Prototyping and Iterating Solutions
Teams collaborated across the geographical distance that separates them to continue to research and build their solutions based on the groundwork completed during the NYC-based sprint. While the teams communicate regularly, the cohort came together twice during this phase to share their progress through teleconference.
November 17: Understanding the Problem
On November 17, the entire cohort came together again via teleconference, to discuss the insights the Brazilian team members had gleaned from multiple visits to school sites in Brazil and through interviews with teachers and pedagogical instructors. The cohort came away with a clearer view of the on-the-ground reality that any proposed solutions would have to contend with, such as:
Administrative Challenges
Teachers can miss as many as 98 out of 200 total days of the school year, with some taking off at full leisure. From direct interviews with teachers themselves, only 1 in 5 feel actively engaged with their class and curricula, which presents a source of instability in the student learning experience.
Educator Challenges
Teachers and staff pointed to challenges such as misdiagnosis of students’ needs and their own insufficient training to handle those needs. They also reported low technology skills, an important thing for the cohort to remember as they consider how to build their EdTech solutions.
Parental Challenges
Interviews with parents revealed ongoing struggles to balance involvement in their child’s education with the pressures of work and little free time. Work-induced exhaustion, coupled with limited opportunities for school involvement, and low literacy rates have put a strain on parents’ understanding and overall engagement with their child’s education.
Armed with these facts, each team will continue to expand upon their models and further consider how they should tackle the array of issues presented.
December 12 – Seeing the Opportunity
The six teams presented on potential competitors in the EdTech space, evaluating key players’ methods and strategies. They also surveyed schools across Columbia University to get inspiration for teaching and engagement methods that could be applied to their projects.
Now, solutions are beginning to take shape. Each team looks to deliver simple solutions that plug into the existing schedules and technologies in the hands of administrators, teachers, and parents.