Innovation in education: experiment designer Jornt went 'back' to school

"We want something, something different, but we're not exactly sure what. And we don't know how either. Can you help us?" That was the question with which Leonie van der Zanden-Veth, head of operations at the Haags Montessori Lyceum (HML), approached MakerLab. And let that be the perfect question for a seasoned experiment designer like Jornt van Dijk. With an Inhouse Expert, you can bring out the best in your own team and resources with the fresh perspective and expertise of an outsider (read all about the case here ). We asked Leonie and Jornt about the biggest eye-openers and learnings during this unique project. Because unique, it certainly is. 

Tell me.

Leonie: "From the NPO, National Program for Education, our school received funding to address the learning deficits that accumulated during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic. As an organization, you had to have a plan right away. How would you spend those millions? Most schools were considering existing interventions, such as additional classes, hiring extra teachers, and exam preparations... I was looking for a more sustainable solution.'

Did you know what an experiment designer was?

Leonie: "No idea. I came into MakerLab completely blank and after that first meeting I went out with a rough idea of approach.'

Surprising and bold for a school.

Leonie: "I just couldn't imagine that outside of education, within another industry, there wasn't something similar that we could apply here.

How did the rest of the organization handle it?

Leonie: "It's very new, even for the HML.

Jornt: "In the beginning, there was some skepticism among the teachers. Something like: "Oh, they've hired a consultant. They'll probably come and tell us how it should be done and then fly away.'"

So, a challenge.

Jornt: 'It remains challenging to encourage people to try new things. Some teachers have been teaching in a certain way for years and have no desire for experiments.'

How did you get them to do that anyway?

Jornt: "In the end, they realized that we were truly listening and wanted to try small things as the teachers envisioned for themselves.

How did you know what they needed?

Jornt: "There was very little insight into the types of disadvantages that existed. HML wanted a situational overview as soon as possible. We have mapped that out in a massive Excel file full of data.'

Leonie: "Important, because our 1500 students have all experienced their own situation and journey during the pandemic.

Jornt: "We wanted to both look at the big perspective and individually know who needs what.

Did that work out?

Leonie: "Definitely. The way Jornt and Liza (service designer at MakerLab sister Unplugged) transformed everything into clear visuals greatly assisted us. By presenting the thought process effectively, the management could immediately understand the origins of the conclusions.'

Where do you start when everything is wide open?

Jornt: "Talk. First, you need to understand how such a school operates. Liza, my colleague who was also involved in the beginning, had worked in schools before, but I hadn't. What kind of organization is this? How is it managed? How did students and teachers experience the year? You continually see certain points recurring.'

Leonie: "That people eventually trusted him says something about Jornt. He could easily work at HML. It was a good fit, which Sander (managing partner of MakerLab) wisely observed.'

Jornt: "In students, that's true, yes. I would ask them to tell me everything, and I would say, "By the way, I'm not a teacher, you know." "Ooooo," they would say. And that turned out to be the starting point for a flood of ideas, solutions, and open conversations.'

It sounds different from "standard" data-driven design.

Jornt: "True. In the beginning, we really saw it as a business issue. Then, you want to be able to justify every step and decision, but that's more challenging when it's less tangible.'

What do you mean?

Jornt: "This is not about flat numbers and data, but about students. In data-driven design, you want to be able to cite hard evidence, down to the decimal point. We had to let go of that.'

Was there no rock hard data at all then?

Jornt: "There was that too, school performance for example. But besides that, it's about well-being. And that is more difficult to measure. We ultimately wanted to help as many students as possible as best we could. So not: you are not allowed to join the propgram, because you have a 7.2 and you have a 7.1, so you are allowed.'

Was that also the biggest obstacle?

Jornt: "No, that was people's available time. Life goes on, lessons must be taught, and the pandemic was not yet over. New things quickly become subordinate to the daily fires that need to be extinguished..'

And the biggest eye opener?

Leonie: 'It gradually grew from catching up to making sustainable plans that permanently improve the quality of our lessons. With everything we do now, we think ahead.'

What does the future look like?

Leonie: "In the past, we didn't have the resources and the mindset to experiment – it always had to be perfect right away. That has changed. Everyone within HML is more involved in all the plans, they are even a part of them, which creates a broader support base. We have truly planted a seed that is now growing. In fact, a fully self-sufficient Initiative Bureau is in the works, where our own people will take on and develop new ideas or experiments.'

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