I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.
~ Confucius, 450 BC
A number of people have been asking me about how I design my workshops and classes. Until I can write this up properly, enjoy this tweet-talk.
Everything you do that involves another human needs to start with understanding that person, from products to presentations.
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
I've moved from sticky notes to these. Easier to use, rearrange, reuse, bundle (on tables, not walls) http://t.co/C3YQ1I515l
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
ID audience
Decide how they'll be different after
Brainstorm info, exercises, reflection
Make a time map
Place ideas pic.twitter.com/R3bIxIHUFi— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
That last tweet was how I design a workshop, class or presentation. I need to write it up.
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
1. Identify audience. Think about *their* goals for the workshop.#WorkshopDesign
img via @slideology pic.twitter.com/fZyK9cmz6A— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
2. Identify learning goals. Ask, how are people different after?
What can they now do? What do they understand?#WorkshopDesign— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
3. You need instruction, practice and reflection for effective learning. Brainstorm as many ideas in each category #WorkshopDesign
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
Ask what can people DO to meet the learning goals. This forms your exercises. Then ask, what is the minimum they need to know to do the exercise that helps them learn. This forms your lectures (which should be really really short.) Then weave in a bit of reflection to allow them to integrate what they’ve learned. Reflection can be in the form of Q&A, journaling or sketching. See this deck for more on using the three elements.
Most workshops have a “fiction” that holds the exercises together. This is a make-believe project to work on. It needs two things
* to have a context everyone can related to without deep research
* to ask people to do the things they need to do to learn.
For example, I like to do a grocery store delivery ap for teaching UX. Everyone has been in a grocery, food is something you’ve lived with all your lives, and to make the app, you have to understand IA (how food is organized) IxD (to be able to fill a shopping cart and place orders and interface. You have been hired to make a grocery store delivery app is a useful teaching fiction.
4. Make a "time map"
For a course, ti has days, for one day workshop, 15 min increments, for talks 60m<, 5 min increments #WorkshopDesign— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
Example, an early draft of the time map of my change workshop#WorkshpDesign pic.twitter.com/QOJvayzdTI
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
5. Place your ideas for instruction/reflection/practice on the time map.#WorkshopDesign
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
Warning! discussion/presentation is 3x times longer than you think.#WorkshopDesign
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
I lied, it’s 5X longer. Really, it’s crazy. People cannot be brief. Time bound them (5 minutes each!), and hold them to it.
Protip: block out a chunk of the beginning and end of day for Q&A, running late and running long. #WorkshopDesign
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
Yes, you will ALWAYS start late.
6. Finally, if at all possible, find a friendly place to do a run through. A local school is good, or a party with friends. #WorkshopDesign
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
Final tips
Everything will take longer than you think
Balance your three elements, w/ more practice & less lecture#WorkshopDesign— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
Oh, and I color code the three elements, to make sure I've got the balance right. #WorkshopDesign
— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
Want to see this in action? Come to one of my workshops!
Learning guaranteed.#WorkshopDesign— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014
More tips in these two talks on teachinghttp://t.co/8CJhFmVcKNhttp://t.co/Tu7SjMmeHM
it's all the same, really#WorkshopDesign— christina (@cwodtke) November 14, 2014