Assistant Teachers Develop with Design Thinking

This past week, JK–8th grade assistant teachers participated in a Design Thinking workshop with the ILIS team in the Kovler Family Library. Mary Catherine Coleman, Sarah Beebe and the assistant teachers talked about TIDES (Technology, Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship for Society) and the progressive education tie-ins, including experiential learning, student empowerment and the maker movement, student voice, collaboration skills and more.

The teachers dove right into the process by engaging in a design thinking project similar to those students do in the ILIS program. Assistant teachers focused on the story “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” by Jerry Pinkney. They mapped out the story and thought about the problems facing the characters. Next, they ideated solutions and built prototypes in our makerspace, the TIDES Garage. The teachers created solutions like a helicopter to take the goats over the bridge, a food cart for the troll, a tram system for the goats to pass, a home for the troll that is not under the bridge and a tollway/food system for the trolls and goats to participate in. It was a fun day filled with wild creativity and laughter. A big thank you to all of our assistant teachers!