1. Getting to know each other: names, stories, places.

2. Skills and qualities: what I can share, use, and develop.

3. Exploring the location through different lenses: Rajgród.

4. What is framework? Experiential Learning by Kolb.

5. Group reflections.

Step 1 — Introduce the Place as the Challenge Context

1. Begin with a simple challenge:

   “How can we improve something in this community in a meaningful way?”

   Do a guided walk through Rajgród. Encourage participants to observe:

   • public spaces

   • signs of community life

   • nature and environment

   • heritage and traditions

   • how people use shared spaces

   A simple observation prompt:

   What do you notice? What surprises you? What seems to work well? What could be improved?

   
   

   Step 2 — Introduce the IB Lenses (Ways of Looking)

   Use IB lenses as entry points for exploration, not as strict categories.

   Lens+ Guiding Question:

   Culture: How do people express identity and belonging here?

   History: How has the past shaped this place?Environment: How do people interact with the natural world?

   Systems: What systems (transport, tourism, economy) shape daily life?

   Future: What challenges or opportunities might shape this place?

   Art / Expression: How is creativity used to communicate or connect people?

   
   

   Participants use their lens to generate questions, not answers.

   
   

   Step 3 — Frame the Challenge (Narrow the Focus)

   After exploration, groups define a challenge:

   How might we…?

   Examples:

   • How might we make local stories more visible to visitors?

   • How might we help young people feel more connected to the town?

   • How might we reduce litter near the lake?

   • How might we preserve traditions while welcoming new ideas?

   
   

   Step 4 — Investigate (Field Research)

   Encourage simple field research:

   • talk to a local person

   • photograph evidence

   • map observations

   • identify stakeholders

   • note contradictions or tensions

   The goal is learning from the real world, not from Google.

   
   

   Step 5 — Create & Propose

   Groups develop:

   • a small prototype

   • a proposal

   • a campaign

   • a visual plan

   • a model or story

   Not a perfect solution — just a meaningful, feasible idea.

   
   

   Step 6 — Share & Reflect

   Participants present:

   • What they discovered

   • What challenged their assumptions

   • Their proposed action

   • What they learned about the community

   Reflection:

   How did your perspective change? What did you learn from the place and from each other?

   
   

   Why This Works

   • The IB lenses provide structure without limiting creativity.

   • CBL ensures learning is real, active, and purposeful.

   • Working with a real place makes learning authentic and memorable.

Task: Use the basic structure of CBL to design 2 different learning activities following the CBL structure.

You might start your design by answering these questions:

1. Who is the student / audience?

2. How do we communicate? (online, onsite)

3. How much time do I have?

4. And then follow up with the CBL structure.

5. When completed, please upload to Padlet.
   
   

1. ✔ What works

2. ⚠ What is challenging?

3. 💡 What are the effective strategies?

Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Migration_to_and_from_the_EU

P – Product

You will produce a CBL Concept Outline including:

1. Big Idea

2. Guiding Question

3. Challenge (How might we…?)

4. Investigation Evidence (CORE FOCUS)

You must include:

• insights from at least 2–3 local interviews

• key quotes or paraphrased ideas

• observed patterns

  
  

If you wonder what questions would be good...

• The Ice-Breaker: "Dzień dobry! We are students studying the heart of Rajgród. Could you tell us one thing about this town that only a local would know?"

• The "Deep Dive" Question: "If you had a magic wand to change one thing about how the town and the lake work together, what would it be?"

Our CookBook

Please, send materials (texts, pictures, videos, etc.) for this book to natasamiljanovic@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Link: https://asef.org/

East: The Evidence (The Investigation). Prompt: Are the resources (case studies, videos, or data) clear and helpful?

South: The "So What?" (The Challenge).  Prompt: Is the goal of this scenario clear, or am I lost on what to do next?

West: The Design (The User Experience). Prompt: Are the tools used effective (HTML, Canva, PPT, quiz), how does it look and feel in general?

1. The Hook: Disrupting the Cycle of Educational Passivity

Traditional education is trapped in a loop of stagnation. For decades, the lecture-style model has reduced students to passive consumers—vessels to be filled rather than agents of change. To disrupt this cycle, a cohort of "Architects of Learning" recently descended upon a pedagogical laboratory in Rajgród, Poland.

During this "E-educators" intensive, we didn’t just talk about change; we engineered it. By utilizing the Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) framework—Engage, Investigate, Act—we moved beyond mere "doing" and into deep, transformative "learning." The goal was clear: bridge the gap between abstract theory and real-world impact.

2. The Strategy Trap: Why Good Plans Fail (The "Tick-Tock" Lesson)

One of the most visceral lessons in agility came from a simulation led by facilitator Arek, known simply as the "Robot Game." The mechanics were deceptive: Arek acted as the robot, moving with mechanical slowness toward an empty chair while rhythmically chanting "tick-tock, tick-tock." The participants' mission was to occupy the chair before the robot arrived.

After an initial failure, the groups were given time to deliberate, mapping out sophisticated strategies and contingencies. Yet, the result remained the same: the robot won. We had impeccable plans, but we lacked the agility to execute them under pressure.

In our roles as Learning Architects, this reveals a profound "execution gap." If we design classrooms that prioritize compliance and theoretical planning over adaptive action, we fail our students. Success in the modern world is a function of real-time implementation, not the static strength of a pre-set strategy.

3. The Skill Market: Why We Undervalue Our Own Genius

During the "Market of Skills" workshop, the seminar room transformed into a high-stakes trading floor. Participants used yellow sticky notes to list their expertise and blue notes to identify growth areas. The currency for this exchange? Precisely three candies.

As we bartered our knowledge, a startling pattern emerged. Despite being experts in their respective fields, many participants priced their "genius" at the lowest possible entry point.

"It quickly became clear that many of us were offering our knowledge, experience, and abilities at far too low a price — for just one or two candies," noted Prof. Gordana Pavlovic.

This simulation was a mirror. If we, as educators, cannot recognize our own market value, how can we expect to empower our students to find theirs? Before we can lead a revolution in personal development, we must first master the art of self-valuation.

4. The "Anti-Google" Approach: The Power of Human Evidence

In the Rajgród Challenge, we declared war on "Google Research." To move from surface-level data to authentic investigation, participants were forbidden from using digital searches. Instead, they performed guided walks to identify stakeholders, local contradictions, and signs of community life.

The "Investigation" phase required real human connection. We asked locals "the ice-breaker": Could you tell us one thing about this town that only a local would know? We followed up with "the magic wand" question: If you could change one thing about how the town and the lake work together, what would it be?

Authentic learning requires evidence from the world, not just the web. By forcing learners to navigate the messy, unscripted "heart" of a community, we shift the focus from information gathering to genuine stakeholder engagement.

5. The Power of the "Lens": Designing for Intentionality

To transform a broad topic into a sharp "How might we...?" challenge, we utilized IB Lenses. These are not just categories; they are architectural tools for intentionality. By viewing a community through specific filters, we prevent "pseudo-tasks"—the kind of busy work that lacks depth and purpose. These lenses included:

• Culture & Social: How identity and belonging are expressed.

• History & Political: How the past dictates the present power structures.

• Systems & Economic: The transport and tourism engines of daily life.

• Environment & Science: The human interaction with the natural world.

• Future & Ethical: The challenges and opportunities yet to be born.

• Art & Expression: How creativity communicates what words cannot.

These lenses turn curiosity into structure. They drive student motivation by connecting the classroom to the complex, overlapping layers of reality.

6. From Basmati to Coltan: Confronting Painful Contradictions

CBL forces us to confront the "invisible strings" of global justice. In our pedagogical laboratory, we synthesized high-stakes case studies that serve as the "Investigation" material for a new generation of learners:

• Tied Aid in Ghana: We examined how international organizations used loans as leverage to force a 95% increase in water fees, turning a human right into an unaffordable market product.

• The Battle for Basmati: The three-year legal war where India successfully fought a Texas-based company’s attempt to patent—and essentially steal—the collective intellectual heritage of Himalayan farmers.

• The Resource Curse in the DRC: We looked at the Coltan in our pockets through the eyes of Mishiki Nshokano, a 15-year-old who once dreamed of being a surgeon but now earns $4 a day in a dangerous mine to support his family.

When we use CBL to investigate these painful contradictions, the technology in our pockets is no longer a tool of convenience; it is a starting point for urgent ethical inquiry.

7. Conclusion: From Architects to Status Quo Challengers

Our journey in Rajgród proved that the future of learning is hybrid and high-performance. By leveraging AI and digital tools like Google Sites to synthesize and deploy these complex scenarios, we can scale the Rajgród model to the global stage. We are moving from being "Architects of Learning" to "Challengers of the Status Quo."

As you return to your institution, I leave you with two questions to test your own agility: What is your true market value in an era of rapid disruption? And are you brave enough to cut the "invisible strings" that dictate the choices you make every day in your classroom?

Executive Summary

The "CBL Rajgród 2026" training course provided participants with a deep dive into the Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) framework, emphasizing the transition from theoretical knowledge to practical, student-centered application. The feedback indicates a significant shift in participant perspectives, moving from traditional, teacher-led instruction to a facilitative model that prioritizes real-world problem-solving.

Key takeaways include:

• High Utility of Digital Tools: Google Sites and AI tools (specifically Gemini and NotebookLM) were identified as the most impactful resources for organizing and presenting educational content.

• Practical Application: Participants valued "learning by doing," particularly through activities like interviewing Rajgród locals and building project-specific websites.

• Shift in Pedagogy: There is a strong consensus on the value of CBL in fostering critical thinking and collaboration, with many participants planning to integrate these methods into diverse fields, including architecture, language teaching, and NGO development.

• Logistical Considerations: While the course structure was praised for its logical flow, challenges regarding time management, internet stability, and the need for more engaging evening activities were noted.

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The Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) Framework

The course successfully introduced the CBL framework as a practical methodology for addressing real-life issues. Participants identified several "impactful moments" that clarified the CBL process:

• The Skill Market: Cited as the starting point that effectively launched the CBL process.

• Engage, Investigate, Act: Participants practiced this tripartite structure by conducting interviews with the residents of Rajgród to gather data, which they then categorized and used to propose actionable solutions.

• Refinement through Feedback: One participant noted that the process of redefining a project after receiving feedback was a crucial realization that CBL is about iterative refinement rather than immediate perfection.

Impactful Activities

Activity

Learning Outcome

Rajgród Interviews

Gathering real-world data and understanding social/cultural contexts.

Website Creation

Learning to organize project information and solutions digitally.

Role Play/Trading Games

Understanding dynamics of collaboration and creative thinking.

Group Projects

Moving from problem identification to concrete, practical solutions.

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Digital and AI Tool Integration

A core component of the course was the introduction of digital tools designed to support the CBL framework and enhance teaching efficiency.

Primary Tools and Their Uses

• Google Sites: Widely regarded as the most useful tool. Participants used it to create portfolios for their challenges and plan to use it for future lesson repositories and project management.

• Gemini (AI Agents): Utilized for organizing personal workflows, research, prompting sessions, and generating lesson ideas.

• NotebookLM: Used for summarizing research, making notes for university studies, and creating videos/audio from stories or project ideas.

• Miro & Padlet: Identified as essential for collaboration and digital brainstorming.

• Blooket & Canva: Used for creating engaging classroom materials, such as quizzes and interactive presentations.

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Professional Application and Future Integration

Participants provided concrete examples of how they intend to apply the training to their specific professional contexts:

• Formal Education (K-12 & University):

  • Architecture: Assigning challenges such as designing sustainable housing units using SketchUp and ArchiCAD.

  • Language Teaching (Slovak): Creating authentic contexts for language use, such as interviews with community members or cultural presentations.

  • Science: Using the CBL framework to design outreach materials for students.

• Project Management & Non-Formal Education:

  • NGO Development: Two participants expressed plans to start their own NGOs using the CBL framework as a structural base.

  • Erasmus+ and eTwinning: Integrating CBL and design thinking into future project proposals.

• Personal Academic Work: Applying digital tools and organizational agents to university theses and research.

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Participant Perspectives on Teaching and Learning

The course resulted in a notable shift in how participants view the educational process:

• From Passive to Active: Learners are seen as active participants who take ownership of their education.

• Facilitator Role: Teachers are viewed less as content deliverers and more as guides who support inquiry and problem-solving.

• Practicality over Theory: Increased recognition that learning is more effective when students see a clear purpose and real-world application for their work.

• Intercultural Competence: The course fostered collaboration among diverse backgrounds, improving communication skills and broadening perspectives on problem-solving.

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Challenges and Recommendations for Improvement

While the feedback was largely positive, several areas for refinement were identified:

Pedagogical & Structural Challenges

• Time Management: Several participants noted that group activities often exceeded their allocated time or that certain sessions felt rushed.

• Complexity of Tools: Some found the initial introduction to new digital tools difficult and suggested more step-by-step, simplified explanations.

• Formal vs. Non-Formal Balance: There was a tension between the "formal" nature of long presentations and the "non-formal" nature of youth work. One participant felt being treated like a student rather than a youth worker was a drawback.

Logistics & Engagement

• Social Dynamics: Recommendations included more evening activities, energizers, and "ice-breaking" games to foster deeper connections among participants.

• Communication: A suggestion was made for a pre-travel videoconference to align expectations.

• Technical Issues: Unstable internet connections were cited as a barrier to effective participation.

• Energy Levels: The intensity of the first few days led to tiredness, suggesting a need for better-paced activities or more frequent breaks.

Proposed Additions

• Advanced Media Literacy: More focus on AI/media literacy and how to use AI "properly" rather than just knowing the tools exist.

• Gamification: One participant suggested a "certificate" system to recognize social contributions (e.g., "the one who helped everyone") to encourage active engagement from day one.