Inspiration Phase: Framing Your PBIS Design Challenge

Framing Your Design ChallengeJoseph Stark

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When embarking on the journey of creating a PBIS program using human-centered design principles we begin with the inspiration phase. Now, you can take your dream team and dive right into empathizing and collecting data, but I personally like to know what direction the team is going in first and their thoughts before we jump in head first. I find that this first step might be the most crucial step is framing your design challenge.

This initial framing sets the tone and direction for your entire team, and also gets your team to start thinking creatively. While some of the ideas below might seem silly or trivial, they are no less important than any other step.

Let's explore some idea-generating activities that your team can use to craft a compelling, action-oriented design challenge.

1. Future Headlines

Imagine it's five years in the future, and your PBIS program has been wildly successful. What headlines would you see in the school newsletter or local paper? Write these headlines and use them to reverse-engineer your design challenge.

or a Future Protocol

2. The Analogy Challenge

Choose a completely different domain (e.g., restaurants, theme parks, or sports teams) and ask, "How do they manage behavior and create positive experiences?" Use these analogies to inspire fresh perspectives on your school's challenge.

After completing these activities, synthesize the insights and ideas generated. Craft several potential design challenge statements and evaluate them against these criteria:

- Is it focused on positive, proactive solutions?

- Does it allow for a variety of potential solutions?

- Is it specific enough to provide direction but broad enough to allow for creativity?

- Does it inspire and energize the team?

3. The "How Might We" Brainstorm

Let's kickstart your team's creativity with the "How Might We" (HMW) format. This powerful phrase opens the door to possibilities, suggesting that solutions are within reach and inviting innovative thinking.

Gather your dream team and give them this challenge:

In just 10 minutes, jot down as many HMW questions as possible, focusing on positively and proactively improving student behavior. To spark their imagination, offer examples like:

• How might we create a school environment that naturally encourages positive behaviors?

• How might we empower students to take ownership of their behavior?

• How might we make positive behavior recognition more meaningful and impactful?

Once the timer dings, it's sharing time. Get those ideas up on a wall, cluster similar ones, and dive into a lively discussion about which HMW questions ignite the most excitement and promise the biggest impact.

Keep in mind that this is just the starting line. Your design challenge will likely evolve as you dive deeper into empathy building. The goal is to ignite innovative thinking and keep your team laser-focused on creating a PBIS program that truly resonates with your unique school community.

A well-framed design challenge for PBIS might look something like this:

"How might we create a school-wide system that empowers students to take ownership of their behavior, fosters a sense of belonging for all, and cultivates a positive learning environment where everyone can thrive?"

This challenge statement is proactive, focuses on positive outcomes, allows for various solutions, and addresses multiple aspects of school climate and student behavior.

By investing time in thoughtfully framing your design challenge, you set the stage for a human-centered PBIS program that goes beyond just managing behavior to truly transforming your school culture.

Now go out and build some empathy.