Designing this project
I approached this LIPD project by first establishing a design framework to help me through the process. I chose GADIE (image below), as I felt its simple patterns level (broad) categories of process would help me stay loose. Being loose allows me to flow back and forth between categories without too much management.
Next I made a check list of tasks for each category. This checklist serves as a "to do" reminder as well as a document to track gaps in my process. The checklist is below the GADIE image. I built this OP as I designed my year so the processes of the two overlapped and blended together, see Task flow below.
Design flow LIPD YR2
Learning Intention and Pathway Design for my Second year atr Gaia U.
1. Create a document to help me manage my pathway 1. Track my progress 2. Time management 3. Goals and Comitments 2. Outline potential Projects 3. Identify potential obstacles and leverage points of the year 4. Detail learning since last LIPD (feedback-loop)
1. Create new system to track my progress - quantitative 2. Give a patterns perspective of my calander 3.Clarify OP projects 4. Review feedback on Learning review
1. Prioritize 1.Ease of use (personally) 2. Effectiveness of tracking 3. Flexability 4. Creativity 2. Best Practices 3. Readability 4. Usefulness to knowledge commons 5. aesthetics
1. Best Practices 2. Reflect on LR reviews 3. Research Progress tracking 1. Create system to quanitify progress 4.Create timelines 1. Pattern level 2. Gaia goals 5. Un/learning goals 6. four project outlines 1. One extra redundancy? 2. Task list for each 7. Update extra projects 8. Commentary unlearnings & process reflection 9. Intro, feedback implemented and conclusion
1. Reflect 2. Proofread 3. Self-review 4. Peer review (after) 5. Proreview (after) 6. After each OP reflect on effectiveness of tracking (after)
Design flow tasks
Goals and Intentions
- Create documents to help me manage my pathway and track my progress
- Clarify my goals and commitments
- Outline potential projects
- Detail un/learning (feedback-loop)
- Share my work with other associates
Analysis and Assessment
- Read other associates LIPDs for best practices
- A&A of old system to tracking (Skillflex chart).
- Research best practices of progress tracking
- Assess my movements this year in context of learning goals
- Review feedback: first LIPD, Learning review and End of cycle
Pathway Design
- Assemble BP and what worked in my Skillflex chart to create a superior tracking system
- Create system to address End of cycle constructive feedback
- Brainstorm projects in context of where I will be and my goals
- Create timeline that can be easily edited
- Map my allies for the various projects
OP Design - form and function
- Prioritize goals
- Ease of use (personally)
- Effectiveness of tracking my progress
- Flexibility
- Creativity
- Best Practices
- Readability
- Usefulness to knowledge commons
- Aesthetics
Implement
- Implement best practices gleaned
- Create system to quantify progress
- Create timelines
- Four project outlines - task list for each
- Update on extra projects during LIPD
- Write commentary on each element
- Connect the threads of each element
Evaluate
- Reflect on if projects will meet my goals and if I addressed feedback
- Are there any gaps?
- Proofread
- Self-review - edit
- Peer-review - edit
- Pro-review - edit
- After each OP reflect on effectiveness of tracking
Goals articulation
I address my process and reasons for my goals on the next page.
Analysis and Assessment
Personal niche analysis - (finding my purpose) I have come to feel that teaching is a portion of my niche and want to explore it further. See the mindmap - left column on Commentary & other projects page.
LR and LIPD edges - During the creation of my Learning Review OP (which was the last OP of my 2013-2014 program year) I reviewed my year and then envisioned my next steps for the future including potentials for the coming program year. I took note of things that needed more attention and systems that needed to be improved. Some of these where identified in my OP5 Self-Review - See left column on Evidence and resources page.
Guild & Advisor meetings - Having multiple soundboards has been the most important feedback loop. A meeting I had with Liam (who was also working on his capstone LIPD) influenced my work in this LIPD dramatically by speaking about his need for quantifying his progress. It is because of this I have come up with my tracking systems. See right column of Evidence and resource page, Guild meetings - Simha:Liam.
Design
The design phase of this project includes both the OP design and the designing of my year. As someone with an Accommodator learning constitution (a new tab will open) abstract conceptualization is my weak point. I have come to see the way I design is like building a rock wall, first I need the building site and the materials.
After the analysis and assessment was completed I looked at the layout (the site). In this case I combined elements of other associates layouts. Then I began creating the main building blocks (materials). In this project it was my goals, allies, timeline, progress tracking system, pathway management systems, and my potential projects. I see the decision making process (of how to make these building blocks) as a multi-faceted interactive niche analysis. Its like a jigsaw puzzle, yet you are shaping each piece to fit into the next, they are all interconnected and each one serves a unique purpose.
Other layers of the design process:
- Using a frame of reference which will be helpful to others who want to create a project for planning their year/life.
- Reflecting on my process and the outcomes as they happen, in a way that allows me to glean new ways of seeing (un/learning).
Intervention - Initially I put my goals, design and project management all on the same page. I did this thinking it would serve me as a sort of dashboard throughout the year. I changed it after both my peer and pro-reviewers said it was too hard to navigate.
Thinking in use - implementation
- Observe and Interact Permaculture Principle 1 - Method: Self-inquiry (Zone 00 mining) - searching my inner yearnings for learning and tuning to emergent opportunities for learning.
- Niche Analysis & Learning Goals - Method: List then mindmap my: interests, skills, characteristics, background, ethics and worldview. Make a mindmap of my learning goals
- Accept Feedback Permaculture Principle 4 - Method: 1. Have guild meetings (soundboard) 2. Deconstruct-reconstruct my Gaia U. reviews: last years LIPD (OP1b) , Learning review (OP5) and my End of Cycle Internal review.
- Best Practices Conglomeration - Method: 1. Search the field for various systems of quantifying and tracking progress. 2. Choose and integrate the ideas and strategies which resonate with me. 3. Read associate LIPDs for BP see right column of Evidence and resources page.
- Rapid prototyping - Method: Test the new tracking system to quantify my progress on my LIPD and see if it could provide feedback in a meaningful way.
- Systems thinking - Method: Finding the relationships within the constructs of my pathway (goals, opportunities, allies, edges).
- Design from patterns to detail - Method: Observing "the field", seeing all the potential yields/needs of the systems you are in (context/patterns) and those you are creating (content/details).
- Creatively use and respond to change Permaculture Principle 12 - Method: Tweak my tracking systems as change happens to keep them an agile and effective tool.
Creative Commons license
1.1 OP and pathway design by Will Bode is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from Will Bode.