AGILE EDUCATOR GUIDE
A Modern Framework For Learning
CONTRIBUTORS
Contributions to the Agile Education Guide came in many forms, such as ideas, conversations, facilitation, writing, experience reports, feedback, and editing. The core contributors to this guide, dedicating countless hours, creativity, and passion, were:
WENDELL BOGGS
High School Teacher, USA
Wendell Boggs is an 18 year educator from Texas, currently living in Denver, Colorado. As a teenager Wendell spent time working with students in his mother’s elementary classroom, an experience that revealed the rewarding nature of empowering students to rise above expectations placed upon them. Never forgetting those formative experiences, he went on to teach English at the high school level in Texas and in Colorado where he provided his students with the support, resources, and opportunities needed to become effective readers, writers, thinkers, and communicators. Among the pedagogical ideas that were most impactful to Mr. Boggs’ teaching, none were more important than a nuanced understanding and application of agile principles and practices. While facilitating his own agile classrooms Wendell was consistently astounded at students’ increased engagement, autonomy, communication skills, and collaborative abilities and at their resulting high levels of learning. As a CAL K-12 facilitator Wendell is excited to introduce educators to this innovative approach to education in the 21st century.
GUIDO VAN DIJK
Educator, Netherlands
Since 1997 I have been working in education as a teacher in the field of mathematics and computer science. In addition to my work as a teacher, I have participated or led innovative educational projects in both Dutch and European projects. The current projects are mainly about STE(A)M education and the use of Augmented Reality in education.
In 2013, together with a number of colleagues, I laid the foundation for the innovative Agora education that saw life in Roermond in 2014. My contribution has mainly been to provide insight into the learning process. Agile principles and the digital tool Target Process helped with this. At the moment I mainly work with fibery.io as a platform to guide agile processes.
Applying agile principles in education and later developing the Agile in Education Compass led me to science. As a PhD student, researching the effects of applying agile principles in education.
PAUL MAGNUSON
Director
Leysin American School of Educational Research, Switzerland
Paul Magnuson is the director of Leysin American School (LAS) Educational Research, a center for professional development at the high school level dedicated to self-regulation for students and teachers. He is a consultant and frequent presenter on innovative teaching and learning who keeps himself grounded with a strong presence in the classroom. He has founded two agile infused student programs at LAS, a middle school in 2016, and the high school LAS Edge in 2019. Edge has grown in its second year from 35 to 85 students, and six to thirteen courses.
JENNIFER MANLY
Computer Science Educator, USA
I help passionate, innovative teachers (and parents!) create systems and space to empower their students to do work that matters. If this is you, I want to meet you, learn from you, and work with you.
I believe that kids deserve to do BIG, meaningful work – that they are worthy of learning that is fun, challenging, and fulfilling. I believe that kids are full human beings, and that they deserve to share control of their learning, their lives, and their classroom space.
Ultimately, I believe it is our duty to foster a life-long love of learning for our students so they can passionately pursue that which matters most to them.
JOHN MILLER, USA
Agile Innovator
John inspires future-makers in creating a culture of vibrant empowerment in their organizations. As a foster kid, John was motivated to learn how some empowered themselves to become victors over their circumstances and others became victims of them. As the Chief Empowerment Officer of Agile Classrooms, he is pioneering Agile in schools to empower teachers and students to thrive in 21st-century learning, life, and work.
After bringing Agile into his Education Technology Department, teachers were amazed when they visited. They would remark, "Wow, this is what our classroooms should look like." or Principals would ask "Will you show our staff how to work this way?". In 2009, he and some teachers tried Agile in classrooms in an elementary school. The results were amazing. Students loved it, teachers were uplifted, and the school board was knocked off their feet. Teachers began to visit the school, one teacher saying, "This is what the books tell us to do, but, never tells us how to do it". Of course, there were issues, but, they were worked through. The result was a system co-created with teachers and students, an Agile method that was authentic to education. Ever since then, he has been spreading Agile Classrooms, from across the USA, Switzerland, Brazil, and Vietnam.
He is a Certified Enterprise Coach® certification from the Scrum Alliance, a Certified Professional CoActive Coach, Associate Certified Coach, Spiral Dynamics Integral Level 2, and a Certified Project Management Professional. He has also served as a Board Member for K12 schools.
When not focused on work, John loves to surf (well, wiping out more than actually surfing) and making insanely delicious drinking chocolates.
Say hi to John
Twitter @agileschools,
Email john@agileclassrooms.com
And check out AgileClassrooms.com for resources around Agile Edu.
KRISSYN SUMARE
Director in Agile Education, USA
I have immersed myself in a sixteen year journey through secondary and college school administration serving in both the private and alternative education sector. I also took the helm as Dean of Faculty at the University of Advancing Technology in Arizona, and most recently dedicated six years of my Principal career at Hope High School, a charter school in West Phoenix.
My latest adventure is serving in the capacity as Director of Agile in Education for Blueprint Education. Blueprint Education is a non-profit organization that operates two high schools in Arizona and has truly embraced the Agile philosophy as its fundamental foundation both operationally and directly with students.
I completed my Certified Scrum Master training in 2015 and my Certified Product Owner training in 2018. I blended my joy for Agile and my passion in education to amplify student success in the classroom and beyond. I have developed long lasting organizational relationships and secured many donation dollars, grants, and community partnerships.
My educational philosophy is built on the theory that positive relationships and Agile practices bridge retention crises and reduce achievement gaps in education. In my spare time, I love to get my hands dirty in the garden and create various crafts.
BRETT THAYER
High School Teacher, USA
I have been teaching in Colorado since 1995. In 2015 I became a CSM and have transformed my classes using Scrum. From the success of using this process in my own classroom, I have also trained other teachers and made presentations on how Agile methodology can transform education to match industry needs for the 21st century. I have presented Agile in the Classroom to many different audiences including, Mile High Agile 2018, InnEdCO 2017, ISTE 2018, ACT College and Career Readiness 2018, and Scrum Gathering in Minneapolis 2018. I am thrilled to get the word out to both industry and education professionals so that we can spread the word about how Agile can transform education!
MICHAEL VIZDOS
Certified Scrum Trainer & Entrepreneur
Michael Vizdos (and team) delivers consulting, training, and mentoring services through his company, Vizdos Enterprises, LLC. He is the creator of ImplementingScrum.com, a Certified Scrum Trainer with the Scrum Alliance, and has been in the industry for over thirty years.
Michael is an early agile pioneer and co-authored a book with Scott Ambler. He is the Scrum Master in Residence at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) and an Agile Coach for Blueprint Education. Learn more about his journey collaborating with schools at ScrumInSchool.org. You are encouraged to join other agile practitioners / passionate educators from around the world at AgileInEducation.org.
Michael delivers workshops and speaks at user groups — such as Agile Richmond / Scrum RVA — & conferences internationally.
Contact Michael Vizdos or schedule time for a real world conversation.
SUPPORT
The Agile Educator Guide© is made possible from the generous support of Scrum Alliance.
In 2016 Scrum Alliance brought together educators from around the world at a Scrum Gathering Orlando and the Agile in Education Compass was born https://www.agileineducation.org/.
Since then, Scrum Alliance has been supporting experiments and schools as they implement Scrum and Agile to educate students for the 21st century.
In 2019, Scrum Alliance brought together key educators from around the world to the Scrum Alliance headquarters in Denver and they started working on a very robust curriculum to equip K12 educators. The program is called the Certified Agile Leader-K12© Certification. The Agile Educator Guide© was created from the work on this program.
The Certified Agile Leader-K12© Certification from Scrum Alliance, a world leader in transforming the world of work through Scrum and Agile, is designed to help educators to implement the mindset and practices found in the Agile Educator Guide©.
The content of these experiments can be found here https://resources.scrumalliance.org/Collection/agile-education
Information about the Cal-K12© Certification can be found here
https://www.scrumalliance.org/get-certified/more-certifications/certified-agile-leader-k-12