To Design A Successful Education, Start at Winter Break Design thinking is a burgeoning field and phrase that piques the curiosity of many industrious individuals. Across disciplines, design thinking has mapped the way for increased satisfaction in life, career, and now education. So, a combination of reflection and neuroscience intersect here. As we find ourselves in the Winter season, it is worth thinking about designing a more successful life and how starting at Winter break can begin that path in education. What is Design Thinking? The Harvard University School of Education denotes Design Thinking as “In practice, … a structured framework for identifying challenges, gathering information, generating potential solutions, refining ideas, and testing solutions.” Tenets of this process include intentionally failing and repeatedly trying new things until something sticks. A standard summary of the process looks like these five steps done over and over until a solution: Empathize. Think about yourself, your community, your audience. Is there a challenge that comes to mind? Define. After considering those that the challenge affects, think about why this problem exists and define that challenge clearly. Ideate. Brainstorm different ways you can address the challenge. Intentionally list assumptions of the challenge and attempt to defy them. List out bad ideas too! And impossible ones Prototype. Come up with solutions you’d want to test. Then, narrow down what is feasible Test. Test your solutions! See what works, what’s helpful, what’s not, and then try again! As you can see, the process reflects thoughtfulness and emphasizes trial and error. What does Design thinking have to do with happiness? In 2018, Yale University was one early academic institution that brought the concept of design thinking to the forefront of education. In a class entitled “Psyc 157: Psychology and the Good Life,” psychologist Laurie Santos taught students how to regulate their daily lives and include moments of gratitude and self-care. As a part of the course, tenets of Design Thinking were encouraged, such as empathizing with yourself when you are experiencing new activities— actively asking, “Is this bringing me joy?” Another positive mindset that derives from Design Thinking is the concept of relating who you are, what you believe, and what you do. If you get stuck answering these questions, use the Design Thinking method! Santos has since renamed her class “The Science of Well-Being,” and some 3 million individuals are now taking the course online. How do I use Design Thinking during my winter break? So, when it comes to implementing Design Thinking into your life and particularly your academic career, it’s important to remember what you care about. First, take time this winter break to consider empathy for yourself, whether as a student or parent. Then think of challenges you’ve faced in these roles of your life. What’s not working? What feels hard? Next, come up with some solutions that may be impossible to happen: daydream about that vacation, take your favorite class on baking, and get perfect grades without studying so hard… Then consider, “what might be some possible solutions to these challenges that nurture me and are feasible?” For example, does it make sense to do fewer activities to have more energy on the subjects you love? Does getting organized in school and with all the calendars prove helpful to make sure you have time to study when it counts and relax when you can? Lastly, make sure to test out some of these ideas! Organize your calendar! Read a little more on that subject that’s been challenging! Talk to your teachers and see how you can optimize your studying for that ONE challenging class. Remember, Design Thinking is all about trying things out until you find something that works. This is the perfect time to strategize for the upcoming year during winter break! To design a successful education, start at winter break!
As your children get older, schoolwork becomes more demanding. We encourage parents to anticipate winter break assignments and prepare for them. But have no fear. Here are a few tools that parents and students can utilize to make winter break productive, yet restful. Required Reading If you little one has to read a book over break, ask the teacher for the required titles in advance. Make sure to visit the library to check out the book in advance, or to purchase the book ahead of time. This guarantees that holiday shipping delays or library holds will not waste valuable reading time. Next, divide the reading into equal sections that correspond to the number of days remaining until it’s due. So, if your child’s break is 9 days and they have to read a 330 page book, they need to read about 37 pages per day to stay on pace. Set aside a regular time each day to get the reading done. Ask your child to describe what they’ve read. This will help solidify the material and serve as a quick accountability exercise. Last, have your child write annotations and notes as he or she reads. With all the fun and activity of winter break, sometimes it is hard to retain new information. Having a few notes and big ideas jotted down can make all of the difference. Essays First, review the essay prompt with your child. Ensure that they select a good topic that will satisfy the rubric. Once your child has a topic, divide the winter break holiday into three parts: outlining, drafting, revision. The outlining and drafting require more time to complete. It may be worthwhile, then, to allot more days to these first two steps than the third. Next, begin the outline phase. When outlining, have your child collect all of their sources in advance. Prioritize finding supporting details and citations, and organizing ideas. Third, only after the outline is fully completed, begin drafting. Check in often with your child about their progress. Ideally, the draft is structured logically and mirrors the outline. Then, ask to read your child’s draft. Proofread for grammar and content. Make sure they understand the strengths of their essay as well as areas for growth. Have them spend a bit of time addressing these constructive criticisms and then reread a final time. Projects Similar to the required reading and the essay, we highly suggest that you help your child divide the workload over a few days. Make sure your student completes the research on their project’s subject before buying crafting materials. Second, require your child to pre-plan their presentation. Are they satisfying all areas of the prompt? Will they be able to realize their vision of the project with the time and resources available to them? They should adhere to their teacher’s requirements as closely as possible. Begin building the project only after your pupil has demonstrated knowledge of the project and a plan for execution. This helps guarantee time efficiency and reduces the amount spent on materials. Summary Taking advantage of working in increments helps reduce the stress of winter assignments. Parents can drastically improve their children’s productivity by focusing on efficient efforts, and also enjoy some holiday relaxation. Enjoy!
