Nau mai, Haere mai!. I'm an educator based in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland in Aotearoa/New Zealand. This is my professional blog where, from time to time, I share a few reflections and wonderings about my teaching practice.
For this part of the design thinking process I teamed up again with my 5 WHYs buddy,Tina. Through role play, we got to bring to life the backstory that had inspired our respective MIT projects. Sharing our experiences with each other (and the rest of the group) helped build a sense of empathy and a deeper understanding of the range of different factors impacting our students and whanau we are seeking to address.
Role Play A: Context: It's week 4 of the new school year - a Year 9 student returns to primary school.He is happy to see his old home class teacher but eventually reveals he is not getting on with his Maths teacher (also the Form Dean) He says 'she thinks I'm dumb Miss!' He is acting up in class, he is on detention and the school will be calling his parents.
Role Play B: Context: A math's lesson in class - a student is trying his best to figure out what do with a maths problem.He shows increasing frustration - he is not able to understand the problem or how to figure out an answer. He complains that it's all too hard - he is convinced he cannot do the work and just gives up.
Step 2: Use THE 5 WHYS methodology to identify the root cause of a challenge/problem
The 5 WHYS in action: Paired up with Tina Takimoana from Ahipara School, I found it humbling to trade WHY questions with her in an effort to unpack the root cause of our respective challenges or problems.
The process was thought provoking because it forced me to unpack and then consolidate my thinking around the challenge I had identified. In our responses to each WHY question, the crux of the problem was slowly revealed and the 'real' challenge we needed to solve started to take shape.
Below is a slideshow (THANK YOU DOROTHY!) that shows the questioning and answering of Tina and I had with each other as we went through the 5 WHY process.
Slide 1: Managing Change: Navigating the transition of students from primary to secondary school (KIRIWAI)
Slide 2: Accelerating students learning to reach the norm in mathematical understanding (TINA)
Role Play A: Context: It's week 4 of the new school year - a Year 9 student returns to primary school. He is happy to see his old home class teacher but eventually reveals he is not getting on with his Maths teacher (also the Form Dean) He says 'she thinks I'm dumb Miss!' He is acting up in class, he is on detention and the school will be calling his parents. 
Role Play B: Context: A math's lesson in class - a student is trying his best to figure out what do with a maths problem. He shows increasing frustration - he is not able to understand the problem or how to figure out an answer. He complains that it's all too hard - he is convinced he cannot do the work and just gives up.