Cameras, Kids & Hybrid Thinking

When I decided to experiment with connecting young students to nature via photography I was following a gut instinct that predicted combining their intrinsic interests in the outdoors and technology would result in sure-fire learning situation. While still early in the experiment, my initial hypothesis is looking good. Therefore, I was especially interested to read about the experiences of David FitsSimmons a freelance writer, nature photographer and a professor at Ashland University who helps children and young people learn about digital nature photography. A summary of his ideas follow and are based on a recent article about his work in the Children & Nature Network newsletter;  http://bit.ly/RSfGos

1)      Cameras Encourage Experiences in Nature

·        Children taking cameras into nature catalyzes visual creativity

·        As they find fascinating objects to photograph-they want to return to the site again and again

2)      Focus on Nature

·        View finder focuses attention on a small area allowing examination of details rarely observed when playing or walking in natural environments

·        Children physically move into small spaces to better frame their pictures seeing well known areas from a new viewpoint

3)      Hybrid Experiences

·        Children develop “hybrid thinking” ( Richard Louv) : technology & nature a fusion of two intelligences.

4)      Memorializing Moments

·        Photos are visual records of experiences in nature

·        Children can reflect upon their experiences from outdoors inside -and creatively use them as the starting point for writing, artwork, music, dramatics, science research

5)      Click-n-Share

·        Social sharing of photos with others via prints, email or other on-line tools spreads an enthusiasm for the natural world peer-to-peer

·        Sharing enthusiastically can lead to a conservationist mind-set

Most of FitzSimmons' points I had experienced myself when working with K-6 students. However, the concept of ‘hybrid thinking’ was new to me. Louv's use of the term is largely in reference to the act of combining children's love of technology and the outdoors as a way to heighten connection to the natural world. Interestingly, it is also a term that can be traced back to an IT research and develop company called Gartner, Inc. Founded in 1979, it is now a public company whose R&D work is widely used by government agencies, large corporations and  technology industries. (For more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gartner )

Hybrid thinking in the Gartner context is a refinement of design thinking that it involves an integration of three concepts for solving problems that are culturally entrenched, also referred to as 'wicked problems'. To quote from Gartner materials- these are problems that are “ambiguous, contradictory and incredibly complex”…They are not conventionally possible to solve because the “interests are so divers and divisive, interdependencies are so complex and so little understood, behaviors are so dynamic and unpredictable”

The Gartner model suggests that hybrid thinking is one way to approach ‘wicked problems’. In essence, this process three points of focus with the first one being key to the process.

·        Solutions must be culturally meaningful or they will not be sustained by users and to be culturally meaningful they must have a strong emotional appeal

·        Solutions must be technologically possible

·        Solutions must be economically sustainable

For more information on Hybrid Thinking: http://bit.ly/RiR1HZ

Richard Louv's point is that the use of photography by children to capture natural subjects encourages hybrid thinking of a different  sort - the ability to synthesize the technical and natural world on behalf of connectedness to nature. Initially, Louv's idea would seem to have little to do with Gartner's model and for my young students, this may well be the case. But if the ultimate result of the efforts we are making with our young nature photographers is to lay the foundation for a lifelong connection to the natural world, then as adults they may well find themselves seeking solutions to 'wicked' environmental problems via a design thinking process that is quite like the one Gartner proposes. In both instances, hybrid thinking could be envisioned as an important aid in solving some of the difficult environmental problems of today and the future.

Design for Change

Design Thinking peppers the blogs and educational journals these days as more and more people become aware of the programs flowing from University Schools of Design into the broader educational arena. Standford, notably, has been generous in providing "how to help" for teachers interesting in the process, but unable to attend their Palo Alto based workshops. http://dschool.stanford.edu/dgift/

For the most part, teachers have intended to interpret the process as a means to creating a product that generally has a technology problem as the base: develop an inexpensive way to measure air quality; build a solar robot to carry X pounds of materials, Y distance; create an animated book on a self-elected topic; design a museum display to explain hominid evolution, etc. The possibilities are only limited by the imagination.

However, it is possible to consider Design Thinking in a larger context where it can be defined as the thinking that can make 'things'(life) better.  When one goes down this avenue than the 'products' open to include issues of social, ethical and esthetic consideration as well. From my first encounters with the Design Thinking, it has been the deeper changes it can impart to conventional learning as much as the excitement of the Maker World that has captured my attention. Therefore, I was delighted to recently hear a discussion of this very topic on a recent podcast that featured Kiran Bir Sethi  http://audio.edtechlive.com/foe/kiranbirsethi.mp3

Kiran, started her professional career as a Designer in a traditional sense having graduated from one of the leading Design Schools in India. Influenced from a young age by the work of Gandhi, she became an educational advocate and ultimate director/founder of The Riverside School in Ahmadabad, India. A decade old, Riverside is an N-12 school which focuses on using design thinking on behalf of civic engagement via student agency.  Her ideas were recently shared on a TED presentation entitled: Teaching Kids to Take Charge http://blog.ted.com/2010/01/12/teachiing_kids/. A summary of her definition of the process of Design Think as presented on-line is below.  The information in (  ) are my additions and drawn from a more conventional rendering of the process of Design Thinking.





FEEL THE CHANGE (Empathy)
What would you most like to create or change in your community?
An idea that could touch or affect the lives of many
An idea that YOU can make happen 
IMAGINE THE CHANGE (Define & Ideate)
Talk together about how you can create this change
Get others in your community involved
Plan how and when you will make this Act of Change happen 
DO THE CHANGE (Prototype & Test)
Gather the resources that you will need
Go out and make it happen
Record what you do, the impact you have and how it makes you feel 
These last two stages, I believe, are important additions.
SHARE THE CHANGE
Celebrate your Act of Change with your community
Document YOUR STORY and how you have shared it
Upload your project and documentation to us at Design for Change 
SUSTAIN THE CHANGE –
Reflect back on your Act of Change and what worked well
Do you feel the story has only just begun?
NOW what are you going to do next?!


 
Kiran also offers specific suggestions for those mentoring the design process with their students:

▪                ASK - DON'T TELL! 

▪                Create an environment where children can 'create' playfully and chaotically

▪                Some people need to sit quietly to use their imaginations, some need to be physical, noisy, energetic   and just a little bit crazy! How can everyone get what they need?

▪                Listen silently and deeply.

▪                Enthuse about ALL ideas however ambitious or whacky! 

▪                All ideas are good because they are part of the creative process.

▪                Unworkable ideas will evaporate of their own accord.

▪                Imagination is quickly silenced if people are worried about getting things "right".    

The Riverside school students have approached a wide range of Civic projects working from within a design thinking format. Most notably, their advocacy was responsible for their city agreeing to close a main street one Sunday a month in order to provide play-time and space for children many of whom never have play opportunities. In her model, one can see the roots of student projects that originate from students' sense of empowerment related to improving the world.