Improving instructional practices is essential for helping students learn the subject matter effectively, allowing them to improve their grades by using the skills they’re learning. Pinpointing and resolving problems of practice are at the core of improving learning outcomes and student performance. 

Recognizing a problem of practice is the first step of instructional rounds. They allow educators to decide which teaching practices to focus on to help students achieve learning goals. 

It’s important to note that problems of practice focus on instruction. This is different from a problem statement, which can encompass areas outside the instructional core. It’s also different from pain points, which are problems identified by educators that may be related to instruction or not.

To help you gain a better understanding of problems of practice and the role codesign can play in resolving them, this article will share three examples of problems of practice and a step-by-step process for using codesign to address them.

Examples of problems of practice

Before we dive into the examples, let’s start by looking at some general considerations to think about when diagnosing a problem of practice. 

A problem of practice is:

• Related to the instructional core (as opposed to broader contextual issues)

• Directly observable

• Actionable

• Connected to a broader improvement strategy aimed at making a significant difference to education programs.

Here are a few of the key questions educators can ask themselves to identify problems of practice:  

• What does the data (both qualitative and quantitative) tell us?

• Which practices, if done by everyone, could serve as an umbrella for a number of the teaching and learning strategies we have in our school plan?

• What can have the most positive effect on what students do, what teachers do, and the quality of the work that students are producing?

• Is what we consider a problem of practice something that we can control?

• Is what we are considering observable?

• Does the problem of practice we are considering support other school and district efforts?

Now let’s take a look at three examples of problems of practice.

Example 1
Subject areas are not challenging enough

Our test data indicate that our students are not achieving at the same levels nor progressing as much each year as the average student in the state. 

An analysis of the work we provide our students with has indicated that it’s not challenging enough or enabling them to think as deeply as state standards demand. 

However, we have found it difficult to increase our demands on students without putting them at risk of failure. 

Focus questions: 

• Are we developing curious and creative learners who can think deeply?

• Are students actively engaging with the learning experiences we’re providing?

• Are they self-regulating their learning, and if so, how?

• Are they communicating their thinking, and if so, how?

• Are they challenged and supported in their learning?

• Are there opportunities for them to be agents of their own learning?​

Example 2
Poor engagement is affecting learning outcomes

We have hypothesized that the root cause of our below-state standards student achievement is that a lack of student engagement is inhibiting student learning. 

Engagement varies significantly between classes and among students, but the school has large numbers of students demonstrating a disconnection from their class work. 

Teachers are seeking training and support to improve their success at engaging students and meeting high academic standards. 

Focus questions: 

• What is contributing to the lack of effective engagement with students?

• Are we providing a learning environment that encourages students to participate actively in learning interventions?

• Do students feel empowered to influence how and what they learn?

• What can teachers do to increase interest and participation? 

• What can teachers do to engage and inspire their students? 

• How can teachers promote student engagement in class?

Example 3
Instructional design is not serving student needs

Our test data indicates a need to change our instructional methods in order to be more successful with the students we serve. 

Despite efforts by our teachers to make their classes interesting for students, the majority of classes are teacher-centered and dependent upon worksheets. They don’t focus on student experiences.

Focus questions: 

• Are lessons worthwhile and do they cater to students at their point of need? 

• Are our teaching methods empowering students to become autonomous learners?

• How do teachers connect the work to students’ prior knowledge and experiences? 

• Do students understand how the work or task fits into their learning trajectory for this curricular outcome?

• Are we encouraging students to self-assess and modify their performance?

• Are we providing feedback students can use to improve their learning outcomes?

Codesign involves taking a participatory approach to problem-solving. It brings teachers and educational leaders together to brainstorm solutions to an identified problem.

By focusing on research and dialogue, together, educators can identify and implement high-quality pedagogy practices across all grade levels.

In this section, we’ll outline the step-by-step codesign process for addressing problems of practice.

Step 1
Convene a team to address the problem of practice

The first step in addressing a problem of practice is to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders with differing viewpoints and perspectives.

A facilitator will guide the group work, which includes:

• Analyzing multiple types of data

• Examining perspectives on root causes

• Sharing potential solutions

This step can be broken down into three sub-steps:

• Selecting team members 

• Establishing a facilitator

• Setting guiding principles through a collaborative process in which every team member has a critical role to play and actively participates. 

For all three of these sub-steps to be successful, it’s essential to base them on the key codesign principles of:

• Ensuring power sharing and inclusion

• Prioritizing relationships

This way, the process is rooted in respect and equity — everyone's ideas and perspectives are considered throughout the entire process, and stakeholders work together to design an effective solution.

Step 2
Identify and refine the problem of practice

During this stage, the team:

• Gains an understanding of what the problem of practice is; and

• Identifies the problem(s) that are most pervasive or have the greatest impact on their school or school district.  

This stage helps the team to: 

• Ask relevant questions concerning the problem of practice

• Develop objectives for fixing the problem of practice

During this stage, it’s important to ensure that the problem of practice that you’ve identified resonates broadly with stakeholders throughout the school community. To do this, you can turn your problem of practice into a shared problem statement.

Creating Shared Problem Statements

Step 3
Goal-setting and action planning

Once you’ve identified the problem to be addressed and some possible solutions for solving it, you’ll need clear goals and a detailed road map that sets out the action steps to be taken.

Goal-setting will help make sure everyone is on the same page and working toward common objectives. The goals should be aspirational and multiyear and should tie into overarching educational improvement objectives while directly addressing the identified problems. 

The action plan will serve as a guide for the implementation of the proposed solutions. It should outline the strategies that will be used to address each problem of practice. 

The strategies can include prototyping — choosing a solution to create and try — and testing — trying the prototyped solution to gain perspective on what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to be done or redone. 

Establishing these common strategies, goals, and objectives requires adopting a codesign approach based on prioritizing relationships and bringing people together to work toward a common goal.  

Codesign helps you solve problems of practice

Problems of practice can hold your students back from achieving educational success. Codesign is a collaborative design process that allows educators to come together to analyze problems of practice and propose solutions to address them.