In this project for my Current Topics and Trends in Learning Design course, I worked with two frameworks: Liberatory Design and the ADDIE model. The process moved through phases of observing the system, engaging with stakeholders like students and fellow teachers, and acting to create a solution identified by my 6th graders: technology is a powerful tool, but a major distraction from their learning.
Below, you will find parts of my design journey to show how I moved from an abstract analysis to a design solution.
Empathy Map
The “See” phase of the Liberatory Design cycle is the foundation for this project. Rather than assuming I knew why students were struggling, I conducted interviews and created an empathy map of my students’ perspectives. An interview with Benjamin Blue revealed much about his attitude toward learning; in particular, it showed that the struggle was not due to a lack of desire to learn, but to a genuine struggle with digital distraction.
Discernment & Focus Protocol
View the Discernment and Focus Protocol Website
This website represents the culmination of the Imagine, Prototype, and Develop phases. Crucially, I did not build this alone; I collaborated with fellow teachers during the “Engage” phase to ensure the solution was practical for a variety of middle school classrooms. I built two pathways: a “Teacher Toolkit” for instruction and a “Student Focus Zone” for independent practice. Our co-design process made clear that the solution to this problem must include multiple parts: system control, explicit skill-building, and metacognitive reflection. This functional prototype allows teachers to access resources and microlearnings for specific technologies. It provides students with focused learning spaces and missions to become technology experts, directly addressing the problem statement we defined together.
Liberatory DeZine
Liberatory Design challenges us to look closely at ourselves to understand our own positionality before we design for others. I created this zine to document and reflect on my experiences designing this solution as I continue to grapple with my technology addiction and how it impacts my life. My zine shows that this issue is far more pervasive than my ELA 6 classroom, and it is a firm reminder that my solutions should be designed with empathy and shared humanity, rather than from a position of authority looking down on the students’ struggles.
References
National Equity Project. (2021). Leading for equity framework.