“Takaharu Tezuka: The best kindergarten you’ve ever seen”
Don’t control them. Don’t protect them too much, and they need to tumble sometimes. They need to get some injury. And that makes them learn how to live in this world.
Yesterday, I enjoyed a magnificent experience at the d.School (The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University). To be honest, I feel a bit like an eight year old at Disney World for the first time. It’s magical, and I love that the reality only enhanced the magic, rather than diminishing it in any way. And yet, I also love that there is really nothing magic about it – the process and practice of design thinking is truly accessible to everyone and absolutely practicable.
Today, the adventure continues as we move into Day 2 of the “Intro to Design Thinking” workshop for educators, hosted by the K12 Lab. Our challenge focuses on designing for mothers of multiples.
When Susie Wise asked me on Monday why I was attending an introductory workshop, I responded that I always have plenty to learn, and I was most excited to see how they would approach a workshop promising to be an introduction. In addition to sharpening my skills as a practitioner, I would also be paying meta-attention to what they decided to focus on in a two-day, introductory experience. Surely, this would sharpen my facilitator know-how, as well.
Well, the learning for me was extraordinary. Whereas I generally try to pack ten pounds of flour into five pound sacks, the d.School never seemed to rush or hurry or overstuff. They concentrated on the essentials, and they really focused on the people present. For the first couple of hours, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, with a civilized start time of 9:00 a.m., and we worked with a variety of partners through a series of sparks to teach about engaging our creative confidence, to lean into failing forward, and to develop our empathy muscles further. We did not even begin the actual challenge until near lunchtime. And the most intensive direct instruction was so very purposeful around the ideas of interviewing and unpacking an interview.
And at the end of the day, there was a quick acknowledgement about the “mood meter,” and we shifted to wonderfully childish finger painting. We didn’t try to jam or pack another phase into the afternoon – the facilitators perceived we needed some human maintenance, and so we let that rule the closing hour.
That was a real education for me as a learner and as a facilitator. Go with your user. Don’t just cover and deliver because you have a curriculum to cover. I’ll work hard to follow that extraordinary example from my new teachers at the d.School.
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Bo’s quick capture on Storify of highlights from the day. Plus a photo gallery below.
Learning Through Tinkering – NYTimes.com
HT @MeghanCureton
@boadams1 have you seen this? Breaking the ruler: Melbourne school lets students choose when to learn, what to study http://t.co/IAbUGWGDcy HT @eijunkie
Homework vs. No Homework Is the Wrong Question | Edutopia
HT @eijunkie
“Theaster Gates: How to revive a neighborhood: with imagination, beauty and art”
He’s a potter – at an absolutely incredible scale. Wow!
Stanford’s Most Popular Class Isn’t Computer Science–It’s Something Much More Important
HT Dr. Nathan Vigil
5 Lessons On Innovation From Modern-Day Explorers And Adventurers
“One of the highest return investments any company can make is in an exploration practice.”
HT@MeghanCureton
Innovators and explorers…you may want a formula but it’s about a menu http://t.co/s9zQsURFQW @boadams1
Student Engagement: What Do Students Want? | Learn as You Go
Innovate By Learning To Fix First – Explore Create Repeat – by Format
HT @MeghanCureton
it's about learning 