Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution
One educator's journey using Design Thinking principles in Haiti
I love my day job. Being a teacher, for me, is in my DNA. I’ve always been solution oriented, trying to fix things in my classroom and my district to make things better for the students I have the privilege to serve. In recent years, the problem I have fallen in love with is the current state of Haitian Schools. I travel there 2–3 times each year, but am involved with the work on a daily basis.
One small piece of that work is redirecting the negative narrative about Haiti. How it’s super poor, dangerous and corrupt. Some of that is true, but my work with the Haitian Schools has shown time and time again that they are resilient, innovative and gritty people. I have seen examples of that at coastal resorts, on the streets of Port-au-Prince and in talking with Haitian entrepreneurs and companies like SûrTab. Haitians take pride in their work, empathize with their brothers and sisters and care for their environment. Their examples fuel my passion for this work.
Recently, the White Bear Lake Area Schools Innovation Team has been exploring a process that has led to the most engaging professional development I have experienced in years. Design Thinking is engaging because it provides a framework for solving problems of any size or complexity. It is non-discipline specific and it helps students identify the heart of an issue through empathy building with users.
One idea in this process is about not jumping to solutions. In fact, you look for ways to poke holes in your solution. It is the idea that if you really want to find the most innovative and best solution to a problem, you have to get to know and love all aspects of the problem itself. If you get too close to a solution, it can blind you to better alternatives. It’s the old adage: it’s about the process, not the product; the journey vs. the destination.
We are using Design Thinking across our district in several ways already: a student Innovation Team working on real problems in their school; a major new district-level innovation and crowdsourced idea generator call The Big Sleuth; and in the creation and deployment of makeries, mobile makerspaces with power tools, cameras and more for classrooms to use.
Eddy was a young man that I met in Cité Soleil, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince. He speaks amazing English, Spanish and French. He said that his grandmother was putting him through school, but had become ill, and so he was supporting her now. He desperately wanted to return to school and the look in his eyes highlighted the grit he had to make it happen. It is that kind of ambition and determination that draws me back to Haiti. The teacher in me is compelled to help make sure other students like Eddy can go to school. So when I discovered a former colleague was running an amazing, local organization, Kozefo that works in strong partnership with ANAC School in Port-au-Prince, I jumped on board.
Haitians are sometimes hesitant to partner with outsiders, having been burned many times by people who have “come to help.” These do-gooders drop a load of used supplies that “[Haitians] needed” and leave feeling good about themselves without input from the receivers on what their needs really are and how to best use supplies left behind. A Design Thinking perspective starts with empathy. Following that process, they could have gotten to know those they were trying to help and understand their needs as opposed to simply jumping directly into one solution. Haitians, however, are open to partners that come alongside and work with them to improve their situations. Just like our students, they are looking for a long term relationship, someone they can trust.
This is why I work with Kozefo, who strives to work with ANAC School in just that long-term way. The partnership has yielded student access to technology in an unlikely setting. Together, we provided a lab of Chromebooks and solved issues of internet access and reliable electricity. In fact, ANAC School students are the first in the country to be equipped with the Google Education tools that so many districts enjoy.
All of that sums up the current ‘Tech Toolset’ for ANAC School (see Mark Garrison’s post Toolset. Skillset. Mindset.).
Next, the school and Kozefo added a technology teacher, Elodie. She works with students and teachers to develop the skillset necessary to take advantage of the of the hardware in place. Elodie started with basic skills of how to use a computer and writing on docs and presentations. Elodie and I (and a team of others) collaborated to provide ongoing professional development for the teachers twice a year. When the “problem” told us that model was not enough, we modified the solution and added monthly support meetings online via Google Hangouts.
As we continue to develop our skillset, we set out on the goal of mindset. The mindset we are after is that sense of urgency that as teachers, we must develop digital literacy skills or we do our students a disservice. One way we do this is through school partnerships. Classes at ANAC School meet regularly with classes at Otter Lake Elementary and soon with Matoska International IB World School. Students collaborate online on literacy, art, music and engineering projects.
Another approach is teaching students and teachers to code. The global market for medical coding alone is projected to be over $25B/year in the next six years. Current US qualified coders cannot handle 10% of that need. So why shouldn’t Haitians with coding skills compete in that market? That type of context, coupled with an introduction to a tangible starting point (like coding robots), helps teachers get to the point of urgency and mindset we are striving for.
For those lucky enough to have found a problem that has become a passion, we are fulfilled by the problem itself. For me in Haiti, this is frustrating, hard, time-consuming and frustrating (did I mention frustrating) work that often requires ‘Mars-shot’ thinking to carry on. However, the more I work in Haiti and learn from the Haitian people, the more I get back. And the better I get at Design Thinking! This learning makes me a better problem solver in my work in Minnesota as well.
What idea can you dive into? It doesn’t have to be big or really hard. It could be one that you can solve quickly or one that will be a little harder to nail down. Sometimes the problems that are the most challenging on the surface end up being the most rewarding. That’s the space where innovative change happens. That’s why I love this work.
What problem do you love?
Want to find out how you can help, sponsor a student or join me in Haiti?
Visit: KonekteHaiti.org, Kozefo.org and TeacHaiti.org
And don’t forget to like and share using #innovate624!
