Open Space Technology for Open Education/Learning

In this blog I focus on a PBL07group task and, in particular, I offer some inputs for a card - among other cards created within the group for supporting the discussion about Theme 2 of the course ONL221.

This card points to the importance of supporting students (individuals) in navigating tensions that might be associated with/experienced in open education. This aspect can be linked to the scenario proposed for Theme 2 of the course ONL221, in particular to the final question “How would you introduce the idea of openness to your students?”

I would apply the Open Space Technology (OST) method to explore with students both aspects (“navigating tensions” and “openness”) by enabling them to lead the activity with minimal support from the teacher.

There is no specific “technology” involves in this method and, indeed, is more a “technique” to facilitate discussion in the group, and which has been applied in f2f gatherings but that can easily be applied when meeting at distance and the platform in use allows for creating sub-groups (breakout room) if needed. I have been trained to become an OST facilitator but the method is quite simple to get without any training (which however is useful to master the method).

Here, is an introductory video about OST; it is important to know the 4 principles, the only law of OST and admitted behaviours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhNQ8Mhehpw

Here, is a more detailed article by Harrison Owen who is also the “creator” of the method: https://openspaceworld.org/wp2/hho/papers/brief-users-guide-open-space-technology/

On the same website, there is a library: https://openspaceworld.org/wp2/hho/

I) I would structure the activity in this way:

The theme: “Open education – challenges and opportunities”

Space: online or classroom

Time: depending on the possibilities (minimum time is 5 hours)

II) OST Design (main moments – see the links above for a more accurate presentation of the design):

Opening

Agenda Setting – It is created around the broad question: “What does ‘open education mean to you and what are the challenges and opportunities that you associate to it?”; multiple parallel sessions are created, depending on how many issues are identified by students (see below)

Closing

Report by each group – main points emerged from the discussion; shared with all groups

III) Start-of-the-day Process

1. Welcome

2. Ask participants (students) to spend 10 minutes thinking if they have any issues they’d like to raise in relation to the main question

3. If there is a general agreement that the issue has enough support and passion behind it invite the issue owner to add the issue to the schedule (can be a whiteboard if the group is meeting f2f or a shared screen if online)

4. Once all issues have been added invite the participants to sign-up for the sessions they’re planning on attending (they are free to change their mind later if they want to). Usually, not all sessions are run as people’s preferences, overall, correspond to a limited number of issues on the schedule

5. Your sessions start

IV) Process for a session

· A session starts with the issue owner (student) welcoming and thanking the group for coming and then giving a description of the issue as they see it.

· The facilitator (one per group: can be the teacher but since it is likely that the teacher is one for all, a student can be delegated the role) then leads the discussion inviting people to give their input at their request. No obligation.

· The scribe records the discussion on flip chart paper making sure to mark Issues, Ideas, Questions (that can’t be answered today) & Actions. When a flip is finished they should tear it off and put it in the centre of the circle or on a nearby wall for people in the group to see.

· Based on the OST principles (see the links above), people are allowed to leave and arrive as they see fit though don’t allow them to interrupt or slow down your progress. It is a new arrival’s responsibility to catch up with the discussion using the flip chart outputs no matter how high up or important they are. If the discussion. Takes place online, it implies the possibility for students to move in and out of their original breakout room

· When the issue looks like it has been covered and there are no more inputs coming from the group, participants are invited to join other groups if the session time is not over.

Photo credits Patrick Perkins https://unsplash.com/photos/ETRPjvb0KM0