15% solutions – OneHE

Activity

Liberating Structures, Ongoing engagement

15% solutions

Maha Bali

Jasmina Najjar

This collaborative activity encourages students to discover and focus on what each person has the freedom and resources to do now.

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ACTIVITY PURPOSE

The 15% Solution is a fun and creative way to solve problems with a group of students (or teachers). It encourages people to work together as a team and use everyone’s different ideas and perspectives to come up with the best solution. View the original activity.

USEFUL FOR

Helping students (or teachers) see small changes within their reach to improve something they care about. Below are possible way to use this activity in educational context:

For student at any time during a semester to think about ways they can enhance their own learning and learn from each other.
As mid-semester activity for students to think together about a 15% solution to modify the course for the rest of the semester.
For educators to think about 15% solutions to modify their course.

PREPARATION

Minimal – just a space for people to take notes such as Google docs or Google slides.

INSTRUCTIONS

Tell participants the exercise is to ask themselves, in response to a particular context and prompt the teacher gives, ‘What is your 15 percent solution? Where do you have discretion and freedom to act? What can you do without more resources or authority?’
Give participants some time to reflect (5-10 minutes to write their ideas down).
In pairs or small groups, invite participants to share their 15% solutions.
If you have time, you can invite participants to give consultations to one another as well.

DURATION

15-20 minutes depending on group sizes and whether you include the consultation.

ADAPTATIONS AND EXAMPLES

Pair with Troika consulting or Wise Crowds.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Shared slide deck or any other note-taking.
Breakout rooms or done asynchronously in small groups.

USEFUL RESOURCES

15% Solutions – Liberating Structures website.
What are Liberating Structures?

Watch Video

ABOUT

Educator prep: Minimal
Student prep: None
Synchronous, Asynchronous
Breakout rooms, Shared online space, Cameras off option
Duration: 5-30 mins

This activity is one of a series of activities from Equity Unbound, focused on equitable online community building.

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