Innovate and implement new, effective ways of teaching in your school
In Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools, veteran educator, MIT professor, and incorrigible innovator Justin Reich delivers an insightful bridge between contemporary educational research and classroom teaching, showing you how to leverage the cycle of experiment and experience to create a compelling and engaging learning environment. In the book, you'll learn how to employ a process of continuous improvement and tinkering to develop exciting new programs, activities, processes, and designs.
The author draws on over two decades of experience with educators, education researchers, and school leaders to explain how to apply the latest advances in the academic literature to your school, classroom, or online/hybrid course. You'll also find:
- Complimentary access to two popular courses archived at the MIT Open Learning Library: Launching Innovation in Schools and Design Thinking for Leading and Learning
- Insights grounded in extensive scholarly experience in design and innovation from Prof. Reich and the MIT Teaching Systems Lab
- Strategies for combining the most effective evidence-based teaching methods with the flexibility and creativity displayed by schools during the COVID-19 pandemic
An invaluable strategic playbook for innovative teaching, Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools is perfect for PK-12 school and district leaders, teacher leaders, and educators.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Secret to School Improvement 7
My Best Teaching Ever: Wilderness Medicine 7
Creating Time and Space for Iteration 9
Iterative Improvement at MIT 10
Three Cycles for Iterative Improvement 11
The Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning 13
Design Thinking for Leading and Learning 15
Collaborative Innovation Cycle 17
Three Principles for Iteration 18
Think In Cycles and Spirals 19
Act in Short Design Cycles 19
Improve in Community 19
Chapter 1: What is the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning? 21
Changing the Complex, Fine-Grained Work of Teaching 24
Teachers Primarily Change Their Pedagogy in Response to Other Teachers 26
Three Phases to the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning 27
Experiment 28
Experience 29
Plan 32
What’s missing from the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning 33
Evaluation and Measurement 34
Loss 35
Power, Difference, and Design Justice 37
Leadership and the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning 40
Chapter 2: Spinning the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning 44
Creating More Opportunities for Experimentation 46
Pointing a Light: Targets of Difficulty 47
Making Time: Summer Innovation Funding 47
Finding the Resources All Around You: Students as Designers 49
Innovation Staffing: Department Heads, Coaches, and Teachers on Special Assignment 50
Using the Bully Pulpit 51
Making Team Learning Richer: Looking at Student Work and Instructional Rounds 53
The Proof of the Pudding: Looking at Student Work 53
Getting into Classrooms: Instructional Rounds 54
Institutional Learning: Ramping up Planning through Peer-to-Peer Learning 56
Meeting Times are Instructional Sharing Times 58
Teacher Led Peer-to-Peer Learning 59
Seeing Outside Expertise as the Catalyst Teacher to Peer-to-Peer Learning 61
Rowing in the Same Direction: Creating Common Instructional Language and a Shared Vision 62
Preparing to Communicate Together: Creating a Common Instructional Language 62
Developing a Shared Vision: Right-Sized Goals 64
Iterating Forward with The Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning 66
Chapter 3: What is Design Thinking? 68
From Waterfalls to Sprints: A Brief History of Design 71
From Dewey to Design Thinking 74
The Design Justice Critiques of Design Thinking 76
Getting Started with Design Thinking for Leading and Learning 78
Key Principles to Design Thinking for Leading and Learning 81
Six Phases for Design Thinking for Leading and Learning 84
Discover 84
Focus 88
Imagine 91
Prototype 93
Try 97
Reflect & Share 99
Reflection and Inclusion 101
Conclusion 102
Chapter 4: Getting Started with Design 104
Discover 104
Research to Discover: Surveys, Interviews, and Observations 104
Iterating on Discovery 106
Combining Local Knowledge with Education Research 108
Focus 109
Going from Observable Data to Underlying Challenges 109
Finalizing a Focus Area 112
Imagine 113
User Personas (or Community Personas) 114
Imagine by Analogy 115
Imagining from Flare to Focus 117
Prototype 118
Sketching and Storyboarding 119
Paper Prototyping and Wireframing 121
Physical Prototyping and Rehearsals 123
Try 124
When to Try Out Your Prototypes 125
How to Try Out Your Prototypes 126
Who Should Try Out Your Prototypes 130
Reflect & Share 132
Design Crits 132
Conclusion 134
Chapter 5: The Collaborative Innovation Cycle 136
Four Phases of the Collaborative Innovation Cycle 139
Developing the Collaborative Innovation Cycle with Peter Senge 142
Looking Inwards and Outwards, Setting the Frame for the Collaborative Innovation Cycle 143
Systems Thinking in Schools 143
Who Leads? Distributed Leadership in Schools 145
Key Principles for the Collaborative Innovation Cycle 146
Bringing People Together Around Ideas They Care About 147
Four Questions for Innovation 150
Refining a Vision and Getting to Work 154
Building from Personal Visions to Shared Vision 155
Managing Difference in a Shared Vision 159
The Someday-Monday Dilemma 161
Getting to Work: The Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning, and Design Thinking for Leading and Learning 164
Working Together Through Ups and Downs 165
Four Fields of Listening 171
Tools for Better Listening: The Ladder of Inference 176
Addressing Disagreement Through a Bias to Action 180
Measuring Progress and Adjusting 183
Key Principles for Measuring Progress and Adjusting 184
Distinguishing Assessment from Evaluation 186
Gathering Evidence from Artifacts of Learning 188
Gathering Evidence from People 193
Using Assessment to Revitalize Initiatives and to Get Unstuck 198
Conclusion 199
Chapter 6: Tools and Strategies for the Collaborative Innovation Cycle 201
Activities for Bringing People Together Around Ideas They Care About 201
Visions for a Powerful Learning Environment 202
Four Questions for Innovation 204
Asset Mapping 208
Activities for Refining a Vision and Getting to Work 211
Exploring Possible Visions: Rightboro Scenarios 211
Refining a Vision: The Someday/Monday Starter Kit 218
Part 1 - Someday: What Does Awesome Look Like? 218
Part 2 - Monday: Concrete Steps 220
Activities for Working Together Through Ups and Downs 221
Activity: Left-Hand Column Case 222
Activities for Measuring Progress and Adjusting 225
Assessment Planning Scenarios 225
Assessment Plan 230
From Launching Innovation in Schools to Sustaining Innovation in Schools 232
Conclusion: Cycles, Endings, and Beginnings 234
Balancing Coherence and Innovation 234
When Cycles End 235
Final Thoughts: Inclusion and Joy 237
Appendix 1: Design Thinking Starter Project Walkthrough: Helping a Friend with a Routine or Event 239
Step 1: Discover: Prepare for & Conduct an Initial Interview 239
Prepare & Conduct Interview Template 241
Example Interview 243
Step 2: Focus: Identify a Specific Design Problem 246
Key Takeaways Template 247
Key Takeaways Example 248
Step 3a: Imagine new Solutions 250
Brainstorm Template 251
Brainstorm Template 253
Step 3b: Choosing a Solution for Prototyping 254
Step 4: Prototype Your Solution 255
Step 5: Try out your Prototype, Get User Feedback, and Iterate 258
Design Hypothesis Tryout Template 259
Feedback Template 261
Feedback Example 263
Step 7: Reflect and Share 266
Appendix 2: Design Thinking for Leading and Learning in Practice Walkthrough 268
Discover 269
Discover 1a: Find Your Team 269
Discover 1b: Review The School Change Status Quo 269
Discover 1c: Identify a Problem of Practice 270
Discover 1d: Identify Stakeholders 272
Discover 1e: Gather Stakeholder Perspectives on Your Problem of Practice through Interviews, Observations, Student Work, or Surveys 272
Discover 1f: Research and Comparison schools 275
Focus 276
Focus 2a: Thinking About Needs (Focus) 276
Step 3: Brainstorm Solutions (Imagine) 278
Step 3b: Evaluate Ideas (Imagine) 279
Step 4: Plan Initial Steps (Prototype) 280
Step 5: Take a Step and Iterate (Try) 284
Step 7: Reflect & Share 286
