In this mini-series I’ve been talking about different ways to think about problems. The methods come from Edward DeBono’s book, Teaching Thinking.
In the Framework Method you must set up and use a checklist of attention areas. Each attention area (or box) is filled in turn from the situation. For example: we establish a framework with five components:each step of the framework has its own "box" of attention
- Purpose. Aim or objective
- Input. Scene or ingredients
- Solutions. Suggestions for solving the problem
- Choice. Choose from the solutions (step 3)
- Operations. Actions by which the solution is implemented
Each of the different steps within the framework may also have sub-steps. The best known framework method is probably the scientific method. (I might be showing my education bias here as I was trained as an environmental scientist.)
To help learners use this framework we need to identify:
- situations the evaluator must progress through a series of repeatable steps (as opposed to a sequence that the object of investigation is passing through)
- major steps that the evaluator must always complete, and sub-steps which may differ, or only be relevant in certain situations
The framework method is useful to establish a procedure to help you make decisions in a systematic, and consistent, way. I use a framework when evaluating which Drupal modules to install. I share this checklist with learners and encourage them to adapt it based on their values. (For example: I rank my relationship with the developer very high; but someone who is new to the Drupal community, who does not yet know many people, will need to use other measures in their evaluation.)