Sometimes we may ask to take a few minutes to write out thoughts before sharing them with the group, while other times we will just open it up for discussion. These statements are shared with the team and discussed as a basis for the development of a team statement of direction. The activity will generate a focus for the group, which will be revisited again and again throughout the year. Each group's statement of direction will help frame some of the discussions that will follow, with respect to learning and teaching. It requires personal reflection, use of personal experiences, synthesis of education information from early discussions, and deep thought about how people make meaning.
Time is set aside in one of the team meetings to begin drawing the diagrams.
The diagram is finished outside of the meeting, then an entire meeting is dedicated to individual presentations of their diagrams. We start by identifying common themes from each of the individual diagrams, and use these as a foundation upon which the team diagram can grow. It takes many iterations through various metaphors, tangential discussions, and scrapping old work for a new idea to arrive at consensus. Ultimately, the team diagram includes all of the issues detailed in the description of the individual learning diagram, and have consensus approval from every team member. The topic, structure, and logistics of the design are up to the team to decide.