Monday Kickstarter: May 18, 2020

Monday Kickstarters is a working session designed for everyone on the call to figure out how to have conversations worth having when faced with a tough situation or problem. You can listen live on the Conversations Worth Having YouTube Channel.

Here are the topics and generative questions that were developed on Monday, May 18!

The Challenge: People say, “We should focus on ‘Skills gaps’ in higher education.”

• If there were no gaps, what would be different?
• What are the skills our students need?  How are they already learning them and what more might we do?
• Are there students who seem to have the skills we want all our students to have? If so, how did they learn them? Which teachers seem to be addressing these desirable skills well?
• Who are all the stakeholders we should include in this conversation so that we can be sure we are identifying all the skills and strengths our students will need to thrive in an uncertain and ambiguous world that is continuously changing?
• How might we support our students in knowing their strengths and how they can bring those strengths to their future?
• What would our students say they needed? How might they want to learn these skills?
• What additional training do our teachers need in order to support skill development?
• How might we enroll the community in helping?
• Are there schools that seem to have closed the gaps, schools that are graduating really well prepared students? Where are they? What are they doing? What can we learn from them?

The Challenge: Conspiracy theories about proposed vaccines for COVID-19.

The Challenge: B2B service providers (accountants, tech, etc.) worried about being able to acquire new clients.

• What services or education might they offer for free during this time in order to develop a mailing list?
• What questions might they ask prospective clients that would add value while opening the door as a prospective client?
• How might they package their services in creative ways that would make it very desirable for clients to hire them?
• What new services or products will their prospective clients need if we move to a virtual business world?
• How might they collaborate with other B2B providers in order to offer a suite of services?

A positive frame in need of generative questions: Our child welfare system is able to keep children safe from abuse and neglect during this time of social distancing.

The Challenge: Transition to Virtual Learning

• When is virtual learning THE best way to learn?
• When virtual learning works, what are the conditions that make it successful?
• Who are the stakeholders we should include in this conversation to make sure we design to meet everyone’s needs?
• How might we ensure that everyone has access to high speed internet and a computer? Who needs to be involved in that conversation?
• Where are communities doing virtual learning really well?
• How might we blend self-directed learning, collaborative learning, and Virtual  learning like an “inside-out” class?
• When are people most alive and engaged in virtual learning? What can we learn from those environments?

The Challenge: Mental health issues are on the rise with schools closed

The Challenge: K-12 Education – Closing out the school year with P/F versus grading while providing fair and accurate feedback about learning goals/standards.  Are they really prepared for the future with these modified guidelines?

Join us Mondays from Noon – 12:30 ET

Bring your own challenging situation! Please register through the Center for Appreciative Inquiry.