• From our life experiences, many of us have learned that taking “good” feedback and learning from it can help propel us forward toward our goals.
• From behavioral research, we know that visible feedback and reflection play an invaluable role in shaping learning and behavior by providing individuals with immediate and observable consequences, which can reinforce behavior or lead to change.
• For Teams, “feedback plays a pivotal role in driving continuous improvement. . . It catalyzes growth by highlighting strengths and areas for development,” to assure alignment and delivery of high-quality outcomes (premiereagile.com).

For students, effective and meaningful feedback and opportunities for guided reflection are gamechangers. As a key component of the Agile in Education Compass, “Visible Feedback and Reflection is goal-centered, purposeful, and relevant,[fostering] a connection and application for both educators and learners. Visible feedback can become a powerful opportunity for students to build metacognition, practice self-reflection, and exercise self-agency toward continuous improvement. When students and teachers realize that feedback is not an evaluation, the otucome can be increased self-confidence and trust in the iterative process”

Blueprint Education Eduvators, Agile in Education Compass Journey).

Blueprint's Agile in Education Compass Student Training Series is underway, and making an Impact…
For the trainers, it's beyond inspiring;
And for the students, it's life-changing.

Join us on the journey at https://www.blueprinteducation.org/agile/.
Follow the Blog at https://www.blueprinteducation.org/news/.

Author: Marina O’Connell, MAEd, CSM, CSPO, CAL K-12

Last month, the Blueprint Education Eduvators and the VIP team developed and implemented our first Agile in Education Compass Training starting with the compass point of trust. The experience for students and participants was overwhelmingly positive and moving, setting the stage for additional Agile in Education Compass student trainings throughout the year.

Here are several responses to the training shared by students:

My experience at the Trust Training:

I loved my experience on this trip. It allowed me to feel vulnerable. It also allowed me to see and learn more about other HHS students in a different way while also letting me see myself in a different light. The experience taught me a lot about myself. Anahi V.

I went on the Trust field trip and it was a really meaningful experience. I learned to put more trust in myself and that it’s important to tell your story because it’s what shows who you really are. I also learned to fight my fears, because that will make me stronger as a person, I get to know about others and their experiences and learned that even if I think I’m alone, I’m really not, because there are others who have gone through the same things or similar experiences, which is so important to know. The people were all really kind and supportive and I’m grateful I got to go. Deanna Z.

I really liked the whole event. It was a learning experience that I was really glad to be a part of. The staff created a really comfortable environment. One thing I struggle with is public speaking and I ended up speaking numerous times. Overall it was a great experience and I would love to be part of another [Agile Compass] event again. Nayeli L.

Something I learned [during] the Trust field trip was to not always hid my pain and feelings from others. Something else was learning that everyone goes through things even if they try to act cool. It was an experience meeting other people like me and learning how to deal with problems and pain, though it was hard to talk and admit to all of it. Angel S.

Why Agile… in Education?
The Agile framework originated from the world of software development, and a need arose to collaborate on product development in a smarter way. Agile teams work effectively as a unit and can better react to the inevitable changes in innovation and education. The Agile philosophy encompasses a group of methodologies that guide goal development, continuous improvement, and collaboration.
When applied to education, the Agile framework and methodologies look like Best Practices in a system of student engagement, teamwork, exploration, relevance, objective mastery, increasing depth-of-knowledge, 21st Century skills in action, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. Agile learners iteratively develop and grow trust, collaboration, culture, and reflective practice for lifelong learning and success.
Join us on the journey at blueprinteducation.org/agile.

Author: Marina O’Connell, MAEd, CSM, CSPO, CAL K-12

Crickets and birds chirping, coyotes howling like excited fans, children laughing and splashing, and also… Keyboards quietly clacking, calendar reminders pinging, and voices kindly chatting, because…

…The quiet summer months are the perfect time for the behind-the-scenes projects that make schools work! All hands still on deck are busier than ever: connecting, helping, enrolling, re-engaging, planning, and making preparations for students and their families. 

To all those still supporting students this summer, Thank You!

Here are some agile ideas and scrum strategies to help support YOU and all you do for others.

Features and Resources:

• FYI: “What are the Different Types of Agile Methodologies?”

Scrum is a Blueprint favorite, but it is not the only Agile framework that can help you increase efficiency and care when serving students and families. This article offers a quick breakdown of the various agile approaches, so you can see if another one can work well for a project YOU are working on.

• Take another look at the Agile Manifesto, reimagined to reflect the projects and tasks you and your teams take on to support students this summer.  Although we can’t do everything, we can focus on what’s more important. 

The Agile Manifesto

We are uncovering better ways of developing software (supporting students)
by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software (Student successes) over comprehensive documentation
Customer (Student and stakeholder) collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

© 2001-2022 Agile Manifesto Authors

• Check out all of the Learning to be Agile tools and features, from templates to infographics that support instruction, agility, collaboration, and learning:

Why Agile in Education (even for support staff)? 

• “Agile is . . . suited for teams that plan on moving fast, experimenting with direction, and don’t know how the final project will look before they start. Agile is flexible and requires a collaborative and self-motivated team, plus frequent check-ins with . . .  stakeholders,” which fits so much of what educators and support staff must do to serve students and families before the school year begins. (https://www.forbes.com/)
• “Scrum is one of the most popular Agile methodologies, as it can bring teams together with a sharp focus and an efficient, collaborative approach to task execution.” (https://www.wrike.com/)
•  “Implementing agile methodologies [can] have a direct impact on management style, on teams, on learning environments, and on employee’s mental health.”
  [Rad, Dana & Rad, Gavril. (2021). Going Agile, a Post-Pandemic Universal Work Paradigm – A Theoretical Narrative Review. Postmodern Openings. 12. 337-388. 10.18662/po/12.4/380.]

Join us on the journey at blueprinteducation.org/agile.

Author: Marina O’Connell, MAEd, CSM, CSPO, CAL K-12

Why Teacher Appreciation?

Do I even have to ask?
Teachers do the most difficult and important work in the world, and in May, we all get to show our gratitude. As the school year approaches its end, teachers are working their hardest to help students succeed during that final push, all the while motivating, grading, closing out the school year, and even planning for the school year ahead. So this month’s blog is dedicated to using Agile practices and mindsets to help teachers with all the many things they do to nurture their students’ learning and growth. After all, where would any of us be without the wisdom of our teachers?

Tools & Features

This month’s blog features a few tools for teachers to agilify their instructional practices and care for themselves. You are appreciated.
Agilify your Lesson Plan and other Agile Instruction Tips
Agile Learning Objectives and Effective “Story Writing” for ALL Teams
Agile Educator Self-Care Compass
All the tools and features from previous and current blog posts can be found here!

Why Agile… in Education?

The Agile framework originated from the world of software development, and a need arose to collaborate on product development in a smarter way. Agile teams work effectively as a unit and can better react to the inevitable changes in innovation and education. The Agile philosophy encompasses a group of methodologies that guide goal development, continuous improvement, and collaboration.
When applied to education, the Agile framework and methodologies look like Best Practices in a system of student engagement, teamwork, exploration, relevance, objective mastery, increasing depth-of-knowledge, 21st Century skills in action, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. Agile learners iteratively develop and grow trust, collaboration, culture, and reflective practice for lifelong learning and success.
Join us on the journey at blueprinteducation.org/agile.

Author: Marina O’Connell, MAEd, CSM, CSPO, CAL K-12

Perhaps the better questions are: What ARE team toxins and why should we be proactive in overcoming them?
To an Agilist, the idea of Team Toxins comes from the research of Dr. John Gottman and his observations of the Four Toxic Communication Patterns adapted for team communication settings (Hooper, et al., 2017). The 4 Team Toxins are: Blaming, Defensiveness, Contempt, and Stonewalling (Thomassen, 2018). These toxins can devastate a team and give away the power we have to impact our own outcomes. Not surprisingly, these same toxins can be seen in classrooms both physical and virtual and wherever the teenage brain may be encountered. For the sanity and success of teams, teens, and teachers, understanding the four communication toxins and how to overcome them can be a game changer.

Tools & Features

Take a look at this month’s Poster: Team & Teen Toxins… and their Antidotes!

Use the Classroom Agreements Slideshow to guide your students in developing goals and expectations for communication and contribution through a collaborative liberating structure.
(This structure works well for teams of grown-ups too.)

All the tools and features from previous and current blog posts can be found here!

Why Agile… in Education?

The Agile framework originated from the world of software development, and a need arose to collaborate on product development in a smarter way. Agile teams work effectively as a unit and can better react to the inevitable changes in innovation and education. The Agile philosophy encompasses a group of methodologies that guide goal development, continuous improvement, and collaboration.

When applied to education, the Agile framework and methodologies look like Best Practices in a system of student engagement, teamwork, exploration, relevance, objective mastery, increasing depth-of-knowledge, 21st Century skills in action, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. Agile learners iteratively develop and grow trust, collaboration, culture, and reflective practice for lifelong learning and success.
Join us on the journey at blueprinteducation.org/agile.

Author: Marina O’Connell, MAEd, CSM, CSPO, CAL K-12

References
Hooper, A., Spann, C., McCray, T., & Kimberly, C. (2017). Revisiting the Basics: Understanding Potential Demographic Differences With John Gottman’s Four Horsemen and Emotional Flooding. The Family Journal, 25(3), 224–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480717710650
Thomassen, N.L., (2018). The Four Team Toxins and their Antidotes. https://aequilibre.org/team%20toxins/

Tools:

Agilify your Lesson Plan and other Agile Instruction Tips

Agile Learning Objectives and Effective “Story Writing” for ALL Teams

Agile Self-Care Compass

Team & Teen Toxins and their Antidotes Poster

Classroom Agreements: Presentation for Students and Teachers

Agile Games and Fun Tools

Focus Strategies for Students and Teams

Openness Tips from the Experts

Commitment Retrospective

Team Agreement Structures for the Classroom and Beyond

Tips, Tricks, Strategies: Building Student and Team Commitment

Gifts & Resolutions Retrospective

Endings & Beginnings Retrospective

‘Twas the Night Before…” Fill-In Retrospective

Features:

Agile Manifesto Reimagined

What are the Different Types of Agile Methodologies?

Respect in a Learning Organization

Extreme Courage: Staff & Student Spotlight

“Commitment” by Mark French, CEO Blueprint Education

Student Spotlight: Commitment

Why Fun & Games in Learning?

It’s pretty obvious to children of every age that learning is hard work, and hard work is better when we’re having fun. In fact, researchers agree that games and play increase student engagement from K-12 through higher education, improving learning and achievment outcomes through interactivity (Oblinger, 2004). Kelsey Skaggs from MIND Research Institute (2023) found that gamifying learning and collaboration can help eliminate boredom from classrooms as well as online and blended environments while being pedagogically sound tools. Competition with levity and collaboration are the magical mix that foster depth of knowledge and a love of learning.

Tools & Features

Explore this month’s resource poster with links to online and in-hand games to improve engagement, learning, and teamwork. The linked tools and features reveal insights, perspectives, and strategies from educators and Agilists as they reflect on the values and strategies that impact learners and teams.

Agile Games and Fun!

Why Agile… in Education?

I was recently at a learning conference provided by the Arizona Department of Education on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education and led by a pretty tuned-in and innovative group of advocates for school improvement. I was pleasantly surprised and excited to find that a key resource they shared, “Plan, Action, Success: Instructional Leadership, School Improvement,” from Learning Sciences International (2023), provided five research-based school success imperatives, and three of the five are Agile practices! The Achievement Board (really a scrum/kanban board), definition of done, and daily standups are all examples of the iterative approach of Agile in Education and why we are continuously learning to be agile.

The Agile framework originated from the world of software development, and a need arose to collaborate on product development in a smarter way. Agile teams work effectively as a unit and can better react to the inevitable changes in innovation and education (Terry, 2023). The Agile philosophy encompasses a group of methodologies that guide goal development, continuous improvement, and collaboration.When applied to education, the Agile framework and methodologies look like: student engagement, teamwork, exploration, relevance, objective mastery, increasing depth-of-knowledge, 21st Century skills in action, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. Agile learners iteratively develop and grow trust, collaboration, culture, and reflective practice for lifelong learning and success.

Join us on the journey at blueprinteducation.org/agile.

References:

• Learning Sciences International. (2021). Plan, Action, Success: Instructional Leadership, School Improvement. Provided by the Arizona Department of Education, February, 2023.
• Oblinger, D. (2004). The next generation of educational engagement. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2004 (8). Special Issue on the Educational Semantic Web [www-jime.open.ac.uk/2004/8]
• Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020, November).
• The Scrum Guide[The Definitive Guide to Scrum: The Rules of the Game] [pdf]Scrum Alliance. (2021, June). The Agile Educator Guide [An Agile Framework for Modern Education] [pdf].
• Skaggs, K. (2023). The difference games can make for student engagement.
• Mind Research Institute, Mind Education. Retrieved from https://blog.mindresearch.org/blog/student-engagement-game-based-learning

Author: Marina O’Connell, MAEd, CSM, CSPO, CAL K-12

Why FORCE?

Undeniably, the forces of nature impact our lives, from climate to catastrophe and all the little things in between. To an engineer, Force is the very foundation of movement and dynamics, as forces are external agents of change, pushing and pulling on one another. To Agilists, FORCE is similarly foundational to effective team development, productive creativity, and meaningful outcomes.
F.O.R.C.E. is an acronym from the Agile methodology of Scrum, representing the Scrum Values of focus, openness, respect, commitment, and extreme courage. These concepts themselves represent the forces of impact for learners, creators, leaders, and teams.

Tools & Features

The tools and features linked below share insights, perspectives, and strategies from educators and Agilists as they reflect on the scrum values that impact learners and teams. Expert strategies and suggestions from within Blueprint Education and from around the agile world help can help you bring the F.O.R.C.E. to your students, teams, and endeavors..

Focus Strategies for Students and Teams

Openness Tips from the Experts, Kristie Richardson & Amanda Williams, Contributors
Respect in a Learning Organization

Commitment: See our January blog Tools & Features

Extreme Courage: Staff & Student Spotlight, featuring Student and Staff Contributors

Why Agile… in Education?

The Agile framework originated from the world of software development, and a need arose to collaborate on product development in a smarter way. Agile teams work effectively as a unit and can better react to the inevitable changes in innovation and education (Terry, 2023). The Agile philosophy encompasses a group of methodologies that guide goal development, continuous improvement, and collaboration.When applied to education, the Agile framework and methodologies look like: student engagement, teamwork, exploration, relevance, objective mastery, increasing depth-of-knowledge, 21st Century skills in action, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. Agile learners iteratively develop and grow trust, collaboration, culture, and reflective practice for lifelong learning and success.

Join us on the journey at blueprinteducation.org/agile.

References:

• Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020, November). The Scrum Guide
• [The Definitive Guide to Scrum: The Rules of the Game] [pdf].Scrum Alliance. (2021, June).
• The Agile Educator Guide [An Agile Framework for Modern Education] [pdf].Terry, J. (2023).
• Benefits of Agile Development. https://www.planview. com/resources/guide/agile-methodologies-a-beginners-guide/benefits-of-agile-development/

Author: Marina O’Connell, MAEd, CSM, CSPO, CAL K-12

Why Commitment?

In welcoming a brand new year, many of us are making commitments to ourselves: to improve, to be healthier, to act with intention, to grow in some way. Discipline and commitment to goals and each other may very well shape the upcoming year for many of us, our teams, our students.

Blueprint Education’s CEO, Mark French, shares that commitment to trust and transparency are paramount to the culture and success of any learning organization. One of the core scrum values, commitment supports effective instruction, productive team dynamic, and even successful use of agile practices, as each individual and “Team commits to achieving its goals and to supporting each other” (Schwaber & Sutherland, 2020, 4). As we collaborate within our teams to move the meter forward, we commit to our team agreements as well as our goals and the definition of done. For our students, commitment takes place throughout the process of learning and is an integral part of the Retrospective in each Learning Sprint. Students learn “the process of reflecting. . . and identifying actional commitments to improve” learning and collaboration (Scrum Alliance, 2021, 2).

Tools and Features:

The tools and features shared below represent the wisdom of Blueprint Education’s Agile leaders, Certified Agile Educators and Scrum Masters, and students.  Each focuses on strategically building commitment to goals and to team collaboration, so that our students and teams can take the first steps toward championing the growth and success of 2023!

    “Commitment” – Mark French, CEO Blueprint Education, Author

    Team Agreement Structures for the Classroom and Beyond

    Commitment RETROSPECTIVE – Rebecca Searles, Contributor

    Tips, Tricks, Strategies: Building Student and Team Commitment – Sahithi Mantri & Christina Valladares, Contributors

    “Student Spotlight” – Emmanuel Garcia, Contributor

Why Agile (in Education)? 

The Agile framework originated from the world of software development and a need that arose to collaborate on product development in a smarter way. Agile teams work effectively as a unit and can better react to the changes that are inevitable in innovation and education (Terry, 2023). The Agile philosophy encompasses a group of methodologies that guide goal development, continuous improvement, and collaboration.

When applied to education, the Agile framework and methodologies look like: student engagement, teamwork, exploration, relevance, objective mastery, increasing depth-of-knowledge, 21st Century skills in action, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. 

Join us on the journey, at blueprinteducation.org/agile.

References:

• Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020, November). The Scrum Guide [The Definitive Guide to Scrum: The Rules of the Game] [pdf].
• Scrum Alliance. (2021, June). The Agile Educator Guide [An Agile Framework for Modern Education] [pdf].
• Terry, J. (2023). Benefits of Agile Development. https://www.planview.com/resources/guide/agile-methodologies-a-beginners-guide/ benefits-of-agile-development/

Author: Marina O’Connell, MAEd, CSM, CSPO, CAL K-12

Why Retrospectives?

As we approach the end of the semester and calendar year, reflection is a useful skill for students to learn and utilize, a tool to curb vacation learning loss. Moreover, reflection is key to students understanding not only WHAT they are learning but HOW they learn best.

Agile “Retrospectives” are collaborative (and fun!) reflections of learning and collaboration to “explore what went well and what could be improved in order to create actionable commitments for future work… a time to reflect and improve on the learning process, student choice, and collaboration. In this way, the retrospective is a powerful opportunity for students to build metacognition, practice self-reflection, and exercise self-agency toward continuous improvement” (Agile Educator Guide, 2021, p. 6).

Why Jamboard?

A Jamboard is a virtual, interactive “whiteboard” that allows collaboration synchronously and asynchronously and can be used online or in-person.  Feel free to make a copy of the jamboards you love, and use your copies as they are, modify as you’d like, or take the “retro” guiding questions in your own original direction.

• Gifts & Resolutions
• Endings & Beginnings
• “Twas the Night Before…” Fill-in (Mad-Libs)

Why Agile (in Education)? 

The Agile framework originated from the world of software development and a need that arose to collaborate on product development in a smarter way. “Agile is an iterative approach to . . .  development that helps teams deliver value . . . faster and with fewer headaches” (www.atlassian.com). The Agile philosophy, if you will, encompasses a  group of methodologies that guide goal development, continuous improvement, and collaboration.

When applied to education, the Agile framework and methodologies look like: student engagement, teamwork, exploration, relevance, objective mastery, increasing depth-of-knowledge, 21st Century skills in action, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. 

Join us on the journey, at blueprinteducation.org/agile.

Author: Marina O’Connell, CSM, CSPO, CAL K-12