Design Thinking in Pre Prep...How???

Let Parents be involved.

Let parents be involved!

In my very first blog, I wrote about relationships and their importance to our kids’ education. This week, I spent some time working with parents, developing relationships between home and school and I thought this was a good opportunity to expand on that blog, in particular, the Parent/Teacher relationship. 

Early in Term 1, the Junior School invited the parents into the classroom to introduce themselves and their classrooms. On this particular evening, the creative subjects set up a market stall to showcase what we do. As such, I set up a display of work and photos. The volume of parents I had lined up to talk with me was overwhelming and the encouragement and support I received from them planted a seed. It was clear that the parents wanted to know more about 'Design Thinking' and the learning dispositions being fostered within my subject. Many said it was often a topic of conversation that their kids initiated and, so naturally the parents wanted to find out what was sparking this enthusiasm. Thus, the ‘Parent Design Thinking Boot Camp’ was born! 

I saw this as an opportunity to share with our parents what their kids do, but also to get them on board to further support the relationship between class and home. It was important to me to try to install in my audience the same excitement that they had seen in their kids so the ‘talk and chalk’ method of instruction was not an option. I had to get these parents to not only understand Design Thinking but to experiencing exactly what their kids were doing in my classroom. So, I set up a quick design challenge for them.

I had 2 hours and I wanted it to be busy, fast paced. I wanted the parents to learn through participating. I wanted them creating, out of their comfort zone. I wanted them sharing collaborating and making. But most of all, I wanted them to be curious, experimenting, failing forward, being optimistic, empathetic and iterative. I wanted them to ‘low definition’ prototype, draw, share, scribble on whiteboards and play with materials the way their kids did. I wanted them to experience all this to not only value the process, but experience how their kids are engaged and learning throughout the process. I had set myself a large task.

Firstly, the parents were organised into small groups with people they didn’t know. The challenge was introduced to them and then I shared with them the Design Model we use. Then, they were presented with a provocation to work through using the Design Model. As they worked through the process, strategies for each step were added. Eventually, the group had designed and created a solution to the problem. The groups were then invited to share their creations. Even though their creations were quick prototypes, the thinking that had gone into them was inspiring. The presentations were a chance to have a laugh at their own creations but also explain the thinking behind them. I think the group surprised themselves with the creativity they had displayed! Overall it was an informative but fun night and one which was very rewarding for me personally.

In an earlier blog, I stated that, “Parents can be a challenge… but they can also be great allies, supporters, volunteers and sources of expertise”. This event has further reinforced my thinking. Since the Boot Camp, I have had parents donating materials for our Tinker Club and offering their expertise to assist in various fields. Parents are regularly emailing me asking if I need certain things, offering industrial waste materials from their business or telling me about something they saw or read that might assist in my classes. However, more importantly parents are having discussions with their kids about what they did in the session and what their kids are doing and working on.

Sure it took a little bit of effort to make this happen but the benefits have been well worth it. I’m now looking forward to other ways I can include or collaborate with parents and the community to provide better learning opportunities for our kids. I’m excited about the possibilities!