Innovate and implement new, effective ways of teaching in your school In Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools, veteran educator, MIT professor, and incorrigible innovator Justin Reich delivers an insightful bridge between contemporary educational research and classroom teaching, showing you how to leverage the cycle of experiment and experience to create a compelling and engaging learning environment. In the book, you'll learn how to employ a process of continuous improvement and tinkering to develop exciting new programs, activities, processes, and designs. The author draws on over two decades of experience with educators, education researchers, and school leaders to explain how to apply the latest advances in the academic literature to your school, classroom, or online/hybrid course. You'll also find: Complimentary access to two popular courses archived at the MIT Open Learning Library: Launching Innovation in Schools and Design Thinking for Leading and Learning Insights grounded in extensive scholarly experience in design and innovation from Prof. Reich and the MIT Teaching Systems Lab Strategies for combining the most effective evidence-based teaching methods with the flexibility and creativity displayed by schools during the COVID-19 pandemic An invaluable strategic playbook for innovative teaching, Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools is perfect for PK-12 school and district leaders, teacher leaders, and educators.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Secret to School Improvement               7 My Best Teaching Ever: Wilderness Medicine      7 Creating Time and Space for Iteration     9 Iterative Improvement at MIT     10 Three Cycles for Iterative Improvement 11 The Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning          13 Design Thinking for Leading and Learning              15 Collaborative Innovation Cycle   17 Three Principles for Iteration      18 Think In Cycles and Spirals            19 Act in Short Design Cycles             19 Improve in Community  19 Chapter 1: What is the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning?   21 Changing the Complex, Fine-Grained Work of Teaching   24 Teachers Primarily Change Their Pedagogy in Response to Other Teachers             26 Three Phases to the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning          27 Experiment        28 Experience         29 Plan       32 What’s missing from the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning 33 Evaluation and Measurement    34 Loss       35 Power, Difference, and Design Justice     37 Leadership and the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning            40 Chapter 2: Spinning the Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning   44 Creating More Opportunities for Experimentation            46 Pointing a Light: Targets of Difficulty        47 Making Time: Summer Innovation Funding           47 Finding the Resources All Around You: Students as Designers       49 Innovation Staffing: Department Heads, Coaches, and Teachers on Special Assignment    50 Using the Bully Pulpit      51 Making Team Learning Richer: Looking at Student Work and Instructional Rounds              53 The Proof of the Pudding: Looking at Student Work          53 Getting into Classrooms: Instructional Rounds    54 Institutional Learning: Ramping up Planning through Peer-to-Peer Learning           56 Meeting Times are Instructional Sharing Times   58 Teacher Led Peer-to-Peer Learning          59 Seeing Outside Expertise as the Catalyst Teacher to Peer-to-Peer Learning             61 Rowing in the Same Direction: Creating Common Instructional Language and a Shared Vision        62 Preparing to Communicate Together: Creating a Common Instructional Language               62 Developing a Shared Vision: Right-Sized Goals     64 Iterating Forward with The Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning             66 Chapter 3: What is Design Thinking?        68 From Waterfalls to Sprints: A Brief History of Design         71 From Dewey to Design Thinking 74 The Design Justice Critiques of Design Thinking   76 Getting Started with Design Thinking for Leading and Learning    78 Key Principles to Design Thinking for Leading and Learning            81 Six Phases for Design Thinking for Leading and Learning  84 Discover               84 Focus    88 Imagine 91 Prototype           93 Try          97 Reflect & Share 99 Reflection and Inclusion 101 Conclusion          102 Chapter 4: Getting Started with Design   104 Discover               104 Research to Discover: Surveys, Interviews, and Observations       104 Iterating on Discovery    106 Combining Local Knowledge with Education Research     108 Focus    109 Going from Observable Data to Underlying Challenges    109 Finalizing a Focus Area   112 Imagine 113 User Personas (or Community Personas)               114 Imagine by Analogy         115 Imagining from Flare to Focus     117 Prototype           118 Sketching and Storyboarding      119 Paper Prototyping and Wireframing         121 Physical Prototyping and Rehearsals        123 Try          124 When to Try Out Your Prototypes             125 How to Try Out Your Prototypes 126 Who Should Try Out Your Prototypes      130 Reflect & Share 132 Design Crits         132 Conclusion          134 Chapter 5: The Collaborative Innovation Cycle     136 Four Phases of the Collaborative Innovation Cycle             139 Developing the Collaborative Innovation Cycle with Peter Senge 142 Looking Inwards and Outwards, Setting the Frame for the Collaborative Innovation Cycle 143 Systems Thinking in Schools        143 Who Leads? Distributed Leadership in Schools    145 Key Principles for the Collaborative Innovation Cycle        146 Bringing People Together Around Ideas They Care About               147 Four Questions for Innovation    150 Refining a Vision and Getting to Work     154 Building from Personal Visions to Shared Vision  155 Managing Difference in a Shared Vision  159 The Someday-Monday Dilemma 161 Getting to Work: The Cycle of Experiment and Peer Learning, and Design Thinking for Leading and Learning           164 Working Together Through Ups and Downs          165 Four Fields of Listening  171 Tools for Better Listening: The Ladder of Inference           176 Addressing Disagreement Through a Bias to Action           180 Measuring Progress and Adjusting            183 Key Principles for Measuring Progress and Adjusting        184 Distinguishing Assessment from Evaluation          186 Gathering Evidence from Artifacts of Learning     188 Gathering Evidence from People               193 Using Assessment to Revitalize Initiatives and to Get Unstuck      198 Conclusion          199 Chapter 6: Tools and Strategies for the Collaborative Innovation Cycle     201 Activities for Bringing People Together Around Ideas They Care About     201 Visions for a Powerful Learning Environment       202 Four Questions for Innovation    204 Asset Mapping  208 Activities for Refining a Vision and Getting to Work           211 Exploring Possible Visions: Rightboro Scenarios  211 Refining a Vision: The Someday/Monday Starter Kit          218 Part 1 - Someday: What Does Awesome Look Like?           218 Part 2 - Monday: Concrete Steps               220 Activities for Working Together Through Ups and Downs                221 Activity: Left-Hand Column Case 222 Activities for Measuring Progress and Adjusting 225 Assessment Planning Scenarios 225 Assessment Plan              230 From Launching Innovation in Schools to Sustaining Innovation in Schools              232 Conclusion: Cycles, Endings, and Beginnings         234 Balancing Coherence and Innovation      234 When Cycles End              235 Final Thoughts: Inclusion and Joy              237 Appendix 1: Design Thinking Starter Project Walkthrough: Helping a Friend with a Routine or Event           239 Step 1: Discover: Prepare for & Conduct an Initial Interview          239 Prepare & Conduct Interview Template 241 Example Interview          243 Step 2: Focus: Identify a Specific Design Problem               246 Key Takeaways Template             247 Key Takeaways Example 248 Step 3a: Imagine new Solutions 250 Brainstorm Template     251 Brainstorm Template     253 Step 3b: Choosing a Solution for Prototyping       254 Step 4: Prototype Your Solution 255 Step 5: Try out your Prototype, Get User Feedback, and Iterate  258 Design Hypothesis Tryout Template         259 Feedback Template        261 Feedback Example          263 Step 7: Reflect and Share              266 Appendix 2:  Design Thinking for Leading and Learning in Practice Walkthrough   268 Discover               269 Discover 1a: Find Your Team       269 Discover 1b: Review The School Change Status Quo          269 Discover 1c: Identify a Problem of Practice            270 Discover 1d: Identify Stakeholders           272 Discover 1e: Gather Stakeholder Perspectives on Your Problem of Practice through Interviews, Observations, Student Work, or Surveys             272 Discover 1f: Research and Comparison schools    275 Focus    276 Focus 2a: Thinking About Needs (Focus) 276 Step 3: Brainstorm Solutions (Imagine)   278 Step 3b: Evaluate Ideas (Imagine)             279 Step 4: Plan Initial Steps (Prototype)       280 Step 5: Take a Step and Iterate (Try)        284 Step 7: Reflect & Share  286