Charting the Course;Navigating the FutureThe Watson College of Education

Welcome and Good Morning!

Introduction of table facilitatorsIntroduction of floating facilitators

Setting the Context

What is Appreciative Inquiry?

A strengths-based approach that focuses on the best of what already exists in a system in order to get more of it.

Appreciative Inquiry is a way of bringing about positive change in human systems and a way of being in and seeing the world.

Translate intention into reality, and belief into practice

“the telling of stories is not just to make people feel good and warm. . . The power of the stories is in their ability to remind us what success looked like and felt like – to relive the event and remember that we can be successful, and that we have the capability to bring life and energy to our work.”

D.Cooperrider

Watson College at Its Best!What works well?

What gives it life every day?

When is it most alive?

What inspires us to be at our best and to be creative?

Setting the Context: “Point of Inquiry”

An education story

Setting the Context

An education story

Setting the Context

His education story Birth to 4 at home

“Preschool” at the neighbors

Segregated and desegregated 1 -12

University education

Professional experience

Doctoral education

Generally upwardly mobile career with continued learning opportunities

Setting the Context

His education story Working poor, white working poor, male, and only son

1st generation in a state with a pretty good and low cost state university system

Some great educators, mentors, and mentoring spaces

Educational institutions and social contexts for learning built for that kid (for the most part)

40 years

Setting the Context

How will they tell the story of their education, their learning story?

Setting the Context – Stories in the Telling and to be Told

Their education and learning story What does learning need to be for them – now to 2070?

For learners across the lifespan, across varied and diverse spaces

Framed by accessible, meaningful lifelong learning

Educational institutions and learning contexts designed for all, and accessible for all

Setting the Context

How will the Watson College of Education:

Drive transformations in learning and learning institutions that will be necessary for learners to thrive?

Be agents of the deconstruction of barriers learners may face and construct spaces made of their possibilities?

Be vibrant at who we are, creative and innovative at who we need to be?

Engage in the transformative work of translating diversity in identity into learning opportunities, and democratic possibilities?

Setting the Context

Their education and learning story

What do we do to be ready in the “right now” and in the work to come?

How do we — over the next five years — reimagine the Watson College in such a way that we thrive in the next 50 years?

This is our water, and our wind, and our waves that we will navigate as we chart our course.

And that we will ride to be the world’s indispensable college of education.

Setting the Context

Identification of Strengths

• Select a picture that represents you when you are at your best.

• At your table, explain why this picture represents you when you are at your best.

STRENGTHS of a team

• Using your individual pictures, build a group portrait.

• What is the title of your team portrait?

• Describe your best experiences at Watson College of Education?

• What did you value about yourself and others in this story?

• What strengths did you bring to the experience?

• What core factors made this experience transformative?

Storytelling: The Appreciative InterviewPair up with someone at your table and interview that person using the interview questions:

Common Themes• Introduce the person you interviewed

and share highlights with your group.

• What struck you about what you heard from your partner?

• Discuss common things you heard as a table.

• Write down 3 to 5 key themes for your group and post them on the theme wall.

Dream

What three wishes do you have for Watson College of Education?

During the break, please take a look at the theme wall and the wish wall to see if

they are sorted correctly.

•Envision what WCE looks like in 5 years.•Free write for 2 minutes individually about what you envision.

Visualize

• Discuss and share your visions with your table team.

• As a team, write a six-word story.

Reflecting on your six-word stories, write a great provocative proposition…

• Provocative (a statement that provokes action)

• Grounded in what works

• Stated as a full sentence in the present tense

• Stated in affirmative and bold terms

Write a Provocative Proposition

Write a provocative

proposition as a table.

The Watson College of Education, through academic programming, scholarship and engagement grounded in authentic partnerships, is the model for reimagined colleges of education. Watson is a catalyst for new ways of learning in our communities, region, state, nation and world. Watson is a champion for learners of all identities, all ages, all abilities, and in all social, cultural, institutional and organizational learning contexts.

Lunch and Gallery Walk– Let’s Eat!

• Were they sorted correctly?

• Let’s Vote!

Provocative Propositions

Action Plans

• Join the group that you are interested in working with.

• Using the Action Plan Template create a concrete plan to bring this big idea into reality.

What actions, steps, strategies and ways of working together are needed to make the preferred future happen?

Wishing Wall Themes

• Faculty Engagement• Partnerships• Environment• Respect & Influence• Support• Resources• Reorganization• Student Financial Support• Innovation & Initiatives• Community

• The Dream for Education• Space (Physical Space)• Diversity, Social Justice, Equity• Quality of Graduates & Students• Curriculum & Programming• Graduate Programs• Research

Health Break

Share Out Your Creativity!

Each group will share your action plans

What will be our evidences of success?What are the indicators that will help you know we are succeeding?

Write each one on a sticky note and put it on the success wall.

How Can You Continue This Voyage?

• What will you do individually to make the preferred future happen?

• What will you commit to, offer to others, request from others?

Debrief• In pairs: What resonated with you today?

• In small groups of 6: How can you take what resonated forward in your daily work?

• In a large circle around the room: What do you want to remember about today as we Navigate the Future?

Celebrate what we haveAccomplished!