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.
Good evening all! I'll be moderating tonight's #DTk12Chat. Co-moderating with me are my colleagues @CDMdreamers & @SarahZRaskin who make the magic happen daily with DT in classrooms throughout our K-6 district.
Q0: Thanks for joining #dtk12chat tonight! Our chat will be focused on how we can use Design Thinking to build cultural intelligence (CI). Before we get started, please introduce yourself without using your name or job title. #dtk12chat
A0; 50 year old cis woman, parent, partner, dog-lover, avid reader, aspiring in many ways, restless... choosing to leave politics out of this intro #DTK12Chat
Pls be sure to use our hashtag in all your responses and also follow the A1, A2 etc format. I love seeing how the responses flow all hour so don't feel like you have to jump to the new item if you'd like to keep responding to previous questions #DTK12chat
A0: Hey hey! My current primary identities are household manager, potty-trainer, chef, counselor, teacher development leader and holiday-merriment-maker. #DTK12Chat
Q1: People w/ high Cultural Intelligence use empathy to read people/situations, & make informed decisions about why others act as they are. They monitor their own actions to avoid quick judgments or stereotypes. How might we (HMW) use DT to develop CI in our Ss? #DTK12chat
Q0: Thanks for joining #dtk12chat tonight! Our chat will be focused on how we can use Design Thinking to build cultural intelligence (CI). Before we get started, please introduce yourself without using your name or job title. #dtk12chat
#DTK12chat A1: Empathy and Journey Mapping allow us to simulate or imagine the experience of someone from a diff perspective and reduce our personal biases to define the need from the view of particular stakeholders.
A1: Understanding and gaining empathy for the human perspective is essential to DT. Using clips from popular children’s movies (Inside Out, Big Hero 6) and having students consider what is going on w/a character and why they would say that, broadens perspectives. #dtk12chat
A1 Idea shared by @lesmcbeth - when reading/viewing, ask students to describe problems faced by characters in the text, unpack the problem from POV of the characters #DTK12Chat
Sadly I’ve had many experiences where adults in schools don’t have ‘obvious’ empathy (I’m being kind). Asking Ss 2 be reflective, empathetic, mindful, etc is difficult when we aren’t practicing these same mindsets. #dtk12chat
A1: We've been focusing on empathy specifically from the DT model.This has brought an awareness of the value of gaining perspective in order to seek to understand and make decisions. #DTK12chat
A1: using DT helps build empathy, learn how others interpret and navigate situations; realizing that others think different from you can be very eye opening to some students #dtk12chat
Sadly I’ve had many experiences where adults in schools don’t have ‘obvious’ empathy (I’m being kind). Asking Ss 2 be reflective, empathetic, mindful, etc is difficult when we aren’t practicing these same mindsets. #dtk12chat
A1: We say so much without ever saying a word. To build CI with students using DT, important to get them to think not only about what their user says, but what they do, how they react in relation to the defined problem. Then discuss observations. #dtk12chat
A1: actively teach empathy. Share real life experiences w/ Ss where you could have overreacted but didn’t. Lots of great boooks to read w/Ss that inspire empathy #dtk12chat
A1 Examine historical events through lens of problem-solution: what problem did people face? how did they each understand it through the lens of their experiences? what solutions worked? for whom? what solutions missed the mark? why? for whom? #dtk12chat
A1 I believe you have to be committed to teaching and learning cultural intelligence. Meaning that it is not a one time and you know it. Talk to them about the bias they may have about a group and allow opportunities to meet other groups on common ground. #dtk12chat
I think it's natural to some students but they don't realize it. Always good to point it out when I see it; I model and teach explicitly as well #dtk12chat
Thanks, Jill. Interesting studies on how toddlers just get empathy and will try to make sad people feel better...but it fades as we get older. Is it cynicism? #DTK12chat
A1: regular empathy work w/Ss and Ts is a first step, finding small opportunities to develop deeper understanding of others. Also incredibly impt. to find developmentally appropriate ways of assessing biases. #dtk12chat
We had students create a script for an interviewer interviewing an inanimate object (like a can of cola). They had to be the object and express their thoughts and feelings from that perspective. #DTK12Chat
A2: After partnering students to learn more about the holiday traditions of a classmate, they might develop an empathy map to show what they would imagine their classmate to be saying, thinking, feeling, and doing during their perfect holiday celebration. #dtk12chat
A1:Look at why we act the way we do. Many Ss reactions or lack of CI are a result of parental viewpoints. We need to show sensitivity in pointing out other viewpoints #DTK12chat
#dtk12chat A2: Invite parents to share/ present winter traditions. In the past, I've had Santa Lucia, Hannukah, Christmas, Posada, etc. A DT experience could be designing a new winter holiday for all (besides Festivus, LOL).
I think some people are naturally more empathetic than others, yet we all could use some direct instruction to make it a constant in our lives. The world screams for self-serving and we need to push back. #dtk12chat
hmm.. maybe in adults cynicism. I may be too optimistic or naive, but think in kids fading could be due to situational needs, lack of reinforcement or support of adults, if we call it a skill it needs to practiced to be maintained #dtk12chat
A2: Dare I suggest, I should extend my empathy by learning about holidays that matter to other people, not just the ones that coincide with the ones I observe? #DTK12Chat
I think simulations can help a lot as well... I'm amazed when I am confronted by my assumptions. Simulations have taught me a lot about stepping back and observing. #DTK12chat
A1: Tangential, but I think a lot about Chris Argyris and the connections between #designthinking and the Ladder of Inference. A lot of his metacognition-laden work seems useful for us educators, re: empathy / seeing through the lives of others. #dtk12chat
Q1: People w/ high Cultural Intelligence use empathy to read people/situations, & make informed decisions about why others act as they are. They monitor their own actions to avoid quick judgments or stereotypes. How might we (HMW) use DT to develop CI in our Ss? #DTK12chat
That's a great step. I asked my Jewish friend the other day to share more about the lunar calendar and her holidays. It was enlightening for me, and I wonder why I didn't do it sooner. #DTK12chat
A2 I think by starting with empathy and seeking understanding. Allowing students to conduct empathy and fact finding interviews. Consider ways to test celebrating or sharing other traditions. #dtk12chat
A2:Ss did an activity learning about many different holidays including Ramadan, Diwali, Hanukkah & more. Ss talked about commonalities & differences-focused on why important to people. #dtk12chat
The value of mindfully building empathy with real people/users is it pushes us to look at our biases. Without users it can be easy to lead with our assumptions, not really getting a deeper understanding. #dtk12chat
I agree, using book characters can also help tackle tricky issues and gain empathy through a safe avenue, without calling anyone out on behavior, what do we notice happens when this character did this... #dtk12chat
I like simulations generally annnnnd I've heard a lot of push back against cultural simulations .. many are created w little empathy & utter lack of nuance #dtk12chat
A1: We turned the script into a flipgrid video so the Ss could learn from each other's perspectives. I have to learn how to post a flipgrid on twitter next! #DTK12chat
Q3: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) societies are not representative of humanity as a whole, and in fact, are considered outliers of the greater human pop. HMW use DT to gain access to other cultural beliefs and life practices? #DTK12chat
A3: DT opens our worldview to the shared experiences of others. Give Ss the opportunity to interview people with diverse views on important topics and hold respectful debates. #dtk12chat
A2: I was really impressed w/ what students remembered & how many wished they could celebrate that holiday. More empathy than I expected from 8-9 year olds #DTK12chat
A1 Why not make a "reading people" an exercise! Each week have a guest visit class, maybe say a few words, and then leave. The class "reads" their reactions, and captures responses on post-its . Then the guest returns for a discussion and to evaluate the read. #dtk12chat
Awesome! We're planning a time to serve together for our staff in January. It's so worth it! If empathy is not innate, using DT to introduce empathy and hopefully encourage adults and Ss to open their minds to new perspectives. #DTK12chat
A2: Finding or creating opportunities for students to share special family traditions seems like a great way to start. Was in a 2nd gr class during Diwali the 3 kids who celebrate that holiday were thrilled to share what they do #DTK12Chat
Q3: talk about what is happening in the real world. Find people who have real life experiences -my son was a peace corps worker & Fullbright scholar in Mozambique definitely impacted my view and my Ss cultural awareness #dtk12chat
A3: We may be different, but we are all human. We all have challenges, and can solve then together. Let's create diverse DT teams to design around the weird and unweird world problems. #dtk12chat
A3: I feel like somewhat of an ambassador for this as I spent 3 years teaching and living in Jordan with my wife and kids. Perception vs reality is huge. So many people are shocked to hear that I was treated well and felt safe in a Muslim country. #dtk12chat
I agree, so much. Empathy work needs to be practiced...and I think CI begins to develop when we take empathy to the next level. After understanding someone’s experience, we make conscious decisions to act in a culturally approp. way. #DTK12Chat
In reply to
@njkraai, @TheRealJamCam, @LSpencerEdD, @GHSTEAMchic
I just remember serving at a homeless shelter with some staff. We served in the foot clinic. Talk about humbling. Washing the feet of the homeless. It was uncomfortable but incredibly powerful. #dtk12chat
I think a key piece is maintaining empathy and CI during design... we aren't designing to "fix" a flaw in their system to align with our beliefs, but to improve life. #DTK12chat
In reply to
@RKonops, @njkraai, @TheRealJamCam, @GHSTEAMchic
A3: I agree - hard to proclaim CI and empathy from an armchair in CA. See the real world & share your insight w/ Ss. Look at your Ss & celebrate their cultural contributions n #DTK12chat
I did a week long missionary trip my sophomore year to feed and share gospel with homeless. It was eye opening. They ARE human, and deserve compassion. It was an important lesson to learn at that age #DTK12chat
Q4: What picture books, novels or other resources do you have in your classroom to include diverse perspectives through cultural intelligence? #DTK12Chat
A3 if DT is done right we help students (adults and children) enter spaces and leave behind their personal point of view and observe with the intent to truly learn. The question arises, how do you meet groups without judging that group. #dtk12chat
Totally true. True empathy brings powerful results. I think we always look for solutions to what we perceive as needs from our worldview, but often we miss the mark. When we go deep with those we are working with can we begin to understand. #dtk12chat
In reply to
@RKonops, @TheRealJamCam, @LSpencerEdD, @GHSTEAMchic
need to explore ourselves & support our Ss in this, to better understand others. DT work requires personal work, growth, etc. Being vulnerable & honest w/our own biases, assumptions, etc. Not always comfortable, but way to get at deeper understanding of others. #DTK12Chat
A3: At least in part, it can start with a recognition of the limitations of our own experiences & perceptions, as well as a recognition of our own privileges & biases. From there, seeking out people & listen. Still makes me sad, but it's what @Bourdain did so well. #dtk12chat
Q3: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) societies are not representative of humanity as a whole, and in fact, are considered outliers of the greater human pop. HMW use DT to gain access to other cultural beliefs and life practices? #DTK12chat
Agreed. I recently spent 4 months in China and have been surprised by comments I’ve received back in US with assumptions, false info, biases, etc about China and the people there. #dtk12chat
Their needs aren’t that different than ours. Yet, we like to impose our views and judgements instead of theirs to formulate ways to assist and support. #dtk12chat
My husband and I had similar experiences living/teaching overseas, as we were often sharing our reality to family/friends versus what the news portrayed. #dtk12chat
Yes, we do... example: we assume that African tribes must mean poverty, lack of education, disease...and yet they have strong family values and enriching lives. #DTK12chat
I bet! Honestly, I learned a lot about Chinese culture through your photos and posts. We need to expose students to the world and not put them in bubble wrap #DTK12chat
It happens everywhere anyone goes. We are supposedly globally connected but have little cultural awareness. I think every student should have to study abroad or live abroad at some point. #dtk12chat
A4 - I love William Kamkwamba and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, but I think it is important to coach students to find those perspectives through coaching and topic selection/discussion by interested. Help students interact with perspectives from their position up. #dtk12chat
A3: Creating opportunities for Ss of other cultures to share their beliefs and practices seems like a great place to start. It seems like the trick is finding authentic opportunities that don't create an atmosphere that makes them feel like they are on show #DTK12Chat
A4: @Trevornoah Self-Deportation episode designed to build cultural awareness, understanding, empathy; recommend Born a Crime to students all the time #DTK12Chat
I like the idea of focusing on problem-framing when asking Ss to consider unfamiliar contexts. By taking "solving" off the table, they can focus on better understanding others' conceptions of problems , rather than assuming they know what needs to be fixed. #dtk12chat
A4: Not currently in a classroom so there are no books on the shelf. Personally, Twitter is a good place to start in connecting and learning about different cultures/perspectives. #dtk12chat
I read an article the other day that was talking about how many problems dont need fixing...instead they need "healing"... that was eye-opening for me. #DTK12chat
True. I worked with a team of teachers this past year to support students with sharing a special family tradition to align with a unit of study on Kumeyaay. Ss explored how their own traditions have stood the test of time and evolved- like Kumeyaay. #dtk12chat
Unfortunately, we are in the minority for these types of experiences. Yet, it’s funny, many of us now using DT have had these experiences living abroad. I wonder if there is a connection? #dtk12chat
A4: My library is more for educators, but bell hooks, Paulo Freire (with Myles Horton, too) and @gbiesta are really, really valuable in shaping my thinking here. #dtk12chat
Q4: What picture books, novels or other resources do you have in your classroom to include diverse perspectives through cultural intelligence? #DTK12Chat
Hmm... I wouldn't be surprised if there was a connection. Perhaps DT-minded people are more open to cultural experience and stretching outside the "comfort zone" #DTK12chat
Q5: In Most Likely To Succeed, authors challenge edu to help Ss “discover passions & purpose...and become active, informed citizens.” HMW use DT to support SS w/building CI by understanding own & classmates’ strengths in order to be active, informed citizens? #DTK12chat
#DTK12chat A5: We recently had students use a thinking routine to identify personal #strengthsInterestsValues, share, & then collaborate to design a solution for human impacts on the earth's systems. @Amplifier is a great resource for inspiration.
I spent some time in the bush in Rwanda. No electricity. No running water. People walked to get anywhere. How miserable is what I thought. After leaving, I’ve come to believe they were the happiest humans I have ever met. #dtk12chat
A5: Ss can engage in a dialogical interview with a classmate to learn about their passions, interests, and strengths. Then, they can create a superhero persona (cape, mask, or action figure) to represent their classmate’s contributions to the class. #dtk12chat
Definitely appropriate for high school, maybe mature middle school. Highly recommend the audiobook for a full appreciation of Noah's linguistic and cultural diversity! #DTK12Chat
Any ways we cab ring Ss/people together across countries, cultures,ethnicities, etc is helpful. Several of my Ss in China were coming to US 4college (& nervous) Connected w/my former Ss from US at colleges. Real reason to connect, learn about each other. #DTK12Chat
A5 - Well, first off we need to let them find their own strengths. Apathy is a powerful beast and sadly too many students may find themselves trapped. Working with and coaching students to find topics and discussions that they can be a part of opens doors to success. #dtk12chat
A4: A resource in my current classroom is the Ss. They are from almost every continent and love to share their diverse perspectives. It makes them proud to share and we have a deeper understanding and appreciation of differences due to the unique community of learners. #DTK12chat
Deliberately putting yourself into strange company, in the relatively low-risk environment of a twitter chat, is an easy way to get forge some great and unusual linkages with people. #dtk12chat
So awesome that your classroom diversity is a source of strength as many would see it as a weakness... "Oh so many language learners..." etc #DTK12chat
He is such a dynamic speaker, even in his more intense moments in his stand up. I will have to put it on my holiday break reading list. Thanks so much! #DTK12Chat
A5 Spending time working on group dynamics, sharing strengths and weaknesses, creating cultural norms allows students to value each other and that can carry over to CI work and community work. #dtk12chat
Any ways we can bring Ss/people together across countries, cultures,ethnicities, etc is helpful. Several of my Ss in China were coming to US 4college (& nervous) Connected w/my former Ss from US at colleges. Real reason to connect, learn about each other. #DTK12Chat
Could not agree more. It is hard to inspire students to learn when we shut down when a new problem rears its head or we feel overwhelmed by our situation. Adults need to ditch the apathy to help students ditch the apathy. #dtk12chat
A5: just participated in a cool exercise through my IDEO U course on finding your purpose...and imagine it could be a pretty powerful user-friendly experience to try w/MS and HS Ss. #dtk12chat#somethingtoprototype
I saw him in August in CT, and it was both funny and thought-provoking. Loved it! Just watched the self-deportation episode of #DailyShow before this chat started! Once you start the book, you won't be able to put it down! Enjoy! #DTK12Chat
That is such a cool way to think about this and it needs to happen more often with all students. They have stories to tell that are just as vital and interesting as the ones in books. #DTK12Chat
A4: Another great resource is @EmpaticoOrg. This site partners classes throughout the United States and abroad to discuss a common topic of study. #dtk12chat
Q6: Carol Black, in “A Thousand Rivers” writes “people today do not even know what children are actually like. They only know what children are like in schools.” HMW use DT to build our own cultural intelligence so as to better relate to the children we serve? #DTK12Chat
Q6: Carol Black, in “A Thousand Rivers” writes “people today do not even know what children are actually like. They only know what children are like in schools.” HMW use DT to build our own cultural intelligence so as to better relate to the children we serve? #DTK12Chat
the recent natural disasters (fires, hurricanes, etc) are good reason for classes to start reaching out to other Ss in other parts of the country. What is their life like and how can they help each other. #dtk12chat
A6: We can intentionally embrace the world with a child like wonder-ask questions and visit new places. Push ourselves outside of our comfort zone to try new things. #DTK12Chat
@teacherwinters Interested side thoughts about comedy as a bridge to cultural empathy; brings to mind the recent episode with Nimesh Patel at Columbia U, #DTK12Chat
the recent natural disasters (fires, hurricanes, etc) are good reason for classes to start reaching out to other Ss in other parts of the country. What is their life like and how can they help each other. #dtk12chat
A5 (Screaming "Oooh! Me! Me!", waving hands wildly): Let's really ask them to be active, informed citizens & do design projects that contribute to civic spaces. Thinking of @MLTSfilm when a T asks how we get Ss to be responsible if we never ASK them to be responsible...#dtk12chat
Q5: In Most Likely To Succeed, authors challenge edu to help Ss “discover passions & purpose...and become active, informed citizens.” HMW use DT to support SS w/building CI by understanding own & classmates’ strengths in order to be active, informed citizens? #DTK12chat
A5: we did DT challenge based on @extraordinaires; Ss had to interview classmate to find out what was extraordinary about them, then create something for them #dtk12chat
Q6 - So true. Nothing about this problem is simple because it is going to change from student to student, classroom to classroom, year to year. However, knowing that we will need empathy and thoughtful listening to our students can be useful in all situations. #dtk12chat
Started out as Quinton... Friends started calling me Quinto thanks to a typo at school.... Dropped the O to get Quint....Now at Quin. As I evolve I will become Qui, Qu and then ascend as Q. Left classroom to try and impact more students. #dtk12chat#remeberedthattime
Love it! We don't take the time to support Ss with exploring their interests and finding their purpose. What was one nugget of wisdom you gained from the course? #dtk12chat
A6 develop your cultural intelligence start with empathy with your students. Get to know the culture of your class, whole class and individual. Model for them what CI looks like. #dtk12chat
I have not seen this. Thank you so much though; I teach 9th grade and some of my students are working on the problem of how to eliminate poaching in our area of the world. This will help them out immensely. #dtk12chat
I love it, super easy entry point and so many possibilities. Just finished a 6 week afterschool class with it too and kids asked if I would do it again #dtk12chat
A6: Put ourselves in ‘new-learner’ experiences, see our Ss in activities outside of the classroom. so great to see them shine in art, or theater, or music or sports, or with animals, or whatever they love! #dtk12chat
I would add be kind. It is easy to be harsh, particularly as a teacher, but kindness and understanding can really change the temperature and culture in a classroom. #dtk12chat
A6: Great follow-up from Q5! I think we can look for DT & inquiry-based projects to blur the line between formal, in-school vs. out-of-school experiences. At @asueducation we're exploring what schools might look like if they were like museum experiences, for example #dtk12chat
Q6: Carol Black, in “A Thousand Rivers” writes “people today do not even know what children are actually like. They only know what children are like in schools.” HMW use DT to build our own cultural intelligence so as to better relate to the children we serve? #DTK12Chat
What “super power” drives your learning? S’s and P’s were challenged to think about how their strengths can drive them and be their passion that leads to new learning. Students designed masks, capes, or action figure to represent their superpower.
This year, we hired a former museum educator to be our science specialist at a school. I'm excited to see what she brings to the learning that traditional teachers have not. #DTK12chat
A6 The key to the Carol Black quote is the "in schools" part. A question to ask--of students, teachers, politicians, fictional characters: "What's this person like at home?" Raising the idea of the self-outside-of-school could do wonders for learning. #dtk12chat
A6: Maybe we need to speed time understanding what students do outside of school. Where do they go? What do they do? Who are they with? HMW create cultural experiences outside the classroom/school? #dtk12chat
Q5: Maybe begin with Frayer a Friend @jcorippo to discover classmates' strengths. Then, look for complimentary strengths when focusing on a specific DT stage, for example prototyping. #DTK12chat
Closure: It’s no accident that dyslexic holistic thinkers are often our artists, our inventors, our dreamers, our rebels.
Thanks #dtk12chat for being artists, inventors, dreamers and rebels with us. I hope it inspired you as much as it did @CDMdreamers@SarahZRaskin and me.
