Design thinking practice ... Mornings and Curation

Design thinking practice ... mornings and student agency

10th June, 2019

Extraordinary and ordinary mornings

Using the design thinking practice to reflect on mine and a friend’s morning routine was surprisingly powerful. I was blown away by the stark differences between my morning routine (as a parent of two teenagers), versus the morning routine of my single, teacher buddy Rhiannon. My routine is very dependent on how organised or disorganised as a family we are the night before, and the emotional status of my two children. An ideal work day morning needed all of the planets to balance - an early night for all with a touch of exercise /wellness which results in adequate sleep, being organised the night before - packing bags, preparing clothes and breakfast, and then my children fulfilling their promised responsibilities -taking the dog out. Typically, our work day mornings are rushed, noisy, chaotic and stressful (missing school uniforms, homework or shoes). Completing this design challenge, allowed my husband and I to reflect on our priorities (no electronics after 7, evening walks or swim), and to coordinate more in the evenings to ensure clothes, bags, and breakfast is organised.

I was gobsmacked interviewing my buddy Rhi about her incredibly productive morning. While we give ourselves from 40-60 minutes to get ready as a family of four, Rhi has a whopping 80+ minutes, and even fits in ironing, dish washing, and banking! I found the design process really valuable in helping us analyse and then identify different solutions to Rhi’s morning. For my second interview while digging deeper, Rhi reported that she hadn’t stopped thinking about her routine, and therefore she was able to provide a lot more insight. Taking a stand was challenging, as I was in awe of her routine, but by comparing my lack of energy to her abundance in the morning, it was clear to me that she needed to use this to incorporate exercise (which is lacking in her busy life). I will definitely be using the process with my students, and I am even thinking of trying it out with my husband to help us generate more wellness and spontaneity into our busy relationship.

Design Thinking – How might I foster more student agency and active learning in my middle school science classroom?

I am really excited to try the design process to help me incorporate more student agency and active learning in my classroom, and I also plan on using it with my students to help facilitate more student voice, creativity and innovation.