Writing about reflection

January 9, 2012

Discovering a Model for Learning

Carmen and I are working on the presentation for Interaction 12, and I’m getting pretty excited about the content we’re developing. I’ll be speaking for forty-five minutes in Dublin about a learning pattern we’ve observed during our 2.5 years designing and teaching a high school interaction design class.

In designing Project: Interaction, we started with research then developed a plan based on what we knew. We continuously altered that plan in response to the people and environment around us. We generated a path of learning as creators of an educational experience. At its most basic definition, that path can be described as

Setup -> (Action <-> Measure) -> Share

Taking action and measuring the result is a loop.

We’ve seen the same pattern of behavior when our students learn in class. If we describe the trajectory of our semester as a journey, it would be

Entry -> Exposure -> (Make -> Demonstrate -> Reflect) -> Show Off

The journey is a more detailed interpretation of our own basic process. This pattern also exists at the micro level, within each class or project itself.

We’re still putting the presentation together, and I’m really looking forward to hearing the community’s feedback on our ideas when we show it off in February. The model we’re proposing has great potential to influence the way we design human-to-human experiences, as mediated in a classroom by a teacher, or through the websites, apps and software we design.

More later, of course…

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June 24, 2011

(Mosquito) Tag! You’re It!

Today was a one-two punch of awesomeness. I’ve been awake since 3:45am eastern time and have traveled on a plane, on a train, and in an automobile to get to join this amazing group of people.

Meeting everyone this morning was different from what I expected – better, more pleasant than my expectations, and I’m pleased that the students are refreshingly positive and honest.

The few hours we spent in the car, and the subsequent hours lunching and touring around Madison were nice but there was a steady feeling of anticipation. Almost like we were dragging out the procession to our final destination to create a sort of compression and release cadence, just like the ones we have observed in Wright’s architecture here at Taliesin. At the time the waiting felt unnecessary. In retrospect it was the perfect complement to the structures we have experienced today.

The arrival to our new home at Aldebaran could have been smoother. Being temporarily locked out of the house (and dealing with the physical consequences of mosquitos and bodily functions!) was not ideal. I really admired the spirit from Daniel and the students. In the face of boredom they jumped right in and started making mosquito costumes.

I was most delighted by our encounters at meal time. Around 6pm we headed over to the school to look at the studio and join the students and faculty for dinner. We were standing in the studio at 6:30pm on the dot when all the students got up from their work and went to the cafeteria. Such amazing dedication! Such clarity in priorities! Work can wait here at Taliesin. It is more important to be a part of the community. And the dinner community was great. Everyone joyously shared conversation over a homemade wholesome meal. It was as if there is no world buzzing outside of life here. It feels totally secluded yet oddly current. (Honestly the seclusion makes it feel a little culty to me. It could easily verge on being creepy, but the warmth and generosity here gives it the cozy edge.)

We returned to the house for a game of hide-and-seek / tag centered around the theme of “mosquitos.” Alex and Audrey started as the patient zero bugs and proceeded to catch and infect all the rest of us. I was quite proud that I managed to climb up a tree for my hiding place. And even more proud that I made it down safely! The best part of the game was getting to run around together through the trees and hills. I’m sure I will feel the pain from the running tomorrow but for today it felt like a terrific dusky burst of life.

So far everything has been simultaneously just what I expected and also very different. I am feeling very lucky to be a part of this awesome group of people. I can’t wait until we really get into working tomorrow. I have a feeling the juices will be free flowing in this group.

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