Felt, leaves and branches Teaching show case

Aims of the session Introduce Ketso Mini exercise to experience Ketso (engaging students in problem based learning) Learn from each other – share ideas and practice Develop ideas for ‘our projects’ Introduce how Ketso can be used in teaching and in built environment and community planning contexts

Ketso is a hands-on kit for creative groupwork

‘Ketso’ means action in Lesotho, where it was invented in 1995

Women didn’t speak in mixed gender groups

Ketso was used in Southern Africa to help communities change this...

…to this: sustainable living

Developed in PhD research at UoM

… working to develop a vision for a sustainable North Manchester

Local enthusiasm from the plans developed moved a former landfill site from 30 th ….

... to first on the list. The site received £1.7 million of Newlands funding.

Reaction from North Manchester Resident “Because a lot of people are like me and they are not good at speaking if there are more than two or three people around, but they have things to say. This is magnificent at getting people to participate, and very important”

Ketso has been used in contexts ranging from research with Tesco (over 200 staff)

… to engaging with stakeholders of all ages and backgrounds in health related issues

… to community development and engagement in Jordan, Rwanda, South Africa & Bangladesh

… to teaching and learning at all levels

Won Association of European Schools of Planning 2011 Excellence in Teaching Prize

Coloured leaves for different questions (write on the coloured side)

We will introduce each stage, passing around the new leaf colour and with the bell

You will have about minutes for each stage in total (a bit of a speed exercise)

Bell to move to next stage – first ring person talking has a moment to finish what saying

Outcomes from this workshop

Engaging students in problem based learning What works well? Challenges and problems Solutions to challenges

Engaging students in problem based learning What works well? What in what we already do is effective?

Everyone take a pen and some leaves

Always use the ‘magic pens’ so we can wash the leaves clean after use!

Put 1 idea per leaf, write so others can read

First take a few moments on your OWN to develop your ideas…

Engaging students in problem based learning What works well? What in what we already do is effective?

Now unfold the felt

Take it in turns to read out your ideas – one person reads one idea at a time…

… going around the circle. Place leaves on the felt as you read them out

Discuss the ideas after they are all on the felt

Point leaves at branches

Branches provide themes, some blanks

Enhancing the student experience What works well? What in what we already do is effective? Table swap – what is important, & why? Any comments or questions?

Engaging students in problem based learning What works well? Challenges and problems – think of a KEY challenge

You can move ideas around

Engaging students in problem based learning What works well? Challenges and problems Solutions to challenges

You can think ‘outside of the box’

Cluster similar ideas

Ketso grid for action plan

Eight takeaways – creative engagement Stakeholders have the solutions – you never know where the creativity will come from Everyone has a voice - give everyone a way to make an input at the same time Individual and group time – think then share - give people time on their own to develop ideas before sharing Building a shared picture – encourage participants to make connections and patterns from their ideas

Eight takeaways – creative engagement Stakeholders have the solutions Everyone has a voice Individual and group time Building a shared picture Activity based – something to do for each stage Start with the positive - ask what is going well? what works? End with solutions not problems - give some time to develop solutions to problems Lead into action - remember takeaway messages & action points, what happens next?

How does Ketso help you do these? Stakeholders have the solutions Everyone has a voice Individual and group time Building a shared picture Activity based Start with the positive End with solutions not problems Lead into action

Eight takeaways – how Ketso helps Stakeholders have the solutions - felt is there to capture ideas Everyone has a voice – everyone has a pen and leaves Individual and group time –giving out the leaves ‘re-sets’ the process – different stages Building a shared picture – you can move the leaves around and use icons Activity-led – leaves, icons – decide what you want to ask and assign a bit of kit to that stage Start with the positive – colours have an underlying metaphor – what is the soil we have to grow ideas in? End with solutions not problems – green shoots from the grey of the clouds Action – use icons and comments cards to note actions! Making group meaning from individual ideas – leaves can move, use branches to give (some) structure

Make productive use of people’s time

Give everyone a voice – commitment

Harness creativity of people all levels

Each bit of the kit helps lead you through running a workshop

Launched as a company in 2009

Social mission - Transform the way we communicate, collaborate and learn worldwide

Business model – helping people run good workshops by selling & renting kits…

…. & providing free open source resources: workshop plans, slideshows, training videos

Create job opportunities for disadvantaged people in manufacture

The kits are assembled in a sheltered workshop in the UK

Customers include: Public Sector: Merseycare NHS National School of Government Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Environment Agency Cumbria County Council, South Lakes District Council Voluntary Sector: The Equality Network GroundWork Schumacher Institute The IONA Community The Big Life Company Private Sector: Tesco United Utilities

University customers include: Cambridge Durham Edinburgh Glasgow Hull Business School Lancaster Leeds Metropolitan Liverpool Manchester Newcastle Portsmouth Pretoria Salford Sheffield Sussex Worcester

Student Feedback

Students engage with each other

Ideas being heard In past experiences of group work, I have often taken a backseat in group discussion as other more outspoken characters tend to hold the discussion... I enjoyed Ketso as I felt it gave everyone a higher sense of equality. Undergraduate first year student

Students learn from each other

Developing ideas One of the things I was amazed at was that we had so many ideas, as a group we were bouncing ideas off each other taking one member’s idea and developing it. This made me very optimistic about the future of the module and strengthened my positive attitude, which has continued throughout the module. Undergraduate second year student

See ideas develop

Time management I knew we were pushed for time but actually stopping and reviewing the situation by analysing what we had to do and by when really made myself and the group a lot more effective and efficient in our decisions. Undergraduate second year student

Supports effective groupwork Problems, issues, and solutions arose which potentially wouldn’t have entered my mind, whilst experiencing our group connect and energise each other. I have to say, I was impressed. Undergraduate second year student

Allows you to give feedback

Allows peers to give feedback One area of the workshop I found extremely beneficial was moving around to view the other groups’ emerging Ketsos. It provided independent observations with regard to our Ketso maps, providing comments. Viewing the development of others’ ideas enabled me to change my perceptions. Postgraduate student

International students can engage The Ketso is particularly useful for me to communicate with members. My English level is low… It makes me difficult to actively participate group projects. Last semester I could not insist my opinion… However, with the great tool covering many different kinds of group meetings I was able to clearly suggest my thought on a meeting.

Used at many different stages – expectations, project planning, review & revision

Embedded inclusive education

Supports students with dyslexia “ I like the fact it is so visual, you can really see your ideas and the links between them and other people’s ideas… I like the way you can move the ideas around, it makes it practical and is more inviting than a list.”

International students can engage The Ketso is particularly useful for me to communicate with members. My English level is low… It makes me difficult to actively participate group projects. Last semester I could not insist my opinion… However, with the great tool covering many different kinds of group meetings I was able to clearly suggest my thought on a meeting.

Widening participation and access

Skills development (e.g. enterprise education - Durham, Cambridge, Birmingham, Sussex, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Surrey, Manchester)

Data gathering – e.g. focus groups

Ideas can be captured and typed up

…for later analysis.

Public engagement with research

BASICS of planning a workshop – what do you think this acronym might stand for? B A S I C S

BASICS of planning a workshop B eginnings A ctivities S equencing I nputs C onclusions S kippables, squashables and supplements

BASICS Beginnings Activities

Feedback during a conference from delegates

BASICS Beginnings Activities Sequencing

BASICS Beginnings Activities Sequencing

Enhancing the student experience

BASICS B eginnings A ctivities S equencing I nputs

Big Society and the Environment

Surprising emergent themes

Emergent themes – researchers search for themes from ideas

Speed exercise using colours to ask different questions only, some clustering

Emergent themes

Student Feedback – Manchester Methods Fair

Student Feedback

Emergent themes around expectations

Iterative process – first pass at themes for discussion in EU funded research meeting 42 ideas – just those with ticks by them (done during the workshop)

Iterative process – all ideas shown against the research themes EU FP7 SMARTest research 159 ideas – type up finished later

Iterative process – all ideas shown against the workpackage teams (one team per felt)

BASICS B eginnings A ctivities S equencing I nputs C onclusions

Health and wellbeing example

BASICS B eginnings A ctivities S equencing I nputs C onclusions S kippables, squashables and supplements