Week 7: Refining Our Scenario

This week, we focused on refining our scenario. It wasn’t a simple task — and at times, it even created some confusion for us. As we challenged our initial assumptions, we realized that our scenario needed stronger grounding and clearer logic. To address this, we went back to research. We looked for additional studies that could help us better validate and shape our approach.

One insight was:When socially strong students have a positive and meaningful relationship with their teacher, they are more likely to support and include socially isolated students in the classroom. This finding led us to adjusted our solution to help teachers intentionally build stronger relationships with these socially influential students — and use those connections to foster inclusion.

Our “How Might We” Question

Alongside this insight, we refined our How Might We question. Our updated question is:

How might we help a teacher strengthen classroom cohesion and reinforce a sense of belonging for a socially isolated student, in preparation for the annual school trip?

Our Updated Scenario

After shared reflection and iteration, this is our current scenario:

Students input data in a playful and engaging way. A dashboard collects and analyzes this data, then presents the teacher with opportunities and insights to strengthen the social integration of isolated students.

How it works in practice:

The teacher introduces a new application that the class will use in the weeks leading up to the annual trip.

Students answer:

• One-time: about their hobbies and personal strengths.

• Weekly check-ins: where they share how they feel in class and something they would like to improve.

The teacher’s dashboard provides:

• Opportunities to connect students based on shared interests, allowing the teacher to:

  Pair an isolated student with another student for a shared task.

  Build small groups for collaborative projects.

• Ideas for classroom activities centered around the isolated student’s strengths, creating moments of visibility and positive recognition.

• Relevant, “in-the-moment” conversation topics connected to students’ interests, helping the teacher build closeness and openness with individual students.

• Insights into changes over time, analyzing students’ willingness to share and indicating whether there is progress or improvement in their personal classroom experience.