Felt, leaves and branches
& student group work
Ketso is a hands-on kit for creative groupwork
Aims of the session
• Introduce Ketso
• Mini exercise to experience Ketso
(explore student group work)
• learn from each other – share
ideas and practice
• Introduce how Ketso can be used
in teaching
‘Ketso’ means action in Lesotho, where it was
invented in 1995
Women didn’t speak in mixed gender groups
Ketso was used in Southern Africa to help
communities change this...
…to this: sustainable living
Ketso has been used in contexts ranging from
Tesco (180 staff)
… to engaging with stakeholders of all ages
and backgrounds in health related issues
… to community development and engagement
in Jordan, Rwanda, South Africa & Bangladesh
… to teaching and learning at all levels
Introducing the kit – Write /draw on leaves
1 idea per leaf, write so others can read
Coloured leaves for different questions
(write on the coloured side)
Time on your OWN to develop ideas…
…before reading out ideas one-by-one,
going around the circle & placing on the felt
Student group work
• What works well?
• Challenges and problems
• Solutions to challenges
Student group work
• What works well? What in what we
already do is effective?
Point leaves at branches
Branches provide themes, some blanks
Enhancing the student experience
• What works well? What in what we
already do is effective?
• Table swap – what is important, &
why? Any comments or questions?
Student group work
• What works well?
• Challenges and problems – think of a
KEY challenge
You can move ideas around
Student group work
• What works well?
• Challenges and problems
• Solutions to challenges
You can think ‘outside of the box’
Cluster similar ideas
Ketso grid for action plan
Make productive use of people’s time
Give everyone a voice – commitment
Harness creativity of people all levels
Students engage with each other
Ideas being heard
• In past experiences of group work, I have often
taken a backseat in group discussion as other more
outspoken characters tend to hold the discussion.
Using Ketso, it is also possible to set aside
individual thinking time and sharing time...
• I enjoyed Ketso as I felt it gave everyone a higher
sense of equality.
Students learn from each other
Developing ideas
• One of the things I was amazed at was that we had
so many ideas, as a group we were bouncing ideas
off each other taking one member’s idea and
developing it.
• This made me very optimistic about the future of the
module and strengthened my positive attitude, which
has continued throughout the module.
See ideas develop
Time management
• This session again really made me think about
time management, as we used Ketso to display a
timeline from now until the presentation date.
• I knew we were pushed for time but actually
stopping and reviewing the situation by analysing
what we had to do and by when really made myself
and the group a lot more effective and efficient in
our decisions.
Supports effective groupwork
• Problems, issues, and solutions arose which
potentially wouldn’t have entered my mind, whilst
experiencing our group connect and energise
each other.
• I have to say, I was impressed.
Allows you to give feedback
Allows peers to give feedback
• One area of the workshop I found extremely beneficial was
moving around to view the other groups’ emerging Ketsos.
•
• I felt that I got the most out of this part of the workshop as it
provided independent observations with regard to our Ketso
maps, providing comments and approval where
appropriate.
• Viewing the development of others’ ideas enabled me to
change my perceptions and think ‘outside the box’.
Embedded inclusive education
International students can engage
• The Ketso is particularly useful for me to
communicate with members. My English level is
low… It makes me difficult to actively participate
group projects.
• Last semester I could not insist my opinion…
• However, with the great tool covering many
different kinds of group meetings I was able to
clearly suggest my thought on a meeting.
Widening participation and access
Supports students with dyslexia
• “ I like the fact it is so visual, you can really see
your ideas and the links between them and other
people’s ideas…
• I like the way you can move the ideas around, it
makes it practical and is more inviting than a list.”
Skills development (e.g. enterprise education - Durham,
Sussex, Cambridge, Birmingham, Newcastle, Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester,
Surrey, Austen Texas)
Students use to engage with clients
• We used Ketso in our meetings with the client
and found it extremely useful and beneficial as a
communication tool.
• We then had a permanent visual representation of
the client’s thoughts surrounding the project, which
we could use to inform our own ideas.
• The skills I learnt when using Ketso will also prove
useful for the future.
Student Feedback Undergraduate Level2
Settlement Project
From reflective learning journals (73 returned)
• 58 positive mentions
• 7 neutral/mixed
• 3 negative
• 5 not mentioned
Feedback forms (48 returned)
• 33 positive responses on the use of Ketso as a
toolkit in the class
• 8 neutral/mixed
• 5 negative responses
• 3 no responses
Student Feedback Undergraduate Level1
Environment and Society
Feedback forms (41 returned)
• 31 positive responses on the use of Ketso as a
toolkit in the class
• 6 neutral/mixed
• 3 negative
• 1 not mentioned
Data gathering – e.g. focus groups
Ideas can be captured and typed up
…for later analysis.
Group No (All)
Group No (All)
Enterprising Midlands - Types of Ideas Developed
Healthy London Types of Ideas
Count of Meaning
Count of Meaning
120
180
160
100
140
80
Meaning
Existing assets
60
120
Meaning
Existing assets
100
Future possibilities
Future possibilities
Problems
Problems
80
Goals
Goals
40
(blank)
60
40
20
20
0
0
Total
Total
Drop Category Fields Here
Drop Category Fields Here
Group No (All)
Group No (All)
A Sustainable Port in Portsmouth - Ideas by Branch Type
Sustainable Port - Types of Ideas
Count of Theme on Branch
Count of Meaning
140
250
120
200
100
Meaning
150
Meaning
80
Goals
Existing assets
Future possibilities
Problems
Future possibilities
60
Problems
100
Goals
50
Existing assets
40
20
0
0
Activities
Ecology
Economics
Environment
Environment (built)
Total
Drop Category Fields Here
Theme on Branch
Landscapes
Society
Stakeholder
Engagement
Public engagement with research
Returning knowledge to Peru
“ ... It was good because we
have all given ideas.”
“... we are used to being
dictated too, so it is nice to
be able to give our ideas.”
“... we are not used to thinking
about such things, we are
normally told what to do.”
C.Furlong & J.Tippett, 2011
Urban regeneration and systems thinking
… working to develop a vision for a
sustainable North Manchester
Local enthusiasm from the planning process
moved a former landfill site from 30th ….
... to first on the list. The site received £1.7
million of Newlands funding.
Reaction from North Manchester Resident
• “Because a lot of people are like me and they are
not good at speaking if there are more than two or
three people around, but they have things to say.
• This is magnificent at getting people to participate,
and very important”
Launched as a company in 2009
Social mission - Transform the way we
communicate, collaborate and learn worldwide
Business model – helping people run good
workshops by selling & renting kits…
…. & providing free open source resources:
workshop plans, slideshows, training videos
Create job opportunities for
disadvantaged people in manufacture
The kits are assembled in a sheltered
workshop in the UK
Customers include:
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Universities:
Manchester
Newcastle
Durham
Cambridge
Hull
Sheffield
Leeds
Liverpool
Worcester
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Lancaster
Salford
Pretoria
Austin Texas
Customers include:
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Public Sector:
Merseycare NHS
National School of Government
Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Environment Agency
Cumbria County Council, South Lakes District Council
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Voluntary Sector:
The Equality Network
GroundWork
Schumacher Institute
The IONA Community
The Big Life Company
• Private Sector:
• Tesco
• United Utilities