Pattern Languages for Public Problem Solving: Seven Seeds for Theory and Practice
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Transcript of Pattern Languages for Public Problem Solving: Seven Seeds for Theory and Practice
Pattern Languages for Public Problem Solving
Seven Seeds for Theory and Practice
November 14, 2014Krems, Austria
Douglas SchulerThe Evergreen State College
The Public Sphere Project
• Purpose: Exploring opportunities for focusing our work
• Disclaimer: This work is exploratory. I’m not attempting to be definitive or authoritative.
• Approach: A vision, followed by seven seeds with questions and ideas (not answers). (And the seeds are not autonomous.)
Pattern languages could play vital roles in helping to bring about positive social change.
Vision
How might this come about?• Pattern languages could help document the problem solving aspects in a
given domain (e.g. nature of problem, forces, indicators, marshaling resources, resolving problems and sub-problems, goals)
• Pattern language development could provide community building opportunities (to do one project — but also to promote / shepherd / market the ability for others to do the same)
• Pattern languages could provide additional opportunities if they were more accessible, attractive, and easier to use
• Pattern languages could promote interdisciplinary work by providing a shared “neutral” language
• Pattern languages could promote distributed, loosely coordinated work
Seven Seeds1. Appeal2. Use3. Theory4. Meta-patterns5. Cataloging & Formalization6. Public Problem Domains7. Community
SEED 1
• What do we like about patterns & pattern languages? (this I will not try to bias here…)
• Why do we think they’d be useful for social change?• problem-solving orientation• good level of generality• holistic, systems orientation• more!
Appeal
SEED 2
1. About patterns & pattern languages themselves (generative processes, piecemeal growth, network-based, …)
2. About the use of patterns & pattern languages
Theory
Two main types (I think):
SEED 3 (1/9)
• In what ways are pattern languages used? • In what ways could pattern languages be used?• How can we make pattern languages more useful
and accessible?• What barriers are there?• What difference does the actual form make? • Is there pattern language life-cycle?• And can / should a methodology be formalized?
Use
In what ways are and could pattern languages used? • By whom? Children? students? activists?• In what arena or setting?• Using what guidelines, scripts, or protocol• For what purpose?
SEED 3 (2/9)Use
SEED 3 (3/9)
• What difference does the form make? Cards, games, master plan, online, posters, interviews, multi-media productions (StreamScapes)
• Patterns and pattern languages can be thought of as “social objects” [See Iba Tasashi’s dialogue workshop]
Use
SEED 3 (4/9)Use
Game based on patterns
SEED 3 (5/9)Use
Onlinegame
SEED 3 (6/9)Use
Poster — English & Spanish
Anti-Patterns
SEED 3 (7/9)Use
Patterns in Russian ~~ surviving the cultural & translational trip?
SEED 3 (8/9)Use
Turning patterns into action
Worksheets: Kenneth Gillgren
SEED 3 (9/9)Use
More action planning
Worksheets: Kenneth Gillgren
SEED 4
Can / should we develop a meta-pattern language (or?) that would help us throughout the pattern language life-cycle. (Or is that too meta??)
Meta-patterns
GeneratingSelectingUsing (to generate
ideas; for planning; for fostering imagination, group skills, etc.)
Configuring (arranging)
RefiningLinking AnnotatingDiscussingCritiquing CombiningSplitting
EvaluatingValidatingIndexing CategorizingIncentivizing Problem mapping VisualizingStakeholder identifying
SEED 5 (1/3)
1. Reference model is a union of the features in the patterns of the world’s pattern languages
2. “Card catalog” contains references (and links) to the world’s pattern languages
3. Computer support for everything we need…• API and/or database sharing access to parts of patterns,
access to multiple pattern languages
• Is it possible to formalize the representation of the force diagram (syntactically and with a shared tag-set) to accommodate more sharing?
Cataloging and Formalization
Voices of the Unheard (LV)
Retreat and Reflection (LV)
Seasoned Timing (GW)
Connection to the Earth (APL)
Online Deliberation (LV)Floor Surface (APL)Purpose (GW)Spirit (GW)
Big Tent for Social Change (LV)
Power Research (LV) Go Meta (GW)
Seeing the Forest, Seeing the Trees (GW)
SEED 5 (2/3)Cataloging and FormalizationComputer-Aided-MashupRandom patterns from three pattern languages were selected as an experiment in “forced connections”
PATTERN LANGUAGE RE-MIX
Retreat and ReflectionSeasoned Timing Connection to the Earth
Image for Seasoned Timing: Liz WestSEED 5 (3/3)
SEED 6
Work with a small number of communities to develop pattern languages collaboratively. This could focus attention (including our own) and we could learn by doing how pattern languages could help.
Suggestions: Climate Change, Government and Business Corruption, Public Education (not just “Education in the Public Schools”)
Public Problem Domain(s)
SEED 7
Strengthen our communities (which includes us, potential vs actual direct users, potential vs actual indirect users)
Community
How to attract people, attention, and resources and grow.
last word…
Thanks!
Understand our own interest around pattern languages
Expand our community
Critique and improve these seeds…