Lean in the Classroom

The Powerful Strategy for Improving Student Performance and Developing Efficient Processes

Vincent Wiegel

• Publisher: Productivity Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781138323131
• eBook ISBN: 9780429670244
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

The current way of organizing education is not tenable in the coming decade. We need to address how we teach, how we organize schools, how we increase the effectiveness of learning, how we construct classrooms, and how we deploy new technologies.

Lean management philosophy has been successfully applied across many industries – from manufacturing to healthcare, financial services, and construction. Recently, interest in Lean has steadily increased in the education sector, as it was originally introduced in that area's administrative and support processes. Currently, the introduction of Lean and its potential in education is gaining wider exposure because of massive looming changes – for example, the introduction of technology in education (as EdTech within the traditional system and as MOOCs), demographic changes, budget pressure, new pedagogies, the entrance of more and more private providers, and changing demands of society and industry on the curriculum.

What is missing is a joint framework that will allow schools, teachers, directors, and boards to harness the potential of these developments and then execute a strategy. Lean Education (LE) offers the potential to streamline the execution of strategy and teaching. It accelerates the development of new courses and studies that are closely aligned to the needs of students. It supports the integration of new technologies without overburdening teachers and staff.

Lean in the Classroom brings all these elements together into a coherent framework so schools can make necessary changes in one concerted effort. Teaching, professional support, managing the daily work, and changing the way schools function are brought together as a schoolwide strategy to organize learning in a way that serves our students by making the most of their talents.

This book is the first to define LE in all its aspects: course design, actual teaching and learning processes, school management, and the organization of supporting processes. It is firmly based on the Lean management philosophy in conjunction with pedagogy. The book draws on both scientific research in the field of Lean management in general and Lean education in particular. In addition, it is predicated on many years of hands-on experience applying Lean both inside and outside the education sector.

Section II

Lean in the Classroom

4

Lean and Pedagogy

INTRODUCTION

The core processes of education are learning and teaching. They are formed by pedagogy. For Lean Education to be successful it has to relate to pedagogy, that is understand what it is about and how it might align to and help increase the effectiveness of pedagogy. There are many views of what constitutes pedagogy, teaching, and learning. It is empathically not to Lean Education to say what is, and what is not a good pedagogy. Through an overview of various pedagogies, this chapter discusses how Lean Education relates to pedagogy. As it happens, Lean thinking and many pedagogies share a common outlook and underlying philosophy which makes it easier to relate the two. They share a process orientation where goals are established, progress toward those goals are tracked, and interventions designed. They can be natural allies in a bid to improve education. Lean Education supports schools through creating “flow” in the work by seamlessly integrating processes, eliminating non-value-adding activities. Lean brings a wide range of tools and techniques to support flow and prevent the waste of talent.

LEAN EDUCATION AND PEDAGOGY

For the purpose of this chapter, I shall loosely define pedagogy as the discipline that is focused on theory and practice of teaching and influencing learning. A pedagogy refers to a specific theory on teaching. Every pedagogy will have a view on what constitutes learning and what constitutes knowledge (epistemology). Pedagogies will have often been “translated” into a set of methods that together implement the theory. I will call this the pedagogical approach (sometimes this is called a design framework). For example, student-centered learning is an approach to teaching that is rooted in constructivist and constructionist theories on learning and epistemology.

The purpose of this book is to show how Lean Education can help schools deal with the challenges of this age. It is not a pedagogical treatise. Moreover, the readers, I assume, will be more or less familiar with various pedagogical theories, some certainly more than I. The goal in this chapter is to establish the affinity between pedagogy and Lean thinking. This affinity shows how Lean thinking and education share common ground. This common ground allows these two different worlds to be combined, and let Lean Education strengthen pedagogy and schools.

There are many theories of pedagogy, many views on what teaching and learning is about, and what they should be about.¹ It is now the place to relate Lean thinking to pedagogy. From a Lean Education perspective, there is no position on which pedagogy is best (even if there is such a thing as the best pedagogy). Just as in Lean manufacturing, there is no statement as to what is the best designed car or what is the best machine to press steel in a specific form. But Lean Education is not separated from views on pedagogy. The way we organize our processes is not independent of our view on what constitutes good teaching, what learning is about, etc. Given what we value in education, given our view on pedagogy, Lean Education will help arrange our activities in such a way that they help us in achieving our goals. The overview of pedagogies is not meant to be representative or exhaustive. Several theories will be discussed. I have chosen a few without any claim to the quality of these pedagogies. Though as a lecturer, I do have preferences and specific views, again, this book is not on pedagogy.

There are a few limitations on pedagogy when the Lean Education thinking is adopted. The student is the primary recipient of the value generated in education. What she defines as value has to play a part, though certainly not exclusively, in the way we organize education. The first principle of Lean thinking states that the recipient of the values is a prime source of the definition of the value. Starting thus from the perspective of the student the most important process, the one that generates the value, is the process of learning. Supporting this process of learning is the process of teaching. A lot of learning is taking place outside the scope of the immediate teaching process. The learning taking place outside the classroom is definitely influenced by the teaching, but it is not fully controlled and there are other factors influencing the learning, e.g., the situation at home, friends, and family. So, whatever pedagogy is adopted, it will have to be student-centered and consider all student activities in- and outside the classroom. This means we focus on the student as the “locus of control.” The student has more control than teachers over many of the aspects of the learning process. This is not a new revolutionary insight. It has been around for many years. Macleod and Golby make this point, as many before and after them have done.² What is surprising though is that many discussions, much work of teachers, are still about the teaching rather than the learning. The discussion often focuses on what the schools have to offer in terms of buildings, classroom materials, group sizes, organization of classes, introducing electronic boards, etc. And of course, these elements have an effect on the learning. The starting point is, however, not the learning, but the teaching. It is very much an inside-out approach. I would ask the reader to listen closely to discussions with colleagues, at boards, committees, etc. and observe we talk about teaching instead of learning, the school instead of the student.

There are various elements in pedagogies that are not addressing the teaching and learning itself, but focus on the process. For example, there are goals to be achieved, such as a certain proficiency level in reading. Whether they are collective or individual, whether they are relevant or not, however we pursue them, there is the bare fact that there is something we want to achieve. This also means that there has to be a way in which we can assess whether the goals have been achieved. It also implies that our students are in a certain starting position, and we need to define a way to get from A to B. Without engaging in a discussion whether being in A is good or not or in whether pursuing B is worthwhile, Lean Education is instrumental in organizing the processes of establishing what A is, of where B is, of how we are doing in getting from A to B. It is in fact this close affinity of the Lean Education process-oriented way of thinking to the meta-aspects of most pedagogies that makes them close allies. There is an overlap, but also a complementary element. This is why Lean Education makes so much sense. Lean Education brings to education a long tradition and rich know-how of process thinking, establishing current conditions and tracking progress. It adds execution power to education. And, perhaps most importantly, it contributes a culture and mindset of continuous improvement.

To illustrate the above arguments, I provide a short overview of some pedagogies and show how they link to Lean Education. Directed instruction. Directed learning and instruction are focused on creating reproducible behavior and understanding through a stimuli-response model. Correct (incorrect) answers or desired (undesired) behavior is rewarded (punished) and thus reinforced (extinguished). This is a behaviorist approach toward agency. The underlying epistemology states that certain facts are objective and knowable. Directed instruction is teacher-centered. The teacher is the more knowledgeable person in the student-teacher relationship and directs the learning. Under the guidance of the teacher, the student obtains certain objective knowledge and is able to reproduce and apply this knowledge. The learning goals are defined by the curriculum.

Student-centered learning. “Student-centered-learning (SCL) is a learning approach during which students generate learning opportunities and reconstruct knowledge dynamically in an open-ended learning environment […] students assume increased autonomy and responsibility for their own learning.”³

SCL is based on the idea that highly and intrinsically motivated students achieve better learning outcomes. The degree of motivation is in turn influenced by the degree of autonomy and competence. So, fostering autonomy and building competency is a way to get students to engage in their learning tasks more actively. Students show greater ownership. They set their own goals and will pursue them even in the absence of external drivers such as affirmation, recognition, or rewards. This idea of self-determination is complemented with a constructivist epistemology which presupposes “a relationship between learner, context and understanding.”⁴ The learners create their own learning by using the cognitive and other abilities to obtain and process knowledge, rearrange facts and insights. So, rather than passively receiving and storing knowledge, they construct knowledge, often in interaction with others (peers, experts, …). SCL is further elaborated through a constructionist dimension which states that as students construct artifacts, they share their understanding of the world. The artifacts are representations of their understanding. In the design, the production, sharing, and reflection of their creations, knowledge and understanding are created and refined. It is an interactive process in which students invent the tools they need to increase their understanding. Affect, the personal meaning attached to the project they work on, is a key element in a growing investment in the learning. It enhances student performance.

Art & craft of learning spaces. The KaosPilot is a Danish a hybrid business and design school.⁵ It is the leading experimenter in higher education. Its pedagogy and culture are narrowly intertwined and aligned with the objectives of the education. That means they live the things they would like their students to develop. Students and the outside world have a clear say in the working and content of the study. Its set-up is experimental and aimed at both the transfer and the development of new knowledge. Students are engaged in real life projects that are the core around which a lot of the teaching takes place. As such, it can be characterized as student-centered learning annex project-based learning. Students are encouraged, and even required, to take increasing ownership of their learning. This dynamic setting offers an excellent stage for the development and acquisition of not just knowledge, but also of skills and attitudes. The learning spaces are envisioned as the space contained by a learning arch. The arch is initiated by a joint “set” phase in which the participants direct the intentions for the learning. They envision where they want to go with the learning and how to get there. The arch closes the learning space with the “land” phase in which the extent to which the goals have been met is discussed. It is a phase of explicit reflection on the learning. In the pedagogy, reflection and landing play a crucial role in ensuring that the learning actually sticks. During the learning, in the hold phase, the learning activities are interlaced with small informal moments of reflection. These moments allow students and lecturers to take stock and change course if necessary.

High Impact Learning that Lasts. The High Impact Learning that Lasts (HILL) is a pedagogy that resulted from a Flemish and Dutch research project regarding teaching practices.⁶ In the HILL-model, learning starts from a clearly stated and felt problem that must be solved. The problem, the hiatus creates urgency and relevance. From the engagement created through urgency, the development of the student is focused on self-management and learner agency. In close cooperation with others the student develops his knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The students receive feedback as they interact with others. This might take place in communities of learning and inquiry. The learning itself is a continuous process where various modi are closely integrated. Online and offline, synchronous and asynchronous, and individual and group activities are mixed into a hybrid learning experience. Learning requires practice and preferably in real life situations. As the projects are seldomly isolated, individual settings learning also means sharing. Mistakes are made, openly shared, and used as a valuable source of learning (contrary to many current practices where to make mistakes is to receive lower grades). The setting within which the learning takes place, the learning space, must be flexible. There is room for spontaneous learning as unforeseen developments insert themselves into the open learning space. Finally, the assessment is constituted to maximize the learning. Learning and assessment are no longer delineated. An assessment is a moment to practice, which provides insight into both the mastery of a subject matter and the learning process. It informs both student and mentor, and motivates the student toward the next steps.⁷

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Author
• Introduction
• SECTION I Why Lean Education
• SECTION II Lean in the Classroom
• SECTION III In Support of Lean education
• Bibliography
• Index