Design Thinking: Spring 18: Day 2: Empathy: Empathy Caution

Today we'll be continuing to look more at the reasons why empathy is so important AND read some other perspectives -- reasons why we should be careful about replacing reason and intention with empathy.

Start by reviewing Soul Pancake's empathy "parking ticket experiment" from last class.

Then watch these two videos regarding how we define and think about empathy.  You'll be comparing these two and finding the common threads and interesting outliers between them.

This one, from RSA Animates, uses an excerpt from a Brene Brown presentation as its language.   It provides an analogy to make sense of the difference between empathy and other feelings -- such as sympathy and pity. 

And this one, from LifeHacker, explains why empathy is so important.

In groups of 1, 2 or 3, turn each of those two videos into what we call a literary 3x3: 3, 3-word, sentences that summarize each video.   They don't have to be grammatically correct -- they need to be purposeful and meaningful and accurate.  Maximize verbs.  Minimize helping words.  

For example, I might break down the parking ticket experiment video as:

Researcher tests happiness

Fake tickets issued

Empathy sympathy tested

Now, do the same for each of the videos and e-mail your literary 3x3s to both Ms. Audy and me.  

This should give you a starter sense of empathy.

NEXT . . . Empathy Caution.  

In groups of 1, 2 or 3, select one of the two articles pressing back against a focus on empathy.  (Skim each quickly before choosing the one you most want to analyze; you'll be more successful if you've at least chosen a piece that appeals to you in some way.)

Then, work with your group to  LEGO the ARTICLE.  Design a LEGO model of how that article does its work.  What is the case it makes?  How does the author build that case?  What sort of evidence? Arguments? Points?  What do you notice about the author's language?  

We want you to think about the writer as a designer, the audience as the user.    Break it down.

Then, last step, you have to get on FlipGrid on your own and explain the thinking behind your group's LEGO design.  How is that article designed?  Provide evidence that you understand the article, the points the author is making AND how the article is designed.  

You'll be assessed on both your reading analysis AND your speaking skills, so bring your power game to the work.  This is your first reading assessment of the class.