Posts made by Faith Whiting

FLO MicroCourse: Design with Liberating Structures -> Sharing & Feedback Forum (Triads) -> Faith's LS Activity

by Faith Whiting -

Background 

I chose to work with "User Experience Fishbowl" for this activity, as I felt it would fit within a course I will be instructing this fall on the topic of case management. The classroom composition will include both individuals who have experience using a case management system and others who have no idea what the term refers to. I liked the “user experience fishbowl” as it offers a place in the discussion for everyone. 

Invitation 

For those in the fishbowl (those who have experience with case management) 

I invite you to describe your experience with case management — What does it mean to you? What does it look like in your organization? What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it? I invite you to have an open and informal conversation with each other (as if the rest of us weren’t here and you were sharing stories around a campfire). Try to avoid presenting to the audience. 

For those outside of the fishbowl (who don't have experience with this concept, or are unsure) 

I invite you to listen, observe and formulate questions. 

Space/Setting

This activity will be conducted during a video-conferenced class, using zoom. It will be a part of a class early in the term, where the concept is being introduced.

Participants will need to be aware of who is in the fishbowl, and who is outside of it. Those in the fishbowl will be invited to engage in conversation for a designated amount of time (10-20 minutes). Those outside will be invited to listen (and keep their microphones turned off until the conversation has finished). 

Participation 

Participants will self-select whether they feel they’d like to be in the fishbowl or outside of it. Depending on the group, the fishbowl may also be stocked with guests from outside organizations using case management. 

Sequence and Time (total: 40 min - 1 hour)

  1. Explain the fishbowl configuration and steps. Introduce those in the fishbowl. 5 min. 
  2. Inner circle conversation goes on until it ends on its own or is encouraged to conclude by the facilitator. 10 to 20 min. 
  3. Those in the outer circle formulate observations and questions. 5 min. 
  4. Questions submitted to the inner circle are answered, and back-and-forth interaction between inner and outer circles goes on as needed until all the questions are answered. 10 to 20 min. 
  5. Debrief using W³ (What? So What? Now What?). 10 to 15 min..
  6. Connect discussion forum topic for the week to this experience.

FLO MicroCourse: Design with Liberating Structures -> Open Forum -> LS in a blended, FN and rural (Northern) environment -> Re: LS in a blended, FN and rural (Northern) environment

by Faith Whiting -

Ha! I value that you see what an "exciting challenge" I have before me, Doug. It definitely is that! The beauty of it is the distance model comes from the fact that many of the program participants are working in their home communities. By offering programming by distance, we can keep people at home doing the good work, and strive to increase capacity within their roles, through providing learning opportunities. It will be challenging though!

One of the ways we've tried to make things better is by having everyone start the program with one week of face-to-face programming - to build relationships and share some community time together, before we are virtually connected. One of the first assignments is to tell our personal stories through artifacts, the written word, art, or simply around the fire. I've tried to incorporate the option of video-response into online assignments wherever possible too - to keep that oral response option open to people. I find it can feel more comfortable than writing sometimes.

You've astutely raised other important points with b) and c). I've learned my single most-important tool in cross-cultural contexts is humility. Everyone has something to teach, and everyone has something to learn. Some of this stems from our differences - so relating concepts to our own lives and contexts brings about that rich learning for everyone.