Iterate, iterate, iterate...
Iterate, iterate, iterate...
It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.
Human-centered design in the classroom is an inherently iterative approach to solving problems because it takes feedback from the students you are designing for and highlights that feedback, making it a critical part of how learning experiences evolves. By continually iterating, refining, and improving our learning experiences, we put ourselves in a place where we’ll have more ideas, try a variety of approaches, unlock our creativity, and arrive more quickly at successful and impactful solutions.
I iterate because I know that I won’t get it right the first time. Or even the second. Nobody ever said teaching and learning would be easy. We may have expertise in certain content areas, but just like UCLA’s longtime basketball coach, John Wooden said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” Just because I have taught for a 20+ years, doesn’t mean that I still don’t have more to learn about my craft. Iteration allows teachers the opportunity to explore, to get it wrong, to follow our hunches, but ultimately arrive at a learning experience that is engaging for both students and teachers. I iterate because it allows me to keep learning. Instead of hiding out in the teacher’s lounge, betting (or hoping!) that an old lesson plan will work the same (or didn’t — I tend to have selective memory about my failures from previous years) I quickly try something in the classroom and let my students guide me.
Iteration Resources
IDEO Human-Centered Design Thinking
An Introduction to Design Thinking PROCESS GUIDE
Using Design Thinking to Innovate in Your Own Practice
Have a great week!
—Adrian