Who doesn’t love a good system to get things done! I am all about the after effect of solving a problem… but the work to solve it isn’t always easy. However, the work does feel more achievable if we actually have a plan and know clear steps to solve a problem or learn something new. In order to have clear steps, we need to have a framework. Frameworks help us with going deeper with our learning in order to solve a problem. Frameworks teach you how to organize all of the thoughts in your head and streamline and simplify them so they are clear and doable.
A problem solving framework can be where you dump all of your problems, prioritize them to solve one at a time, streamline three actions that you can do to solve the problem, notice how you will measure the evidence of impact, and know what results you are looking for. This framework makes you intentional about answering these questions and putting them into containers so that you know exactly what you will do to solve it. We all love a good ‘how to’ and that is exactly what frameworks will do!
Any time you are teaching something new to your learners (adult or student) think about how a pdf or a framework could help to clarify the outcomes that you want them to learn. Any time you are solving a problem, think about how a framework could help to develop clear steps and a system to take action. That is how powerful this strategy is!
In leadership, our goal is to lead people to new learning, to inspire, to engage them in action, and to learn alongside. The best way to do that is to provide clear messaging and expectations…not to mention provided them with a good framework with clear steps! The best part about frameworks is that they can be co-constructed alongside your teachers.
Before we dig in, I want to be super clear that there is no right or wrong way to create your framework. These are all just ideas, however, you organize it in a way that works for you as long as the steps are clear. I always try to include a framework for any new learning that I do within our mini lesson section of our workshopped meetings. It leaves the residue of learning that happened, deepens and reinforces the learning that is happening, and sets up marching orders or next steps.
Adding a PDF support document to accompany a professional learning lesson has a few advantages. Support docs can help your learners understand what they’re learning at a deeper level. They can also help them process the information you just taught more quickly. In addition, they can highlight the most important action items from your lessons and allow space for your learners to take notes, complete exercises, and brainstorm. It’s important to think about how your PDFs will enhance your learner’s experience throughout your lesson or conversation. It’s also important to understand what will NOT be helpful to your learners in the form of a PDF. It is too much information or not clear then it can overwhelm your learners instead of inspire them to take action.
Frameworks are ways to organize your problem into clear specific steps so you can solve it. They are a way to keep track of a system for organizing what the problem is, how you will solve it, how you will measure that you solved it, and what result you got. I suggest you use these frameworks to solve problems in a few ways. The first way is so that you can have a system to solve a problem for yourself. You can also teach your teachers how to be intentional about solving a problem by organizing it into a framework system. Not to mention it promotes an independence so they can be more effective problem solvers without you there. Lastly, they can solve problems and then use the frameworks to teach others how they solved the problem. Frameworks help you plan and organize your thinking. Plan your tasks and change your life!
Everyone loves a step by step roadmap in order to get from point A to point B the quickest. The whole point of accompanying learning with frameworks is to get teachers and you, as a leader, to start being intentional about problem solving by unpacking the steps to solve specific problems and then being intentional with how you organize it into a system that can be repeated for yourself and others. The best way to do that is through a framework to support how they solved the problem.
Let’s take a look at some of the do’s and don’ts when creating PDF assets for your problem solving and professional learning. First, create frameworks that will act as a complement to what you’re teaching in your mini lesson of your workshopped meetings or professional development. Creating a PDF that gives a deeper dive of the content in your mini lessons in workshopped meetings or professional development can be very helpful to your teachers. Second, consider creating a PDF that will help your teachers feel a sense of progress. Anything that your teachers can physically track or measure, or check off their to-do list, is always a good idea. Next, if your teachers would benefit from a resource that they can come back to again and again, create a PDF that serves as that resource. And lastly, creating a framework for your teachers to get their ideas out of their head and onto paper can be an excellent support in their journey.
Let’s talk about the importance of cultivating solution seekers mindset. Go straight to the problem, develop a framework to solve it and do the work. The best problem solvers have very specific characteristics: They have an attitude. They see problems as opportunities, a chance to learn something new, to grow, to succeed where others have failed, or to prove that “it can be done”. Underlying these attitudes is a deeply held conviction that, with adequate preparation, the right answer will come.
There are many different types of frameworks that you might consider. I am going to talk about 7 different types that I learned from Amy Porterfield and then adapted to how I use them in school leadership. These framework examples will definitely enhance the learning and provide clarity for next steps.
The CHECKLIST: The checklist is a great way for your teachers and you to keep track of your progress and make sure you aren’t skipping any necessary steps or action items. When you want your teachers to take action, this is the framework for you! In schools, a leader may want to use a checklist to set co-constructed criteria to set a list of expectations for the teachers so they have a clear pathway to what is expected and what they need to do to get there. For example it may be a checklist on what is important for writing report card comments. Another example of where you might use a checklist is for planning an event and ensuring each person does their job and knows it. Another idea is to use checklists to develop a pdf of tips and tricks for livestreaming that you expected teachers to try before a certain deadline. These are just some of the ways that a checklist might be used.
A CHEAT SHEET: A well done cheat sheet will generally include a series of pages that offer steps, examples, and imagery to help illustrate a strategy. An example might be a cheat sheet on how to navigate a teaching resource or app. For example, in our school, we co-constructed a cheat sheet for how to use the app, Notability inside the classroom and Zoom. If it is laid out clearly with steps it will instantly boost engagement because the cheat sheet is super easy to access and follow. There are also set deadlines for milemarkers to happen. On those milemarkers, it is essential to come back together to analyze and reflect and set a new deadline to follow the next part of the cheat sheet. Problem solved! The cheat sheet will help your learners understand a concept at a deeper level, but at the same time, be easy to skim and digest.
A WORKSHEET: Worksheets are helpful resources to encourage your teachers to get their ideas out of their head and onto paper so they can begin to make decisions and develop their ideas. It is a framework that can list questions or tasks for learners. It can also be used to record work done or that is in progress. I like to think of worksheets as containers that hold the actions that you want them to do. This worksheet framework can be used to navigate what you want your teachers to pull from the information through actually boxing out ideas, questions, actions, or guides. If you really want them to pay attention to a certain area or co-construct an idea from an area of learning they are doing, you can create a worksheet framework to point them to it and give them a clear indication that this is an area they made need to focus on to solve the problem. It is a prepared framework page of exercises designed to improve your knowledge or understanding of a particular problem. It may even be a spreadsheet!
The DIAGRAM, ROADMAP, FRAMEWORK or BLUEPRINT: These frameworks are brilliant to visually map out the student/teacher journey or a process in your actions to solve a problem. These PDFs frameworks, if designed right, will help your learners get a better grip on what happens when, while also providing a great big picture overview. It is a detailed plan of action that is easily accessible and super clear. A roadmap is a strategic plan that defines a goal or desired outcome and includes the major steps or milestones needed to reach it. It also serves as a communication tool, a high-level document that helps articulate strategic thinking—the why—behind both the goal and the plan for getting there. It is a strategic outline of the project goals and the key deliverables. When you build it, it’s best if you present project tasks, milestones, and goals or initiatives grouped on various swimlanes. A common framework also guides the construction of a roadmap, making sure that it sets a clear future objective and answers the critical “why-what-how-when” questions that define and explain a clear action plan for reaching the objective. The second part defines direction, or the team’s plans – the “what” of a roadmap. It is a plan for executing the product strategy. In other words, a roadmap gets results because it gives you a clear vision of the steps, it has a start and a destination and it requires milemarkers of measurement.
Some examples of problems that you may want to set up roadmaps are: How to get your teachers taking action on an initiative. Set the initiative as the priority, develop or co-construct three actions, set the destination with deadlines and milemarkers of measurement along the way. Other leaders have used roadmaps for how to be more productive in grade team meetings. Developing word attack strategies to improve reading in division one is another example. Planning a pd day or leadership event is another great place for a roadmap. Roadmaps get things done and make things happen.
The SWIPE file: A Swipe file includes content your learners can “swipe” and use as their own. Your teachers will love a good SWIPE file so that they don’t have to start from scratch. I definitely recommend co-constructing a swipe file with your teachers whenever you can. Just giving them any type of framework doesn’t mean anything if they do not have a sense of ownership or if it does not matter to them. Swipe copy helps you keep messaging in line when it comes to your problem/priority. It also gives your teachers an added bit of help so they’re not scrambling to communicate or solve a problem without enough information. Think of it like a press kit or a template.
Much of the information included in a SWIPE file is there to help your teachers save time. So for example you may use swipe files for templates of specific copy, like scripts, emails, report card comments, social posts, and legal statements. In most cases, you don’t want your teachers to copy these file frameworks verbatim. I always suggest the teachers use the swipes for guidance and inspiration, and put their own spin and brand on it.
The COMPARISON GUIDE PDF: This is a chart that shows a comparison of qualities of a variety of items, strategies, or resources, aimed at helping the learner decide which choices would be best for them. Comparison or comparing is the act of evaluating two or more things by determining which ones will bring you the best results. Comparison has a different meaning within each framework of study. It gives you another way to get your teachers doing the research to make decisions in a really simplified and streamlined way.
I’ve created comparison guides for things like Day Planners, curriculum resource providers, and teaching strategies. Some have also used it to research different topics and they co-construct the pros and cons of the strategies that are being researched. We use it to look at different teaching strategies or supplementary programs to determine which will be the most beneficial for our staff. The Comparison Guide will give your teachers a resource to make an educated decision when faced with lots of options.
The RESOURCE GUIDE: A resource guide is a place to provide comprehensive information that will help your teachers implement and get results more easily. It lists and describes various sources of information, from multiple media, learning resources or in different formats, on a given subject or problem. Resource guides are also a good place to include anything that would be a good resource for your teachers to come back to again and again.
The key for frameworks is to create a method for sharing information that suits your school community and your own discovery and sharing patterns.The key is to figure out how your teachers learn best and how you can help them get results quickly. Be intentional when considering frameworks as you likely won’t need a PDF to support every single mini lesson or problem, but maybe you will. Remember, the goal is to ENHANCE, not overwhelm and add extra work. Use the mantra that every PDF could be seen as an obstacle in getting your teachers to the finish line, because it’s one more thing they have to consume. So with that, be very intentional with what you include. Go with your gut on this one! Creating PDF support documents to accompany your mini lessons has an extra advantage. If your PDF is intentional and thoughtful, you have the ability to shorten your mini lessons and only highlight what’s most important to discuss in advance. From there, your teachers can read the PDF framework and do the work you’ve laid out for them when they’re ready.
Frameworks can be game changers when it comes to inspiring action because it provides a roadmap of clear steps. After all, without a map, we tend to get lost!
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