Designing Through Disruption: Turning a Snow Delay Into a Collaborative Vision for Experiential Learning

Sometimes, the best plans are disrupted by forces beyond anyone's control. That’s exactly what happened on a recent trip to support a school district in advancing its approach to experiential learning (ExL). What started as a carefully co-designed workshop quickly transformed into a completely different opportunity, revealing the power of adaptability and liberatory design.

After days of preparation, my colleague and I were ready to facilitate a workshop that we thought had an excellent balance of structure and open-ended creativity. But just as I arrived at the hotel, a text from an administrator changed everything: a two-hour snow delay had thrown the teachers' schedules into disarray, effectively canceling the event.

It was tempting to reschedule, but instead, we pivoted in order to make the best out of an unexpected challenge. Over a 20-minute phone call, the Assistant Principal and I reimagined the day, shifting the focus to something equally impactful: clarifying the school’s vision for integrating experiential learning with academic rigor. This missing link had already been flagged in earlier conversations, bolstered by insights from the Knoster Model for Managing Complex Change, which a few educators had pinned to their walls as a daily guide.

The Power of Systems Thinking

This ability to think critically and empathetically helped shape the day’s revised agenda: two 90-minute design sprints. Participants included teacher-coaches, district personnel, administrators, and other school leaders, all working collaboratively to prototype solutions.

Central to this pivot was the collective input of key contributors, including a media master known for her sharp technical skills, strong rapport with students, and ability to keep conversations grounded in systematic solutions. At critical moments, she asked questions like, 'What are we going to do next to finish this vision work?' Her steady focus ensured the group stayed on track to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Co-Design in Action

During the morning session, participants shared hopes, fears, and current realities identifying common themes. This allowed us to iterate the problem statement or “How Might We” question that drove our work for the day. Once we had reached consensus, the group ideated potential solutions and chose the four most promising ideas to prototype. 

The prototypes addressed critical areas for improvement identified during the session. These included creating meaningful opportunities for engagement within existing schedules, clarifying the school’s vision for integrating experiential learning with academic rigor, and redefining how data is used to track and celebrate progress. Teams also explored strategies to honor successes, acknowledge productive failures, and reinforce a culture of continuous improvement.

We began the afternoon session with a silent chalk-talk protocol, where participants shared their thinking on posters, building upon each others’ strategies in order to develop the specific action plans and details for each prototype. Small groups formed to champion each prototype, continuing to flesh out details and share their work with the larger group.

The agenda encouraged hearing all voices, starting with prompts that surfaced hopes, fears, and realities, and moving into analogue sharing during the silent chalk-talk protocol. This ensured that all participants had opportunities to contribute and collaborate. These conversations were anchored in the liberatory design principles, emphasizing a “yes, and…” mindset while avoiding deficit-based language. Instead of dwelling on constraints, we empowered participants to identify solutions within their sphere of influence.

From Challenge to Opportunity

While the day didn’t unfold as planned, it proved to be a reminder of how co-design and meeting people where they are can transform setbacks into breakthroughs. By leaning into the unique opportunities created by the schedule change, we helped this school community take meaningful steps toward a more cohesive vision for teaching and learning.

The process exemplified the balance of structure and empathy needed to pivot with quality and productivity. For us, it was a testament to the power of adaptability, collaboration, and the human-centered design process.