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.
Evening everyone! It's time for #dtk12chat POWER HOUR! An opportunity to connect with others invested in #designthinking in K-12 education! All are welcome!
Like most Twitter chats #dtk12chat rocks the Q1/A1 format (respond to the Q# w the corresponding A#) so that we can keep track of all of the things and the stuff! #designthinking#makered#pblchat#mindsets
Here be the WARM UP to tonight's #dtk12chat convo about #designthinking in K-12 education: Introduce yourself and share a GIF that reflects how you feel about planning for the next school year
Still have one week left of school this year! Perhaps during inservice week I'll be able to wrap my head around next year's planning! #dtk12chat#EDL_655
What are some of the rituals you tend to go through during this time of year in terms of looking back? Or do you stay 100% in the present? #dtk12chat#DL_655
I've still got three weeks here in Maine & I can't help but look forward to next year; one of my greatest challenges is staying present so I don't set myself up for #ohgeezthatsnotgood in the last days #dtk12chat#EDL_655
#dtk12chat A1 I've always written letters to myself, taken the units I've taught and appended large lined post-it notes to them about revisions and improvements. In good years I've had the kids write about the year and made e-books: https://t.co/7D0xgo8psb
A1: Have to stay in the present until Ss leave for summer. Then reports and check out - THen Katie bar the door! Creation machine :) #dtk12chat#edmodolove
One of my favorites is to look through my Ss' lifebooks (writer's journal) and dialogue journals. Since I spend 2 yrs with my Ss it is a wonderful opportunity to see growth over time. Reflective conversation at morning meetings are great too. #dtk12chat#TeachWrite
Woahhhhh.. that's serious #BOOMSHAKALAKA material right there! Turning reflections into student publications?!? Wow. Powerful way to share vulnerability! #dtk12chat
One of my favorites is to look through my Ss' lifebooks (writer's journal) and dialogue journals. Since I spend 2 yrs with my Ss it is a wonderful opportunity to see growth over time. Reflective conversation at morning meetings are great too. #dtk12chat#TeachWrite
The day after Ss leave for the yr my teaching team gathers and we reflect, on a unit by unit basis, on what worked and what didn't. The conversation is hours long but worth it. #dtk12chat
It may sound odd, but I try to clean out as much junk as I can from the corners; there's something about a fresh start to a year that gets upended for me if I have to spend too much time sifting out the chaff #dtk12chat
A1: Have to stay in the present until Ss leave for summer. Then reports and check out - THen Katie bar the door! Creation machine :) #dtk12chat#edmodolove
I keep an old school notepad where I write ideas I want to do for the new school year. This is also the time when I reflect on what's not working so I can make note of what needs to change or get taken out! #EDL_655#dtk12chat
Last year we our school was gutted. We had the luxury of packing everything up to move into temporary digs. In two weeks we pack up again to move into a brand new space. Can't wait for the new opportunities provided by a new space. #dtk12chat#ThirdTeacher
A1: I seem to do something different every end of year for reflection but always with my Ss! This year we made a video on all the ways we were collaborators & hosted an open house for parents to showcase our design thinking project. #dtk12chat
#dtk12chat I am changing jobs this year and my current school is moving & downsizing. There is a huge shift ahead for me so I am walking in two right now.
A1: I seem to do something different every end of year for reflection but always with my Ss! This year we made a video on all the ways we were collaborators & hosted an open house for parents to showcase our design thinking project. #dtk12chat
Q2 What challenges have you run into in trying to make adjustments and/or maintain the rhythm of your practice from one year to the next? #dtk12chat#designthinking
It is cleansing. Not only does it allow for us to download our experiences it opens up conversations around How Might We? What If? We end up ideating and building new and exciting ideas while the current yr is still fresh in our mind. Rejuvenating! #dtk12chat#collaborativePD
Hmmmmm .. . makes me wonder. . . if you stoked the ambition, would you find the time? If you gave yourself more time, would your ambitions rise to the opportunity? #dtk12chat
I think we need to evaluate the underlying beliefs. As an admin I really need to exam if the the things I’m acting on are still true. I get that by reviewing your PD feedback. #dtk12chat
A2: I tend to want to try EVERY single great idea I find in the Twitterverse, and have to manage what I roll out to staff so I don't scare people with my excessive exuberance!! The struggle is real. #EDL_655#dtk12chat
A2: I’m working on documenting my ideas in ways and places that I can come back to and know exactly what I was thinking. I tend to loose momentum in my ideas over the summer. #dtk12chat
A2 one challenge is slowing down & allow experiences to develop. I’m constantly thinking about what went wrong, I think I need to live in the wrong moment longer. #dtk12chat
I like this thinking; how can you best ensure the PD feedback is giving you the perspectives & insights you need to take action that addresses the needs? #dtk12chat
Woah. That's a tall order. I'm curious what that looks like and how you arrive at those new iterations. Your process. #processjunkie#dtk12chat#edmodolove
Absolutely. Though I admittedly stopped doing student feedback forms because I was getting the same thing year in and year out -- I wasn't addressing their needs and I wasn't dropping the ball either -- yet I didn't feel stagnant . . . #dtk12chat
There is grade & boundary reconfiguration and new curriculuum next year. I am riding a wave of change for the next couple of years along with many other teachers. I am really excited to try DT approaches with Social Justice. #dtk12chat
A2: Each group of kids is unique! One lesson/style/strategy might work well with some, but not with others! It's important to be flexible. #EDL_655#dtk12chat
I have been known to look at a problem and say, "I'm actually going to try and make XYZ thing happen" even if its hard/big/scary -- WHEN the solution offers a compelling new status quo for me #dtk12chat
#BOOMSHAKALAKA indeed! one of the reasons I've adopted #designthinking as my pedagogical lens: it forces me to think about what works for the users -- the students -- and see my teaching through their POVs rather than just my own #EDL_655#dtk12chat
A2: Each group of kids is unique! One lesson/style/strategy might work well with some, but not with others! It's important to be flexible. #EDL_655#dtk12chat
A2 #dtk12chat I'm a contrarian. Constantly questioning why things are the way they are. I'm always stirring it up and, since I'm the only one who teaches my sections of English (Gifted students) I don't have a tribe to help me get my rhythm back when I wander off.
I'm excited to witness them here, Bonnie! REALLY excited. I'm hopeful that next year I can better shepherd more #designthinking fueled learning experiences in my colleagues' spaces -- we had some good ones this year & excited by what other possibilities might exist #dtk12chat
Agreed. But it is a simple way to get pulse reading on overall feel of class/content/approach. Reflection for me (as I’m sure with everyone here tonight) is constant. The end of the year is no different than end of the first day, or end of a random class in Jan., etc #dtk12chat
#dtk12chat So True. Thank you. But it would be great if I had a tribe right around the corner or down the hall. I'm great at creativity and DT work, but I need a tribemember who has strong organization skills and who's there to listen, face-to-face.
Absolutely. I just found that I'd sit down to read them and the return on their investment wasn't really there -- I shifted instead to a more reflective final written piece -- where they explain what they learned about themselves, others, and the content #dtk12chat
Too much to tweet - but next year I am going to marry a bunch of ideas to use gamification, SEL, Service, Global Goals, goal setting, communication & student choice
At the first opportunity, go camping and unplug completely. I will need to figure out how to hit the reset button with deep observations of nature. #dtk12chat
I have the skeleton of gamifications, badges, and some choices laid out. Confession: I did this 10 years ago but the jargon just wasn't popular back then. :) #dtk12chat
do you unplug completely? I find my mind is sorta always returning to the problem solving space .. . getting away quiets the noise.. but my head still churns #dtk12chat
A3 I prefer a clean slate. Before leaving for summer we agree on our big thematic/interdisciplinary units. We come back buzzing with ideas and look for ways we can link our ideas. #dtk12chat
Yep. No phone. No electricity. Nothing. Sometimes I get dropped off on a remote island or did a long hike. It took time to develop that mindset but there is a level of awareness that takes over -- cougars, bears, no lions oh my sort of mindset. #dtk12chat
Thoreau is instructive here: "Simplify, simplify, simplify." I tend to start simply and after a few years I get too deep with my units. Ss need to go deep, not me. So I try to adopt user's perspective and ask, HMW empower Ss to dive deeply...whatever the unit. #dtk12chat.
#whatif you created a routine for yourself to revisit those ideas? I keep a couple of notebooks for #sketchnoting laying around the house -- lazy mornings w the kids & late nights in front of TV tend to yield some decent stuff #dtk12chat
A3: I’m presenting with colleagues at a conference on #designthinking and I’m looking forward to the presentation planning process as it really forces you to be reflective and articulate. Teaching others is the highest form of understanding! #dtk12chat
I have 15 books by my bed to read... all of which will help me grow in different ways. I also want to watch all the Wyatt Cenac episodes of Problem Areas on HBO #dtk12chat
And if my power fails me, thanks to all for the #dtk12chat POWER HOUR tonight! This is our last POWER HOUR until August and I appreciate you folks helping make it a good one! Remember: the hashtag & the PLN are open 24-7! #designthinking
A4 Hoping to recharge by doing some pleasure reading, being with the kids at the lake, and eating whoopie pies. Professionally, rereading Courage To Teach, thinking of how to make our new maker space come alive, and exploring my new role as a curriculum coordinator. #dtk12chat
I've also tried a Buddhist silent retreat. That was difficult but eventually I learned to just watch the thoughts rather than get caught up. But that ease takes daily practice and old habits are easy to drift into. #dtk12chat
Yep. No phone. No electricity. Nothing. Sometimes I get dropped off on a remote island or do a long hike. It took time to develop that mindset but there is a level of awareness that takes over -- cougars, bears, no lions oh my sort of mindset. #dtk12chat
A4 #dtk12chat 1) attend Project Wayfinder @projectwayfindr 2) return to summer work as learning director at https://t.co/IOEAtHFWGg 3) Reading 180 Days by Gallagher and Kittle as well as more on purpose based education, 4) finish home renovations, 5) prep 4 my DT course next yr.
Q4: I can't wait to dive deeper into @spencerideas & @ajjuliani's "Launch" book. Also, there are some free webinars out there on DT that look awesome! #EDL_655#dtk12chat
A4: I can't wait to dive deeper into @spencerideas & @ajjuliani's "Launch" book. Also, there are some free webinars out there on DT that look awesome! #EDL_655#dtk12chat
2/2 A4 #dtk12chat 6) finish "What School Could Be" , next up "Design Thinking for School Leaders", then @katiemartinedu 's "Learner Centered Innovation"
In reply to
@WickedDecent, @projectwayfindr, @katiemartinedu
I will be working all summer... and teaching a doctorate level course on ed tech leadership. So if anyone’s bored and wants to talk shop, I will be around #dtk12chat
Only impressive if I get through them. It was a goal this year to be more committed to reading. I had let it slide. I try to blog when I finish. Today’s blog was on ‘This Human’ which was fabulous for DT!! #dtk12chat
