2016-07-08 E.School
Design Challenge: How might we co-design an empathic culture in our school?
Human-centered design is a process that has been used for decades to create better products, services, experiences, cultures and organizations that keep people’s needs at the core.
You’re invited to learn about and apply human-centered design in this workshop. Using the process and tools developed by IDEO and the Stanford d.school, this workshop will introduce you to human-centered design and help you generate, prototype and test your ideas quickly. We will apply this process to address a practical problem and project.
Empathic Co-Design Workshop
Signup Page: To take part add your name to this list.
Date: July 08,
Time: 9am PST/12:30pm EST (3.5 hours)
Co-Designing our School Empathic Culture Workshop
Participants
Helen Grace King hgking@clintonschool.uasys.edu
Alison Fornes apfornes@gmail.com
Gray Switalski gray.switalski@gmail.com
Vicenç Rullan vrullan@gmail.com
Jonathan Leighton jonathanleighton1@gmail.com
Gray Switalski
I can't say how much I enjoyed participating in the "Designing an Empathic School" workshop.
I like ...being able to bounce ideas and collaborate with so many people from all over the world. It's truly an amazing and beautiful experience to have people from all different backgrounds coming together to work toward a common goal. The variety of viewpoints gives the project greater depth and opens worlds of possibilities.
I wish... to see the project continue to thrive and putting many of our ideas into practice (actual surveys of students or faculty, etc).
What if...the project can grow into a full, functioning, non-profit design project with solid concepts/ideas and implementation plans that can be brought to schools/school districts across the world. Perhaps as we move toward a more actualized org with a full development plan an easy way to begin this would be to pursue partnerships with singles schools or even tutoring organizations, community colleges, group homes, etc?
Edwin, thank you so, so much for being a driving force behind this! I am so stoked to be a part of this group and am looking forward to helping out and contributing in any way I can!
Vicenç Rullan
Feedback: I am glad I had a chance to participate in the workshop. I felt in great company and learned the basics of design thinking, with a fast-paced hands-on workshop. Before the workshop, I knew next to nothing about Empathic Design. Now, this practical introduction has put me in a position to enjoy further readings and experiences on Empathic Design. I do recommend this workshop. Vicenç
Jonathan Leighton
Feedback:
I very much liked the hands-on approach to becoming familiar with the design process, and the ability to interact with others online. I also liked hearing about the experience of others in promoting empathy.
I would wish to see a quick overview of a second round of iteration to get a better feeling of what the honing looks like in practice. And also a summarized overview of the concrete steps in the design process (not just the names of the stages, but what we did at each stage).
What if this turned into a concrete project with deadlines, deliverables, and a plan to make it widely available
Other Comments:
This is a list of links I put together on teaching compassion and empathy:
And this is a working document I put together - "Compassionate educationprogram and toolkit – notes and ideas” - that I am happy to share with you and others:
I would be interested to be directly involved in any project that emerges!
Also: here is a brief description of the new think-and-do tank I started as an association, that will form a kind of umbrella for compassion-related projects:
Jonathan
Alison Fornes
Feedback
I like...
I loved the opportunity to experience an iteration of empathic design using the virtual tools you set up, and around a topic that is so aligned with my own work. I found the specific outcome of designing survey questions to ask empathy educators quite valuable, as growing the evidence base for the impact of empathic intelligence will benefit all our work.
I wish...
The practice was exhaustive - and exhausting for me. Perhaps it's just my introverted ways, but I am curious about ways the design approach might be tweaked to be more energy giving.
What if...
In many ways, Edwin, your work embodies my what if. I am excited by the idea of there being a multimedia tools/best practices library.
Helen Grace King
I like...
how educators across the continent were able to come together for 3 hours via modern age society of technology to discuss the role of empathy in education, specific techniques, and suggestions to collaborate to infuse empathy into the school culture.
I wish...
This was a topic we could discuss all the time with educators, policy makers, and youth. I wish I would have been able to take an Empathy Class in school. I wish the world were more empathic. I wish this were no longer a wish, but a reality.
What if...
we could create a toolkit to provide schools around the world with resources, activities, stories to build a more empathic culture.
What would this toolkit look like?
How do we get policy makers on board?
What would the resulting world look like?
My guess, a more compassionate society where we first think, perceive, share, then act.
I like...
that we were able to launch the first workshop and prototype in this series. It felt like it worked well and that we can keep refining it. Also that we were starting to roll the small snowball that can keep building and building..
I Wish....
we could better capture the interviews, ideas, and prototypes that were generated.
What if...
we keep meeting and holding these workshops and get more people involved?
Also, what if we develop a Empathic School Culture Tool kit?
Page 4: (Public View)
Interviews - pending
Helen Grace King
Alison Fornes
Gray Switalsk
Vicenç Rullan
Jonathan Leighton
Themes
Buy-in?
Problem: Stakeholders question the validity of empathy
wondering how to get buy in.?
how to get buy in? things are going fast.
having many stakeholders invested in empathy
How might we get buy-in from all the stakeholders in building a empathic school culture?
Explain benefits and past experiences
talk with all the stake holders
Listening to voices
Problem: Stake holders such as teachers and students do not feel heard
We all have our stories
Teachers
Teachers need to feel heard by administrators. We cannot effectively teach what we do not preach
extend empathy to teachers/admin - allow teachers to have voice with admin
Students
what is importance of the student voice?
Useful to have short , structured empathy circles to feel heard
Students notice when we are serious about giving them a real voice
Differences are ok. We are all flawed
powerful to see we are all human.
How might we hear all voices in building a school empathic culture?
Focus groups with students. With activities and games
create a space for empathy
Low Empathy Problems
Problems from lack of empathy?
there are many problems generated in a school when there is low empathy
How might we identify the problems created by a lack of empathy in a school culture?
Empathy Technique
approaches to activate empathy
new experiences outside of comfort zone
use enthusiasm
Project-based learning
Active listening
Inter group Dialogue. Active listening, facilitation
active listening. students are not used to being listened to
How can administration better listen to students' needs and provide them with support and guidance?
Empathy Circle
used approach of circles of dialog.
circles of dialogue - ask and listen to questions that are relevant to them
Empathy Buddies
Empathy Buddies, create opportunities
empathy buddies who are there to guide you through the whole workshop.
Students Facilitate Parents in Empathic Listening
Students learn how to do empathy circles, etc and then take it home and host an empathy circle with their family. Have seen where this gives students a real scene of involvement and pride.
Got greatest empathy teaching facilitation.
A lot of active listening. Parents could also see younger people differently.
modeling empathy
Students will model teachers' empathetic behavior
Role Plays
get people identify with people hurt us
defend someone that hurt you.
Constellation Role Play
Project Based Learning
Design/Project Based Learning
Designing experiential activities to what they are exploring= opportunity to think about others, the world, the environment
Animals
Practices: Introduce young people to new experiences - to Nature
Animals interaction programs
How to reduce animal suffering: Animal Interaction experiences
issue of animal suffering. how do we introduce that?
Personal connection with animals--> responsibility, autonomy, become part of something.
interaction with animals= spark, care
leads to more questions of what can we do next to prevent suffering
Implementation
failure to implement: "something else came up"
Need to carefully plan interventions because other things become more urgent
empathic culture: invest time into planning implementation
empathic culture: talk to the stakeholders - LISTEN to them
Intentional teaching of empathy
talk with all the stake holders
Empathy Experience in school
Administration should develop relationships with teachers/staff
How can administration better listen to students' needs and provide them with support and guidance?
You would set aside time to allow empathic connection.
Allow Time
how do we extend empathy to the teachers?
frustration: people learn the process but don't follow up and incorporate it in their lives
Workshops with 2 angels to support you - like "empathy buddies"
Invest more time in planning implementation. Importance of talking with other stakeholders
how do we all together work on this. teachers, parents, students, administrators
Support with research -Evidence based
Definitions of Empathy
At the beginning of knowing
Relational Empathy vs Individualistic
Empathy is non-local
Empathy is paying attention to information flowing in the system. Being open to what is emerging
Empathic Sustainability
Problem: Many programs die out over time and the new habits are not maintained.
One participant has experienced that a program or process gets set up in a school or with individuals but then disappear over time.
How might we foster sustained empathy over time in the School Culture?
When were you empathically Felt seen:
Hard to think of a time when this was the case.
What interrupts empathy?
time: when and how to intervene. If not planned, won't be implemented
Time.
More stress=more ideas? or does it shut down ideas
what's in the way: very personal to the individual
Not being seen= wish they had empathy ciricles
When we are stressed, empathy goes down.
Not being self-involved. Being outwardly-oriented
TIme? Yes, time is used to stress you. Their theory - more stress = release of ideas.
In that stressful environment: empathy circles - time for active listening
A design workshop for educators: very stressful. I didn't feel seen. Lots of new info - stress.
not sure - does the time stress suppress or release the idea?
when you felt most seen: a peak experience! Yet I have lots of "not being seen" experiences
Finding time to work in application
How might we ..
Why? Why is a empathy important?
empathic discipline: identify the why, identify the tools to implement
Empathy is more than just about human to human interaction but for the planet
Becoming better persons
Benefits of teaching empathy. Why?
humanistic point of view
Create students to do good
success - change in perspective
Empathy= valuable skill of 21st century
human trait
Create more ideas via empathy circles. Dig Deep.
I believe it will work
raises oxytocin
Empathy is something you always need to take with you
Acceptance of others
students were excited and had fun. they want to partner with me to bring this to the school
empathy and compassion is a 21st century skill.
I feel empathy is useful, but not all people do.
The main need: (1) Creating better humans. People who want to good in the world.
Empathy= better student, better citizen
Active listening + reflection "I've never felt so creative, so deeply heard."
Recognition, Profound experience
We all deserve compassion
teaching empathy=better humans
The main need (2): empathy and compassion cannot be delegated. Human skill.
Students learn better if they are empathic
marketable skill.
Relationships
First time they felt heard, see as leaders
Personal connection with animals--> responsibility, autonomy, become part of something.
teachers don't feel heard by administrators
Students notice when we are serious about giving them a real voice
Empathy circles= share feelings in moment= feeling heard
teachers don't feel heard by administrators
people feel good with the empathy buddies - two people, for example, support your intro to the group
how do we extend empathy to the teachers?
Teachers need to be heard
Not being self-involved. Being outwardly-oriented
Students will model teachers' empathetic behavior
administrators model empathy
empathy buddies who are there to guide you through the whole workshop.
Administration should develop relationships with teachers/staff
How Might We...
How Might We... collect and create the most effective tools possible for transforming a school's culture to be empathic? *****
How Might We... establish greater buy-in from stakeholders for transforming a school empathic culture?
How Might We... articulate a shared vision for an empathic school culture?
How might we address the challenges to empathic culture?
How Might We... repair the interruptions to empathy?
How Might We... establish more effective communication in schools in order to better serve students?
How Might We...create opportunities to implement sustainable empathy teachings, practices, & actions into school culture?
How Might We... sustain an empathic culture overtime?
How Might We...cultivate relationships that promote sustainable empathy?
Final HMW.
How Might We... collect and create the most effective tools possible for transforming a school's culture to be empathic? *****
Exposure to animals as "persons"
Collate existing resources
Ethics
how to teach age appropriate eithics
Self-compassion training for teachers
Meditation and self-compassion for students
Perspective-taking exercises
create categories of resources
personal practice empathy circles. hows your personal practice going?
developmental differences in perspective taking
Increase communication
Provide training from area experts (i.e.mindfulness, wilderness, etc)
Get out of the classroom! and the boardroom - experiencing new things together can help create bonds and get creativity flowing
Conferences were teachers/trainers/admin can collab
Teambuilding
Increase in responsibilities for students through self care
Increase hands-on experiences
experts give talks
art of hosting pracitces
Help professionals access their own wisdom
Strategic Questioning (Fran Peavey), Emergent Processes for creating new tools
Inclusion of I&C courses and participation
Offer professional development courses and workshops
Setting aside time for informal discussion and brainstorming
create an ongoing design series on the theme of building a tool kit
create a web toolkit of ideas.
create some prototype school projects
gather best practices into a website.
do constellation exerciess of the tool kit.
hold teachers support circles. empathy and imaginative empathy
Communicate with researchers
Share knowledge
Define the tools and teachings
Share the tools
Make it colorful
Make it fun and engaging
Workshops
Activities
Focus on empathy skills: Self-Awareness, active listening, perspective-taking, mindfulness, teamwork,
restorative practice
positive empathy stories sharing
Practice Empathy via project based learning, service learning projects and human-center design
Create safe and welcome environment via...
Breakdown barriers to empathy
Overcoming hesitance to share knowledge: create space where people connect with the power of empathy - "when was a time you felt most heard"
Creative Writing- to talk about emotions and safe place
Having freely available materials
Working on teams (active listening, empathy buddies, ...) for materials' design and adaptation
Collaboration between schools
Using evidence-based materials
Visits to other schools
Having fairs to present materials, as well as testimonials
Relate materials to their impact on learning
fear of wasting time
Non-denominational and mainstream slant. Grade the materials acceptability
Experiential training and experiential materials
people specializes one theme
Finding accessible and authentic language to create the tools
Ashoka network of changemaking schools - Who's doing what / grade level
create this design project series, bring in StartEmpathy.org etc.
What is the assessment piece?
Interview Experts
Document practices
evidence
Model process with stakeholders
Interview stakeholders
Personal practice leads to greater empathy
Evidence of how empathy creates joy - transformation - meaning, etc.
Find practices that bring empathy into content areas - interdisciplinary empathy
To develop this series into a toolkit; connect what we're doing with StartEmpathy and others
Multimedia presentation: Documents, video of practices, interviews / testimonials
Introduce tools in ways that address concerns/fears
PROTOTYPING
Do Research
research project to find tools and structure the how
research: collect ideas
sort ideas by effectiveness
do interviews on effective methods
create an organization, conferences, publish research
do a survey of practitioners of effective methods
how ambition
Design a Survey:
What questions do we ask about effective practices?
Walk me through a successful day using your concept to teach empathy?
Perspective taking: to a student - describe an experience of taking another perspective
What practices bring more happiness to your school?
use our design questions.
How do you measure effectiveness?
What were the biggest obstacles and what worked to overcome them?
What led to school buy-in?
What 3 things you learned about teaching empathy practices?
Name
Play empathy games
Edwin
1. active listening
2. role playing
Name
"How can we make them live it?" -> role playing, = RAFT. Role, Agenda, Format, Topic. Bring board. They choose from each column. To capture voice of character from book= a deeper look into the situation.
Name
1. Need to include empathy in content areas
Constellation, interdisciplinary empathy, uncovering hidden or misunderstood motivators
Name
1. inquiry education
2. student as co-creator of knowledge
3. connection to nature as a way to highlight interconnect. of all
Check List Instructions for Participants
1. Use good computer equipment:
Try to use Google Chrome, it works best for Google Hangouts and MURAL
Use as large a screen and as powerful a computer as you can! (and the fastest Internet you can find). Cell phones do not work.
Use a mouse. (especially with Mural). Scratch pads are hard to use in MURAL.
iPad may not work; best to use a regular computer.
Use earbuds to avoid audio feedback.
try not to use WiFi but rather a direct connection for better and more reliable internet performance.
Agree to stay for the full workshop. We work as a team and having participants leave mid workshop disrupts the flow.
2. We use Google Hangouts On Air for Video Conferencing.
4. Before the Workshop - Create an account on Mural.ly
We will use the Mural platform for some of our design activities,.
We need participants emails, we will invite you to join Mural.
Participants will receive an invitation to a Mural room.
Before the workshop on the Mural page 1, create a introduction about yourself.
Play with the software to get familiar with it.
Presentation Notes:
===========================================
July 08, Empathic Co-Design Workshop
How might we design an empathic culture in our school?
Start Recording
Personal Introductions in MURAL
About Human Centered Design (5 min)
Anyone Familiar with HCD?
Design process is used by Global Design community
Called human-centered design, empathic design or design thinking.
Quickly Growing in Popularity
Lead is IDEO, in Silicon Valley
Popular in universities
Design For America - Social good
U.C Berkeley - Minor
Silicon Valley Startups, SF Design Week
Big Corporations building cultures around it.
Apple
Google
Ford.
Also Social Entrepreneurs and Non Profits - IDEO.org,(DesignKit.org Resources)
A Tool for Social Activists: Merge design process with empathy, nonviolence, peace, creativity, innovation.
Mural: Review of Design Process
Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test.
We will do a minimal iteration in 3 hr. We have a;
8 hr workshop version
7 week workshop version
Emotional Preparation
This will be very fasted paced,
You may feel overwhelmed, frustrated from;
The fast pace
Leaning new programs like Hangouts, Mural, etc.
Dealing with technical problems with computer, audio, Hangouts, Mural,
Leaning a new design process
but that's ok.
There's a learning curve on the technology and it's a great tool set to learn and most people gain a lot from learning it.
Questions?
Outline
1. Empathy - Interviews (45 min)
Sample Questions (2 min)
Do interviews (5 min pp)
2. Define (15 min)
Sort and Cluster Interviews (10 min)
Find themes and Insights
Craft How might we statements (5 min)
Select HMW - Vote
3. Ideate (20 minutes)
Brainstorming
Cluster (5 min)
Select (1 min)
4. Prototype (20 minutes)
5. Test (20 minutes)
6. Feedback (15 Min) 5 min write - 5 min share
7. Iterate - Plan to do it again.