SIMON KAVANAGH

LEARNING ARCH
DESIGN
A method for unlocking student engagement and
ownership of learning through packaging the pursuit
of knowledge & creating a call to adventure...
THE AUTHOR
AND CREATOR OF
LEARNING ARCHES
CONTENTS
Born in Dublin. Simon received his B.A.
in Art & Design Education from the
National College of Art & Design (a joint
degree incorporating 3 years of Visual
Communication) at 21, 1996. Here he
already found the need to challenge
Introduction 1
educational norms through making art more The Origins 2
relevant to students especially from social
and economically challenged communities. Why & How? 4
For the next 5 years, Simon worked as Design Steps In Brief 6
Creative Director and entrepreneur in the Design Tips 8
Irish Multimedia Industry. During these years
he designed, programmed or managed How to Set 10
approximately 600 titles and set up offices
in New York and Paris. In 2001, he became
How to Hold 12
a consultant for Windmill Lane Studios in Experience Controls 14
the areas of Interactive Television, Content
Management and Educational Systems, and Centrefold
Online Gaming before moving to Paris to Mid Arch Intervals 16
further his career in digital media and art.
He re-embarked on the educational path in How to Land 18
Shanghai where he lead the BA Faculty of Levels & Types of Landing 20
Visual Communications for a British degree
in new media, design and culture for 3 years. How Will The Content Unfold 22
In 2006, he sought and found the most Disturbances 24
experiential leadership education in the
world (www.Kaospilots.dk). Here, he
What they Say 26
continues to explore alternative Note & Sketch
approaches to education and pedagogy
with the long-term goal of rebooting the
3rd level educational system through
experiential learning design, strategies and
transformational learning journeys which... Design learning that unfolds and
‘INCREASE THE BANDWIDTH builds ownership, craft, talent, genius
FOR CREATIVITY, INNOVATION,
ENGAGEMENT AND
whilst sustaining the flow,
RISK IN EDUCATION’ transparency, challenge and impact.
INTRODUCTION
Finally, a comprehensive description of one of the We clarify the work load, grouping and evolution
best and simplest ways to visualize learning, known of content and the thoughts behind the overall
as The Learning Arches (LAs). After over seven learning arch, learning style(s) and approach.
years of application, development, exploration and This method faithfully supports the interweaving and
evaluation of the learning arches by thousands of dynamic intersection of SKAV (Skills, Knowledge, At-
educators, trainers and consultants worldwide,
titudes & Values) as absolute equal elements in the
spread through the courses of The Kaospilot Learn-
learning strategy in order to increase engagement,
ing Design Agency (www.Kaospilot.dk/KPlda), I felt it
craft and confidence through experiential learning,
was time to share the method. For me, it’s the most
exploration and reflection. It creates ownership and
effective method for defining, designing, delivering
transparency from the beginning of the learning pro-
and discovering learning journeys and programs of
cess for the people who matter the most, and who
any duration and for any age or target group. It sup-
we as educators should always be in service of, the
ports learning that is more engaging, transparent,
students, learners and participants! It visualises, the
autonomous, action based, co-creative and trans-
formatting and unpacking of content and its rele-
formational, the bottom line of the human-centred
vance, connection, intersection and purpose.
Kaospilot pedagogy. If you are a learning designer
who aims to create and anchor such a pedagogical The LAs literally bridge and stimulate the connec-
approach, then this is the tool for you. (Read on) tions between subject, content, time, learning pur-
The purpose of the Learning Arch method is to pose, methods, and personal development through
increase the bandwidth for risk, engagement, cre- individual, group and team-wide learning. It brings
ativity and innovation in new and existing curricula to life curricula as learning processes which aim to
and programs. Using LAs we design highly effective achieve a higher level of mastery and craft by speak-
learning journeys where the pursuit of skills, knowl- ing to a higher and often unmet and unseen capac-
edge, attitudes and values are unfolded, unpackaged, ity in our current students. LAs inspire students and
discovered and embodied. The method creates and teachers alike to reach a greater learning ambition
shares ownership and direction for the learning be- by increasing complexity and challenge through
tween learners, peers, near peers, teachers, facilita- creating and altering safe learning spaces, learning
tors and trainers. We use the powerful and simple frames and contexts.
visual nature of the LAs to invite the students into This publication aims to introduce the reader to the
the program and share the narrative, opportunity learning arch method and its origins, how & why
and frames of the learning journey. to use it and advice for the design and delivery of
We reveal the adventure and share the highlights, powerful, engaging and meaningful learning to cur-
tension, flow, high and low action, peaks and drops. rent & future generations.
THE ORIGINS OF
LEARNING ARCHES
My journey towards the development of LAs start- in 2009. I needed to understand and make explicit,
ed in 2009 when I became the headmaster of the the tacit nature of the intense emotional learning
Kaospilot school of enterprising leadership in Aarhus, culture that had evolved over 15 years and learn
Denmark. At this time, the school was well estab- how the learning journey was defined, designed,
lished as a leading institution within alternative ed- delivered and measured. As a result, a visualised
ucation having been founded in 1991. learning journey emerged, and with it, the adven-
ture and rollercoaster ride that is the 3 year full-
time Kaospilot education was revealed.
“The Kaospilot is a hybrid business and de-
sign school, a multi-sided education in lead- Once visualised*, what stood out was learning in
ership and entrepreneurship. Our purpose equilibrium. A balanced dance between moments
is positive social change though personal of high and low action(1), complexity and challenge
growth and enterprise. Our mission is to and inter and intra-personal learning.
grow an extraordinary school in which For the first time, the constellation of impact, value,
people love to learn and love to create.We subject, social, emotional, collaborative and creative
want to make a place and a space in which competencies with personal craft and leadership
creative people become creative leaders, was comprehended. This KP secret X was now de-
and where ideas, dreams and values be- coded and understood. We now knew how we did
come reality. “ www.Kaospilots.dk it, why it worked and how to improve it through de-
sign, delivery and discovery. We could now play with
the key parameters of Structure v Chaos, Frustra-
In 2006, I was an educator running a BA in visual tion v Breakthrough, Action v Theory v Reflection
communication in Shanghai, on the hunt for a new to bring the hidden curriculum(2) alive and how to
pedagogy, when I discovered the Kaospilot. I imme-
track, measure, support, guide and communicate it
diately aligned with their purpose to support learn-
to the students, our community and stakeholders.
ers to create new sustainable and scalable solutions
to existing and unmet needs within complex and We had not only visualised the learning journey,
turbulent situations whilst acting with empathy and but we could now explore and tweak how best
ethics. The learning arches emerged as I sought to to interweave skills, knowledge, attitudes and values
make sense of the Kaospilot’s transformational 3 to support the student’s learning adventure on an
year program as I developed their new curriculum individual, group and team level across the 3 years.

2
 “Training and learning on individual, group and team levels through
action-based learning can prepare the graduates to work, lead,
follow, support, adapt, reflect and collaborate on the same or similar
levels inside teams, organisations, society and other systems.”

We could now consciously set, hold and land the engagement and risk in education.
learning space and periods of time or arches. How The KP had found its IP (Intellectual Property) to
little content and time are enough? This became ‘Package the pursuit of knowledge’(3) and we decid-
our most powerful and philosophical question in ed to share it in a fair, affordable and scalable way.
juxtaposition with fluctuating levels of intensity, Since then, through providing multiple short pro-
challenge, reflection, theory, context and relevance. grams based on our core learning design method-
Three Years later, whilst reading Experience and ology to support the emerging educational ‘reboot’
Education by John Dewey, the full potential of the revolution, we have trained over 4000 learning de-
method hit me. The learning arch method could be signers from 40 different countries and from 250+
shared to all learning designers to support them in universities.
increasing the bandwidth for creativity, innovation, *Inspired by Kaospilot Creative Leadership.

Footnotes
1 of applied and experiential based learning
‘High Action’ refers to periods (arches) most relevant and powerful skills and knowl- from a deeper and personal understanding of
edge (for a subject or discipline) through in- them, what they mean and how they could
and practice. dividual, group and team-based action, reflec- apply and adapt them to any given context.
‘Low Action’ refers to the periods (where tion and analytical learning designs in order If you are not giving students real & increas-
we land the High Action arches) with both to increase confidence, ambition, and rigor. In ingly challenging experiences to gain a deep
reflective learning of self working with oth- order to really anchor and secure these atti- working comprehension of Skills, knowledge
ers and the evaluation and analyses of subject, tudes in your programs and practice you must and attitudes, you are failing them and society.

3
level and competence. include them in your curriculum as learning By ‘Package the pursuit of knowl-

2 explored by Dewey and coined by Philip

‘The Hidden Curriculum’. Although outcomes, on par with skills and knowledge edge’, we mean experiential learning
to inaugurate them as part of your academic applied within a safe and experimental edu-
Jackson, I refer to it as the ‘conscious learning and educational vocabulary. cation, which supports risk-taking, failure and
objectives and outcomes that support the For me the bottom line is how to bring it innovation. Run in partnership with multiple
intra-personal and inter-personal growth and alive? How do you find and design powerful instructors and diverse students as co-learn-
development of the student to explore their ways for students to execute skills and knowl- ers and facilitators, offering their experience
mindset, attitudes, behaviours, competencies edge which allow for authentic embodiment and knowledge together with current indus-
and values. This is done by continuously shift- of the attitudes, mindset and soft skills so that try input and trends.
ing the contexts and scenarios to challenge, when they talk about them (at exams, eval-
support, confront, confirm and anchor the uation and job interviews), they can speak
WHY & HOW?
WORKING WITH
LEARNING ARCHES
The Learning Arches (LAs) are a method to design
transparent, collaborative and experiential learning journeys
or processes that maximise engagement, capacity, ambition,
ownership, confidence, relevance and most importantly,
dialogue between the learners and hosts, facilitators,
instructors or teachers as stakeholders of the learning.

As stated already, the Learning Arch Design method is, knowing that you and the students can return to
is a simple way to bring learning alive. It visually trans- them and land or check in at any point! It supports
lates and interprets the curriculum into an exciting what we at Kaospilot call to be ‘overprepared and
learning journey and invites colleagues and students under-structured’.
alike to co-create, design and deliver the adventure. The more trust and transparency you create with the
LAs are a clear way to reveal the learning journey and students in terms of setting, holding, landing, through
unfold the narrative of the proposed user experience listening, adapting and feeding forward their needs, the
and the teacher’s and student’s role in it. Use them to more likely they are to stay engaged in the bigger (over-
share and describe the design, thoughts and logic of all) arches and the incremental increase in challenge,
the learning journey you have created and make the complexity, and ambition of projects & deliverables.This
call to adventure and the ‘big picture’ literally drawn is the key to framing transformational learning.
from the written curriculum. This ’big picture’ also pro-
vides a chance to see the curriculum beyond solitary
blocks and stimulate flow, connection and continuity of
learning, challenge and growth towards mastery of any
given topic, subject, discipline or craft.
Learning arches can support the creation of your
own style of facilitated learning. They provide a flexi-
ble structure or learning scaffolding to allow for more
creativity and confidence in designing, delivering, dis-
covering, pacing, unfolding and supporting learning for
all levels and ages. They allow for more exploration
and deviation from the plan to go where the energy

4 Downloads : LADC : http://users.homebase.dk/~simk/KPLDA/LA_canvas_light_col.pdf LA GRAPH : http://users.homebase.dk/~simk/KPLDA/LA_graph%20copy_LATEST.pdf

The Learning Arch Design Canvas (LADC) is the re- WHAT ARE THE 7Cs
sult of 6 years of work. It embodies the experiments, The 7Cs are the key sequential list for how to set and cre-
learnings and evaluations from multiple learning design ate for transformational learning that maximise connec-
courses with hundreds of educators. tion, conditions and context between the learners & the
learning journey first before content. This shifts the focus
from content as king and opens the way for personal con-
nection and ownership of the content, subject or discipline.
It sets the platform for an emotional connection to the
team of students and invites for personal and profession-
al development and commitment, core to delivering the
‘The Hidden Curriculum’ and the ‘unknown’ below the
LA time line.
1. CONNECTION
Make a connection with the students and meet them where
they are at (knowledge, social, professional & emotional).
2. CONDITIONS
Set the conditions for how you will try to work together,
the learning styles you will explore and how you will collabo-
rate by clarifying expectations.
The canvas frames a design process for developing and 3. CONTEXT
running experiential & transformational learning jour- Make the case for what the students are about to learn and
why it is useful, relevant, emerging and even powerful.
neys. Using the 4Ds of define, design, deliver & discover,
4. CONTENT
it creates and supports the collaborative design, hosting Adjust, unfold & unpackage the content based on the need,
and facilitation of autonomous, adaptive, action-based level and ambition of the students and your design. Define
and risk-taking education. It utilises the 7Cs at its core what success is and then aim to over deliver…
to create and sustain engagement, alignment, ownership 5. CRAFT
Unfold and increase the learning, challenge (practice) and
and direction for the learners. measurement to support risk and a deeper understanding of
the subject and craft (methods supported by theory). As the
teacher leaves the stage, the students step up and perform
through application, (self)reflection, analysis and leadership.
THE LADC FRAMES
The key questions and points to consider when designing
6. CHARACTER
Should grow as their understanding deepens through in-
powerful and relevant learning journeys. creased complexity of tasks, alternating contexts and delivery
How do you create, unfold & cultivate skills, knowledge, within groups of peers whilst seeking to create sustainable
attitudes and values? impact & value.
Design for individual, group and team learning on a professional 7. CONFIDENCE
& personal level? The student’s ability to set their own targets beyond their
Define what are the conditions, frames, roles & expectations current expectations.To define and take more control of their
to clarify, and 'set' for how you would like to work together? (learning) potential, behaviour, actions and direction.
How will the content be learned, unpackaged, made relevant,
delivered & measured?
How will you facilitate the unfolding of content and the LAs?
How will you balance theory & practice, performance &
reflection, high & low action & adaptive application? (see page 14)
What learning styles, tools, models, methods, frameworks &
Charac
theories will you use in the learning journey?
Visualise your learning journey (arches) to create and share the
ter Confide
big picture and map the adventure? nce
What are you (and your students) learning & discovering
Content
while you are running the LAs in real time?
What are you (and your students) discovering / learning about Craft
this way of working that you want to unfold more of?
How to apply deep listening, observation, evaluation & reflection Connec
tion
Conditio
and feed it forward?
The LADC method is introduced in part 2 of the A&CDFLS ns Context
(link https://www.kaospilot.dk/acdfls2)
‘Learning style’ definition (see page 14)
LEARNING ARCH
DESIGN STEPS IN BRIEF
Step 1 Step 2
Sketch the arches of the course, program and/or semester. One arch per Under the horizontal line, write the course/arches values, mindset, atti-
day, week, month, subject or module etc.This is taken from your curriculum. tudes, and competencies that you would like the student to explore and
Print out the A3 LA graph (see page 5) and sketch or download the app. grow. These are unknown in the sense that most educators and learning
From the outset, start the good practice of always labelling every arch designers, are unsure of how to design and measure authentic exercises
with the content, purpose, theme or title. that allow the participants to embody and reflect.To bring alive the hidden
Land each arch with the content to be delivered, explored, learned, expe- curriculum. Explore how to set and land in order to make an emotional
rienced, taught & tested. Focus here on the known (content) skills, knowl- connection on an individual, group and team level that support personal
edge, methods, models, and theory all what is above the time line. growth and development.
You can also work more micro on an hourly or daily session basis. If you In order to really anchor and secure these attitudes in your program, you
have only one session or day per week, draw an arch in between the ses- can include them in your curriculum as learning outcomes, on par with
sions and set tasks for the next session. skills and knowledge. Name them to create a common language in your
Using your own judgement, add a mid arch intervals on the larger arches school around them. Back them up by industry as relevant and essential.
as an opportunity to ask into progress, connection, alignment, satisfaction Design for the authentic integration and embodiment of competencies,
and understanding. It occurs as part of a setting or landing. attitudes, mindsets & values into the program. Let the students find their
Start at the landing of the big course arch, with the learning objectives own meaning of them!
for the entire course and back cast. You may realise that some weeks &
content should be adjusted, moved or swapped. NOTE:
Play with the balance between confusion & structure. Create confusion, We visualise setting & landing the arch lines by going below the
but with a purpose! Be aware of breakthrough versus frustration. time line. This is where the magic happens. We think of skills &
knowledge above the line, as ‘known’ and attitudes, values, com-
petencies and mindsets below the line, as ‘unknown’, aka the hid-
NOTE:
den curriculum.
- Always sketch first and early. Do not seek perfection first time, as
its impossible and will only hinder your creativity.
- The process is relative, so you can break your course down and
develop arches for morning and afternoon sessions, exercises or EXECUTION:
any class periods or duration.This is very helpful when you are with Execution is landing on the ‘What’ and ‘How’. What will the students pro-
your students for short periods or classes each week. duce in terms of results, output, value & impact. How was the process on an
- In this case, the LAs can help you be more ambitious with your individual, group & team level. It’s through the evaluation of the how/process
learning designs of limited time by 1) create arches between your that the attitudes will be learned. The bigger the arch, the bigger the landing.
sessions and 2) group your sessions (x-level arches) to Act, Learn, Figure out what type of execution will allow for the students to authentically
Adapt. Always, set & land the sessions and x-levels. embody the SKAV and how you might frame, reflect and evaluate.
One of the best gifts we can give students is that of powerful, real and chal-
lenging projects and exercises. These support the students in expressing a
All arches need to be landed. So, determined what SKAV you want to land on
deeper understanding of the SKAV together with a deeper comprehension,
and what do we want to carry forward on a professional and personal level, by
further theoretical analysis and how they feel about it.
using looped landings. Remember when sketching, that you will learn more as
you run and evaluate the program incrementally. So factor that in to the design,
to feed-forward recommendations etc. that worked towards the optimal learning
NOTE:
style, culture & conditions.
Always provide students with situations that occur in the real-world
Always try to invite business, social and industry experts into the process and/or which require them to apply their relevant skills and knowledge and
the presentation. Also, consider inviting alumni and future students of the program. grow their values, character, mindset & attitudes.
They often become its best ambassadors and share the story about the future
program, and your willingness to co-create & innovate.

6 Content of this page from A&CDFLS #1: https://www.kaospilot.dk/the-art-and-craft-of-designing-learning-spaces/

 “We do not learn WHAT IS TEAM
from experience... we learn from BASED PEDAGOGY
reflecting on experience.” (TBP)?
Simply put, the students as a learning or-
John Dewey ganisation. They learn how to learn, sup-
port and value each other’s growth and
development as leaders, managers, practi-
tioners and game changers. A team-based

Step 3
pedagogy provides the opportunity to ex-
perience authentically the following...
Now we need to explore how best to set, hold and land all the arches we Creative Reasoning & Problem
have created. Every arch must be set and landed.
Solving (Lateral Thinking), Common
Now you are ready to start designing how you will set and land all the
arches. Working with your primary SKAV, design and apply your thoughts Culture, Language & Frames,
& ideas for how to set and land as well as what tools, models, methods Emotions, Collaboration, Vision,
and learning styles you want to use. Passion, Capacity, Communications,
Anchor and secure your key SKAV in your program and practice to keep
them alive.
Relations, Leadership, Empathy,
Draw the X-Levels. (see page 23 for explanation) Direction, Responsibility, Trust,
When you have all the arches and days labelled or tagged and x-levels Choice, Peer Learning & Feedback,
drawn, share and discuss. Group Discussion & Reflection….
What is emerging & revealing itself? Fx: arch overload, landing too
many arches and deliverables at the same time, not landing arches &
content at all? Too much high action and no low action. High action
(do) = active experimentation, concrete experience & impact, while “The bottom line is that learning
low action (think) is time for evaluation, reflection, deeper analysis and arches help you move from the ar-
theoretical understanding.
chaic teach > learn > perform / test
learning style, sustained by the old
NOTE:
Now consider & include : transformational and authentic learning guard who are change averse and
(experience) design; risk taking & hotspots; values, feedback culture; held by procedures, policies, regu-
real clients; problem & process-based learning; Team based peda- lation, top down control and ulti-
gogy & collaborative learning; intra & interpersonal learning; par-
ticipatory teaching methods; learning communities; transparency, mately a generational misalignment
feedback & reflection. to the contemporary and emergent
styles of learning.
Learning arches exploit an act >
MEASUREMENT:
learn > adapt > repeat learning
If you want to really anchor the potential in attitudinal and personal develop-
ment, you will need to find ways to access, harvest, feed-forward, share, land style, which supports a more adap-
and follow the students and the group’s growth. tive and collaborative self-efficacy
You may need to rethink how you measure success, and even one step be- and leadership model which speaks
fore that, ask what success is and what does it look like on a professional and to a higher capacity and ambition in
personal level? If the students share a powerful experience, all you need to
do is develop reflective questions that can support further learning, deeper our students and aims to educate
analysis and ownership of it. and develop them to create their
To anchor the potential in attitudinal and personal development you will need own future as reflective activists.”
to find ways to assess, harvest, feed-forward, share, land and follow the stu-
dent’s personal and team’ growth. (see pages 18-19)
15 TIPS TO
CONSIDER WHEN
DESIGNING
Always set and co-create the frames and learning culture
together with the students based on your first LA draft.
Define and design through transparency, alignment,
commitment, clear frames and direction for the class, weeks,
modules and semesters and then deliver, lead and hold it
using the arches as a guide or map.

01 SET the full program through telling the story

of the arches. Include the highlights and share
05 Working on the three learning levels, individ-
ual, group and team, ensures that the entire
the tension, flow, high and low action peaks and team share the same methodology and/or
drops, work load, grouping and sequence of experience. This allows for shorter and more
content (X-Levels) and the thinking behind the productive reflection and sharing of different
overall learning style(s) you propose and why. levels of success. Therefore, design student ac-

02 Invite the students to be part of the learning jour- tivities which execute and embody SKAV (au-
ney and then create and host it with them arch by thentically).
arch through dialogue, testing & evaluation.
06 Figure out when to support with new knowl-

03
Create the context, the case and the experi- edge through just in time learning by pop up
ence to make the content, theories and meth- knowledge and creative disturbances.
ods relevant and meaningful to the learners.
07 Design the perfect day, session, class, week with

04 Set the desired working conditions and pay the students and when and how to activate lit-
attention to the group dynamics and diversity. erature or reading material in connection with
Explore how different learning styles support- pre-arch preperation.
different learning capacities to discover the
balance of experience, culture, openness and 08 Bring
the learning outcomes including attitudes,
mindset (hidden curriculum) alive and co-cre-
needs in the team. ate a shared vocabulary around them.

8
 “...those teachers who are students of their own
impact are the teachers who are the most influ-
ential in raising students’ achievement.”
John A.C. Hattie

09 Explore how to ‘un-package the pursuit of

knowledge’. Create a clear overview of the
14 Deepen the student’s understanding of practice
and application of the key SKAV by unfolding
modules in a semester and co create how to more complex exercises and tasks in multiple
unfold the content so they interact and build contexts throughout the program and maintain
on each other in developing an engaging learn- engagement and challenge. We need to break
ing journey. with the Academic cycle of check list learning

10 Balance the teacher’s role and input versus the in preparation for exams. As the diagonal line of
autonomy of the students. Consider that as the challenge, expectation and ambition increases
diagonal line of teaching and leading (from left to during the program/learning journey we should
right) decreases, the level of learner autonomy revisit the most powerful and relevant SKAV.
needs to grow through increased challenge, ex- This will deepen the student’s understanding of
pectation and ambition within changing contexts. practice and application of the key skills and
knowledge.
11 Clarify that all feedback, suggestions, modifica-
tions and improvements will be made if pos- 15 Use LAs to reconnect and revitalize existing-
sible and applied to the next version of the curriculum and programs that need to be re-
course or applied forward to this version. developed. Use when there is capacity for ap-
preciative change and program improvement
12 Start at the landing point and establish the
learning outcomes on a skill, knowledge and at-
by staff to seek new content and challenge the
legacy content. Interweave emotional connec-
titudinal level and figure out what you want the tion and mindset development into the pro-
students to learn on an individual, group and gram. Support this where possible with stake-
team level. The latter is where the real gold is, holders, current and past students and industry
but without a proper landing, all the wealth of
expertise with future talent knowledge.
professional and personal (intra and inter-per-
sonal learning especially) is lost. Support this process with the Kaospilot Learning

13 Use Learning Arches to support ICT or online Arch Design app.

learning to map the virtual learning journey and
establish the key touch points for guidance, new
knowledge, support on an individual, learning
group and team level and to maximize any of-
fline meet ups, think thanks, flipped classrooms
or projects.
HOW TO SET
LEARNING ARCHES
Set the stage & the call to adventure!

Setting is the most important stage. It requires passion Life Long Program
Learning Year
and ambition to push off and set the learning in mo-
tion. It should set the stage, culture, tone and mood Semester
for the entire learning period, module or semester. A
call to adventure. It offers the best start for the study
and learning approach and why what we are about Module
Always bring the
attitudes & mindsets
to learn is relevant, useful and powerful! It shares the alive in the learning
big and small learning agenda and inspires connection Week
and ownership of the program and the shared learning
agreement. (contract) X-Level
It doesn’t matter how many times you have run this
program it should be run like your first, every time, Day
showing the passion you have for the topic and what
the program will deliver supported by your actions. Set all these Arches Set all Land the
The perfect setting is achieved when all the students Call to Adventure these Arches Arches

are aligned, committed and can comprehend the why,

what, how and who of the program or arch and its We must remember to land the multitude of individual
bigger purpose, goals and direction. There is a shared arches that are the student’s and learner’s experience,
understanding of ‘What they are saying Yes! to’ and interests and passions they bring with them. If engage-
are excited and eager to start. ment is the most anticipated need in education right
When we set arches at the beginning of a program, now, we would be crazy not to tap into this passion
curriculum or education, we need to be aware of how and personal interest.
many arches we are starting and the duration of them. When setting any arch, you can decide to give the pur-
In the Learning arch example, we are starting arches pose and outcome of the learning in advance or not. I
for 1st day, 1st Week, 1st Module, 1st Semester, 1st advice always to share the purpose until you have built
Year, the full program and maybe an arch that will sup- some trust.The advantage of postponing the purpose,
port them for the rest of their life as professionals and is that you avoid the immediate focus on the outcome,
lifelong learners. (No pressure!) performance and assessment and let the students find
Always before we set an arch, we need to make sure their own level of understanding as an individual, in a
that we land the previous arch. This is most critical group (collaboration, communication and co-learning)
when we start a new program or course on day one. and then in plenum as a team (when sharing what

10 Content of this page from A&CDFLS #1: https://www.kaospilot.dk/the-art-and-craft-of-designing-learning-spaces/

they know and do not know).This supports what we call
‘Meeting the students where they are at!’
ADVICE FOR SETTING
Most importantly, always LAND (the previous arch!) if you
don’t they won’t do the work in between lessons next
time. Why should they?
Meet students Always co-create: clarity (what will we do), purpose (why
where they are at! and what will we learn), frames (time), expectations (deliv-
Let them try the subject, erables, outcomes and what success looks like or could be)
tool, method first and Set the mood for how you will try to work together
unfold & experiment
(and show how it will enhance their learning).
Create the learning team. Create frames to support, evalu-
Find your own level! ate, reflect and share learning & experience as a team.
Share the big & small agenda and then meet them where
Allow students to they are at! What do they already know, think and do?
practice - beginners mind Where are we going? What are we doing? How will we get
there! make an emotional connection.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 It’s a call to adventure through the learning journey you/
they have designed, so excite them!
Individual Individual Individual Group Team Create clear instructions and be passionate about the
Learning Learning Learning Learning Learning content and why it’s powerful and relevant.
Reveal the full journey. Using LAs as a visual guide to start
every class, to set SKAV and how they are interconnected
This gives us a chance to test and evaluate the team and combined.
Set and prepare them for increasing challenge and com-
of students core competencies, attitudes and capabilities plexity and how you all will work with it.
to establish the level of knowledge and experience in Share decisions, seek input and be transparent.
Give attention to group dynamics and create diversity in
the team. Then, adapt the Learning Arches and learning groups and in learning styles.
ambition accordingly. This can be done in the first week
as part of a team building phase and to introduce the
primary learning style of the program or course. DIAGNOSTIC
ASSESSMENT (SET)
Every student deserves to know at the beginning A primary type of assessment, which is given at the be-
ginning of the course or the beginning of a unit of study
of any learning period, why they are there, what to assess the skills, abilities, interests, experiences, levels
they are going to do and how they are going to of achievement or potential gaps & difficulties of an in-
dividual student or a whole class. Its used to establish a
do it / work together. starting point or baseline OR informal measurements (eg:
observation, discussions, questioning, boot camps, projects,
research & workshops). Wikipedia
When we set the arches, this assessment is used to
collect data on what students already know about the

DESIRED OUTCOMES
topic or what we call to, ‘meet them where they are
at’. We then adjust & adapt accordingly - and are over
Setting will create ambition and Co-create the frames for how we prepared & under-structured in our delivery.
clarity around intention, learning will work together and focus on
outcomes, expectations, delivera- time / deliverables / outcomes.
bles, culture, communication, roles Explore and define the zone of ex-
and rules or guidelines. Remember to land the Pre-Course Arch, as part of setting
cellence and clarify expectations. your first arches at the beginning of your course. This can
These are what we call the frames, What we will learn on the different represent what the students bring with them and what
and they should be set slowly learning levels - individual, group you can measure or test for, such as ambition, experience,
and together in order to create knowledge, talent, problem solving skills, creativity, interest
and team.
co-ownership. and ability etc. Meet them where they are at! and then
Where are we going? What are we
Clarify what the team will do and adjust your LAs, content and ambition to their level.
doing? How will we get there!
the purpose of why and what they At the beginning of the course/program create and share
The tone, culture and mood are
will learn. Share the SKAV, (with the ‘Call to adventure’ of the learning journey so the stu-
equal focus on mindset and com- set but can also be revisited at any dents know what they are saying Yes! to. Consider ques-
petency development) which echo point to re-align and connect with tionnaires & bootcamps to set.
business, social and industry talent the learning purpose, vision or goal. Consider drawing arches for holidays and breaks as major
and growth needs for the future. Meet the students where they are! landing points for natural self-reflection & distance.
HOW TO HOLD
LEARNING ARCHES
Holding refers to the facilitation or hosting of the
multiple arch spaces between setting and landing.
Holding Learning arches, is the hosting, facilitating tice these skills. Whilst holding, we use the LAs as a
and leading of the learning experience and the framework or learning scaffolding to create trans-
learning space both inside the arches and between parency, dialogue and collaboration. They clearly
them. When we set and land, an arc is created to show how content and learning are interconnected
join them together, this creates the learning arch and unfolded and emphasise the learning design to
and a space inside called the learning space. This support the transition from safety of content and
is the space we need to hold and host whilst we structure to exploration and emergence. They sup-
lead the learning journey through many arches si- port and sustain relevance and interest through risk,
multaneously from left to right on the timeline. This autonomy, action learning, delivery & performance.
includes the holding of the ‘big overall arch or the Almost a gamification of the learning. (see page 15)
macro learning experience/journey arch, and all the
The arches can support a beginner’s level of hold-
meso (x-level) and micro arches that are nested
ing and the vulnerability that can come with it. Just
and grouped in this bigger arch & learning space.
be transparent and share thoughts, decisions and
All the learning spaces created between the mul- actions openly through dialogue & collaboration. As
tiple settings and landings and inside the arches long as you set and land properly in accordance with
need to be held & hosted. Setting and landing are Mid Arch Intervals, you will stay aligned, engagement
also part of holding the space as they set and land will remain high and you will grow in confidence.
the arch and therefore the learning space for that
arch. So, holding is where the skills of facilitation,
leadership and hosting come alive. It’s the space
where we practice the art of being ‘over prepared
and under-structured’. Where we pause, observe,
question, measure, react and adapt in service of the Learning Space
learning, task and purpose.
These skills are key to any learning designer and Learning Space
educator who wants to increase the engagement
and ownership of their learners for their learning Learning Space
journey. This is where the learning arch method
can really support educators to STEP IN and take
the roles of leader, facilitator and host, and prac-

12
DESIRED OUTCOMES ADVICE FOR
Space to zoom out and see the big-
ger picture again and the learning
Therefore, don’t continue down un-
productive roads or learning engage- HOLDING
journey and narrative so far. Get a ments. Stop! Share and trust in the process you designed and
feeling for the current state of play CONSIDER WHEN LEADING allow for continuous alignment and assessment.
and then reconnect the students with AND HOLDING THE SPACE Time out! Take the temperature and show it!
the meso & micro arches levels again. Create the space for experimenta- (feedback on energy, understanding, alignment,
Ask into the connection and alignment tion and create alignment.
of content and gauge the ‘temperature’ confusion, frustration and needs - take a stand!
Create and connect back with a clear
in the room as a form of feedback Are we on track?
purpose (idoart).
concerning what is needed, relevant Create the frames and rules. Reconnect with the purpose, agenda, call to adventure
or ‘alive in the room’ at that time. Mid Find a way to be part of and partic- and boost energy, focus and engagement. Re-establish
arch intervals also support this. ipate in what you are teaching and clarity, frames, expectations and deliverables.
Offer individual guidance here and learning.
show that you have seen the student. Timing of interventions and use the LAs to set/ hold
Be prepared to step back / and not
Once the student feels seen by the and land as key moments for checking in.
provide all the answers.
teacher/facilitator they are naturally Listen to the space and ask into (no intervention is an intervention)
encouraged. assumptions or mirror the group Be Flexible, empathic & transparent. Share your
Reconnect and align with the pur- (share with them what you have ob-
pose, idoart, agendas, call to adven- thoughts, ideas, next steps and consequences of
served – behaviour, actions etc.)
ture and boost energy and focus if changes to the program.
Create the opportunities for co-cre-
appropriate. Are we on track? ation and group work. Be authentic, open and act on intuition, share
Tweak and offer clear instructions Trust in yourself and the learning thoughts, assumptions, decisions and seek input.
and next steps for what can change strategy and experience you have Listen more (on a meta level) and share what you
and what cannot, and give reasons. designed.
You are not a magician, so just do see, hear and mirror the groups behaviour and the
your best to apply the feedback. ADVICE FOR INTERVENTION effect of it and their actions).
Timeout! And adapt based on serv- Ask the right questions at the right
Embrace resistance and explore the social needs &
ing the students needs and interests time and always remember what you
are working with, for and towards. underlying assumption, frustrations & needs.
for more or less of something.
Engage the entire group and give As a best practice, ignore your first Engage the entire group and give space to all voices.
space to all voices and be compas- impulse to intervene and consider Consider how and when to activate the literature and
sionate. the short and long-term benefits of
revisit learning outcomes and subjects as contexts
your intervention.
ALSO CONSIDER WHEN Use intervention to speed up and change and become more complex (by design)?
HOLDING ANY ARCH slow down the learning to support Understand your role & effect on the team and space.
Be authentic, open and act on in- decision-making and flexibility. Clarify frames, expectations and deliverables.
tuition and share your thoughts, as- Practice your sense of timing. It’s hard
sumptions and decisions. and you will make mistakes, but eval-
Seek input and be transparent, em- uate immediately on your own or
pathic and use humour ; ) later with the group.
Changing the groups and their in-
ternal roles, the consequences, the
If you are not sure whether to inter- FORMATIVE
complexity, challenge etc.
“The students are human beings” so
vene, ask into the emerging state fx:
rising confusion, silence, frustration, ASSESSMENT (HOLD)
energy, engagement and act or not. ‘Given throughout the learning process, formative
find the balance between push, pull, Share your assumptions and encour-
capacity and flow. assessments seek to determine how students are
age your students to do the same.
Evaluate based on learning levels & Check for resonance in the group if
progressing through a certain learning goal/arch or
the balance between confusion v you spot people disengaging. journey’ . Wikipedia
structure and purpose v experience Check in, and act / reconnect with Through Individual, group and team performance, ob-
designed. the purpose, the rules and remind all servation and guidance during the learning process,
Do not be locked into content and what they said yes / committed to?
structure, be flexible and adapt. based on increasing challenges and changing contexts
we create a concurrent record of the students under-
standing, achievement & engagement. We always ask,
Mid Arch Interval (MAI) is a check in. An oppor- What are we learning & discovering about the content
& ourselves? What do they know, understand and can
tunity to ask into progress, connection, alignment, do? It is supported by just in time knowledge, distur-
satisfaction and understanding. It occurs as part bances, meaningful feedback, intervention & guidance
of a setting or landing of a lower arch. (Page 16) and should inform learning journey adjustments.
LEARNING ARCHES
EXPERIENCE CONTROLS
Powerful questions and variables for LA design.

We believe in a balanced view of education. We find it crucial that How will you design the learning journey to tailor for how your
there is balance (over time) between each of these parameters or students learn best (SKAV)?
design criteria to create and sustain engagement. How will you balance the parameters of experience, reflection, learn-
ing, applying and adapting?
We have choice in how we format and unpack content. How do you How do you want your students to absorb, process, track, test, adapt
learn, explore and apply theory through practice & what happens if prac- and retain knowledge during their learning journey?
tice comes before theory? Similarly, you cannot sharpen skills in a fixed How will your students embody the SKAV & be challenged?
setting or context. How do we develop Individual and group learning How will you bring the learning arches to life and make a connection
to enhance and support personal development, transformation and the and transition between them, the purpose & the participants?
essential ability to work in teams. Here are the key questions, taken from How will you create, facilitate and hold the connection, culture, context
the Learning Arch Design Canvas, to ask when defining, designing, deliver- and content?
ing and discovering learning arches. (see page 4)

Why
What’s the intention / purpose?
LEARNING STYLES
In short, learning styles refer to the ways people learn. A learning style is a
concept of how people learn, sense, apply, act and respond. A learning style
Why are we doing this? What do you want the group to learn and will have a number of stages or phases, which can be landed and looped,
practice? Why is it relevant? fed forward and interchanged to suit the teams learning styles.They should

What
support and unfold the embodiment of the desired content: knowledge,
skills, emotions & mindsets etc. for that learning arch, experience or block.
A learning style frames the learning experience where the students can
What SKAV will be learned, unfolded or unpacked? gain a working understanding of the content and its context, relevance and
significance on a personal, professional, local and global level to help them
What are the top skills / knowledge / attitudes & values (SKAV) to be construct their own world view over time and what they stand for!
trained, explored & embodied in the LA?
Over nearly three decades, the kaospilot have somewhat perfected the
What will be learned on an individual / group / team level profession- KP learning style which interweaves creativity, innovation, engagement &
ally & personally? risk through the intimate equilibrium of real practice, theory & reflection
What are the conditions / frames / roles & expectations to clarify & set through a team-based pedagogy, alternating frames & contexts.
how to work together? For me there are 4 core learning styles.
What tools, models, methods, frameworks & theories will you use in 1) The somewhat archaic academic teach / learn / test - perform.
2) Teach / apply / learn.
the learning journey?

How
3) Experience / reflect / learn & apply (Kolb).
4) And my preferred style, act / learn / adapt / repeat!
Of course, all have their relevance and uses and can be exploited through-
out a learning journey to create more diversity and dynamism in learning
How will the content be: learned / unpacked / made relevant / delivery, especially when the team or class are diverse in ‘how they like
delivered, landed & measured? to learn’. Always choose the correct learning style for the desired learning
How will success & learning of the skills / knowledge / attitudes / val- experience & outcomes across the SKAV.
ues) land & be measured? On the right you will see the ‘Experience Control Panel’. This is an
How will the content unfold whilst sustaining engagement attempt to gamify and highlight the core variables to consider, balance and
(Autonomy, relevance & action)? fine tune in order to create your own learning style and deliver an exciting
and transformational learning journey. Or, just build on one of the core
How will you balance theory & practice, performance & reflection, high learning styles and then tweak the dials to taste! Consider, using them as
& low action & adaptive application? inspiration for setting, holding and landing for students to evaluate and turn
How will you hold the learning? the high & low action (volume) up or down.

14
 Teach Experience Act

KOLB
TRADITIONAL EXPERIENTIAL EMERGING
st, Exam.

LEARNING LEARNING

Reflect
LEARNING

Apply
Learn
STYLE STYLE STYLE

apt

Lea
Te

Ad

rn
,
rm
Perfo Learn

Taking Energy Giving Eneregy

Leads To More Leads To Personal
Frustration Breakthrough
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU INTERVENE

CONFUSION V STRUCTURE PRACTICE V THEORY DIVERGENCE V CONVERGENCE

INDIVIDUAL LEARNING V GROUP & TEAM LEARNING INTRAPERSONAL LEARNING V INTERPERSONAL LEARNING

Content Format & Local/Social Global Purpose & Experience,

Unfolding (Context) (Context) Clarity Context & Relevance

High Low
Action Action

HIGH ACTION/CHALLENGE V LOW ACTION (REFLECTION AND ANALYSIS)

WORKING WITH
LEARNING ARCH
METHODOLOGY?
The Learning Arches are primarily a method to design
transparent, collaborative and experiential learning journeys
or processes that maximise engagement, capacity, ambition,
ownership, confidence, relevance and most importantly,
dialogue between the learners and hosts, facilitators,
instructors or teachers as stakeholders of the learning.
SET LOOPED LANDING
Is when you Land, evaluate and feed forward to build on learnings and
Setting and building the learning team by sharing the frames, aligning expecta- experiences in order to re-apply what you know now. Explore what the
tions and making the Call to adventure! The journey of a lifetime. group would like more (+) or less of (-).
X-LEVEL ARCHES
These do not exist in the curriculum and are used to connect & group LAs,
blocks, sessions or modules through content, theme, mastery levels etc.
WHAT ARE THE 5Cs
HOLD So we want to get people(students) onboard and set all the
first arches to co-create a call to adventure to explore the
Holding, hosting, facilitating and leading the learning experience and learning
space is what happens in centre of the arch. It’s the entire space or arc that is learning journey (arches) you have designed.
created between the set and the land. 1) Set the context - currently & make the connection with the
people in the room! Speak to them, their future and the opportu-
MID ARCH INTERVAL nity that awaits.
A check in, an opportunity to ask into progress, connection, alignment, satisfac-
2) What needs to change (to be done or else) Be dramatic! Clar-
tion and understanding. It occurs as part of a setting or landing of a lower arch.
ify what can be done with what is learned, understood, practiced,

LAND
Land the arch in order to complete the phase of learning before starting the
adapted and experienced.
3) What’s your concept, your basic rough idea & frames for the learn-
ing journey (arches). Unfold the narrative of the adventure & learning
next arch. Allow the students to consolidate, reflect, analyse and feed forward journey a little. Share the ambition, purpose, , opportunity, learning
their learning. styles, approach and deliverables. Not too much or you will lose them.
FIRST LANDING (1st) 4) What’s the capacity in the learning journey for autonomy, own-
The red line that lands in from the left represents what the students bring ership, innovation, creativity, exploration, practice & challenge.
with them in terms of experience, knowledge, talent, passion, ability, compe- 5) Commitment! Have you got it. Are they engaged and excited
tencies and positive attitudes. and ready to go! Bottom line the expectations, roles, rules, support,
STANDARD LANDING courage and openness required. Connect again with the partici-
To check in to see if the team understood the core knowledge and is ready pants and their resources/talent/experience & potential currently!
to move on. Done? Achieved? Inspired by the heroes journey - Joseph Campbell
 On/Off
the Stage
Full The need for teacher Known : Skills, Knowledge,
Program leading/involvement/ Methods, Models & Theory
Length facilitation should
reduce over time if
arches are well set.

Year

Semester

X-Level
The Experience?
The Space?
Mid-Arch
Interval
X-Level Bootcamp
Module

Holding the
Week Arches Space
Day Praxis #1
Increased challenge -
Teambuilding Learning by doing to create
Session a desire for methods & theory.
1st Set These Arches Set it! Land it!
Call to Adventure Land, evaluate and
feed forward e.g; more/less of...
5Cs

Unknown : Values, Mindsets, Attitudes & Competences

PAGE
FOLD

Semester 1
Mid-Arch
Interval

Holding the Mid-Arch

Arches Space Interval

X-Levels
Theory &
Methods HS
Mid-Arch
Interval

AL CD KD
Act : Practice First Learn : Theory & Methods Taught First-

Adapt : Theory & Methods, Taught & Applied concurrently with Practice, Case, Assignment or Project
 PAGE
FOLD

Complexity, As the diagonal line of challenge, expectation and

Challenge, ambition increases during the program/learning
Expectation, journey we should revisit the most powerful and

Ambition, Trust:
relevant SKAV. This will deepen the student’s un-
derstanding of practice and application of the key

Lifelong Learning Individually & skills and knowledge by unfolding more complex
as a Team exercises and tasks throughout the program to
maintain engagement and challenge. We need to
break with the Academic cycle of check list learn-

3 years+
ing in preparation for exams!

1 year PRAXIS 1
Learning by doing to set the stage for why the
methods and theory matter.
PRAXIS 2
There always needs to be another chance to apply
learnings but with increased challenge.
ACTIVATE LITERATURE (AL)
How we activate the reading material (bring it alive)
that accompanies a course or program.
CREATIVE DISTURBANCES (CD)
Increase creativity, sustain divergent thinking, innovation,
inspiration, expectations, critical thinking & deliverables.
KNOWLEDGE DISTURBANCE (KD)
Small doses of knowledge, methods or theory delivered at a
time where it is most relevant and useful.
HOTSPOT (HS)
A hotspot (HS) is an intervention designed to personally
challenge and grow the students and the team/class to deal
with diversity, assumptions, conflict, complexity etc. Also use
Creative and Knowledge Disturbances and activate literature.

ABOVE THE
Praxis #2 HORIZONTAL
Increased challenge -
Known : all the skills, knowledge, methods, models

Learning by doing to apply

and theory that supports the subject and learning

methods & theory.

purpose and methods.

Time & BELOW THE

Learning
Period HORIZONTAL
Unknown : the hidden curriculum : values,
Just Enough Before Practice mindsets, attitudes and competencies:
How do you bring these alive in your
program/course. Set and land from these
and make sure to design activities that
allow learners to grow in them.
HOW TO HOLD
MID ARCH INTERVALS
Mid arch intervals are marked moments at the peak of
large arches that support a ‘check in’ to the
learning & comprehension of the content.

Why wait to the end to see if people are line. Like all MAIs and landing, you need to spend
where they should be, what’s alive in them and time on it. Here it falls perfectly between 2 arches,
if they are ready to continue. These intervals so when they are landed and set, it’s also time to
when brought down to the time-line usually evaluate that block & semester.
correspond with the landing of other arches
3) Shows an X-level MAI. In this case, it could
or even other mid arch intervals. This means
fall half way between fundamental and advanced
that when you are landing a smaller arch, you
knowledge, theory and practice or practice and
may need to allocate time to land a MAI, and
theory so as to set the context for why the theo-
a chance to connect the micro, meso & macro
ry & methods are relevant. This could be the ide-
(e.g. day, module/x-level, semester) and test
the temperature of well, everything! al time to host a one on one guidance session or
learning group presentations or project updates.
So, you can see in the image to the right, that there
are three examples of mid arch intervals and evalu- MAI create a chance to see how people are doing
ations. They are indicated by a blue line in the mid- and coping mid way. They are a planned and pro-
dle of the arches. These are very important mo- active intervention that support dialogue (through
ments in the learning journey. powerful questions) that lead to action.
1) Represents an X-level MAI and a chance to Action here, could be to reconnect with the pur-
check in half way through a block or arch that’s pose, create clarity, revisit content, mirror the group
purpose could be a boot camp, team building or or check for resonance & understanding of the
the application of theory & methods to practice. SKAV. MAI allow us to share assumptions, change
Used early on, it can support the learning culture the energy, focus, learning styles and when to apply
you are trying to create. one of the four disturbances. (see page 24)
2) Represents a Semester MAI. Point out where Action could also be to support deeper learning,
you are and where you are going to your learners more application, analysis & research. They can in-
and land the MAI with the direct or nearest stand- form changes in the frames, time, priorities, com-
ard or looped landing moment below on the time plexity, expectations & deliverables.

16 Content of this page from A&CDFLS #2: https://www.kaospilot.dk/acdfls2/

 “Hold the learning spaces, ADVICE FOR
explore the roles, MID ARCH INTERVALS
Trust in the arches you designed and allow for
options and play continuous alignment and assessment.

with disturbances.” Revisit the learning journey (how’s the story

unfolding individually and as a team?)
Ask for feedback, what does the group need?
Timeout! And adapt based on serving the students
needs and interests. Are we on track? What needs
to happen?
Reconnect with the purpose, agendas, call to adven-
ture and boost energy /focus and engagement.
Use the learning arches to show the MAI, to high-
light before and after and ask into what is and is not
working?
Listen and keep the focus, stay open and empathic.
From a meta level, share what you hear and mirror
the groups behaviour to them and the effect of their
actions, good & bad.
Be transparent and share your thoughts, ideas,
next steps and consequences.
Invite the students to practice facilitating the MAI in pairs.
Communicate clearly and with intent.
Resistance and frustration give energy. Ask into it
and explore the underlying needs and assumptions.
Mid-Arch Then clarify, consult or co create a solution. Be

Mid-Arch Interval courageous and lead by example.

Interval
Be authentic, open and act on intuition & experience
Engage the entire group and give space to all voices.
Be clear on next steps, next arches and what you
will do with the feedback.
Mid-Arch
Interval

1 2 3
POWERFUL
QUESTIONS TO
SUPPORT SET,
NOTE HOLD AND LAND
Use MAIs to STOP! CHECK IN, and ACT. Don’t contin-
What if?
ue down unproductive roads or learning plans. Ask the What is important to you?
right questions at the right time and always remember Why is this important?
what you are working with, for and towards. What are Where do you want to go?
you in service of and stay curious. Reconnect with the What is needed right now?
purpose, the rules and remind all what they said yes & Can we all work with that?
committed to? What do they need to lean-in, to let go What more do you need?
How can this group help you?
of in order to participate and be present.
What is stopping you?
HOW TO LAND
LEARNING ARCHES
Execution, measurement, analyses, reflection,
assessment & feed-forward it all!

Landing a Learning Arch is a key moment in any level as is the norm in academia, but equally on an
learning process. It’s the time when, if you have attitudinal and mindset level. Allow the students to
designed and facilitated correctly, the students are feed forward their learning, get on the same page,
asking for more and less of content, experience, re- explore what they want to learn more of or dig
flection, application etc. But generally, it’s a time to deeper into for the remaining arches.
land, relax look back and feed forward. A time to as- Or simply, make connections to help understand
sess and evaluate not just on a skills and knowledge the importance of what they have just acquired
and learned in relation to the master arch and over
The Experience?
The Space? all purpose/goal or vision of the program.To recon-
Theory & nect with the bigger purpose.
Methods Always, land the arch in order to complete the
phase of learning before starting the next arch.
We land, and let everyone catch their breath. The
longer the arch, the longer the time we take to land.
It’s a time when we come back as a team or class
Praxis*
Increased challenge of students and learners to make explicit the suc-
- Learning by doing cess and failures when applying a particular skillset,
to create a desire
for methods & theory. method or theory.

DESIRED OUTCOMES
Re-connect as a team/class and to Evaluate and reveal the team’s A clear exit and ending. Feed forward based on self and
the content and learning journey. learning and best advice from shar- Land with a bang and high energy, professional evaluation.
We want to land. To complete a ing the individual and group learning celebrate and check out! It supports Remember to state that you will try
learning arch and end well. As a re- while bringing closure to the group the next set and carries momentum. to carry forward ideas and sugges-
sult, learning experiences are better process and to get ready for set- Land with group needs, success tions as well as applying to the next
completed. ting the next arch. (use powerful criteria, what they would like more time you run this block/module etc.
Time to evaluate, assess, feed-for- questions to support the next arch and less of in terms of skills, knowl- Create clear frames, purpose & a
ward and celebrate achievements where possible). edge, attitudes, practice, clarity, pace process to evaluate, reflect & share.
and success. When landing, check for mid-arch and theory. Engage entire group and all voices
Check deliverables and learning intervals (MAI) (page 16) Be clear on next steps, next big / in the landing and suggestions for
outcomes. Clarify expectations to- Students know exactly where they small arches, next challenge and change and solutions.
wards success and measurement. are in the learning journey! how this arch related to it.

18
HOW WILL YOU CREATE ADVICE FOR
THE CONTEXT FOR WHY LANDING
CONTENT & EXPERIENCE Provide enough time and purpose to land well, especially
if it has been a long arch, module or semester.

ARE WORTH LANDING? Re-connect with learning objectives for the arch and

Act
measure how they have been understood.
The students have just shared a learning experience and
/or a method or process, so land it well with an assess-
ment that measures SKAV on individual growth, group
PRACTICE FIRST in order to see what they know and team level.
already and meet them where they are at! After the Land the big / small agenda / the adventure!?
1st practice or experience, reflect on what they need Where have we gone? What have we done?
to know more of in order to achieve more success & Land with a bang and high energy / celebrate.
learning in the 2nd practice. (see centre fold) Land with an evaluation of SKAV and what does the

Learn
team need more and less of. Feed it forward to the next
program or arch and share what will happen next.
Use LAs to capture personal & professional feedback
THEORY & METHODS (T&M) are taught first but in (appreciatively). Build on what has be done well by the
doses. Start with the fundamentals. How little T&M are teacher and the students in their group or team that has
enough to ‘try and apply’. Then, set or invite the students been in service of the learning, the arch’s purpose or
outcomes and what can be improved moving forward?
to find a client and (complex) project or case to solve.
Standard or looped landing? What to take forward - ad-
Commit to solving it, but not starting the project period vice, requests and changes for what’s coming fx: re-adjust
until after they have learned more about how to do it, the pedagogical compass and learning styles. (see page 14)
maybe some weeks later. Evaluate mid arch reflections, changes and decisions,

Adapt
where they made, did they work?
Engage the entire team and give space to all voices.
Land on the attitudinal development, especially if the par-
T&M APPLIED & RUN CONCURRENTLY when ticipants had chosen a personal focus, challenge or stretch.
applying to a chosen project, brief or case real time. So,
choose the groups and the projects before the T&M
start. Then, as they learn, the students apply immediately
to that project concurrently in groups before the project SUMMATIVE
period even starts and while the expert is in the room. ASSESSMENT(LAND)
The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate
student learning at the end of an instructional unit

CONSIDER WHEN by comparing it against some standard or bench-

mark. Wikipedia

LANDING ANY ARCH

Evaluating on changes made at mid arch evaluation / intervention
Examples of summative assessments include:
a mid-arch or final exams, final projects & well
framed reflection and evaluation to feed-forward
Using the LAs as a visual guide to support a process for recap, debrief,
feedback and evaluation.(maybe using candles or post-its to highlight learning (looped landings) and feedback to the
learning, breakthrough, challenge and recommendations. learning journey. The purpose is not only to show the
How to best share results, findings, learning, exams and outcomes with students subject & knowledge competencies, but
the entire class / school. also their social, change & most importantly their
Ask yourself & participants what SKAV and mindsets are being learned, ap- action competence and their ability to create sus-
plied and embodied, that they would like to unfold more of moving forward. tainable impact & value from those actions. These
Continuously learn, apply & implement. Stay in service of the participants. Individual and/or collaborative group task based
Revisit your programs intention, desired outcomes, agenda, roles & rules learnings (that attract a mark) are then shared to
and time or IDOART*. Also, reconnect with the PRE-JECT* or big arch the entire TEAM.
setting to re-align expectations, content and evaluate accordingly.
* Primary tools used by the Kaospilot.
LEARNING ARCHES
LEVELS AND TYPES
OF LANDING
Generally speaking, landing is a reflective action Are we ALL ready to move on, what do we need
and it works on 2 levels ; (to revisit) in order to move on?
1) Allowing the students to self and peer assess their
performance, the process, the methods and the de- Looped landing
livery of content etc. When you Land, evaluate and feed forward, Fx:
2) Refers to the theory and encourages the students explore what the group would like more or less of.
to analyse what they know and what they need to The LAs below, show a core learning method used
know more of. To see if what was expected to be at the KP. We always create a context for why the
learned by that point, has been? The key is we do not theory and methods are relevant and powerful.
move on until we have all the students at a desired
Theory & Methods
level of understanding and clarity.

Standard landing
The 2 main types of landing;
X-Levels
Praxis*
To check in to see if the teams core knowledge base Increased challenge
- Learning by doing
is there and is ready to move on. It can also be a test to create a desire
for methods & theory.
or informal check out that can focus on any question
Land, Evaluate and
set by the teacher/facilitator to inquire into this read- Feed Foward*
iness. Fx: what is your biggest take away or learning
from today, this week, this module and why?
So, when we land after a purposely designed prac-
X-Levels tical experience to create the need, desire and con-
text for unfolding the theory and methods, we frame
the evaluation so that the students (who should get
Teambuilding a second chance to practice) explore what they ex-
Praxis*
Increasedchallenge perienced both good and bad.This creates a clear list
- Learning by doing of SKAV that they would like to learn and explore
to create a desire
for methods & theory. before being given a chance to practice again. This
2nd practice, should be more challenging and com-
Set it! Land it! plex on a personal and professional level.

20 Content of this page from A&CDFLS #2: https://www.kaospilot.dk/acdfls2/

 “By three methods we VERY IMPORTANT
may learn wisdom: TO REMEMBER!
When visualizing looped landings,
First, by reflection, which is noblest; the arch loops going under the
Second, by imitation, which is time line represent 2 choices.
easiest; and third, by experience, 1) Real time setting & landing in class.
which is the bitterest” Even though we visualise the loop below
the line, we need to plan time for the land-
Confucius ing and the setting on the learning timeline
itself as an arch, as shown with the red di-
agonal lines in the diagram. As it's a looped
If done correctly the students will ask for what they landing (LL), we might:
need, which is what is planned to come in the next arch- i) land and set for the next arch at the land-
es, based on learning objectives from the curriculum. ing of an arch, and then set again, but only
The difference is they are asking for it, with an already focusing on what to take forward/focus on.
established common experience, language and working ii) land and use the ‘time’ before setting the
understanding of the skillset, knowledge or purpose of next arch for student reflection, distance
the module or course. from the learning, preparation for what's
next and maybe to redesign/adjust the LAs.
Then land and set that ‘time’ (between land
& set) at the beginning of the arch.
NOTE iii) land and set at the beginning of the
Remember to land the Pre-Course Arch, as part next arch. Try a 2 part landing, first a
of setting your first arches at the beginning of your standard landing and then a loop landing
course (or after any significant holiday or break). when you set the next arch and make
This may represent what the students bring with the connection/link. (all LL are supported
them and what you can measure or test for, such by well framed Qs and an evaluation to
as ambition, experience, knowledge, talent, prob- allow the students to harvest learnings
lem solving skills, creativity, interest and ability etc. that should set the stage for the next arch's
Meet them where they are at! And then adjust purpose, content and learning style).
your LAs, content and ambition to their level.
2) Landing and reflection outside the
At the beginning of the course / program, you cre-
classroom.
ated and shared a ‘Call to adventure’ for the learn-
ing journey, how can you best land this adventure? If you want the landing and reflection to
It’s important to remember when landing learning take place outside the classroom, then
arches at the end of a full program that has had set the evaluation or reflection frames
a strong practical, alternative or emotional learn- for the students to discuss and create
ing style, that we are aware of the learning style best advice or practice off-site or online.
or academic reality that the students will return If you do this, you must share the results
to. Therefore, we must set the arch for them for with the team and then land and con-
dealing with that reality. There is always another nect them to the next arch as part of
arch starting! that arch's setting.
ADVICE FOR HOW TO
UNFOLD/UNPACK AND
FORMAT THE CONTENT
Sustain engagement through autonomy, risk, relevance & action.

Design for a future capacity in the students that Structure the LAs to introduce autonomy, com-
does not exist yet, but will with the correct learn- plexity & self-direction. Use the LAs to share &
ing journey design, facilitation and environment. frame how guidance sessions will be used to sup-
Unpack the content and group the learning periods port the students individually as well as in learning
using X-levels and support with progressively chal- and project groups.
lenging experiences and designed disturbances. Consider that one core powerful (practical) ex-
Share perspectives and clarity around the LAs, perience of SKAV may be enough to reflect and
what is new & experimental v tried and tested and maximise learning across individual, group & team
why? Set for the emerging context, consequences if landed properly. (see page 20)
for not changing & benefits there of. Use the LAs as the learning frames, the scaffolding
Create great transitions between arches, landing, to allow for flexibility, adaptability and to create
reconnecting and boosting the next arch! student ownership.

Life Long Program

Learning Mid-Arch
Interval
Year

Semester
Holding the Arch
& Space
Module
Mid-Arch Always bring the X-Level

Interval attitudes & mindsets

alive in the learning
Mid-Arch
Week Holding Mid-Arch Interval
the Arch
& Space Interval

X-Level

Day
?
Set all these Arches Landing Set all Land the Land the Arches &
Call to Adventure The Arch these Arches Arches Mid-Arch Intervals

Here is the most basic structure & components of a learning arch. All are time specific in this example.

22 Content of this page from A&CDFLS #2: https://www.kaospilot.dk/acdfls2/

Setting X-Levels NOTES
We continuously set, hold and land the
X LEVELS
Learning Arches to ensure that the learn-
X-levels do not exist in traditional curricula. Why, be-
ers are clear and ready to move on be-
cause a curriculum is an impersonal and linear docu-
fore we set a new arch.
ment. There is very little focus on the cross pollination
of content, learning styles, methods, theory, and prac- You can explain to your participants at
tice.They do not describe the lateral exploration or the any time; where, why, how and what they
embodiment of SKAV. are doing within the learning journey. We
continuously check in to the learning by
LAs bring alive the curriculum and turn it into a learning
asking the students when we:
journey, creating new spaces for emerging patterns of
content, relationships, order, progression, alignment and SET
understanding. These new spaces are called x-levels. Why are we here? What are we going to
They exist between the regular hierarchical blocks of do as a team - what will we deliver?
education design, lectures & days, days & weeks, weeks How do we want to work together?
and modules, modules and semesters and only emerge (Desired mindset for students and partici-
after these are drawn and populated with SKAV. When pants).
we step back, we begin to see the emergence of new What can I (as an individual) offer? (Use
constellations and ideas for how to group arches on your full experience).
this x-level. This can clarify why and how the smaller What are our expectations?
arches are relevant and interconnected on creative and Are we aligned? Do we fully understand &
deeper levels. We group the arches and create new are we willing to TRY it?
learning spaces on this x-level, that can expand time, HOLD
opportunity, ambition, content, diversity of learning What’s alive in the room right now?
styles and experiences (p 15).These are X-level arches. What is giving and taking away energy
X-LEVEL ARCHES from us in order to do the work?
Arches that group multiple lower level arches. They Where do you want to go from here?
connect and bridge smaller sessions, days, weeks What could we do more or less of to
and module arches to create groups and sub groups, support the group and team’s learning &
themes & new connections between SKAV. They sup- success?
port the creative formatting of content, ambition and What do you/we need to let go of for
time. They allow you and the students to better un- the remainder of the arch / program?
fold and connect content, resources and the learning What are you discovering about yourself
potential and increase clarity, transparency, relevance, / content that you would love more time
exposure and relationships of content and meaning. to explore?
XLAs are ideal if you are working with courses that
LAND
may only have one to two sessions a week. You can Are we all ready to move on, if not what
group these as multiple sessions to span weeks, fx: do we/you need to move on?
practice, knowledge, project (or research) and pres- What would we like more / less of next
entation. You can draw arches between each session time, or that we can carry forward and ad-
so as to maximise and utilise the time in between dress later - concerns, content, needs.
them for research, preparation, reading and interest. How could we practice or apply what we
But remember, you will need to set and land them as are learning or what we have learned so far
part of your already short sessions, but its worth it. and get ideas form the groups and team?
LEARNING ARCHES
DISTURBANCES,
CONDITIONS, CONTENT,
CRITERIA & CULTURE
Creative Disturbance comprehension grow based on application, increased
challenge or change in context, at an appropriate time,
A Creative disturbance increases creativity, sustains or deliver another dose of theory or knowledge, methods
prolongs divergent thinking, innovation, inspiration, ex- or models. This is a great way to support the unpacking
pectations, critical thinking, deliverables and can support of knowledge. As with all these disturbances, have them
convergent action. It can reconnect a group or team prepared and ready to share, when you think the time is
with ambition and potential of the work and outcomes, right, based on energy, capacity, at MAI or landing, if the
to excel and innovate! Strategically, they can be used to students ask for more theory, understanding and analysis,
challenge solutions, methods, postpone convergence, before setting the next arch.

Hotspot Disturbance
boost energy and ambition. Consider changing of loca-
tion, context and place. Get people moving, shifting their
perspective and seeking inspiration through urban safaris, A hotspot is an activity, intervention or process designed to
walk and talks, emotional and social mapping, recording personally challenge and grow the students & team to deal
and inspiration galleries. If the level of creativity or output with diversity, assumptions, conflict, complexity, etc. It can
is not going in the right direction or they are converging create a space for students to act and take leadership with
too early with poor ideas, concepts or solutions, inter- support and guidance from the teacher / facilitator.An ex-
vene with tools, methods and inspiration to force them ample could be to experiment with the frames for setting
to diverge again and go back to the drawing board if & picking the project or work groups in order to create a
required. A disturbance could shift the exercise frames disturbance, conflict, high diversity, challenge in the project
such as time, deliverables & challenge to provoke the de- picking process to reveal real emotions and bias towards
sign process and connect with a more ambitious result. working with certain peers due to their poor work ethic

Knowledge Disturbance
for example.
If done correctly, these interventions, which occur by de-
A Knowledge disturbance or ‘just in time’ knowledge is a sign, can lead to very powerful landings with peer 2 pear
small dose of knowledge, methods or theory delivered breakthroughs through feedback and individuals behaviour
at a time where it is most relevant and useful.Rather being mirrored by the group. Hotspots do not appear on
than fill students up with knowledge and theory in one the leaning arches shown to students, it’s the only thing that
seating, we recommend to explore ‘how little is enough?’ is not revealed. There are 2 very important rules that can
to get the students going or applying their knowledge never be broken, 1) there always has to be a purpose for
sooner rather than later. Then, as their knowledge and doing one and 2) it must be landed well and authentically!

24
 There are some assessment types that support
ASSESSMENT TYPES
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT * (ALL)
setting, holding and landing. This can often be ‘The measurement of “intellectual accomplishments that are
the toughest challenge for any educator within worthwhile, significant, and meaningful, as contrasted to mul-
tiple choice standardized tests’. Wikipedia.
the academic system. So, relate to these and
Authentic assessment can be devised by the teacher, and in
adjust while you explore how to develop your collaboration with the students by engaging/activating the stu-
own measures of success and performance dent’s voice. At the Kaospilot we refer to this as the activating
across skills, knowledge, attitudes and values? the Hidden Curriculum.
In order for AA to work, we must provide students with situational
contexts and challenges that occur in the real-world which require

Activate (The Literature)

them to apply their relevant skills, competencies and knowledge
to grow their values, character, mindset & attitudes. Then we
assess on an individual, group and team performance level after
each arch to share personal and professional learnings, success
Refers to how we activate the reading material (bring- and failures bringing alive the hidden curriculums attitudes, com-
it-alive) that accompanies a course or program. It is so petencies, mindsets and values.
important if reading or tasks are completed outside the DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT (SET)
classroom, that the students get the chance to explore, A primary type of assessment, which is given at the beginning
of the course or the beginning of a unit of study to assess the
apply, practice, discuss and build on the reading in order skills, abilities, interests, experiences, levels of achievement or
to get a wider and more nuanced understanding of the potential gaps & difficulties of an individual student or a whole
text and content. AL disturbances can be built into setting class. Its used to establish a starting point or baseline OR infor-
mal measurements (e.g. observation, discussions, questioning,
or pre-setting arches to set the content before the con- boot camps, projects, research & workshops) Wikipedia.
text, where they discuss and explore through dialogue, When we set the arches, this assessment is used to collect
debate, presentation and of course always, application. data on what students already know about the topic or what
we call to, ‘meet them where they are at’. We then adjust &
adapt accordingly - and are over prepared & under-structured
in our delivery.

HOLDING THE SPACE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT (HOLD)

‘Given throughout the learning process, formative assessments
When holding the space, consider applying pre-designed and pre- seek to determine how students are progressing through a cer-
pared interventions or high-action activities to invigorate learning, tain learning goal/arch or journey.’ Wikipedia
creative & personal challenge, connection and energy. Through Individual, group and team performance, observation
Check in and pause, offering low action to explore & analyse con- and guidance during the learning process, based on increasing
tent and knowledge gaps (activate literature or Knowledge distur- challenges and changing contexts we create a concurrent record
bances), or to offer reflection on personal growth (through self of the students understanding, achievement & engagement.
reflection & peer-2-peer feedback). We always ask, WHAT ARE WE LEARNING & DISCOVERING
Always ask into what’s alive, what’s needed and explore possibilities ABOUT THE CONTENT & OURSELVES? What do they know,
that can challenge the students on individual, group and team levels understand and can do? It is supported by just in time knowledge,
in service of the best learning at that time and in relation to the disturbances, meaningful feedback, intervention & guidance and
bigger purpose. We continuously unpack the content and develop should inform learning journey adjustments.
the learning journey while monitoring the level of engagement, am- SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (LAND)
bition, autonomy and intervention. ‘The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student
Meet them where they are at and based on their capacity at that learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it
time, apply disturbances. Sense if the students are closed to input, against some standard or benchmark.’ Wikipedia
receiving or feeling active & creative. Adjust accordingly with the Examples of summative assessments include: a mid-arch or final
disturbance that will move them into the right frame of mind for exams, final projects & well framed reflection and evaluation
the lesson or arch. to feed-forward learning (looped landings) and feedback to the
Fx: Move them from being closed (tired) and not receiving to being learning journey. The purpose is not only to show the students
able to receive content by offering a creative disturbance or post- subject & knowledge competencies, but also their social, change
poning the content to a later AL disturbance. & most importantly their action competence and their ability to
create sustainable impact & value from those actions. These
Individual and/or collaborative group task based learnings (that
attract a mark) are then shared to the entire TEAM.
WHAT OUR
PRACTITIONERS,
PARTNERS & EARLY
ADAPTORS SAY
The teachers, facilitators, The learning arches represent a learning cycle, integrative assignments which allow students to
which can be the 3 years of a degree, a semester, experience a certain topic with the necessary
trainers and learning designers a month, a week. In each arch there needs to be depth and support…. to enrich our session, put-
who are applying the a start, a mid point where there should be some ting students in the lead and facilitating them to
Learning Arches, strongly kind of assessment of the module and a landing create their own learning path.
or ending point, that offers the students or partic-
believe in its effective, simple ipants an end and a closure to a cycle. Jochem Jansen & Theo de Jong Stenden
and visual representation of Lecturers at Stenden University
In my view this landing is so important in each Groningen, Netherlands
curricula brought to life as a stage, it means a change in many aspects of the
learning journey. They believe learning space. We should devote celebration and
The Learning Arch method has been really useful
that LAs support time such a closure implies. What changes have
in developing our approach to curriculum devel-
been achieved, where are we in relation to the
personalised and transparent starting point, what has changed and what is still
opment. For our ‘curriculum hackathons’ (inten-
learning through individual, sive curriculum development workshops), thinking
to change, etc.
in terms of Learning Arches has enabled us to
group and team-based Caroline Kuhn map out and envisage a complex, multi-layered
challenges and anchor Professor at Pontifícia, Universidade Católica process. Moreover, the principle of ‘starting’ and
do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil ‘landing’ the arches has resonated with us on a
authentically, the attitudes and
deep level - the need to ensure that one Learning
mindsets that are so desperately Arch is complete before another is essential to
The Learning Arches forced us to re-think our
sought for by social leadership curriculum and thereby our existing mindset. It
the curriculum development and learning process.
and by the labour markets is a long-term process designing a new integra- Polly Akhurst
across the world. tive and less complex curriculum, but using the Co-Executive Director, Sky School, UK
Learning Arches in its total context (not only as
a design technique) proves to be very powerful
in making a fundamental change, in designing Learning Arches - the MacGyver Tool Kit and-
education that is focused at the students, and al- Mindset. The uniqueness of the Learning arch
lowing teachers to (re)discover their passion and method cannot be doubted by anyone. But nev-
ertheless, I would like to highlight some personal
strength in their teaching profession.
experiences that strongly influenced my mindset.
The Learning Arches helped us find and under- In the academic context, text-based descriptions
stand the connections within (and between) the are one of the biggest obstacles to the under-
semesters and the program as a whole. Placing standing of the content and its proportion and
the identified SKAV, and ensuring a well thought relationship to each other. For me, the greatest
through build up using the set...hold...land princi- value of this tool, is its visuality. It provides me with
ples, proved to be very helpful to come up with the opportunity to view the entire curriculum as a

If you would like to ‘learn by doing’ all the content, steps, facilitation in this publication and to learn the tools for doing
26
 Deliver education that is authentic
and opportunistic in nature,
experimental and real in praxis.
All else is rudimentary.

whole. It’s like looking at someone’s biography on the program, whether it’s a half-day or a full 6-day staff and teachers open up a dialogue with stu-
a timeline. The Typical case with professors (and program, I can adjust the flow, the settings and dents to put words on what they learnt and man-
students) is that they do not have information landings, reflecting periods or I can even test what aged to do during a session, but also what they
about what happens before their subject and it would ‘look’ like and ‘feel’ like if I changed some can do better next time. This feedback is key, as
what happens afterwards. Through learning arch- activities. The Learning Arches tool is my drawing it allows both students and teachers to question
es, they will not only know what they are learning board, my prototyping space and my facilitation themselves. It is also a great moment of cohesion
but understand why they are learning it and why support tool all in one. I¹m a huge fan! for the teams.
in such an order. I’ve got a passionate interest: is Danièle Bienvenue Sandrine Chicaud
there any possible situation where the Learning Founder Management Savvy, Responsable des Etudes, Ecole W
Arches are not suitable? Paris, France
Montréal, Canada
Merike Rehepapp
Associate Professor at Estonian Academy of
“The stage is set, the curtain rises, we are ready
The Learning Arch method is many things. For me
Arts, Product Designer and Trainer, Estonia
to begin…” ~ Sherlock BBC 2015 its greatest strength is the metaphor it provides. It
is the arch and the learning space it encompass-
With Learning Arches, Kaospilot has created one
“What is a Learning Arch? It’s an action-packed of the most progressive visual modelling tools for es that shape the way we think and talk about
sequence of “learning by doing;” a series of chal- robust curriculum development. Its simple struc- education, about learning and teaching.
lenges, launched with a bit of mystery; linked by ture belies its inherent ability to assure continuity Any pedagogy will tell you about the need to
compelling narrative; stuffed full of real-world and consistency in designing dynamic coursework; establish the goal you want to attain for your
puzzles, challenges and dilemmas, landing with from individual courses to complete multi-year students and assess clearly where it is you are
a public exhibition and followed by reflection curricula. The design architecture provides the de- starting from. The Learning Arch, however, brings
and “lessons learned. Semesters, textbooks and velopment team with the curriculum equivalent the message home much more forcefully. It also
standardized tests are no match for Learning of Russian nesting dolls (matryoshka) on a single identifies the space you need to fill, as it were,
Arches, real world challenges and lessons learned, whiteboard. Impressed! in order to get there. The visual image is clear
because a soulless bureaucracy is no substitute and it provides a frame of reference we use for
for a fulfilling Hero’s Journey” Eric Anthony Spieth discussions in the teams, and with our students.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship It is a matter of experimenting, trying out various
Jeff Sefander Plymouth State University, USA alternatives and by talking about these. Overtime
Founder of the Acton Academy we also established particular patterns that fit
Austin, Texas. USA
To help W students gain visibility, we are using with our educational approach and the context
the Kaospilot Learning Arch method - which is in which we are working.
Learning Arches is a powerful visual management really efficient. Each arch begins with the launch Dr. V. Wiegel
tool that has changed the way I tackle my learning of a session. We inform our students about the Co-Founder of New Engineers
design. By literally ‘seeing’ the movement of the session’s main goal, its program, as well as the Professor of Lean at the
planned activities, I can see what¹s missing or what skills they need to acquire. At the end of a session, HAN University of Applied Sciences,
I should change. By having the complete view of there is systematically a ‘landing’. The teaching Netherlands

it whilst experiencing kaospilot methodology, then please join one of our A&CDFLS - part #1 & part #2 masterclass that run regularly all over the world in multiple languages.
Design & fine tune your own learning styles
Teach Experience Act

KOLB
TRADITIONAL EXPERIENTIAL EMERGING
Exam.

LEARNING LEARNING

Reflect
LEARNING

Apply
STYLE Learn STYLE STYLE

apt
est,

Lea
Ad
,T

rn
rm
Perfo Learn

Taking Energy Giving Eneregy

Leads To More Leads To Personal
Frustration Breakthrough
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU INTERVENE
Notes & Ideas
 ‘More and more Students (People) seek
Quality, Experience and Spirit!’
A culture of possibility, belief and belonging. An alignment around a bigger purpose and hope.
Shining eyes. Each student (and individual) is entitled to this.
So as an educator, teacher, facilitator or student, Claim it! Claim the change, innovate,
step up, lean in and take a risk. Failure is a part of learning, so embrace and lead by example!
Be tough but patient, play the long game and co-create with the stakeholders and
invite all into the process. But remember, change is not for everyone.

‘Meet people where they are at’

Through setting, holding and landing in order the 7Cs;
1. Connection, 2. Conditions, 3. Context, 4. Content, 5. Craft, 6. Character, 7. Confidence

Unfold the learning, ownership, craft, talent,

genius & sustain the flow, transparency, potential
and impact from this day forth.
Make it valuable. If it doesn’t create value, change, adapt or Stop!
Never Undermine Your Ethics. Strive for What You Stand For.
Independence, do you have it?
Stay Independent from fake trends and pseudo ideology and true to your Passion & Genius.
You Are On The Right Track! Stay true to your calling and the social and professional context from
which your PURPOSE and LEARNING EDGE emerge and invite others for support to change
learning forever. Share & Inspire others, but don’t shape culture alone!”, Simon Kavanagh
design, graphics, layout...

If you want to go deeper and learn more about the Kaospilot’ approach to defining, designing, delivering
& discovering learning strategies, journeys and arches contact : [email protected], Director of KPLDA
or one of our international team : www.kaospilot.dk/our-kpeda-licenses-team.
Check out other inspiring Kaospilot professional training at www.kaospilot.dk