From Observe to Act: Supporting Students with the OODA Loop
John Boyd's model of the OODA Loop
Every so often, we come across a program or approach that turns our clinical work upside down. 🙃
That moment when we think: “Oh, my gosh, this is IT! How could I have survived all these years without knowing this!” 🤯 For me, Maryellen Rooney Morreau’s Story Grammar Marker materials was one of these moments. Another was when Sarah Ward, a few decades ago, described the idea of OODA Loop (plus Sarah’s addition to the OODA Loop: SpaceTimeObjectsPeople.)
The OODA Loop
The general idea of the OODA Loop (which was developed for fighter pilots ✈️ – a great story to tell our students) emphasizes the importance of situational awareness – watching what is happening around us, and deciding if what we are doing is a good choice, or if we need to, in some way, change what we are doing. Of course, what we are doing may affect those around us, so we want to keep this decision-making process going around in, well, a loop. ➰
This concept is very useful to many of our students, so I often discuss it at the beginning of the year, especially with groups who are just starting with me.
Please Note: When the concept of the OODA Loop is applied socially, it becomes rooted in neurotypical social expectations, so I use it only when it feels supportive and meaningful for a particular student or group. Remember, social learning materials work best when they’re thoughtfully chosen to meet individual needs, not applied in wide (and random) swaths.
Let me take you through a sequence I often use to get the discussion going. To optimize buy-in, I do often start with the fighter pilots! We make a list of what they need to pay attention to: 📃✏️
Then, we might think of another situation, like playing basketball⛹🏼 , and make a list of everything a player needs to pay attention to. Any sport will do, as in this example, from a group with several rowers in it:
Then, to round out our session’s discussion, we might watch an animation and talk about how the characters did or did not OODA Loop. Two favorites are Maca & Roni: Cleaning, and Maca & Roni: Dominoes. 📺👀
When you look carefully, both animations are FILLED with examples. Sometimes we watch it all the way through first, and then watch again, pausing it for discussion. I find this activity really gets the point of OODA Looping across! 🔄️
These beginning activities emphasize activities that our students find engaging. 😁🎉 The idea is to “sell” them on the idea of OODA Looping with appealing examples, like fighter pilots and basketball, before we apply the concept to situations such as our group or school.
Try introducing this concept to your students (or maybe you already have!!)
Then, stay tuned for next week, when my Step Into My Sessions continues on this theme….
Happy OODA Looping!😄
