This slide set provides an introduction to systems thinking and tools for systems thinking. It covers 5 main topic areas: Introduction: Why decision-makers are moving towards a systems thinking approach to better deal with complex situations in health, environment, education,…
Six ways that agencies can influence behaviour through public policy
Often agencies and policy makers become reliant on a handful of approaches that they use to influence behaviour. This post introduces the 6 E’s framework as a a framework for agencies wanting to utilise a broader suite of policy approaches…
Design and facilitation of collaborative processes
2017 in review – your favorite LfS content
Another year has passed, and this provides a good opportunity to reflect on what content resonated most with visitors on the Learning for Sustainability (LfS) site in 2017. So – based on the site statistics* – here are the…
Social learning – what it looks like
Social learning is an approach to working on complex environmental problems, particularly those with high degrees of uncertainty, lots of interested parties and disagreement around causes, effects and even desired outcomes. There is no one definition of social learning, but the…
After action reviews – and how they can be linked with ToCs to support strategic thinking
This post introduces After Action Reviews (AARs), and indicates how theories of change and AARs can be used in tandem to create both the space and guidance for strategic learning, and subsequent adaptation and innovation. The importance of reflecting on what…
Key evaluation questions (KEQs)
This post explores how evaluations benefits from being focused on a small set of key questions. These are often referred to as key evaluation questions (KEQs). They should be seen as high level questions that assess progress towards the main specified outcomes, and will…
More about outcomes – why they are important … and elusive!
This post looks more specifically at outcomes, and how they can be developed and written. It highlights the benefits of focusing on outcomes for project planning, implementation and evaluation. It also provides some tips and ideas for involving program staff…
Diagramming a theory of change
The previous post looked at the benefits of using a Theory of Change (TOC) to better understand your program or project. This post will look at how to use post-it notes and an expanded logic model framework to involve stakeholders in…
Using a theory of change (ToC) to better understand your program
This post provides a short introduction to the language and concepts of Theory of Change or program theory. It looks at how the use of these outcomes-based approaches helps those involved with program learning, planning and evaluation. Subsequent outcomes-based posts look…