What is Agile in Education?
By Bret Thayer
For many of us who have friends or relatives in the IT world, we may have heard the term agile, but we might not have heard of agile in education or how agile principles can be applied in a classroom. To understand how Agile can be used in education, it is useful to break down the following terms and give a brief history of the practice.
agile (adj) is defined as, “able to move quickly and easily”
Agile as used in software development is defined as,
“relating to or denoting a method of project management, used especially for software development, that is characterized by the division of tasks into short phases of work and frequent reassessment and adaptation of plans” (Google Dictionary).
Both of these concepts, the ability to move quickly and easily, and dividing work into tasks with frequent review and adaptation, are key elements of an agile classroom.
A Brief History of Agile in Software Development
Agile as an IT practice was developed in the 1990s by a group of software developers who wanted a more flexible and lightweight method of developing software quickly in an ever changing environment. In 2001, they produced a Manifesto of Software Development that established effective practices that small teams would employ. In this new framework, teams would be:
- collaborative
- adaptable
- self-organizing
- cross-functional
- reflective
- focused on continual improvement
Also in 2001, Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber developed a framework for using agile called scrum. The Scrum Guide they produced, outlined a process and identified roles of team members in developing software.
While many parts of agile methodology and the framework of Scrum are specific to software development, a few key aspects are directly transferable to the classroom setting and to group work.
For example, a summary of the three pillars that form the foundation of Scrum are: transparency, inspection, and adaptation (The Scrum Guide).
In addition, Sutherland and Schwaber believed that small teams could be successful and perform meaningful work without the heavy hand of management, but to be successful, they realized that teams need to embody five values: commitment, focus, openness, respect, and courage (The Scrum Guide).
Agile As a Movement in Education
As educators came to understand Agile as used in the IT world, certain practices were adapted into K-12 classrooms and post secondary institutions. This was not a coordinated and uniform movement by any means; several educators and Agile practitioners developed their own adaptations of Agile practices and concepts. However, there emerged many early innovators in this field such as Willy Wijnands of EduScrum, John Miller of Agile Classrooms, Paul Magnuson of Educational Research at Leysin American School in Switzerland, and Michael Vizdos and Krissyn Sumare of Blueprint Education.
To be sure, there are some direct correlations between Agile philosophy and mindset and scrum practices in group work; other practices were modified (see Agile Classrooms is Not Scrum by John Miller). One such example came from a meeting of thirteen educators and Agile professionals at a Scrum Alliance Gathering in Orlando Florida in 2016.
Their discussions over just how to adapt Agile philosophy and practices in education, while at times contentious, produced a simple and clear vision: the Agile in Education Compass. At its core are visual cycles of learning for students that follow a continual process that both students and teachers understand and can contribute to. Feedback and reflection are visible and frequent. What is produced is a culture of learning from experience and understanding through trust and collaboration.
Agile in Education Compass
For principal Krissyn Sumare, one of the participants at this event, a big takeaway was how inclusive Agile practices in education could be. “After our discussions, what excited me was realizing that we were developing a process in which all students could be successful in any environment: rich/ poor, public/ private, high achieving/ special needs, did not matter. The Agile in Education Compass is universal”.
How Does All of This Work in an Agile Classroom?
As flexibility and adaptability are cornerstones of Agile, not all Agile classrooms are the same.
Some educators adhere to scrum ceremonies and practices exclusively, other teachers use different methods to promote transparency, accountability, and student ownership in group work. It is also true that while most Agile practices in education translate well into group work, there are many educators who find this process useful in helping individual students manage their own long term projects and goals.
One such approach of using Agile practices in a classroom, creates a learning environment that is at the foremost, student-centered. Teams of students are given a project to complete in a fixed time frame. Students and teachers discuss the requirements and the deadline for the task, but students decide as a team how they are going to accomplish the work. Frequent checks are built into the process with the team communicating with the teacher and each other about their progress and possible roadblocks to their success. Teachers take on the role of coaches to guide teams through the process, ultimately allowing teams to make their own decisions. At the end of the process, teams formally present their findings and then engage in reflection activities in order to make improvements for the next project.
If you are using Agile processes in your classroom, consider the following principles as a foundation for group work:
- All students can learn and are capable of working effectively in groups/ teams
- All students can be accountable for their work and share in the group/team work load
- All students can effectively communicate with their group/team, to set goals, and to identify and overcome obstacles
- All students can identify mistakes, issues and roadblocks, learn from them and make adjustments (failure is ok and part of the learning process.)
Summary
Agile used in education is a pedagogical model that adapts many Agile processes from software development into the classroom. Many Agile principles from software development translate very well into a problem-based, student-centered classroom; agility and adaptability, for example, are fundamental in this process. Students are given a complex project in which they divide up the work into tasks. Teachers take on the role of a coach, guiding students and groups in identifying obstacles and overcoming them as well as encouraging reflection throughout the process. Agile in education also gives students practice in skills needed in today’s work environment: communication, collaboration, creativity, problem solving and critical thinking. In the end, students and teams deliver on a project, and then reflect on the result, with the goal to implement these improvements for the next project.
For more information and a link to available resources, trainings, and workshops please go to Agile in Education.com.
Bret Thayer is a CSM and has worked as an educator for twenty-seven years in Colorado. He has presented Agile in the Classroom in conferences across the United States. He is now an Agile in The Classroom consultant, and trainer.