Challenge Extended

Last fall I visited many high schools while co-creating Project: Interaction, an after school program that teaches high school students to use design to change their communities. While there, I observed a need to encourage teachers to be more creative in their classes.

Many teachers are already overwhelmed by strict guidelines, schedules and paperwork, and my thesis investigation asks the question, “How can teachers incorporate new ideas and creative methods into their daily classroom activities?”

Go Forth; Conquer!

In my research I wanted to understand what motivates teachers. I visited schools to observe math, science, English and art classes and interviewed teachers about how they plan lessons and from where they discover inspiration. As part of my process I conducted an experience prototype to discover the ways that knowledge and ideas are transferred and maintained within social networks.

I learned a great deal about my potential users, both inside and outside of the classroom. The most impactful research I did was as a participant observer. For ten weeks I taught an after school program to high school students, learning first-hand about the challenges and successes teachers have each day.

End of Semester Resting Point

After concluding my research I created a set of models to explain the system within which teachers work each day, and from those models I found opportunities where my service might disrupt and improve their routines.

This semester I will continue my thesis development by designing a service that encourages teachers to think more creatively about their lessons. Taking inspiration from “Hunch,” my service will act as a personalized, conveniently delivered toolkit of ideas that will evolve over time as a teacher contributes his or her experiences and knowledge to the system.

I will design across multiple channels of engagement, including offline experiences, MMS, email, Twitter, and the web. With many points of access, teachers will be more likely to participate in a community of innovative educators.

I’ve collected all my research documentation and brain dumpings on my Thesis Blog.