TaaS - Teaching as a Service

Though I have been a teacher for many years, I have only lately started to question my own teaching methods. I have always put the student in the center and tried to be as fair as possible with the assessments and the course grades. I get good feedback and therefore I concidered myself as a good teacher. I know that students learn in different ways but I have not seen it as my task to meet all different styles. I have rather seen the students as a group and expected every student to adapt to my way of teaching. I have been telling myself that I have not been allocated enough resources to differentiate my teaching methods.
Is that really the case? Could I perhaps rethink my doings and get students to take ownership of their own learning in greater extent than right now? That might give me more time to figure out and offer alternative ways to learn. I am still struggling with that question.
BUT...
since I started thinking about teaching and learning in Lean terms, I started to see my reality with different eyes. From now on I concider every student as my customer. As a customer you have needs/goals and that is to learn and to graduate with good or exellent grades. That is my assumption. If a student is willing to try his/her very best and want to learn and succeed, then I should, as a teacher, be able to offer that possibility to him/her, not as a group, but as an individual.

May the rethinking process continue :)

 Student pictures from VAMK's application guide

The Learning Process

In this posting I will reflect on the Learning Process inspired by the "Cone of Learning" (which is actually, and I am glad to say, a part of our Pedagogical Guide here @VAMK) and the possibilities presented in a picture of "Blended Learning" (found on Internet - sorry for not remembering the source). I have combined these and made a Mind Map (actually a Visual Control Card created long before I came on contact with that concept) for my own use. But since I started this Blog I might as well share it here. While reading about Lean Teaching (in the book by the same name by Bob Emiliani, see earlier posting) I found out that I actually think in terms of Lean and that might be why I am so exited about this.

So, the first picture shows the whole picture, but since it is so small i divided it into pieces.

The second picture shows how the student is learning things and that got me thinking, what is my role in the process? In the third picture I have pictured the sources of learning experiences that the student might use or "live through" in order to learn.

OK, so what is my role? In the fourth picture I thought about what I should do to make learning possible. Note: lecturing is actually just a small part of this.
In this reasoning, I take it for granted that students take responsibility for their own learning. I'm still working on changing my way of thinking in order to make it possible for the student to do this and reach his/her goals. Lean Thinking is about helping the customer to achieve his/her goals. Lean Thinking is now helping me to find new ways to implement learning experiences as a teacher. In Lean Thinking, sorry Teaching, the student is the customer.

Based on the "Cone of Learning" the students will remember the most (deep learning) by participating and talking and doing. So it is up to me (us) to make this possible - do you agree?    

So this is the way I am thinking right now. More reflections in my up coming postings. Thanks for reading this one.

Picture 1. The whole Mind Map
,

Picture 2. From the student´s point of view

Picture 3. Learning sources or experiences

Picture 4. From my point of vew - What is my role?

About Waiting and Re-Work

Another picture that got me thinking. The picture is taken from the book "Lean Teaching" by Bob Emiliani. Take a look at the pictures and think for a moment about your own work as a teacher. Here are two of the wastes (read: something that you want to get rid of) in Lean Thinking shown in the middle as "Waiting and Re-Work". These are things that you want to avoid both as a teacher and a student. Administration is then again necessary to some extent, but if you manage to minimize it, you will have more time for the students.  Here some of my thoughts on this.

The goal for me, and by the way for all of us, should in other words be to minimize both "Administration" and "Waiting and Re-Work" and give more room for "Value-Adding and Improving". How do I do that? First thing first. I need to clarify for myself what is "value adding" in my own work. What do I want to achieve? Who are my customers?
The answer right now are: I want (1) my students to succeed and (2) keep myself up-to-date both in terms of subject knowledge and skills and teaching methods. As I see it, these goals feed each other. OK, so I need to focus on those, keep in mind to respect people's time, be sensitive to what is happening around me and keep improving what I am doing.

I might have to analyze and rethink what I am doing and why? I will for sure return to these goals in future postings and especially to the question of who are my customers.

About Feedback from the Student

Here @VAMK University of Applied Sciences we have discussed a large number of times the student's feedback. More exactly why do we get so few students to provide feedback through our official feedback system. *) I think that one crucial reason is that many students believe that it is of no importance. It is easy to assume that the teacher doesn't care. But that is not so.
In order to prove for the students that I do care and I want them to give feedback, I have promised myself and  my students of course that I will provide them with a list of the earlier feedbacks that I have received and also what actions have been taken on the basis of their feedback. Se example below.  This, I hope, will help the students to see the significans of their feedback. They can all help us/me to be a better teacher/to help us to make more efficient learning experiences.
I don't have to say where I got this from, do I.
Ok, if you have not read my earlier postings check out http://www.leanprofessor.com/ 

*) Footnote: Yes, I know that there are many ways to ask for feedback and many teachers ask for it. The point here is to get students to give formal feedback and to get it documented in the Quality System as well.

About Actual Time vs. University Time

Take a minute and consider the difference between these clocks. What do you see? OK, the left one is an ordinary clock-face showing actual time. The right one again is showing the months of a year. When I saw this picture the first time (in the book "Lean Thinking" by Bob Emiliani) I went immediately to myself and thought: "What is my time?"
Well, in everyday life I use the left one, but when it comes to developing my courses, it might more be the right one. Why? Well, our Quality System @VAMK is built that way. We actually have a year clock to follow. If you miss the dead line when it comes to developing the Curriculum or your own courses you are screwed. You have to wait until the next round to officially change something.

According to Lean this is not good. If you have read my earlier posting you know that Lean Thinking has two basic principles: (1) Respect For People and (2) Contiuous Improvement. When you do continuous improvements you should follow the left clock. This means that you will be responsive for what happens during the day, for example feedback from your students, and strive to improve your Teaching (the student's learning experience) every day.
If something is entirely up to the walls (not working) you should be able to change it now, not after another year. That is how Business works. That is how Customer Service works. That is how Teaching should work.

What is a Visual Control Card?

One of the things that I learned from the book "Lean Teaching" (see erlier postings) is that students benifit from to get a Visual Control Card (VSS) of the course by the time it is nearly over.  The idea is that I, as a teacher, give them my view of what I think they should know by then and what is important to take with them for the future. It is important to realize that they are studying and learning for the future, not to pass any exam *) both for me as a teacher and for the students themselves.

I have promised myself and the students that I will produce such a VCC in my courses. I have done the first one (see picture below) for my course in Project Management (in Finnish) for adults held in the Spring of 2016.  I am excited to see how it will be received. Do I get any feedback on this from the students when the course is done.

*) Footnote: Exams are By the way not the best way to measure knowledge/skills (if at all measurable).

Picture: An example of a VCC for my course in Project Management (Projektinhallinta) where I have pointed out what I think that the students should remember. They should recognize pictures, processes or phrases and get some "Ahaa" experiences if it works out well.     

About Lean Teaching by Bob Emiliani

For some weeks ago I had the pleasure of participating in an International Week arranged by VAMK.  It was nice to discuss common challenges and get to know colleagues from Europe. I was hosting a colleague from Denmark and during the days we got to discuss Lean in Teaching.
That proved to be healthy for me, actually an eye opener.  After reading the book Lean Teaching by Bob Emiliani (see picture) that he recommended I have gained a new view of my role as a teacher. There are some very good ideas and practical advice in the book and it gave me a personal boost that hopefully will help me to give my students better learning experiences.
Source: http://www.leanprofessor.com/ 

Lean Thinking in Teaching

There are two basic principles in Lean Thinking: (1) Respect for People and (2) Continuous Improvement. Sounds good, doesn't it. I want to think that nobody actually want to disagree with me if I say that these principles should be indicative in all organisations especially in knowledge-heavy organizations like HEIs (Higher Education Institutes).
This principles should be applied in all situations both in teaching/learning situations and in administrative situations by all persons in the organization from top managers to teachers and students.
And what is more important you should start with yourself and apply the thinking in everyday situations. It is not necessary to wait for a better time or to ask for permission. If you find a better way to do things in order to get better results, do it.
Lean Thinking is to try to put yourself in a customer's boots and create a situation where everyone is a winner. Who is the customer in a HEI? That is a matter for the next blog posting.