Revitalizing Agile Retrospectives with Katas: Part 1

Revitalizing Agile Retrospectives With Toyota Kata

Retrospectives have been a cornerstone for continuous improvement for Agile teams. They are the sacred moments for reflection, adaptation, and connection. Yet, many teams report that retrospectives feel ineffectual, leaving them running in circles rather than advancing forward. Why is this, and how can we change it? The Traditional Woes of Retrospectives The Toyota Kata:…

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Dark Scrum/Bright Scrum: From Checklists to Culture

Dark Scrum vs Bright Scrum

Explore the stark contrast between Dark Scrum and Bright Scrum in the world of Agile. This insightful piece takes you on a journey, illustrating how organizations can transition from an oppressive, coercive Scrum environment to a positive, empowering one. It provides practical insights and concrete steps to create a thriving Agile culture. Dive in to understand Scrum’s potential beyond mere checklists, and embrace the promise of team empowerment.

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Coffee On The Brain Podcast Interviews John Miller

John Miller, the founder of Agile Classrooms, recently joined Aaron Maurer on the “Coffee For The Brain” podcast to discuss the benefits of using Agile principles in education. TOPICS WE EXPLORE TAKEAWAYS One of the key takeaways from the podcast was the power of the word “permission” in creating a culture of learning and growth.…

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Agile Mentors Interview With John Miller

Today on the show, John joins Brian to share how he started introducing the Agile framework to educators. He walks us through how Agile classrooms help students solve complex problems while developing decision-making skills. He’ll share how converting to an Agile classroom creates deeper, more fulfilling student and teacher relationships and the steps teachers can take to make their classroom an Agile classroom.

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Refinement Protocol

The Learning Backlog is an adaptable, prioritized, and shared list of goals, skills, and products for future learning. All elements in the Learning Backlog are considered Learning Backlog Items. A Learning Backlog Item can include, yet is not limited to: learning objectives, standards, skills, and project deliverables.  Learning Backlog Items may be resequenced, broken down, changed, combined, or removed.

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Element 5: The Journey

There are 5 Elements to an Agile Classroom. This post will describe the Fifth Element, ‘The Journey’.Growing an Agile Classroom where students are learning iteratively in self is a journey. In any journey, it is useful to have a map. Just as map uses the degrees of latitude and longitude, an Agile Classroom uses the…

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5 Elements of Agile Classrooms

An Agile Classroom is designed through the integration of 5 Elements. Each element, like Legos, can be combined in different ways to meet one’s specific goals and context. It is most powerful when used synergistically together as a complete system. 5 ELEMENTS OF AGILE CLASSROOMS ELEMENT DESCRIPTION 1. Visible Classroom A visual learning management system.…

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