The STARRS Conference (Workshop 1) convened 56 Principals, mentors, new teachers and regional staff in Melbourne on March 13. David Howes delivered the KeyNote address and stressed the importance of working together and using the room's extensive expertise to design and implement solutions to boost retention and attract high quality teachers to Regional and Rural schools. The direct consequence of this is lifting the achievement and engagement of students in these schools.
Martin James from the Innovation Unit Australia, facilitated the day and led schools through a innovation and design journey.
The Workshop Objectives were:
To establish a sense of community amongst participants: we are here to learn how to work and learn together, collaboratively
To establish rapport between schools, DET team and Innovation Unit team
To clarify understanding and expectations of the STARRS program
Participants understand the characteristics of social innovation and co-design
Participants can differentiate technical versus complex problems and are familiarised with best approaches for each
Participants can advance their ideas around practices that support the STARRS program.
With its roots in the participatory design techniques developed in Scandinavia in the 1970s, co-design empowers people to solve their own problems. It is often used as an umbrella term for a suite of design thinking methods, including creating design briefs, ideation, prototyping, methods of scale and diffusion. It engages people in the design process by seeking their contribution in defining problems, creating solutions and then testing these solutions.
Consultation - it builds and deepens equal collaboration between those affected by, or attempting to, resolve a particular challenge. A key tenet of co-design is that users, as 'experts' of their own experience, are central to the design process.
To create a Case for Change (why are we doing this work) for their own individual schools
Reflected and listed to each other's challenges, opportunities, insights, needs and system challenges
Used this information to create a persona for their user (teachers)
Created a design brief (a project idea to take back to school/Network)
Created a service blueprint to identify the process/journey and resources needed to implement the idea.
Schools and Networks were asked to take this back to school gain buy-in from other colleagues and facilitate a Network meeting prior to the commencement of Term 2 to present, gain feedback and work collaboratively to use the funding to start implementing the agreed idea/approach.
The disruption of COVID-19 has prevented this from taking place. However, your Local Coordinators will have been in contact with schools and new teachers to offer support and to facilitate the implementation of your idea.
If you didn't attend Workshop 1 there is still an opportunity to create a Case for Change and implement an idea through Terms 2 and 3 of 2020. It may even be an opportunity to work with other schools within your Network who have already commenced this work.
You will find below some useful templates and resources from Workshop 1. Your Local Coordinator also has copies and will support you through this process.
A guide to creating your Design Brief. You should complete this with your Local Coordinator after you have developed a strong Case for Change (CFC). This CFC should underpin your Design Brief. You can use the COINS Wallchart insights, challenges and opportunities that you would like to work on.
STARRS design brief (PDF, 272 kb)
Workshop 1 March 13, 2020 - Learning by Design Part 1 (PDF, 844 kb)
Workshop 1 March 13, 2020 - Creating a case for Change Part 2 (PDF, 2673 kb)
Workshop 1 March 13, 2020 - Design Briefs Part 3 (PDF, 2794 kb)
See what Term 2 Workshop 2 has in store