Archipelago of Possibilities:
a tool for reflection, discussion and discovery of what teachers hold dear
Written by: Isabella Brandalise, Ker Thao, Ricardo Dutra and Sophie Riendeau
The Archipelago of Possibilities is grounded at the very beginning of a research project on Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change designed to foster deep learning. The project is in partnership with Melbourne School of Graduate Education (MSGE) and funded by the Australian Research Council. Before even launching into the bigger project of how innovative learning environments can support the mind frames that promote deep learning, we wanted to begin with the humble challenge of “How might we explore different ways to document what teachers hold dear in their pedagogies?”
Taking a design research approach, team members Isabella Brandalise, Ker Thao, Ricardo Dutra Goncalves and Sophie Riendeau saw an opportunity of interacting directly with teachers from the very beginning of the four-year process, so the social practice of design would be used from the outset to promote change. Looking at the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) and its stages of behavior change, we can see that within the five steps of achieving change there are: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. The original grant is heavily invested in getting teachers to change yet had not focused on the critical step of the real challenges associated with promoting change.
Analyzing the research and referencing the Transtheoretical Model, we noticed there was a gap. The proposed research design, with it’s focus on changing mindframes was missing two essential steps in the process: the precontemplation and contemplation phase. This is where we decided to approach our design research.
We did this by creating a Material Journey by way of a Narrative Metaphor. By having a narrative metaphor to explore the possibilities without dismissing the notions of what could be, we slowly reconciled the space of knowing with the space of possibilities.
Through a material journey, we were able to ground our ideas from this space of possibilities into the real world. This allowed us to do four specific things. First, create an experience that allowed for self-reflection, a systemic problem lacking in teacher’s practice. Second, create a space for imagination where teachers could suspend disbelief by removing everyday obstacles. Third, use material making to prompt conversation, surfacing interior biases and assumptions and potentially begin to envision new ways of being. Fourth, we primed people for future action by creating sticky, contemplative commitment devices.
Beyond what we have learned specifically about transforming mindsets, we now have a tool to draw on in other behavior change contexts. We discovered: the power of metaphor as a hook to have an abstract yet collective conversation, the power our narratives can have over us, and how imagining a future narrative can help give way to a new tomorrow. A large part of our process came from learning how the power of play can create a space for introspection and mindfulness to bring about new ways of acting.
Our research is still in the exploratory phase touching on the pre-contemplation and contemplation steps of the Transtheoretical Model and the theory of behavioral change. It has become a tool that can be transferrable and in this case, for the MSGE, to uncover what teachers hold dear in their pedagogies.
the experience:
a glimpse of possibilities
The Archipelago of Possibilities is a tool for teachers and educators to discover what they hold dear in regards to their practice and teaching. Using a metaphor, the archipelago is a future place where teachers and educators can travel to an ideal teaching and learning environment. Once teachers are aware of what is holding them back from achieving their ideal, they can start acting on the teaching practice they wish to have.
The experience takes approximately 50–70 min and it involves one navigator (facilitator) and 4–5 travelers (participants). It is composed of four sequential parts: preparation, travel guide, souvenir and transportation. In the preparation part, which represents the present, participants write one item per card on what they currently hold dear and what they wish to let go in their practices. This first part creates a suspension of disbelief by removing daily struggles and sets a tone of reflection. Then, travelers are invited to plan their one-week stay on the island as they build their own travel guides. They can choose up to five activity cards (displayed on the map) and place them in their booklet. The descriptions on the activity cards build on the metaphor of the island and also relate to the teachers’ mind frames we are exploring: growth mindset and formative feedback. This part represents the future, offering them a glimpse of possibilities of what they are trying to create.
After sharing their choices with each other, travelers are introduced to a set of materials and asked to build a souvenir they will bring back from the future to their current practice. The souvenir, a container of possibilities, is about making meaning of what is truly relevant for their practice, as well as a reminder of the experiences lived on the island. In the final part, travelers are asked how they will get to the island, considering questions of urgency, preparation, distance and internal obstacles that keep them from moving forward. We present four options of modes of transportation (sailing, flying, swimming and towing) but they are also encouraged to create their own by imagining how their journey to the future might unravel. By deciding their modes of transportation, their choice serves as a commitment device to begin fraying their paths to their Archipelago of Possibilities.
To make a better use of the tool, we recommend teachers to commit to a mindframe they wish to further develop and agree on a future date when they will come back together to reflect on: What was the mindframe they committed to develop? How have they tried to develop it? What evidence have they collected to showcase the change? Is there anything they need from others to keep growing?
the follow up:
As we said earlier, this project is a part of a much larger and longer research project by the MSGE. Using a design research approach, we’ve created a tool that can be appropriated and is transferable depending on the user and context. We packaged it in such a way that it can also live on the internet, being all the cards and instructions open to download and print. The map and travel guide frameworks can be adapted to different conditions without losing their main features.
Our goal is to keep this tool as flexible as possible, turning the four parts into modular elements in order for them to adapt to different timeframes and contexts. We imagine its use being relevant to contexts such as: school curricular, professional development, and mentoring programs.
Concept developed in the context of the studio Transforming Mindsets, from the MFA Transdisciplinary Design at Parsons School of Design, by the students Isabella Brandalise, Ker Thao, Ricardo Dutra and Sophie Riendeau, and instructors Lisa Grocott and Roger Miletic. New York City, Fall 2015.
A very special thanks our Mentors Dr. Wesley Imms of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education—lead CI of the four-year project & Kevin Mattingly the Director of Co-Curriculum at Riverdale Country School, as well as the students and teachers who helped us in our research.
