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.
Let's talk mid-year slump and how we might maintain our creativity, our laughter, our problem-solving abilities, and our empathy amid the craziness of grades, report cards, winter, and other factors. #dtk12chat
A0: Dan Ryder, Education Director of the Success & Innovation Center at Mt Blue Campus in Farmington, ME #SICMBC who loves him some @PlayOverwatch to de-stress #dtk12chat
A0: Jill from MN; stress relief is time outside or hot tub or chocolate ice cream with pretzels, depending on the level of stress it might be all 3! #dtk12chat
Hi Jessica! My name is Laura & I teach 8th grade in the Bay Area. My favorite stress reliever is packing the boys in the car after work and getting to the beach for sunset, or sunset on my parents back porch in the mtns #dtk12chat
A0) HOwdy! Just got home... #makerspace coordinator at a PS-8 in Seattle. I read a LOT, and love to get to the local Korean women's spa for special-occasion relaxing. #dtk12chat
Team-play video game, but it actually has a nice story and a nice variety of characters. My son likes to point out all the non-stereotypical characters. :-) #dtk12chat Non-stereotypical-ness and stopping "power" are his current 8-year-old social justice issues.
In reply to
@msjlura, @WickedDecent, @PlayOverwatch
Team-play video game, but it actually has a nice story and a nice variety of characters. My son likes to point out all the non-stereotypical characters. :-) #dtk12chat Non-stereotypical-ness and stopping "power" are his current 8-year-old social justice issues.
In reply to
@msjlura, @WickedDecent, @PlayOverwatch
A1 #dtk12chat Channel my inner Churchill "If you're going through hell, keep going." And my inner silent Cal (Coolidge) ""Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence."
Sorry...those are easy answers..
A1: I get my mojo back from my rock solid core group of go-to colleagues. I've got 2 awesome friends who always remind me that I've got this #dtk12chat
A1) Maintaining belief in *myself* specifically? Being queen of imposter syndrome (tm), getting on twitter is helpful 'cause y'all are such amazing team boosters. Go team!!! #dtk12chat
A1: Now that I'm 60 I am getting more and more into walking. I walk 3 miles to work and back most days plus long walks on the weekend. Just me and my head. #dtk12chat
wow just read the summary of book Very heavy & complex I see lots of areas 4 empathy & opportunities 4 design. How cool if Ss were given an opportunity2 redesign certain aspects of the storyline #dtk12chat#designthinking Im 4 not narrowing possibilities Stay away from solutions
In reply to
@christinekdixon, @gravescolleen, @LFlemingEDU, @FarnhamJenny
A1 I listen more. I find if I listen more when it gets tough, it tends to stoke the creative flames that have become glowing embers. Listening more inspires reflection which drives my inspiration... it provides fuel to keep me going. #dtk12chat
A1: Con't putting stress aside and working along w/kids can be a great reminder that all is right in the world. Had a K Ss tell me the marker on his hands was 'cause he had stampy hands (used stamps at a station today) #dtk12chat
A1 When going gets tough I focus on the smiles and laughter of students at recess. I spend extra time reading. I build and color with my children. I seek out cookies. #dtk12chat
A1 My belief in myself stems from my understanding of my creative capacity... I tend to reflect on what I've done in the past and the opportunities that presents to me in the present and future
A1) Maintaining belief in *myself* specifically? Being queen of imposter syndrome (tm), getting on twitter is helpful 'cause y'all are such amazing team boosters. Go team!!! #dtk12chat
the are may themes in this book… transitions, seasons, grief, barriers, friendship, loneliness, conflicts social/emotional/age, crime, etc Great Launching points 4 #designthinking challenge #dtk12chat Gr8 starters 2 engage w/ Users
In reply to
@christinekdixon, @gravescolleen, @LFlemingEDU, @FarnhamJenny
A2: I know that I am currently feeling overwhelmed, tired, and overworked-- almost "called in sick" to the twitter chat-- what about the rest of you? #dtk12chat
A2, nonspecific version: Everything? I'm facing one of those existential crises now where I feel like... very little is working (with glimmers of hope every once in awhile) #dtk12chat
A1 I have a huge PLN but a very tight little circle of anchors who help ground me when it feels like everything is too much for the doing; I don't even need to vent to them -- just talk about anything, be in their presence #dtk12chat
A2: Keeping kids mentally safe and, at the same time, challenged. We have uber parents who aren't happy with grades below 100. I think 90 is a great grade (leaving room for growth). #conflict#dtk12chat
A2: Keeping kids mentally safe and, at the same time, challenged. We have uber parents who aren't happy with grades below 100. I think 90 is a great grade (leaving room for growth). #conflict#dtk12chat
A2 #dtk12chat So I always jump in the deep end. "Go big or go home." And I'm often not ready. I don't have a local safety net (no one in my building into DT or Gradelessness...yet!) so I struggle. Head in hands, losing hair, etc.
A2 how to get ss to encourage each other. Peer to peer support & encouragement is so hard. I’m trying to figure this out. Kindness initiatives driven by teacher only go so far. I want a culture of kindness. Easier said than done... #dtk12chat
A2) Hrm... I dunno. I'm just exhausted all the time. I'm starting to think it's more mental, maybe nutritional, maybe just from long slog of husband's start up... Not really from work. That's almost always invigorating. #dtk12chat
We use IB Rubrics and I ONLY show them the 5/6 level (out of 8) which gets them to 90. They have to explore what it takes to score higher. I give daily reminders that their parents are the only ones who care about the difference between a 90 and a 99. #dtk12chat
A2, specific version (also connected to A1, oddly enough): I've been thinking a lot about the ambitions I have for my class this year, and I often have to remind myself that *they're only 9*
Jumping into #dtk12chat to say hello! A2: I'm building a competency map, so right now the biggest challenge for me is to design a thorough yet accessible map.
Me too! And then I get more stressed out by all the people asking for specifics (that haven't been figured out yet). My go-to is that it's okay if it's only good enough rather than perfect #dtk12chat
Keep jumping there and you aren't alone battling the grades. I'm not there yet but would be in a heartbeat. Pushing for only IB Rubric assessments next year and not converting them to a 0-100. #dtk12chat
A2: I did a climate survey Monday. I think my Ss could use more encouragement around specific achievements they overlook & time to acknowledge and name how they have grown academically, in community & in growth mindsets #dtk12chat
A2: adding the 25th hour to my day. Seems like there is never enough time to accomplish everything I want to. Need to get better at prioritizing I guess. #dtk12chat
Students (humans?) often overlook the positive and focus on the negative. This is another issue I've been facing, and it's something I'd love to actively work towards addressing #dtk12chat
Oh Lindsey if I ever met a person more real and in no way in need of an imposture persona is you! Very authentic & filled with awesome gifts & powers #dtk12chat
100% yes. We used DT processes to design the whole hiring process, from the initial contact (sending them a sheet of paper with instructions to send it back in such a way to show us who they are) to the interview, to the essay. #dtk12chat
I keep a light (no lyrics) music in my earbuds but I like to say hi to the mockingbirds and the dogs and the people out running and....I like to think about my day (pre and post) #dtk12chat
I'm not sure about your particular context, but I've had to find really creative ways to integrate initiatives into my pedagogical views, although... sometimes they don't really mesh #dtk12chat
A2 balancing need & want with doing official paid work, pulling the trigger on certain design aspects & decisions, Oh and figuring to how to teach a baby to talk #dtk12chat
Love it! That’s my goal - to transform hiring practices, and also teacher evals so it reflects same agency and personalization we want in Ss #dtk12chat
A3: Backwards timeline always works for me and helps me chunk events into smaller goals and deadlines; can't remember where I saw but started doing front burner/back burner post-its on my computer #dtk12chat
love that… i am trying to fill my downtime with less tech interference as i am a News Junky and I see it eating my blank time and I know that is having an impact #dtk12chat
I wish I could share the secret sauce but have yet to find the elixir. I need to be very careful w/ my time, especially protecting it. I try to get classroom planning & prep done before school so free periods can be spent on the lg projects. Lots of take home work. #dtk12chat
Seriously hard one! We have to cut down the number of initiatives we dive into each year, we have to take smaller baby steps within those initiatives, and we HAVE TO GIVE TEACHERS TIME DURING THE DAY! Not really in-the-trenches strategies, but for real... ;-) #dtk12chat
A3 I think that is the reality of now. It’s always a new policy, new initiative a new new. It may boil down to what are the checklist items that make me whole and how do I accomplish those each day. #dtk12chat I have no answer
Starting with the necessary skills for teaching in our school was a big part of it--it basically made us realize that observing them teaching really had no bearing on their hiring (and actually undermined our process), so we scrapped it. #dtk12chat
Right! Guilt is my main excuse; I'm also not a classroom teacher so worry that when staff see an open block in my schedule that they might think I'm slacking instead of working on school-wide initiatives #dtk12chat
Especially with this...umm...person leading the news items each day. I'm glad I see no news between 6:30 AM (leaving for school) and 6:00 PM (home from school). Just my students and fellow teachers for about 12 hours. #dtk12chat
OMG me too! I feel guilty when it *looks* like I have an open block. But I have to set aside time to figure out how to build these robots, dangit! Oh... that doesn't sound better, does it? ;-) #dtk12chat
Seriously hard one! We have to cut down the number of initiatives we dive into each year, we have to take smaller baby steps within those initiatives, and we HAVE TO GIVE TEACHERS TIME DURING THE DAY! Not really in-the-trenches strategies, but for real... ;-) #dtk12chat
A3: Took me to 60 and 25 years in the classroom to finally decide to say NO to extra "stuff" for next school year. Minimize outside interference so my kids get the best version of me. #dtk12chat
For sure! A few times I've labeled my open blocks with the project I'm working on or tech I'm trying to fix, need to a better job of being consistent with that #dtk12chat
Jeez Louise... Brilliant. Can I get a copy of that process, too? This is the amazingness that results when you take the time to do things properly! #dtk12chat
Yes!! And just like good teachers to our students, we need to give teachers think time, work time, reflection time, downtime --it's like we think we're robots rather than humans ;) #dtk12chat
#dtk12chat I sent our 9th and 10th grd curric. maps to a graphic designer I worked with this summer. He was horrified! (They frighten me so much I don't use them.) Just make sure your maps actually look like maps.
A3: I ask for help & partner up with new initiatives. Teaming helps reflect through the new processes & if any experts are available I’m first to sign up for their insight #dtk12chat
A3 as Ive stepped away from the Brick N Mortar School environment, I see areas where I could have hit the pause button not only for myself but also for my students. Learning is a marathon so is teaching #dtk12chat Press the Pause & take a walk
You know I love you. Although I'd love you better if you had a parking spot for me next week. NO, I don't have a parking spot. See, you said it. #dtk12chat
But at the same time, people (mostly) really do want to help and are glad you asked. Maybe it's also the perfectionist side of me; I have this vision and not sure others will get it #dtk12chat
In reply to
@LSpencerEdD, @cfanch, @LindseyOwn, @msjlura
That is SO true. I do things so that my fellow teachers don't have to do it. And, I feel guilty if I find out they did something so that I didn't have to do it. #weird#dtk12chat
In reply to
@LSpencerEdD, @GHSTEAMchic, @LindseyOwn, @msjlura
Gah! You got me! 😉
It's SO RIDICULOUS that for cheap AirBnBs, I get free parking and wifi, but for expensive hotels, I pay extra for parking and wifi! AAAACCCCKKKKK!!!!! #dtk12chat
I think a lot of Administrators place a lot of pressure & stuff onto teachers plates every year (in addition 2 student learning) These initiatives are half-ass bc there is never time for Ts & Ss to Process, Digest, & execute in meaningful, lasting ways #dtk12chat
One of my core problems is that I'm always excited to try things all the time always and forget that it takes time and consistency for kids to develop skills
This is why I tend to spend a lot of time on weekends ruminating on how all the pieces––initiatives, students, me––fit together. The product and process are typically satisfying, but it's still a killer to squeeeeze them all together #dtk12chat
A4: I try to reread parts of this book occasionally & keep it visible so I can point and say “Oh, I’m working on essentialism.” Then I seem scholarly & mindful 😉 #dtk12chat
It is SO important to hear the struggles of others and that is why I come back to the Twitters over these last 11 years. Thank you #dtk12chat for being that group tonight for all of us.
I'm trying really really hard to broaden my vision for how I want to pull new things off... So that I can bring more perspectives in. It's REALLY hard 'cause I'm such a perfectionist, but also 'cause I'm stubborn and sometimes *too* "action-oriented" #dtk12chat
In reply to
@msjlura, @GHSTEAMchic, @LSpencerEdD, @cfanch
A4: delegating can be really difficult to do without someone thinking you’re being bossy. Here’s a few basics that are always good reminders https://t.co/YOISbDE4CE#dtk12chat
It's delightful, encouraging, and empowering that the #dtk12chat community doesn't wallow in struggles (as people and, sometimes I, are wont to do) but (often by design) works to understand and work through them
A4: I try to reread parts of this book occasionally & keep it visible so I can point and say “Oh, I’m working on essentialism.” Then I seem scholarly & mindful 😉 #dtk12chat
It is SO important to hear the struggles of others and that is why I come back to the Twitters over these last 11 years. Thank you #dtk12chat for being that group tonight for all of us.
I agree, Mary, but I wonder...do you ever feel that by doing so you're giving yourself too much leeway for failure? Making excuses for shoddy planning, etc? (I beat myself up for those things all the time.) #dtk12chat
In reply to
@scitechyEDU, @LindseyOwn, @msjlura, @GHSTEAMchic, @LSpencerEdD, @cfanch
A5 The Little Prince, which is the book I try to read with every group of students... I've read it enough times and find sublime joy in it every time. Also, "Snow," by Louis Macneice #dtk12chat
A4: I try to reread parts of this book occasionally & keep it visible so I can point and say “Oh, I’m working on essentialism.” Then I seem scholarly & mindful 😉 #dtk12chat
Heh... My previous admin "accused" me of being a shameless self-promoter for wanting to go to conferences and present/learn. #dtk12chat#impostersyndromehasroots
In reply to
@tsbray, @GHSTEAMchic, @WickedDecent, @Ed_by_design
I saw your response and thought, "SAMESIES!" but then thought it wouldn't be professional to Tweet that a response
but I just did, so here I am #dtk12chat
Wow, if you held me down and made me tell you what the Little Prince is about I'd never move but I can remember reading it a LONG time ago. Should I dust it off again? #dtk12chat
A4: I have such a hard time saying "no" that usually what happens is that someone else does it for me. @nicolenmartin will physically take things out of my hands and throw them in the trash #thisisLove#nocoffeeforChris#dtk12chat
Oh my god if not for everyone's blogs, I wouldn't know or be able to do 95% of the stuff I know! I consider blogging to be public service, even service learning! Please, steal my stuff, which I mostly stole from others anyway! If only everyone saw it that way. #dtk12chat
In reply to
@Ed_by_design, @tsbray, @GHSTEAMchic, @WickedDecent, @GingerLewman
You certainly should! I enjoyed it as a story the first go around but on further reading realized how it's a really poignant story about friendship and personal responsibility #dtk12chat
my go-to is usually picture books--there is something about reading about Elephant & Piggie's ridiculousness that puts everything into perspective @The_Pigeon#dtk12chat
That was kinda my thinking on that "life of a project" graph... I don't remember who posted it. I don't love the idea of finishing w "This sucks, but at least it's finished." 🤔 But also must balance w perfectionism. Definitely not a balance I've successfully struck! #dtk12chat
In reply to
@Ed_by_design, @scitechyEDU, @msjlura, @GHSTEAMchic, @LSpencerEdD, @cfanch
