Agile Education - DCL
Agile methods
The Agile movement proposes alternatives to traditional project management. Agile approaches were designed for the software development to help businesses respond to unpredictability. Scrum is the most popular way of introducing Agility due to its simplicity and flexibility. Aspects of Lean production (from the Toyota Production System) are also increasingly utilised by agile practitioners, for example Kanban boards, where limiting the number of current work items elegant workflow. Kanban's 'pull' model makes the flow of work visible across the team. In software development, 'Scrumban' is a populate fusion of Scrum and Kanban.
Nowadays Agile and lean practices are used in industries outside of manufacturing and software development. Agile is recognized more generally now as simply a great way of getting things done in rapidly changing and highly unpredictable situations.
Agile Based Learning
In this week's classes we ponder what Agile and Lean methods can offer to the education sector. Even though Agile was developed within the software industry, the bridge is that it is fundamentally about learning, people, and change - three things we struggle with in education. Many are amazed at how easily Agile translates to education, and how perfectly-suited it is for example running schools.
My Notes
Agile learning - Steve Peha
Agile learning creates a culture of learning.
Peha S Agile schools: how technology saves education
agilemanifesto.org (photo)
It boils down to … People over stuff
“Agile is fundamentally about learning, people and change - three things we struggle with in education and handle poorly at the present time” Peha 2011
Successful schools should be modelling these things for others.
What does project management look like in your school?
What’s the planning process?
Can it embrace change
Draw a diagram/flow chart of the process
- Waterfall means we have the end in mind as we go through. We work towards that goal and keep heading in the one direction.
- Agile approach has a goal in mind BUT is flexible, changes and moves with the inquiry.
Homework Review - Lean Education
Agile practitioners have been looking for further inspiration from the Japanese car industry.
How would you critique the ideas suggested in the Lean Education video around taking ideas from lean production into the classroom?
Lean and the DCL programme - photo (purple).
Kanban - the visual card (comes directly from Lean Production)
Whiteboard with post its. When it goes from idea to production stage etc you move the post it. It’s about visualising the workflow.
Kanban in classroom - column headings
Things to be learned
Things we are learning
Things we have learned
Trello board trello.com/b/vlnprXzu
Story Card Video - Agile Academy
As a… (role)
I need… (wants/needs)
So that… (benefits)
Acceptance criteria on the back so that everyone knows what the end goal is.
Group Activity
Story Cards - As a… I want to… so that I can…
Story card tests - what tests could we use as ‘accepted’ tests/assessment for your stories.
User stories can be used to express activities in a trello board
Boris Gloger - Ball Game
What is your target condition?
Where are you now?
What did you plan in the last step?
What was your result?
Agile leadership style
- facilitate
- remove obstacles
- encourage reflection
- be a servant leader
- create a safe environment
- allow team to self-organise
Beck… Photo
Servant leadership - photo
Robert K. Greenleaf 1970
Simon Breakspear - what is agile leadership mindset?
“Using the best of the past but designing for the future.”
Individual activity - check other drawing.
- what adjustments would you make?
- what obstacles would you remove?
Bring recycle stuff - boxes, tubes, etc for next class.
DCL Course Notes Week 11
Agile Schools
Steve Peha, a technologist and educator in the US, has worked extensively in applying the lessons of agile and lean to the classroom. His article on InfoQ, 'Agile Schools: How Technology Saves Education (Just Not the Way We Thought it Would), can be found at http://www.infoq.com/articles/agile-schools-education
The Agile Manifesto
The key ideas of agile are embodied in the 'Agile Manifesto' - http://agilemanifesto.org/
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
We will explore how these might be modified to apply to education
"Agile is fundamentally about learning, people, and change-three things we struggle with in education and handle poorly at the present time" (Peha, 2011).
Lean Production
“From...lean production, educators can learn the importance of empowering teachers by training them to problem-solve and then expecting them to be self-reflective and to continuously improve their practice.”
Barney, H. & Kirby, S.N. (2004). Toyota Production System/Lean Manufacturing. In B. Stecher and S.N. Kirby (Eds.), Organizational Improvement and Accountability Lessons for Education From Other Sectors (pp. 35-50). Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation.
Kanban
Kanban means 'visual card' in Japanese.
For an example of how Kanban boards can be used to help children plan, see Princess Kanban. This is on the agileschool blog, which you may find interesting. More recent materials are now on the Agile Classrooms site
Trello
Trello can be used to create Kanban style boards online. Try it out - set up a board. How might you use in your school / classroom?
LDC Course Notes Week 11
Agile Leadership Style
- Facilitate
- Remove obstacles
- Encourage reflection
- Be a servant leader
- Create a safe environment
- Allow team to self-organise
Beck, K & Andres, C (2004), Extreme Programming Explained (2nd Ed.) Addison-Wesley.
Schwaber, K. & Beedle, M. (2001). Agile Software Development with Scrum. Pearson.
Servant Leadership
The originator of the servant leadership concept (though inspired by a Herman Hesse story) was Robert Greenleaf.
“The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?”
Robert K. Greenleaf, The Servant as Leader (1970)
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