Conversation Mat

Job Aid

Use this job aid to facilitate a problem-solving conversation with a new teacher.

Problem: New teacher mentors are often placed in a consulting role, "putting out fires" and solving problems with mentees. It can be easy to provide a quick solution or resource, but the ultimate goal is to guide the mentee toward self-directed learning through targeted coaching. Many mentor training programs lack the tools and resources mentors can use to facilitate coaching conversations, leading to frustration in both mentors and mentees and higher turn-over rates.


Solution: These job aids are designed to help new teacher mentors facilitate problem-solving conversations with their mentees, moving away from "putting out fires" toward providing the mentee with the tools they need to effectively solve problems on their own. The conversation mat provides a conversation framework with sentence stems and scaffolds to support mentors in guiding the mentee toward self-directed learning by asking targeted questions and using cognitive coaching principles. This is a concept project demonstrating how job aids can be utilized to support deeper learning.


Big Picture: The job aid is not a stand-alone solution, but rather one piece of a larger intervention. The conversation framework is introduced in a micolearning module which provides a quick overview of the thee components of the conversation framework and a pulse-check assessment. Learners then engage in a scenario-based elearning module (in development) in which they use the job aid to facilitate a simulated problem-solving conversation with a mentee, providing an opportunity to practice and apply what they have learned in a low-stakes environment with support. Learners will also receive a hard copy of the job aid to use in real-time. A follow up live training session will provide an opportunity for learners to use the skills they have developed through the self-paced elearning with a peer and receive real-time feedback and targeted support. The overarching goal is to move mentoring conversations to the coaching role at least 60% of the time to increase new teacher retention rates.

Details

  • Type: Job Aid

  • Client: Demo project

  • Audience: New teacher mentors

  • Date: December 2022

Tools

  • Canva

Skills

  • Instructional Design

  • Graphic Design

The Design Process

Initial Design

After identifying course goals and objectives in the analysis phase I began delving into resources to facilitate problem-solving conversations with new teachers. I decided to adapt an existing problem-solving conversation job aid from the book Mentoring Matters: A Practical Guide to Learning-focused Relationships. Lipton, L., Bruce,W., & Humbard, C. (2003) along with information presented in the book. My goals with adapting the resource was to provide a job aid that was clear, concise and user-friendly.

I began by developing learning objectives for the job aid and outlining the content and text I wanted to include.

Storyboarding

After creating a high-level outline, I transitioned to drafting a text-based story board outlining the learning objectives, goals, content and organization of the job aid. I categorized the information, brainstormed useful sentence stems, and considered how to break down the content into digestible chunks. I also imagined how the graphic might look and be used.

This is a snippet of the storyboarding document for the project. We see the Goals, text, and design ideas outlined. Each stage of the conversation has been color coded.

Snippet of the storyboard. Click the image to see the full document.

This image shows the mood board created for the project. The colors vary from darker to lighter shades of teal and blue, a dark gold, black, white and an off-white. In total there are 4 shades of teal blue, one shade of dark gold, and one shade of off-white.
This image shows a visual prototype for the project. The document is in landscape view and includes three large rectangles, each containing the goals of the stage of the framework and sentence stems. Above each rectangle is a circle with the name of the stage inside as well as a number. The circles are connected with a dotted line. At the bottom of the page is a dark teal box with check marks showing the conversation goals.

Samples of the mood board and visual prototypes for this project.

Prototype

I created a visual prototype in Canva. While creating the prototype I wanted to keep the end users in mind and consider how they would be interacting with the job aid. I decided to create a colorful version that could be embedded in the scenario-based elearning course and a black and white printable version to be used in real-life conversations. I also wanted to make sure the graphics were clear and easy to read and reference. I created a custom pallet for this job aid, keeping the colors, formatting and style consistent with the other course components.

One challenge I faced in this stage of the processes was keeping the content concise and clear. The materials I was adapting were very text heavy and did not include user-friendly language. I drafted many versions of the text and sentence stems, striving to synthesize information in a clear way. I went through multiple iterations of this job aid.

Development

After receiving feedback I made changes to the layout and content of the job aid. In my first iteration I had included extra information such as conversation goals and look-for's on the graphic. I decided to take these elements and put them into an introductory microlearning course to break down the information. Instead of focussing on the framework and goals I decided to narrow my focus to just the framework, introducing the goals and look-for's in the microlearning. I also decided to create a visual flow by using a circular organization on the page versus linear.

The result is a clear and concise job aid the guides users through facilitating a problem solving conversation, providing supports through each state of the process.

This image shows a visual prototype for the project. The document is in portrait view and includes three rectangles centered around a circle in the center. Each rectangle contains the goals of the stage of the framework and sentence stems. Above each rectangle is a circle with the name of the stage inside.

Snippet of a visual prototype and second iteration.

The Finished Product

Results and Take-aways

This image is a half-sheet of paper formatted to look like a form. The background is a light yellow with black text. The form includes spaces for date, current reality, results, examples of success and next steps.

Snippet of a template for creating an action plan.

After creating the job aid I considered what aspects of this might be most useful to mentors and mentees as they are having a problem-solving conversation. The ultimate goal of the conversation is to guide mentees toward self-directed learning and leave with an action plan. I decided to create a quick action plan template mentors could complete at the end of the conversation to give to the mentee. This form not only provides structure, but can serve as a conversation guide and reflection tool. Mentees will bring the action plan to the next meeting to reflect and evaluate.