As a result of the feedback we received from prototyping our solution to our classmates and experts (Philip Tuck), our website was finalized (https://strategies2engage.wixsite.com/educ546). This website represents a comprehensive approach to dealing with engagement, specifically for teachers in the context of their classroom and schools. It starts by first identifying the precedent set for engaging students and the value in engaging students (as discussed previously in task 4). It then goes through how teachers can identify the wounds of education (as discussed in task 6) that their students carry and provides real and practical ways to target interventions. Finally, it provides descriptions and useful links to resources to deal with the four categories of disengagement. There is also a quick reference guide provided as per our classmate's request.

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The showcase went off without a hitch. Many people liked the fluidity, detail, description and practicality of our website and wanted a copy of a link to the resource as they felt they would actually use it for their current and future practice. Additionally, they felt that we addressed a problem that lies at the root of many of problems in the classroom and we represented the reality of the problem through a comprehensive solution.

 

Cole: "One person did mention to me how they felt that maybe engagement is too large of a problem to have even started tackling and that our problem might be out of the scope of the double diamond model. While I understand his perspective and agree that it is a complex issue, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't attempt to provide a starting point for teachers to begin to tackle this problem; engagement needs to be dealt with as teachers whether we like it or not."

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Ysabel: "Personally I found it validating that the work my group did had many of our peers taking down our website as a future resource as we intended. I think the end result highlighted each of our different strengths and I'm very happy I could contribute what is a huge part of my practice as an artist and a graphic design in designing the website! Part of engagement is also the visual and aesthetic purposes in which information is presented, as well as the accessibility, which I believe our website presented."

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The students’ feedback at the showcase helps me see our solution as a starting point, where it digitally represents the complexity of engagement and works toward building a toolkit for teachers to tackle it. Our solution will not fix engagement, rather, begin to change the mindset of teachers on how linked engagement is to everything they do. The implications of this solution and the design process in general to my practice is around appreciating the reality of teaching. You are dealing with a practice that intersects so many facets of the world and to pretend that the problems you face will not be complex will do a disservice to your students. If you want to begin to tackle any problem you face as an educator, you have to accept that you can't fix everything, rather be humble and open to a variety of ways to approach it. Just as each learner is unique, so is each problem and being adaptable to the context of your learning environment is the only way you can design think as an educator.