Laura K Spencer, Ed.D.

Category: Design Thinking

  • Yes, and: The Power of an Idea

    Yes, and: The Power of an Idea

    Kobi Yamada wrote a fabulous book called What Do You Do With an Idea? In the book, the main character finds an idea. He takes it with him everywhere. When he first shares it with others, they scoff at it. Luckily, the boy does not listen to the naysayers and instead nurtures the idea.  In the end, the idea takes form and … well … read it and find out.

    I read this book yesterday to a 4th grade class. I had not met the students before, but they seemed pretty excited to have me there. At the end of the book read, we discussed the plot, and why people may not have supported the boy and his idea.

    After the discussion, I led them through an improv activity called “Yes, but.” In “Yes, but” one person of a pair shares an idea. In this case, the idea was what the student wanted to do over the weekend. The other person’s job is to react to the idea with a “yes, but” statement. For example:

    Student 1: I think it’d be cool to go to the zoo this weekend

    Student 2: Yes, but it’s so hilly that you will get tired.

    Student 1: Oh. Well, maybe I can go to the beach instead.

    Student 2: Yea, but it’s supposed to rain on Saturday.

    As you can see, it can be discouraging to have every idea turned down by others. (And honestly, who hasn’t encountered these people in our own lives?) After debriefing how disheartening that conversation was, we flipped the script. Now, the second person’s job was to add a “Yes, and” statement to the idea.

    Student 1: I think it’d be cool to go to the zoo this weekend.

    Student 2: Yes, and you can check out the new panda exhibit.

    Student 1: Ooh yea! And I can take a picture of the plants they eat to show our science teacher.

    Student 2: Yes, and you can probably buy a book on pandas to share with the class.

    Now the idea is growing and taking shape. The students shared how it made them feel to have their idea encouraged instead of stymied. I left them with the call to action to focus on being idea encouragers instead of naysayers.

    This activity is a great lead in to any design thinking project or empathy building activity. All ages, adults and children, deserve the opportunity to have their ideas heard. Who knows which of those ideas just might change the world!

    Article: Yes, And… 5 More Lessons in Improv-ing Collaboration and Creativity from Second City

  • Inspired to Ditch Activities and Design Experiences

    Dr. Nathan Lang, an Ed Leader and Innovator, shared this graphic on his Twitter (@NALANG1) the the other day. In four words, it simplifies much of what we are working to achieve through Design Thinking in my school district.

    When I was in school, I completed a lot of projects. I created clothing worn by a Native American tribe; I recreated a topographical map of California with salt dough; and I built a California Mission with sugar cubes. Most of us have similar memories from our school days. However, none of these projects truly prepared me for the challenges of life. Yes, I learned to work nicely with others, and clean up after myself. I even learned that, if I procrastinated long enough, my mom would work on my projects after I went to sleep. But the piece that was missing was that these projects were just projects. They were defined for me by my teacher, and were meant to teach a specific content standard. What each of these projects was missing was the creation of an experience.

    In Design Thinking, we want students to learn how to solve problems and truly make a difference in their community. We want them to develop empathy for others, and then use that empathy to see the world through a different lens. We want students to grapple with solutions that aren’t black and white, wrong or right. Mostly, we want students to experience the world, and then make that world a better place…for themselves, their peers, their community, and hopefully, the world.

    This is the work of Design Thinking in classrooms. To design experiences that ignite student genius and empower them to change the world. Without it, they’re just projects.

  • Teacher Ed Tech Ambassadors: Keep the Focus on Students

    Last month there was quite a lively conversation about an article titled “Silicon Valley Courts Brand-Name Teacher, Raising Ethics Issues.” A lot of educators were upset about the seeming “attack” on teachers this article contained, as it seemed to question the reason teachers become ed tech brand ambassadors.

    It’s important for teachers to have access to the tools they need to teach well, and sometimes these ambassador programs provide that. Over my educational career, I have been branded by a few ed tech companies. For example, I was a Microsoft Innovative Educator and a Tech4Learning Innovative Educator. Both titles were earned based on evidence of higher level learning taking place with those tools in the classroom. I didn’t have to keep using their tool to maintain my title, or prove that I was using the tool for a certain percentage of my day.
    However, I was also a titled educator for another ed tech company, and in order to maintain my title and digital badge, I had to continue showing use of the tool through blogs and posts to their website. After a year, I elected to delete the digital badge from my signature and instead focus on what I knew to be the best for my students and the learning experiences they required. Their requirement of unfaltering brand loyalty was a red flag. Even though they sent me a tshirt, then a sweatshirt, and a coffee mug, and an Amazon gift card, none of those perks provided better learning for my students. And when the brand requires X amount of lessons or use over a period of time, that puts the product over the needs of students.
    I taught in one of the first nationally-recognized 1:1 programs and there were many days when I felt the best tool was one that didn’t require a battery. We were an English class. We needed to read, and discuss, and think, and process. But I got a lot of flak for that from the program director… a lot! Because the program and the publicity and the money being brought in to the district was more important than my understanding of student needs… that’s a slippery slope. And one that we, as educators, need to keep in mind when we agree to become a brand ambassador.
  • Enough.

    Enough.

    Love thy neighbor as yourself. – Mark 12:31
    I woke up today to horrible news on my iPhone. Over 500 injured, and over 50 killed in the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
    It’s unfathomable that this happened. And it’s unfathomable that it has happened before. And that it will happen again.
    I wish I had words of wisdom about how to change the culture of our society. But all I can say is, hug your babies. Tell your students that you care about them…and truly mean it. Look at a homeless person as a human, and not as a dreg. Call your mom and tell her you’re grateful for doing her best in raising you. Whatever you do, exude love.
  • The Punctuation in Your Classroom

    The Punctuation in Your Classroom

    Photo Source: Flickr, Eric E Castro 

    I learned the other day that ending a text message with a period can be interpreted as insincere. Such a simple, innocuous dot now carries more hidden messages than it was ever intended to convey. Likewise, the messages we think we’re sending in our classrooms may not be the messages received by students. Consider these… Time WILL pass, will YOU? Does this imply a nurturing, supportive environment that believes ALL students deserve every opportunity to be successful? I’m not so sure.

    Students not paying attention in class? Lock up devices. Does this show trust? Relationship building? I wonder if the teacher’s device is locked up during meetings as well. Or how about this sign I saw in a classroom:  “Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.” A companion sign read, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” Does this mean we don’t value collaboration? Team work? I wonder how Edison and Einstein would have fared had they been forced to work in silence. When I attended Project Zero at Harvard University, I went through an exercise called Parts – Purposes – Complexities.  

    The simplified steps are: Choose an object or system and ask:

    • What are its parts? What are its various pieces or components?
    • What are its purposes? What are the purposes for each of these parts?
    • What are its complexities? How is it complicated in its parts and purposes, the relationship between the two, or in other ways?

    This helps us (and students) slow down and make careful, detailed observations. This is done by looking beyond the obvious features of an object or system to stimulate curiosity and raise questions. When we did this at Project Zero, we were asked to list EVERY SINGLE ITEM in our classroom, and then to question its purpose and its complexity. So many a-ha moments happened from this activity as people really started to question each and every object, and why it was there. They began to see the messages, the periods at the end of the sentences.

    So as you look around your classroom, ask yourself, what messages are you sending? What punctuation is on those messages?

  • Stop Talking About Summer Vacation!

    Stop Talking About Summer Vacation!

    School Days Til Summer

    Write about your summer vacation.

    How many of you wrote on that topic, or something very similar, when you were in school? How many of you wrote about it many, many times? Honestly, I can’t remember a first day of school that did not include a summer vacation activity.

    Now take a moment and ask yourself, what does this focus on summer vacation say about the culture of learning at your school, or in your classroom? More specifically:

    How does this make students feel who don’t have awesome summer stories to share? What about those who depend on school for basic safety and needs like the free lunch program?

    Where is the joy of learning if everyone is counting down to leave school?

    Mark Church, co-author of Making Learning Visible, presented at Harvard’s Project Zero four questions we must consider when looking at the learning transcript. These questions are critical if we are to empower all students to reach their genius potential.
    As Ron Ritchhart, author of Creating Cultures of Thinking and Making Learning Visible explains, students grow into the intellectual life around them (Project Zero break-out session). If the intellectual life is reduced to a “how many days until summer?”mentality, then is it any surprise teachers need to remind students that they release the students, and not the bell?
    Let’s flip the transcript… I suggest Lakeshore Learning create a sign that says “X Days of Awesome Learning Have Taken Place This Year.” Let’s show students that we value them, we value learning, and we value the time we get to spend with them igniting their genius.