
• “NOW WHAT? What next actions make sense?”

Overview of Liberating Structures:

• We will review  3-5 foundational LS slides which are also available online in English and (soon) in Spanish.

Challenges: 45 minutes – see links below

The Tools and Resources

Session Slides:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-GyooazSJf9dThLNHlSUzBxRms/view?usp=sharing

Suggested tools/tutorials

• Liberating Structures Website : http://www.liberatingstructures.com (see the ASK QUESTIONS section http://www.liberatingstructures.com/ask-questions/ )
• Liberating Structures LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=4810141
• Liberating Structures in Education
• Another related tool, the Groupworks Deck http://www.groupworksdeck.org and an example of a pattern for tutoring http://groupworksdeck.org/sites/all/modules/card_map/map_home.php?id=69

LS Resources in Spanish

• http://publichealth.uams.edu/files/2014/05/Liberating-Structures-brochure-spanish-6-2-2014.pdf
• https://prezi.com/avh–ushodvb/estructuras-liberadoras/

The Challenges

We will choose one as a whole group and do in smaller teams.

• Liberating Structures: Getting Help from Peers
• Liberating Structures: Minimum Specifications
• Liberating Structures: Appreciative Interview
• Liberating Structures: Discovery and Action Dialog (D.A.D.)

The Wrap-up

• Remind of the LS’s we used over the 90 minutes
• 1 visual reminder on LS structure
• Repeat W,W,W http://www.liberatingstructures.com/9-what-so-what-now-what-w/ , or if time, 25/10 Crowdsourcing http://www.liberatingstructures.com/12-2510-crowd-sourcing/