I have to admit, I was nervous to come to the second Cohort 21 session. I was nervous because I did not have a concrete problem that I wanted to explore over the next 6 months. I had a “seed” of an idea; however, by no means, did I know exactly where I wanted to take it.
I soon discovered that I worried unnecessarily. This “seed” of an idea was soon grown into a lovely flower that was encouraged and fostered with the help of my colleagues and team leaders. The power of 35 minds was inspiring!
I love the idea of the “magic 8.” This is a strategy in which you brainstorm 8 different things that could possibly help you to solve your problem (under a time constraint). The interesting part is that you have to draw your solutions. Taking your thinking down to this basic level freed me to draw things that I might not have written. It is a thinking strategy that I will definitely take to the classroom. And…it is perfect for students who may not feel comfortable with wrting their ideas down on paper. It puts everyone on an even plane when it comes to design thinking.
I feel very supported to take my action plan in the direction that I want to take it. I feel that I have been gently scaffolded to work on a problem that is important, authentic and manageable. What seemed like a massive undertaking has now been broken down into manageable steps – they may be picture steps – but, they are still steps.
The message that resonated with me the most during our second face-to face session is the message that I want to instill in my students: It is okay to fail. I will persevere with this problem until I find a solution that works.
Suzanne I am so interested in what will surface as you pursue your ideas. I didn’t have enough time to hear about all the information you’ve gathered, and I hope we can find time to sit and talk some more. I’d love to be involved wherever you think it would be useful – even if just as a sounding board!
Yes, perseverance is key. The feelings you articulated above are the same feeling that we want to cultivate in our students and faculty. I pose this question to you: how might you apply the DT protocols in your class to support student learning – as a lesson, unit, and/or assessment?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Suzanne.
We didn’t get a chance to talk on Saturday, but I’d love to hear more about what appeared in your pictures! I’m glad that you felt the day helped to scaffold your thinking. If you have any suggestions for us as facilitators, we’d love to hear them. After all, you are our user! 🙂
Learning how to “fail”, I think, will be one of the biggest hurdles of the next generation. Initiatives like Cohort21 are helping to normalize that idea with teachers first, and hopefully then their students. Let’s call it trickle down resilience.