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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TEACHERS DESIGN WAYS TO BRING JOY BACK TO TEACHING
Educators gather to create solutions to some of their biggest frustrations.
(Phoenix, AZ) - Human Centered Design is used to create new technologies, develop next-generation business thinking, and bring clean drinking water to Sub-Saharan Africa. Thanks to the Maricopa County School Superintendent, it is now being used to increase joyful teaching experiences for teachers.
For many, teaching isn’t as fun today as it was 20 years ago. Pressures from teacher evaluations, testing requirements, and restricted curriculum contribute to teachers feeling unsupported and burnt out. There are many things teachers can’t control about their environment, but there are plenty of things they can. Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson wants to help teachers identify those things and remove the barriers.
“I ran for County School Superintendent to bring joy back to education. For the past 10 months I have heard recurring themes from teachers about respect, support, and being heard. My team and I are working hard to develop opportunities where the teacher voice will be elevated and where they can contribute to improving the education system in Maricopa County,” commented Steve Watson.
Last Saturday, Superintendent Watson hosted Design Day, a full-day experience where teachers gathered to identify the things in their control that get in the way of a joyful teaching experience. Using the Design Thinking methodology, the teachers designed five “micro shifts” to deal with things that frustrate them. Designs ranged from creating an online collaborative portal for the sharing of anecdotal student progress data to identifying "relationship channels” that will improve communication with administrators.
Design Day facilitator Natasha Camp stated, "The most important aspect of Design Day is to help participants understand what is in their control to change. Once they identify the root causes, designing solutions is relatively easy. It’s getting to the root of the issue that is the hard work.
”The full-day experience included strategies such as developing mindsets of Human-Centered-Design, using Lego blocks to build models of current realities and possible solutions, and practicing the “one-minute pitch” to get colleagues on board with implementing designs.
A 13-year-veteran teacher from north Phoenix stated, “It was a great day coming together with my colleagues to focus on solutions. We love our students, but we don’t always love our jobs. I feel more hopeful after today!"
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For more information, contact Laurie King at 602-689-0581
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