Design Forward
An emergent exploration of critical instructional design.
Design Forward
Portfolio Part: Why should I care?
Student Biography
Why should I care?
In this exercise you will explore the stories and lives of your current students. You may choose to write a biography (incorporating the elements identified below) or you may choose to draw or otherwise represent a student (again, finding some way to incorporate the identified elements). Be as specific as possible, but think of your imagined biography as an amalgamation of students, rather than the actual biography of an individual student you know:
Elements to include:
- Name
- Hometown(s)
- Childhood education experience: type of school attended, typical grades, relationship with teachers, overall impression of what school is for z Family background: How may parents, siblings, etc. Who do they live with? Who do they have close relationships with?
- Interests & hobbies
- Declared major(s) or minor(s)
- Future life goals
- Stressors and obstacles
- Opportunities and comforts
Name: River Song
Hometown(s): Cambridge, MA originally–currently Moultonborough, NH
Childhood education experience: Public schools, straight A’s until COVID, teachers at the school I graduated from had no idea who I was. My family always stressed the importance of school–but now that the world is imploding, I don’t see the point.
Background: Blended family–I live with my mom, step-dad, sister, and half brothers. My mom’s Mom lives next door to us. I am close with my sister.
Interests & Hobbies: I don’t know, Tik-tok?
Future life goals: Move out of the house, get a job I don’t hate that makes a lot of money.
Stressors and obstacles: Anxiety and lack of motivation.
Opportunities and comforts: My parents are paying for this so I don’t have to worry about debt.
When you’re done, write 1-2 paragraph reflecting upon the student you have created. Where did you get your inspiration? How is this student like/different than you were as a student? As a teacher, what do you think are the 3 most important things you can do for this student?
Inspiration
- Name (from Dr. Who)
- Hometown: inspired by a radio story I heard, and conversations with local lakes region teachers about second home owners who moved full-time to the lakes region during the pandemic since our schools were open.
- Childhood education experience: amalgamation of details I have heard from many students
- Background- uninspired/just made something up
- Hobbies/Goals/Obstacles/etc.–more amalgamation of things I have heard from many students
How is this student like me/different than me
- I did grow up in MA–but my parents still live in the house I grew up in
- I did attend public schools, but education was not something we talked about. I did get good grades–but I am not sure if I would’ve continued to be engaged in online school. I probably would have stopped going…which I know many students did
- Background: I grew up with just a sister and my parents–I am currently going through a divorce so that was the inspiration there
- I know nothing about Tik-Tok–its an app and there are short videos, but I know a lot of my students spend a lot of time on there
- I can relate to the the goals of moving out of the house and having a job I don’t hate–but my goals were a lot more ambitious and specific than what I hear from most students today. I didn’t change my major and came into college knowing what I wanted to do, and then I did it–which I know is not the usual path
- I do not have a lot of anxiety or lack motivation–so I am trying to grow my empathy for students for whom these are very real challenges
- I paid for (and am still paying for) Plymouth. I graduated in 2009 and I work in a field where I do not make a lot of money
3 most important things I can do for this student
- Ask the students if they have the resources they need to manage their anxiety, and help connect them to additional resources available
- Teach this student why the work they are doing in my classes matters, for them and the world (and mean it)
- Try to uncover more about interests/how they like spending their time–and try to connect them with an affinity community on campus
