Design Thinking: Spring 18: Class 3: How Might We & the Power of Possibilities

Welcome to Class 3!  Where we use empathy to transition ourselves into the world of possibilities and the omnipresent question, "How might we . . . ?"

What does, "How might we  . . . ?"  mean.  It's a way of framing possibility.  Take a look at this link to Google's Design Sprint Kit page on "How Might We?"  (Note: Something we will keep hammering this semester -- the skills you are learning in this class are the same one's used by super powerful multinational companies like Google and by small businesses just starting up.  Design thinking is used everywhere.)

Here's a very short video from IDEO.org, the non-profit arm of IDEO -- one of the most influential design firms in the world.  This video captures the thinking about HMW very well.

How Might We from IDEO.org on Vimeo.

This week, we'll be participating in a few different activities, having a few different conversations, creating a few different pieces of evidence to show our understanding 'How Might We . . ." as well as its relationship to empathy and point of view.

We'll start with a conversation about language.  Compare and contrast the words below, considering their denotations as well as their connotations.  (Here's a video to help.)

FLVS English 3- Denotation and Connotation (Lesson 1.04) from Mr. Falzone on Vimeo.


How _____ we . . . ?

SHOULD

WOULD 

CAN

WILL

DO

MIGHT

Let's put it into context, though.  Get into teams of four.  You have a task.  Retrieve a zip snip from the Success & Innovation Center and bring it back here in less than 10 minutes.

Here are the creative constraints.

Teams of Three or Four

One team member covers their eyes.

One team member covers their mouth.

One team member covers their ears.

One team member keeps their hands behind their back.

5 minutes to brainstorm a plan. 

3 minutes to select a course of action.

GO.  When you return, we will examine your degrees of success, your strategies, and how you went about the task.

FIRST MAJOR WRITING ASSESSMENT

After the debrief, we will assign your first major writing assessment: A Design Story of Empathy.   Storytelling is a

Creative Constraints and Expectation.

Prompt: Tell the story of an individual using empathy to solve a problem.

Show the conflicts this individual faces in the problem.

Demonstrate the extent to which you understand empathy as a tool for meaningful problem solving.

The story may be a piece of fiction of any genre or creative non-fiction about you or someone you know.  The goal is to tell a great story.

Use one or more of the following storytelling elements/devices to enhance your piece

• Dialogue
• Point of View
• Symbolism

1st Submission Draft for Feedback:  Due FRIDAY, FEB 9.

A rubric is on its way in time for  Class 4. 

Class 4 we will be having our first collaborative conversation (listening and speaking; language standard assessment), watching part of a documentary about Nike shoe design, and then having a writer's workshop to help you with your story.

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.

Design Thinking: Spring 18 : Day 1: Empathy: Joy FlashLab

For our first day of class, we did a deep dive right into the world of empathy -- the core principle behind a design thinking mindset.

Over the next semester, we will learn to become design thinkers.  This visual is here to help you understand the difference between a design, a design process, and design thinking.  It may not make a ton of sense to you here on day one -- and over the course of the semester -- heck, the first quarter -- it will. 

Design is a fusion; design process is a pathway; design thinking is a mindset #dtk12chat #fetc #designthinking #edchat pic.twitter.com/TVz71FVATh

— Dan Ryder (@WickedDecent) January 24, 2018

We completed a flashlab, which is just a name for a quick, rapid fire design experience.

We'll be tackled this big ol' question:  "How might we bring joy to others?" following Mary Cantwell's DEEPdt design process.  We'll be using DEEPdt  all semester long to practice empathy fueled, human centered problem solving. 

Your creative constraints for this challenge: 
1 manila folder. 
4 paper clips. 
Tape, scissors, markers, colored pencils

DISCOVER.  What brings joy/what takes joy away.
EMPATHY.  Interview a partner.  What brings them joy?  What takes their joy away?  Ask for a story.
EXPERIMENT.  Doodle possibilities. Make. Make. Make.
PRODUCE. Deliver a prototype.  Get feedback.  Bask in the joy.

Then we watched a video featuring an empathy experiment.  (We didn't quite get to the end, so we'll be diving back into the last couple of minutes during Class 2.)

There wasn't any homework to complete for Class 2 -- and there won't be homework every night in this class.  You CAN expect one assessment a week -- sometimes it will be a writing piece, other times a recording, a creative product, a presentation, a number of different things. 

We will get into semester expectations during Class 3.  Ms. Audy and I would like us to focus on the thinking around empathy first -- and THEN dig into the plan for the semester.

Eng 9: To Solve a Mockingbird Continues: Analysis Before the Designing

On Thursday and Friday, Monday and Tuesday, we'll be designing solutions to the problems the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird face in a two-day design sprint.  We'll be working Little Bits into the options for solutions so we may create working prototypes at the next level.

Before we get there  . . .

You have two pieces of analysis you need to complete.

1.  FLIPGRID: Scene Analysis.

In class we took a look at the jailhouse scene in To Kill a Mockingbird and explored how the filmmakers used angles, framing, composition, costuming, production design and more to deliver important messages about equality, tolerance, innocence, fear, ignorance, strength, knowledge, and more.

Now you must go to this flipgrid, choose a still shot from the collection linked there (and shared with you on Google Drive) and complete a two to three minute analysis of your own.

You might want to find the film (it's available on Netflix and can be taken out from the MBC Library on DVD) and see the moving images.  You might find some more clips on the MovieClips YouTube channel.

Post it on your BLOG and then link to that blog post on the blog tracker.

2. To Kill a Mockingbird Foreshadowing REVISIT.

Shared with you on Google Drive is a new version of the foreshadowing and symbolism graphic organizer you used the other day.  The difference?  Now you've seen the whole film.  These are no longer predictions.

Determine the extent to which your predictions were successful.   What have you now noticed about these potential symbols?  What do they mean?

Senior Seminar: Navigating Values - Writing Assessment

For the past couple of weeks, we've been discussing values and morality. We've looked at episodes of Meat Eater, readings from I Am the Messenger, talked with our SRO Office Gilbert (a.k.a. Bridgette), represented our values in LEGO/beads/Jenga or other materials, explored MIT's Moral Machine and designed morality machines of our own using Little Bits and shared them on Flipgrid.

Now you are putting together all of those pieces and ideas together to write the following.

Navigating Values

Single Point Rubric

Choose any ONE of these THREE prompts/writing styles to demonstrate your writing skills.

EXPLAIN your PROCESS.  How do you make a moral decision?

or

TELL a STORY.  Tell about a time when you made a difficult moral decision.

or

MAKE a PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT.  Convince others they should make a particular moral decision.

Criteria	Evidence of Exceeding the Standard (clever, insightful, unique, powerful, creative, meaningful, professional)	What Meeting the Standard Looks Like	Evidence of Needs for Improvement (gaps, missing pieces or evidence, incomplete thoughts)
Details (WRITING)		I like how your writing is full of showing details by appealing to the five senses in your descriptions, adding specifics to your process, or adding detailed reasons to your points..  I like how you move beyond just listing what happened and get into describing how it happened, what it looked like, what it felt like.
Voice (WRITING)		I like how your personality comes through in your writing.   I like that your use of language and details helps your reader know this isn’t just anyone’s story: this is  your story.
Organization (WRITING)		I like how your writing  is well organized, with an introduction, a paragraphs to develop your ideas and a conclusion to leave your reader and audience thinking.  I like how the order of your piece makes sense and seems intentional.
CONCLUSION (WRITING)		I like how you include a conclusion at the end of your piece  that explains why your ideas matter -- either to you or to others. I like how you leave the reader with a big idea to think about.
MUGS (MUGS)		I like how any writing included is properly spelled and features proper word usage; I like how capitalization and end punctuation seems right on; there might be a minor error or one or two mistakes because of a complicated rule (comma usage, semicolons, etc.); the basics are there
Timeliness (HABITS of MIND)		I like how you turned it in within 24 hours of the agreed upon due date
Perseverance (HABITS of MIND)		I like how you created pre-writing evidence (sketchnote, storyboard) and more than one draft (working draft, submission draft) of your essay to show that you worked through the process.  I like that you took the feedback given and put it to use.

DRAFT DUE for ASSESSING on FRIDAY, MAY 12 by the End of Class

English 9: To Solve a Mockingbird: This Week

This week we've started our To Solve a Mockingbird unit, which involves a formal narrative writing assessment (a short memoir inspired by To Kill a Mockingbird) and a design challenge sprint.

Monday/Tuesday:  May 8/9

Symbolism/Foreshadowing in TKaM.
Watch TKaM.
Writing Workshop: 4th Narrative.
Read: Indie Book.

Wednesday/Thursday: May 10/11
Watch TKaM
Writing Workshop: 4th Narrative.
Read Indie Book

Friday/Monday: May 12/15
Watch TKaM: Identify problems emerging
4th Narrative: Submission Draft DUE
Read Indie Nook


BLOG: This week.
1. Symbolism/Foreshadowing in TkaM.  See Graphic Organizer
2. SCORE the BOOK.

This week's critical creativity challenge for your blog post relates to your independent reading book:  SCORE the BOOK.

Based on what you have read thus far in your book, compose an original instrumental score(no lyrics) to accompany the reading of your book using either a digital tool (Garage Band, Soundtrap, Wolfram, BeatsLab, etc.) or live instrumentation.  You may work with a musical friend to develop your score.  Your score should be at least three minutes in length to demonstrate your thinking extends beyond just a single moment in the book and reflect typical song length -- though film scores tend to be longer.

Seek inspiration from these playlists 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuovSEX8xEHcnuLO67zykCaYU_WnSy6Ia

and

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHA-54EZhpRXKR1L5zOoDPygZoUfiIfu6

After composing your score, post it on your blog along with an explanation that connects THREE moments from the text (use text evidence) to THREE moments in your score (use time stamps) to help your reader understand your intentions.

4TH NARRATIVE.  Due Friday, May 12th.
DESIGN CHALLENGE.  To Solve a Mockingbird. Due, Tuesday May 22nd.

AP Lit: Post-Test Design Challenge & This Week's Work

Here we go . . .

Your "To Do" List for the 4th Quarter

WRITING ASSESSMENTS

FRANKLINERS short story: 1st submission Due 5/16.  Final Due 5/31 so they can be compiled in an anthology before end of year.
SYNTHESIS 3 Revising
SYNTHESIS 4 Due on Day of Final 6/6

MEDIA ASSESSMENTS

DESIGN CHALLENGE Reflection & "Ship It" Date 6/2


BLOG POSTS
2x Per Week.  Design Challenge Process.  #ShowYourWork.  Keep track of everything.


For THIS WEEK . . .

We are defining the problem that is starting from this place: How might we address the "brain drain" problem of Franklin County?

On Monday we discussed the challenge of defining this problem, seeing this problem from different points of view, and establishing our user class.

We had to do some narrowing . . . 

On Wednesday, we will work to further define the problem and identify our users.  We will use a couple of design thinking strategies and protocols to help us with this work. Remember: design is messy and requires both a bias toward action and a recognition that we may need to shift or pivot our work in a different direction.  It can be tough to reconcile what may seem like divergent problems.

For Wednesday, some folks agreed to dive into the empathy work -- connecting with both folks who might be leaving the area AND with folks who live outside the area and may need to be convinced to return AND with folks who have not lived here before.  Wow.  I just identified a third user class.  I wonder . . how might we appeal to all three with one solution?

Other folks agreed to do some more focused research on brain drain in Franklin County.

And remember through it all, we need to be thinking about how we might employ literature and our knowledge of literature into whatever solution we pursue.

That's one of our key creative constraints.  Using literature to solve the problem. Still leaves us plenty of possibilities to explore.