Unit 2 - Selected Readings

Readings list

How to Apply Design Thinking in Class - Step by Step (KQED)

Gives a general description of what design thinking really is. In a nutshell, it invites students to explore and discover in a classroom setting - often in a manner that is the antithesis of a traditional classroom. That classical classroom is focused on being ordered, efficient, procedural - driven by clearly outlined expectations of the teacher / of administration.

Design thinking flips a lot of this on its head. New expectations are to give students an opportunity to engage in less structured learning, give students the power to structure (yet it may need to be learned via careful transition from direction to coaching to facilitating.

But how to do this? 
In the classroom, focus on daily activities . Ask students to explore ways to improve the classroom or activities in the classroom. Invite a redesign of spaces, activities, even furniture.

How much time is needed? 
Suggested here

• 5 to 15 minutes to present the challenge / discuss design 
• 45 - 60 minutes to do hands on work (but with the T for guidance, coaching, encouragement) 
• 10 - 15 minutes to conduct peer review /critique 

How to support student questions?
Answer with more questions to encourage Ss to be more independent, build confidence in their answers.
Have a clear set of rules

• guided by the world of "work by adults" 
• have expectations of what "finished" means (model it)
• how to manage shared tools 

How to assess?
Use peer critique
teacher facilitates

• 10 minute warning to finish
• clean up / leave out design
• gather around finished work 
• identify / discuss effective solutions (2) reasons for "your" choice

Design Thinking in the Classroom - From Ideas to Practice 


Design Thinking in the Classroom - From Ideas to Practice - Part 2

Design Thinking in the History Classroom

Disappointing article. Reiterates how design thinking is less structured - the "Wild West" of teaching
Really promotes creating / innovating / problem solving to find solutions. But these solutions are typically about problems of the "now" variety. How does this work in History? Idea of looking at "civics" and asking / interviewing older students to identify issues... then examine how government works to solve them. Then examine how problems in the past may have been solved but were not .. for what reason?
Definitely applications in history / business / engineering.


Designing a School Makerspace

Unit 2 - Step 5b - Activity Plan (adapting a current prototype for more effective use by EFL students) (prototype)

Goal: Create a shareable representation of your learning activity.

Your Activity Plan will be your prototype for this unit. We invite you to take a look at the example we created. The example is not intended to be a template; please use the format that works for you. For more help with prototyping, refer to the Design Process Tips. Make sure to include the following:

• 2-3 sentence overview of the activity. What are your students learning? How does the design skill being practiced fit with the content? Why is this activity a good way to practice the design skill? 
•  activity - to design a learning aid to help both students with their learning .. and their teacher with the design of lessons for that learning
• students are invited to seek ways to improve upon the instructor's "digital lesson plan" so that it is more useful to them; this involves them reflecting upon and learning more about how they learn - what works for them, what do they enjoy, what is effective, what is efficient to suggests new iterations of the current digital lesson plan (template) 
• Context of the activity. Where will this activity take place? In a classroom? In a class garden?
• in the classroom... immediately after class     
• Flow of the activity. What will the facilitators and students do and for how long? 
• instructor will clarify the focus of the activity with students; underscore the importance of their observations, point of view (as students); invite students to document their observations and thoughts (for future reference); students value being engaged in careful observation of their learning which  leads to detailed / better understanding of how they learn  
• students will document the process, their iterations
• length of time? this could go on throughout the duration of a term or half term and could involve the instructor only seeing the students from time to time (to avoid over direction) 
• teacher and students will still need to work collaboratively from time to time
• teacher provides their point of view on their needs .. yet actively encourages students to express their point of view .. and to express it succinctly and clearly
• points of view identify needs and then can be used to engage in the various stages of the design thinking process 

• length of time? this could go on throughout the duration of a term or half term  

• Student instructions and materials. Will students receive a handout or worksheet? Will you need to provide instructions? Do you need a paragraph or two of background, a short video, or presentation to get the students started? Maybe students will need markers or other art supplies. It may not be possible to create all instructional materials; if needed, summarize the student instructions and/or materials in a paragraph. 
• students will see copies of the instructor's current digital lesson plan on a regular basis - if fact they will see the original digital lesson plan in action (this would serve as an example open for review, adaptation)
• instructor will need to work collaboratively with students to clarify the purpose of a digital lesson plan and the WIIFM (student perspective + instructor perspective)
• students may be given a framework to help them document their ideas and steps in teh process through a set of guided questions 
  
• What does awesome look like? What criteria would have to be met to make this activity successful? What do students who are engaged in and excited about the activity look like and sound like? Will you at some point try to assess student understanding of the specific skills or content? How does that assessment factor into your vision of awesomeness? Also think about implementation of the activity-- what is an awesome experience from the facilitator's perspective?
• awesome occurs when both agree that the iterative process has led to added value in the redesign of the original digital lesson plan (or something similar that serves the fundamental purpose)  
• student and instructor needs and interests are incorporated into the redesign ... and there is consensus that the broader student and instructor population have benefited too
• students perceive the value of the process itself 
• working collaboratively, thinking creatively and critically and cooperatively, documenting their progress so that it can be shared with others 
• students see that their opinions and ideas are valued.. increased ownership of the learning / teaching process
• Notes. Do you have any concerns that you would like to mention or address? Is there anything else about the activity that you need to explain? 
• possible concerns are that 
• students may not have the language or experience required to articulate their needs or wants (second language is English)
• students may not be comfortable and open enough to critique the work of their  instructor or work with the instructor (cultural sensitivity)

Unit 2 - Step 5a - Activity Plan (adapting a current prototype for more effective use by EFL students) (prototype)

Video 1 - Nuvu School - Supporting Creative Learning

interesting video on how a school has set up a "making" studio to promote and support student engagement in the "iterative" process .. to deal with real world problems ... to come up with their own solutions (typically given a problem that they must solve in 2 weeks - engage in design thinking to solve it) 

• What does “creative learning” mean to you? Is it a priority in your school or classroom? What ways do you allow your students to express their creativity?
• creative learning 
• definitely about conceptualizing something and then making it concrete.. and perhaps then reviewing and revising it (with a background in the visual arts .. this comes naturally to me) 
• is it a priority in my school or classroom? 
• in my school .. not so much .. pressure to cover content and curriculum ... but in my classroom, I do promote it via formative assessment strategies that invite students to work in groups to review and revise their work, submit for my review .. then resubmit it based on my feedback .. then resubmit it again (reinforce idea that education / learning is really about trial and errors... practicing .. to realize mastering )
• In your classroom, how are you like a teacher and how are you like a coach? Which role do you prefer? What might it look like/feel like/sound like to be more of a coach than a teacher?  

• how am I like a teacher? 

• when I model how something is done .. and invite students to repeat / practice it then be assessed on whether it is right or wrong (standards based)  
• I'm monitoring the student at all stages of the process to ensure the student is on track to master a given skill or concept 

• how am I like a coach?

• when I offer feedback that is more subjective.... but based on experience .. and enter into a dialogue with a student as to options / free choices that they can make .. then I'm engaged in coaching (more of the critical assessment, final judgement and ultimately decision on how to proceed rests with the student) 
• I'm on the sidelines .. giving them options.. and they then enter the playing field unencumbered by me to then make choices and learn directly from them as to whether or not they were good ones; they may come back to me to discuss their opinions and solicit my own 

Video 2 - prototyping and iteration

 Do you ask your students to critique each other? How do they feel about being critiqued or revising their work? How might you help them be more comfortable with critique? 

• I do ask my students to give reviews of each other's work but typically in a controlled sense (often with a set of guidelines and rubric) in an effort to structure and guide it because I find they don't have the ability nor the maturity to do it in a constructive manner  
• The video underscores the need to MODEL proper critquing before we can expect students to do it - using questioning  .. and typically focusing on purpose (the Why) 
• what are you doing?
• why are you doing it?
• what do you see? 
• Students can become more comfortable with critiquing when they 
• are guided / directed at first (with guided questions) 
• are focused on purpose (vision, mission) 
• are instructed how important it is to the iterative process (by sharing real life examples - space program, importance of failure to learn, process is often more important that product) 
• a learning process (need to be specific about what they have done; close observation) 

Unit 2 - Step 4 - Brainstorm Learning Activities & Select Promising Idea (adapting a current prototype for more effective use by EFL students) (Imgaine)

VIDEO 1 - Interdisciplinary Design Thinking

• What does your school value? How might those values compare or contrast with characteristics of the design thinking mindset?
• relaxed, good report between student / teacher, respect for culture, preparation for College program  (empathetic, low stress, supportive environment) 
• compared with design thinking mindset? 
• very structured, predictable, linear
• Does your school or classroom tend to assess the process or the final product? What might a classroom look like/feel like/sound like if the final product didn’t matter as much as the process? What challenges might arise? 
• definitely greater focus on summative assessment; whereas the task of realizing formative assessment is left with each individual instructor 
• both teacher and student made accountable, data driven, results driven, evaluation driven 
• highly structured .. almost lock step approach to covering material (pacing schedule) leaves little room for innovation; results need to be seen promptly 
• Consider your school or learning organization's curriculum and mission. Are aspects of design thinking already represented through the common language used by stakeholders?
• aspects of design thinking prevalent? 
• to a very limited extent, yes - in the adapting of course content to be relevant to the student and in the design of course materials .. but little or no student feedback / involvement in their selection / design
• very content driven .. 
• video ... note how this type of environment hasn't stopped some schools from pursuing  it.
• video  pointed out that the language and processes of design thinking can find their way into any discipline (second language? -  worth investigating)  
•  

Video Key Takeaways

• de-silo disciplines
• give students the ability to solve real world problems (their own ways to learn)
• need to give them problems to solve .. or they won't see themselves as problem solvers
• it's a way of thinking, of doing,  
• encourages collaboration, growth, differing perspectives

VIDEO 2 - Starting Small

designing low intensity activities (examples? )

• Does your school have a makerspace? How integrated is your makerspace into other areas of the school? Who oversees your makerspace and what role does that person have in introducing design thinking into the rest of the school?
• If your school doesn’t have a makerspace, what might a makerspace look like at your school? What role would it have? 
• Susan talks about changing the vocabulary of the design process to fit her students. For example, calling the testing phase “Try” to avoid negative associations with the word “test”. How might you adapt the design process to your students’ needs? 

Video Key Takeaways

• It's okay to break down the process and do one piece at a time.
• Design thinking is not meant to be a rigid formula. Make adjustments to the process to fit your students and your context.
• Don't forget the user! Remember to keep a mindset of empathy throughout the process.

VIDEO 3 - Spotlight on a Design Thinking Project

As you watch the video, keep the following questions in mind. Feel free to share your answers in the forums using the button below.

• What existing units in your curriculum lend themselves to a design thinking project? 
• Business 
• possible application of concepts / new vocabulary to address a business related problem; being a manager of a group of employees (case studies) 
• Engineering Reading - possible application of new vocabulary to solve a problem 
• i.e. Tacoma Bridge Collapse (any one of the Units in the Reading text could be expanded to include a design thinking problem) 
• How can you utilize the whole school in designing a project? Think about your school’s physical environment, community resources, students, teachers, etc. How can you connect a project beyond the classroom?
• design of the classrooms? to be more engaging, stimulating and student centered 
• form committee of students to address the issue 
• invite more student leadership .. in programming events .. using the design thinking model to create student programming (ECA, self access center)

The assignment

Revisit your "How Might I..." statement. Do you need to make any adjustments to the stage of the design process you'll be focusing on or the content area based on your experience in the Imagine stage?

• Step 4 asks for me to review how I could realize more student involvement in at least one stage of the design thinking process - to actually engage students in design thinking. I could be asking students to address the same problem that I am 
• essentially 
• How might I involve students in the design thinking process when working on a "learning / teaching aid" (digital lesson plan) so that it better supports them?

If you need inspiration in preparation for brainstorming, consider looking over the examples of design activities provided by Stanford’s d.school here and other examples in the videos throughout this unit.

Now set a timer for 10 minutes and generate at least five different low-intensity ways to bring design thinking to your users. Keep in mind the insights about your user that you identified during Focus.



Your activity should incorporate active learning. Consider brainstorming techniques you learned in Unit 1, using sticky notes to display your ideas, making sure that you aren’t judging your ideas for quality, but valuing quantity instead. 

Be sure to capture your brainstorming process with pictures!

Select your most promising idea to carry into the next stage based on insights from the interview (or student profile), as well as your own interest and enthusiasm. If you need help brainstorming or evaluating your idea, see the Design Process Tips.

Most promising idea?

• invite students to make a storyboard of the "ideal lesson plan" (way of learning X). It should include the  language learning ideas / needs that you identified earlier. Share the storyboard with other students. Share the storyboard with other instructors. Suggest how you would change the design of the lesson to help learning .. and of my lesson plan (or an alternative).

From
https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:MITx+11.155x+1T2017/courseware/bdc7404347184bfd8aa4de51d19e5d13/121df3d6b226463e9a95048ff1686e7d/?child=first

Unit 2 - Step 3 - Identify Key Insights (adapting a current prototype for more effective use by EFL students)(Focus)

Goal: Identify insights from users that are most helpful for creating an engaging learning activity.
Take a look at your notes post-interview (or post reading the student profile) and identify some key insights that seem especially important. These user insights will be important as you develop your lesson idea. Think about the following:

• What stood out to you in terms of learner values, preconceptions, opportunities and constraints?
• opportunities 
• students are genuinely open to and supportive of seeing the prototype - digital lesson plan - further developed
• the digital lesson plan offers them 
• much richer selection of resources to choose from to learn about concepts outside of class
• an opportunity to recreate a sequence of in class activities outside of class
• students provided some insightful feedback on how the prototype could be improved (addition of certain resources to address perceived needs)  
• preconceptions 
• anything tech is seen by default, as an improvement on the traditional ways of learning in the classroom; they are either naively open to using tech for learning.. even if they may not see a return on their "investment" .. or .. being overly friendly
• constraints 
• students do not know a lot of the basics of what is possible with edtech; they count on instructors to show leadership and model what is possible 
• student perception of needs tend to be focused only on access to resources (simple perceptions of how they think it is best to learn become apparent)
• .... but they are still perceptive ( i.e. the suggestion that they have new vocabulary practice made available to them prior to a class, perhaps even the day before if possible) 
• students are often limited to viewing the digital lesson plan on the small screen of their mobile phone   
• learner values? 
• anytime, anywhere access to vetted resources 
• have experienced engagement and competition in their studies and want more of it
• some students will hunt for and explore what is put in front of them ... even if they are not directed to do so (i.e.how they discovered the listening activities on the lesson plan without direction from me) 
• Is there anything that seems particularly important or unimportant?
• specific observation
• students think nothing of sharing the digital lesson plan with their friends
• students will explore all resources (intended or not intended) that are made available to them on the digital lesson plan
• general observation
• how important it is to have end users validate or check one's design assumptions .. or in other words ... to have one's design assumptions tested by end users 
• Did the discovery process reveal anything surprising?
•  yes
• student request for access to an index of digital lesson plans
• students discovered the links to listening practice activities (in my reading class)  and are using them 
• students are using the digital lesson plan 
• to recall announcements 
• to recall / recreate sequence of learning activities outside of class to help them study 
• to go back to practicing vocabulary exercises 
• Was there something the user (meaning the student) said that especially resonated with you?
• students perceived many of the same values that I assumed the digital lesson plan was addressing 

Unit 2 - Step 2 - Understand Your users (Discovery)

Goal: Learn more about your users so your learning experience will be engaging.

• What does your user value as a learner? Examples: Your student might value incorporating art into projects, or they might value using technology. What are some complaints that they currently have about their classroom experience? 
• Does your user have any ideas or preconceptions about the content you've chosen? Examples: You might find out that your student feels intimidated when asked to generate several ideas in response to a assignment prompt. 
• What about opportunities and constraints? Examples: What is your student's reading level? Does the classroom have lab equipment? Is it a small class of students or a large one? Does every student have a laptop or tablet device?

Conducted 2 group interviews with students

• four females (one class)
• three males (other class)

BRAINSTORMING - INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Learning English

• What makes learning English in the classroom most difficult?
• What do you constantly struggle with when learning English?
• What mode of english is most difficult - reading, writing, listening, speaking
• What do you do to study outside of class
• What do you wish you had more of / less of to help you study and improve your English

The lesson plan concept  

• What was your reaction the first time you saw the digital lesson plan
• How often do you use it
• When do you use it outside of class
• Where do you use it outside of class - on phone .. on computer .. with friends .. with family?
• Why do you use it .. most of the time
• What is most useful about it
• What do you wish could be there but isn’t

The design format

• Is it clear
• What do you like or appreciate about it
• What could be done to make it clearer to you
• How could it be improved to help you with your studies
• Links to other resources

The content

Links to attendance, assessment sheets, listening resources

• How often do you use them
• How useful are they
• What.. do you wish could be there but isn’t

INTERVIEW PROCESS - RESPONSES

• Focus group with 4 female students in one of my classes - 19 April 2017

• What do you wish you had more of / less of to help you study and improve your English

• Practice with Vocabulary word forms - these are difficult to learn / know
• Writing - so many elements to do at the same time
• Read and speak more
• Review the grammar more often
• Include exercises .. and then links to answers (self directed studies)

• What was your reaction the first time you saw the digital lesson plan
• At first we did not understand what it means or what it was used for
• Completely new to them
• Good idea
• Helps remind us of what we do or did in class
• When do you use it outside of class
• Yes
• How? To refer to it for (Study Skills / Research) Project
• reminds us of what we need to do (many details) & how
• practice new vocabulary
• Using it mostly on the phone (during and outside of class)
• Sometimes on computer
• Can be used on the phone (no hesitation in response)
• Often copying the link(s) and sending / sharing them with friends in other classes (unsolicited response)
• Which parts of the digital lesson plan do you use the most?
• Announcements (immediate response, without hesitation)
• What do we need to do today
• What might we forget to do .. and it reminds us
• Writing class
• References to grammar
• Request for more
• Examples
• Rules
• Is there anything else that you would like to see there but is not there now?
• links to practice exercises
• Video
• Could be used to introduce a reading / writing topic
• Games between boys and girls
• Competition (yet cultural issues here; needs clarification)
• With technology “we” can work in groups (needs to be clarified - examples .. past experience of the girls? But I sense it refers to them being divided into groups based on gender (permissable)  

Overall tone of students?

• Very positive, very supportive
• Realized once again of the importance of creating a supportive, non threatening environment, that encourages students to open up. Quality of feedback reflects this.

Unit 2 - Step 1 - selecting users (adapting a current prototype for more effective use by EFL students) (Discovery)

Adaptation of 
How might I teach (content area) to (group of students) by using (a stage of the design thinking process) in an engaging way?

Users and Implementation scenario

How might I adapt and/or refine the current iteration of my innovation (prototype) - the digital lesson plan - so that it better supports  my current students in their EFL studies? 

My users
18 to 22 year old EAP (English for Academic Purposes) students with a low intermediate level of English 

Scenario
working in a traditional classroom setting with access to a computer, a digital projector (with remote control), whiteboard; students have access to a traditional textbook, mobile phone (100% of students  own a smartphone) and network connectivity (free wireless available via institution but not robust enough; most students resort to using their own data plan); online messaging utility - remind.com - used for delivery of digital handout and 24/7 communications