Please join us for a weekly conversation about design thinking in K12 education. We will have a variety of moderators with a wide range and depth of design thinking experiences. Each week, we will connect the dots to the design thinking methodology and how it can and will play a bigger role in today’s K12 educational arena.
I’d stay away from baked in solutionsNeed-find deeper. what are wolf's NEEDS?explore this Q.What do the pigs really need?Explore these Qs deeper.What are their deeper needs & whys beyond what’s in the story? Maybe not about shelter at all. Look for unexpected insights #dtk12chat
In reply to
@christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers, @WickedDecent
For example, and I think @scitechyEDU covered it in her response too.Try not 2 have end product or solution in mind.This is the power of empathy & innovation .Digging in and looking beyond the obvious and looking for deeper why to find wolf or pig’s deeper need #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers, @scitechyEDU
Greetings #dtk12chat! Jill from MN, catching up with @amptMN face to face brought me joy today. In fact told several people that every teacher needs an @amptMN in their corner! Also excited for new project unfolding at school!
Who is this wolf? why is the wolf so hungry? Seem angry? who are these pigs? why do they have these special skills? who taught them? What is the history b/t the wolf & pigs? (the different story versions shld answer some of these Qs as well as interviewing Adults) #dtk12chat
I totally agree; I think it's okay for kids new to DT to start w the obvious & then work with them to push deeper so they can see the difference need finding and unpacking makes #dtk12chat
In reply to
@lndeutsch, @christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers, @scitechyEDU
Why do they live where they live in the first place? Is the wolf just hungry or is something else going on? Why isn’t other food available? Do the pigs desire something different?Lots of Qs 2 ask. Opens up the solutions and the innovation and really understanding user. #dtk12chat
A1 Ambiguity is like reruns of Friends in syndication, because it's always there, it always feels like a familiar place, and you don't really know what happens until you sit in it for a minute and realize "oh yeah.. I've seen this one.. this is going to be good" #dtk12chat
yes both let them design 1st then circle back to gain better, deeper understanding over initial “assumptions” the key is circling back and digging into understanding & applying it #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @lndeutsch, @christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers
YUP! TOTES AGREE! Gotta circle back around with the deeper understanding -- otherwise we are in the shallow end of the pond & really just doing PBL-lite #dtk12chat
In reply to
@scitechyEDU, @lndeutsch, @christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers
A1 ambiguity is like its spelled & sounds because its difficult & hard to say especially when chewing gum or wearing braces #dtk12chat Many unknowns, meanings, & encounters
@scitechyEDU think it also has to do with the Ts comfort, experience w/design thinking. More use & practice = deeper work. Why we are discussing design abilities & right now on the chat we’re talking embracing ambiguity. The deeper stuff brings the ambiguity #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers, @scitechyEDU, @scitechyEDU
A1 ambiguity is like its spelled & sounds because its difficult & hard to say especially when chewing gum or wearing braces #dtk12chat Many unknowns, meanings, & encounters
A2: I'd have to mimic @LSpencerEdD and say on the daily in my role. All I do all day is try to uncover what's really going on and why. Navigating different levels of ambiguity constantly. Except maybe at lunch. #dtk12chat
A2: When trying to guide students through inquiry investigation, coming up w/variables, procedures together, as well as all #DT projects I've experienced #dtk12chat
A1: Ambiguity is like a Chinese finger trap because the harder you struggle in search for an easy solution, the harder it is to escape. You have to learn to slow down, think a little, and allow your system 2 thinking to kick in and save you. #dtk12chat
to be perfectly honest, I find my comfort zone in talking design of DT challenges over any other kind of talk esp when its ambiguity (so high level for a brain that shuts off at 8:00pm) Awesome job of the #dtk12chat Ellen, @bryanlakatos & @msjlura
In reply to
@lndeutsch, @WickedDecent, @christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers, @BryanLakatos, @msjlura
A2 Every day. In our #SICMBC we deal with challenges & needs as they come through the door; they are rarely cut & dried & there is rarely a single solution that emerges; my colleague Becky & I use empathy, restorative practices & best principles of DT to wrangle #dtk12chat
A2 giving students a history project that gave them freedom to research a topic of choice and Share in a method of choice. Too much freedom, maybe. #dtk12chat
or dt lite, or empathy lite… it’s the push that brings the ambiguity, the discomfort and the break-through, new to the world ideas… innovation. #dtk12chat
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @scitechyEDU, @christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers
A3 I rock @ElaBenUr's #innovatorscompass all the time, or at least my quick sketch version of it w Ss; so many index cards, so many possibilities, so many discussions of what really matters; helps find a path through to a solution worth trying #dtk12chat
A3: Understanding my role is to understand more, not to answer questions or provide solutions. Even if that's the end product, it's a side effect of my staying in the present with the challenge at hand. #dtk12chat
A2 Raising a baby is an endless exercise in decoding ambiguity. #dtk12chat Fortunately, there are those famous baby translators: https://t.co/yVF4lpH65d.
A3: Understanding my role is to understand more, not to answer questions or provide solutions. Even if that's the end product, it's a side effect of my staying in the present with the challenge at hand. #dtk12chat
Just had a similar convo with 2nd gr Tt worried about not using FOSS kit yet because she is letting kids questions lead her plant investigations so far. She was worried she'd be seen as doing science wrong! Told her the whole point is that there isn't a wrong! #dtk12chat
A3 giving them time and space to figure it out. Being okay with a variety of results. Allowing them to pivot when necessary. Providing restraints when needed. #dtk12chat
As a full time education student I find that I have to navigate ambiguity everyday. Learning to be a teacher is not easy, and I am often thrown in uncomfortable situations to learn how to deal with them. #dtk12chat#edfb4338
does it have to be new to the entire world . . or might it be innovative if it is new to the world in which the problem exists? is innovation contextual? #dtk12chat#QstoAskDavidKelley
In reply to
@lndeutsch, @scitechyEDU, @christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers
A2: Though we tell our students the importance of navigating ambiguity, we often struggle to relinquish control. Whenever I try to be self-reflective about my practice, I have to embrace the ambiguity of the metrics through which I measure myself as an educator. #dtk12chat
A3: Important we show our Ss the stickiness and our discomfort in ambiguity & not knowing. Share our https://t.co/SA5xH5lwve past, have skyped w/other #dtk12chat folks w/Ss when getting sticky in DEFINE part of process (always the most uncomfortable for me) #dtk12chat
A3: Understanding my role is to understand more, not to answer questions or provide solutions. Even if that's the end product, it's a side effect of my staying in the present with the challenge at hand. #dtk12chat
A4: Perhaps this is too meta for #dtk12chat but I find just teaching folks how to do empathy "interviews" is golden. Stressing and playing with how to listen, how to not worry about solutions or even problems, just pulling out as much understanding as possible.
I've got a co-worker looking for a great in-depth DT workshop to learn more about it. Anyone have ideas where to look for a deep-dive, 2-3 days worth, during the school year. The https://t.co/DGYLcqRcJE one is full! #dtk12chat
A3 The best strategies in dealing with baby-based ambiguity is to find ways of collecting evidence of the child's state. You can't talk with the kid, but you can observe, listen, and smell carefully. #dtk12chat
Something I need to work on. Finding solutions and brainstorming ideas is so much fun and one of my strengths, it's hard so hard for me to not jump in #dtk12chat
A4: Perhaps this is too meta for #dtk12chat but I find just teaching folks how to do empathy "interviews" is golden. Stressing and playing with how to listen, how to not worry about solutions or even problems, just pulling out as much understanding as possible.
Model it. Create opportunities for them to explore DT as a user and not a teacher so they feel the ambiguity and then celebrate those moments with them #dtk12chat
A3: Important we show our Ss the stickiness and our discomfort in ambiguity & not knowing. Share our https://t.co/SA5xH5lwve past, have skyped w/other #dtk12chat folks w/Ss when getting sticky in DEFINE part of process (always the most uncomfortable for me) #dtk12chat
A3: Understanding my role is to understand more, not to answer questions or provide solutions. Even if that's the end product, it's a side effect of my staying in the present with the challenge at hand. #dtk12chat
yes. i like that Jess. Also depends on goals of challenge. & new in that it’s pushing past the obvious, past our first 1, 2, 3, 4 solution ideas. Like with pigs.. building different type of house seems like the quick fix or the band-aid if we are digging for insights. #dtk12chat
In reply to
@msjlura, @WickedDecent, @scitechyEDU, @christinekdixon, @CDMdreamers
That is my nature, too. What helps me is thinking of the customer service aspect of my job: people with tech challenges or sticky problems want answers, but they also want to be heard, want their frustrations validated, and their hopes understood. I try to do that 1st #dtk12chat
A3: Framing saves me from drowning in ambiguity. If I have a problem I’m facing or idea I’m exploring, I try and abstract it out of its native context and ask: what other contexts validate the usefulness of this solution/idea? Reframing problems opens new doors. #dtk12chat
In my "research" for this topic tonight, I was reading about living in the questions rather than always seeking answers? That's where I need to focus--really diving into the question #dtk12chat
I love this response! As a new teacher I find this very challenging. How do you find the right balance between giving your students space, but also knowing when to step in? #dtk12chat#edfb4338
Super late to the party here...and this is my first #dtk12chat! Rachel here. Thing that made me laugh out loud: my 1 year old calling me “Dada” over and over, on purpose, ‘cause she knew I wasn’t Dada.
A4: Reaching out to each other and pushing each other to go deeper with our work, even if it’s painful. ;) @luckybydesign really helped me through this when my final challenge w/@ucBerkeley Ss got sticky. #dtk12chat
I love this response! As a new teacher I find this very challenging. How do you find the right balance between giving your students space, but also knowing when to step in? #dtk12chat#edfb4338
So I definitely have students who struggle w/navigating ambiguity--how might we provide an environment where they can develop this as a skill? #dtk12chat
When trying new challenges I always let my ss know that I don't know what will happen and if things will work, as well as when I make mistakes and have to change rules, constraints or measures of success, they always respond well to this news #dtk12chat
So I definitely have students who struggle w/navigating ambiguity--how might we provide an environment where they can develop this as a skill? #dtk12chat
A4: When working w/educators, often find giving ‘permission’ to let go and take a risk helps. And the culture then needs to support that. For me, as T there was so much pressure to do everything right & do it alone. Permission 2 maybe b wrong & admit can’t do it all. #dtk12chat
#dtk12chat
A2: I am the science teacher in the school who advocated for the maker space so I could include it in my lessons. Now working on helping other teachers incorproate this into their classroms. I am doing this on my own, without a mandate. Totally ambiguous.
Hmm. I think everyone experiences—and even successfully navigating—ambiguity in some aspect of their life or work. It's about showing ourselves that we can do it in contexts were we least expect—or most worry about—it. #dtk12chat
A3: slowing things down, talking it through with other colleagues who recognize the power/discomfort of ambiguity. I also find it really helpful to explicitly address the feelings I experience in those moments...
A5: I think independent study, if done openly, is all about navigating ambiguity. Without a syllabus, without a teacher telling a student what to do every day, some find it very uncomfortable. They know I'll ask them to present their learning at the end and that's all #dtk12chat
A5: It’s not revolutionary, but simple open ended journal/discussion prompts are an easy place to start. In a time where everything can be Googled, open ended, philosophical questions take on a borderline mystical quality that can be exciting once kids feel comfortable #dtk12chat
yep! Whenever possible! Many times this year already in front of kids I've said now you are going to watch your teacher and I have a convo to figure out what we are going to do next #dtk12chat
YES! The job is definitely holding a standard of quality, more than telling them what quality they need to hit. I've found students often go far beyond my expectations when they care intrinsically #dtk12chat
A3: I search for concrete examples that others have done. I also ask a LOT of questions about what others are doing. Can I help them d this in a new different way? #dtk12chat
A4: It's not possible for everyone, but I often co-teach projects with my co-workers. They get to see the design process and see how there is a beauty in the ambiguous nature of the projects that enables and empowers students to dive deeper. #dtk12chat
A5 you have to build trust with students as that will allow them to follow you even when they are not sure. Give them multiple opportunities to work in spaces of ambiguity. #dtk12chat
A4: providing small opportunities for process-oriented exercises, ones where there’s no clear answer. We try to start with low-risk yet high-engagement activities. And always process the feelings surrounding the exercise! #dtk12chat
.@IDEOU has an article with tips around navigating ambiguity which is helpful especially w/ colleagues or students who really struggle https://t.co/IGb0wV7fXL#dtk12chat
Abso-stinking-lutely. Why I spend every Thursday night at the church of Blindly Trusting Other People / improv theater stage. I think @WickedDecent would agree. :) #dtk12chat
#dtk12chat A5. I think that a big first step is realizing that our fear of ambiguity is fear of being wrong—and experiencing being wrong in enough safe ways that it's not scary. So all sorts of non-competitive experiences where you get to quickly try, fail, learn, tweak, repeat.
I realize this sounds so negative nelly, but for me the trick is finding time and authentic opportunities. I've done foil challenge and gifting so they 'get it' but they don't 'really' get it... #dtk12chat
A5: I think you have to mix up & try lots of activities.Likely obvious,but what’s uncomfortable 2 one, not maybe not someone else.I had epiphany w/this a wk ago w/cannibalvsscientist riddle. improv,no prob… this riddle, soooo UNCOMFORTABLE & learned so much from that! #dtk12chat
Q7 #DTK12CHAT : Sometimes we might be suffering through ambiguity, enduring, engaging, or embracing. How might we be mindful, honest, and transparent of this in ourselves and use this understanding to support our students? #dtk12chat
A5: This is where I think a well understood process with concrete times for check in and reflection allows them to thrive with the unknown. Saftey net below a high wire walk. #dtk12chat
Love this, I too have found this with students too, especially when they're working toward something they care about. Best to get out of their way, be ready when they ask for the tools to help, and let them surprise us. #dtk12chat
In reply to
@BryanLakatos, @TheRealJamCam, @baileymiller410
Yes, yes, yes! Fear of being wrong; fear of looking like we don’t know what we’re doing. Fear of the unknown. I feel like it relates so closely to Brown’s vulnerability work...#dtk12chat
Authentic audiences do this, too. Fave quote from somewhere in my past, maybe @chrislehmann "If a student is doing work for the world, it has to be good. If it's for the teacher, it only has to be good enough." #dtk12chat
In reply to
@ElaBenUr, @TheRealJamCam, @baileymiller410, @chrislehmann
I seriously ♥️ this #dtk12chat#TwitterPLN! Going to look at all & respond but definitely #designthinking needs to be scaffolded... due to where our design thinkers are developmentally. As our innovators grow we can expect more from them in true DT & empathizing! TY all!!
A7: Taking the time w/ourselves & Ss 2recognize,reflect,name acknowledge how we're feeling in parts of https://t.co/qyu6SLEl6Q a journey map.Ex:When we interviewed I was embracingambiguity,when synthesizing I was uncomfortably enduring, etc. Give it language. #dtk12chat
I always start with "I know that you think I am crazy-- but trust me. Just go along with it, it will all make sense at the end." And they do and it does #dtk12chat
That's an awesome quote. I think this is true even if the audience is themselves—creating something, or solving a challenge, that is personal to them (or people they care about). #dtk12chat
In reply to
@BryanLakatos, @TheRealJamCam, @baileymiller410, @chrislehmann
A7: This is where the modeling of lifelong learning is the most important. "I don't know" is the most powerful phrase I have as a facilitator. #dtk12chat
A7: It’s about vulnerability. When we know it’s okay to admit our own struggle, we are better able to handle ambiguity. If we set a precedent in our classroom that their struggle with ambiguity is actually what unites them as a classroom community, great things happen. #dtk12chat
