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This tool is currently in “view only” format. In order to use this tool digitally, just make a copy and you can edit away! Here’s how to do that:

In the upper left corner of your screen click on

File → Make a copy → Entire presentation

It’ll look like this!

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Conducting qualitative research

Once you’ve identified some potential bright spots from your data it’s important to figure out what strategies and behaviors they’re employing that are enabling them to find success when others, with the same resources, are struggling.

This step provides you with a method to engage directly with your bright spots via empathy interviews.

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Step 1: Revisit your bright spots

Pull up your tool from Step 3, and copy and paste your responses to the following questions in this slide:

Whom in your data appears to be doing better than others, with the same resources?

Where could you look, or whom could you talk with to learn more about these outliers?

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Step 2: Craft your interview questions

Check out the Empathy Conversation Guide and develop a set of questions you want to ask in your bright spot interviews. Write them on the post its below.

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

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Step 3: Conduct an interview with your bright spot.

Capture the key takeaways from your interview in the following slide. Take note of what your interviewee is saying, key quotes, and actions that help you learn more about why and how their behavior is a bright spot.

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Empathy interview capture document

Capture your notes, observations, and questions in this box.

Today we interviewed:

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Step 4: Synthesize your interview

Use the notes you captured in the last slide to synthesize what you learned about their bright spots behaviors.

Identify key observations and quotes

Group similar or related ideas, and put relevant notes onto separate post its.

This is important because…

Interpret and analyze your observations from the above post its in these boxes.

Use your analysis to complete the next slide.

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Step 5: Identify your bright spot

One bright spot we found is

It’s a positive outlier because

The behavior, mindset, or practice shift this bright spots highlights is

It impacts our students (and/or) community because

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Keep going!

Try the next step in the process.

We’d love to hear from you!

Have any questions, comments, or ideas you’d like to share with our team? Please reach out at seekingbrightspots[at]gmail.com.

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