(Compassing changing roles at work and home)

By Ginger Rowher

Ginger Rowher Compass-navigated a newly created education+business leadership role in a statewide STEM network. Along the way, she improved programs with educational staff, coached an executive…and saved Christmas with her family. In her words…

Human-centered design is a process designed to foster innovation and creativity, and the Innovators' Compass is my tool-of-choice when applying this approach to challenges in my professional and personal life. I was introduced to design thinking in 2018 at a workshop at Grand Valley State University. I had just started working for a statewide STEM network after 21 years of teaching mathematics, and I didn't realize at the time how valuable human-centered design would be in this newly-created role.

The STEM network had been recently formed and consisted of sixteen regions across the state. No one had done the job before, and one of the focus areas was integrating education and business - something that I didn't have experience with. While some skills from my former role of teaching undergraduate mathematics translated to this new position, much of the work was new to me. The iterative cycles of the design thinking process became an invaluable process for navigating my way through figuring out effective ways to do the work.

A few months later, GVSU invited Ela to lead a series of presentations on the Innovators’ Compass and how it supports creative problem solving. I invited my son, Isaac, who was a freshman in his first semester at GVSU. He graciously agreed to attend, and during the session, we were asked to identify a situation where we felt stuck. Isaac and I chatted for a few minutes, and because it was the end of November, the topic of how our family celebrates Advent came up. Our family had developed traditions for celebrating Advent that began when our kids were toddlers, and now all of them were adults. I had been holding on to the traditions despite multiple protests, and we were stuck. We brought the challenge to the rest of the family and used the Innovators' Compass to find a new way forward. Now our family spends time preparing our favorite meals together, with my kids taking the lead.

The Innovators' Compass has been a tool for way-finding in multiple contexts over the last six years. The staff I work with at the Regional Math and Science Center at GVSU has used the Compass for improving multiple projects, including this STEM summer program, and I have used the Compass to facilitate an improvement cycle for the Michigan Girls Future Flight Challenge, hosted by the Women of Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan (WAIAM).

A few years ago, the Executive Director of a statewide organization that our Network works with asked me if I would be willing to meet with her in a consulting role. She had noticed a particular organizational tool that I had been using in our interactions and wanted me to teach her how to use it. I suggested that we use the Innovators' Compass instead, with the challenge being, "How might I get more organized and efficient at work?" While my organizational system worked well for me, I wasn't sure that it would be the best solution for her, and I knew that the Innovators' Compass would reveal possible solutions that centered her priorities

This story was originally published in the Winter 2024 Innovators’ Compass Newsletter.

The fact that so many Innovators’ Compasses have been created about conflicts on school playgrounds might seem trivial.

But, short-term, there’s a tremendous impact on kids’ social-emotional well-being and ability to thrive in school. And, on teachers’ sanity!

And starting to hone our compass for conflict resolution early in life can go a long way in our grown-up conflicts, too.

Here are a few ways I’ve seen these playground and other conflict-resolution Compasses play out in different media, from young kids to older ones:

Talking prompts at a preschool peace table

At this preschool (unfortunately no longer open), children brought conflicts to a “peace table”. Among the simple prompts to help them talk were individual cutouts of the Compass shapes and feelings emoji on the Compass website.

When teachers use these in class as well—like holding one up and asking “Who has an observation/idea/experiment?”—kids are ready to use these powerful tools in their talking toolbox when it’s time for them to do some DIY peacemaking.

Pre-emptively practicing with picture-based Compasses

An Ottawa, Ontario teacher Karmelann Egan shared how her kindergarten class Compasses to find kind ways through problems and conflicts. In this example she shared, the kids talked and drew through how to help a puppet friend Suzy who was frustrated because her tower of blocks keep falling down.

Karmelann drew attention to the empathy coming through on the faces, and how supporting each other and working together clearly come through in what matters and in their ideas. She said they use a show of thumbs for which idea they want to try first, knowing they can go back and try another idea. I can’t help but notice that ice cream is also a solution—hey, it works for my kids, too!

Adult-facilitated conversations

I see a lot of conversations where a teacher or administrator is facilitating as a group of students tackles a playground challenge. Principal Dawn McWilliams in Aurora, CO offered a this 40-second narration of one such playground Compass, shown at left, on the very last week of school. You can see that the students were able to take some lovely high-level perspective about what mattered most—at least for the rest of that year! Her then assistant-principal, Mitch Davison, is leading the conversation on the right; while he’s writing, the students’ bodies show they’re fully engaged.

Student-created compasses

I treasure the stream of Compassing photos Meghan Ewaynk’s fifth-grade classroom in Syracuse, NY, has posted as they “problem solve and take ownership of their classroom & school community” and “improve classroom culture.” These have included difficulties at recess and in the cafeteria.

A silent Compass?!?

Finally, I do think this story, emailed by principal Dawn McWilliams in Aurora, CO, might take the cake: students Compassing silently!

I had to share this story!

I went into this situation completely blind. I was brought two fifth-grade girls who had some sort of problem on the playground yesterday. Neither one of them would talk to me. I could barely get head nods from them to indicate any information. I knew that they both had problems with someone who was being mean to them, but neither would say who the student was that was being mean.

The IC is a perfect non-verbal tool! I had them list on sticky notes what was happening with this other person, keeping both themselves and the other person in mind. They put up their sticky notes, but neither spoke. I supported them in grouping the notes somewhat. Then we went to priorities (principles) and next to ideas. When I asked them how they would implement their ideas, they said maybe at lunch. I asked how they would get this other girl involved in the conversation since they hadn’t written any ideas up for how to draw the other girl into the conversation. They exchanged a look, and I realized that the girl they were each having issues with was each other. At that point, I asked if they wanted to have some time to talk together now so that they could follow through on their ideas. They both agreed. Three minutes later, they came to me with smiles. Problem solved!

Once again, the Innovators’ Compass saved the day!

Follow your Compass! Do whatever works!

Now, I’m no stranger to this playground phenomenon. Early on, when I was experimenting and observing rabidly in every possible setting—from classrooms to corporate conference rooms—I was invited to observe several classrom-conflict sessions with classroom teachers. One was my own daughter’s kindergarten class! And another (which I cowrote a “5 Questions That Get Us Unstuck” kids book with her the next year when she was remote schooling during the pandemic learning to write “all about” books, and also with Tom Vander Ark in Education Week) took place in a different Boston area school.

The teacher invited the students to explore each part of the Compass in a different way—the first time I’d seen that, and I loved how it helped give each its own distinct feel:

The students wrote sticky notes on their own for What’s happening and why? (Observations): Talking. Playing. They always play tag. People keep telling on people. They xclood[sic] me. People standing on the bottom [sic] of the slide.
The teacher scribed what they said for What matters most? (Principles): They beautifully illustrated how we have competing principles that define our challenge “fun, running” AND “safe”; “free choice” AND “people listen, being included, agree on our own rules.”
The students drew pictures on paper for What ways are there? (Ideas): they imagined new games, rules, props and signage.
And for What’s a step to try? (Experiments), they quickly made their ideas with whatever was handy and headed out for…recess of course! As they played, they again noticed “What’s happening?” and, like the boy below adding pictures to his originally text-only sign on the slide, made changes.

The quiet “xclood"-ed child also used the tool privately to explore his experiences. With his permission, the teacher engaged the class on topics he raised, including the “Why” they’d left unexplored above. It was shared with me that afterward, the student found his own voice in class.

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My tremendous gratitude to all these educators, and everyone who shares Compass stories!

May your playgrounds be peaceful!

Guest Post: "Innovators' Compass: My Swiss Army Knife of Choice"