Why, when, and how to use Post-its in your learning environments

Recently, I have been using Post-its – large ones – in my teaching, training, and discipling environments. I've learned this from watching Will Mancini of Auxano and Mac Lake of the Multiply Group as they engage adults in an active learning environments.

After an hour session, we might end up with 3-5 (or even 8-10) Post-its hanging on walls around the room. I truly believe using Post-its in the way described below will make the learning more fun and more engaging. Many times, learners have taken pictures of the Post-its to post on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

A colleague asked me a few questions about the use of Post-its. I had a chance to look at some of my notes from Mac Lake's teaching and made a few observations of my own. 

***
From Mac Lake and from my own observations…

Why Post-its seem to work really well…

·         Post-its feel less polished.

·         Post-its are more participatory and collaborative.

·         Post-its feel more in-the-moment and less pre-planned.

·         Post-its keep the work that’s been done in front of everyone.

·         Post-its can be used to remind the group of follow-up action steps.

·         Post-its can be brought back to another session for follow-up conversations.

·         Post-its can be made to look “instagrammable” (people love to take pictures of great content).

When to use Post-its…

·         Post-its can be used with Directive Teaching. It’s kind of like building a PowerPoint slide per Post-it. Build the Post-it as you talk through the content.  

·         Post-its can be used as a Guided Debrief. Pre-assigned content can be assessed and summarized in the words of the group.

·         Post-its can be used for Brainstorming Solutions. Squeeze out a long list and then narrow it down with the group to the best ideas.

·         Post-its can be used for Strategy Development. Again, squeeze out a long list and then narrow it down with the group to the best ideas.

How to make the most of using Post-its…

·         Have your tools/markers in place (using no almost-dry or drying markers, please!).

·         Use participatory seating (everyone seeing the others).

·         Make the room as distraction-free as possible.

·         Have walls that work with ample space for posting.

·         Layer your Post-its when possible to keep the clutter to a minimum.

·         Frame the Post-its for greater focus (meaning a black line around the edge of each Post-it).

·         Use dark colors (using red only for special emphases).

·         Use bullets, boxes, circling, or underlining.

·         Avoid ALL CAPS!

·         Try to have no more than 10 lines per page (realizing it’s hard to follow this when you are brainstorming).

·         Print everything (avoiding cursive writing).

·         Find something to post from everyone’s contributions (using all input even if you have to reword it to stay on point).

·         As the facilitator, keep your affirming/encouraging energy high.

To be sure, using Post-its is merely a training technique (and a rather new-fangled one). I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't use them and His training was more than stellar! 

But what is actually at the root of the use of Post-its? To me, it's a belief that the Holy Spirit can and will actually speak through the collective wisdom of the members of a group as they prayerfully collaborate to learn and seek God's wisdom (I Corinthians 14:26). The use of Post-its collects, displays, stores, synthesizes, and prioritizes the wisdom of the team.

Why not give Post-its a try the next time you train, teach, or facilitate? I think you'll be glad you did! 

Question: What tools do you find helpful in leading adults in collaborative learning environments?