A. Ragnauth: Expanding the Frame

Mid, annoying, and frustrating were the words my students chose to describe the new cell phone mandate. “Mid” meaning average. This week they were tasked with “solving” every student’s current problem. The new cell phone mandate. Coincidentally, I was tasked to read up on design thinking and was concurrently teaching my students about it. This scenario would fall into the wicked problems category (“Design Thinking” 2025). A problem that has no definite solution, just a set of needs to be met, and various opinions to deal with. Using design thinking helped my students understand the efficiency behind it and that even seemingly difficult problems become easier to tackle.

We began with empathy. I asked students to explain how their peers, teachers, staff, and they themself felt. Let’s just say there was no lack in words to describe how they felt. I, personally feel as though putting their phones in a pouch could be effective, but not when they are still able to have their phones on them. However, many of them did express that it has helped them focus more in class. Next, they moved into defining the problem at hand. Some said they were the problem, they were attached to their phones. Others said the mandate was the problem. Now their focus was creating a policy that allowed students to use their phones while ensuring they still were focused in the classroom.

The ideation phase was exactly that. My students had one idea after the next. It was evident they thought about this before. Responses included were classroom phone jail, allowed during lunch and class transition time, designated areas to use their phones was my favorite. What does a designated cell phone zone look like? 300 students huddled into a corner is what I imagine. Once we had our list of ideas we moved into the prototype phase. Sketches, storyboards, even small 3D models made out of paper and tape. The struggle was real. My students quickly learned that the first idea isn’t always the final idea. It felt like I was watching a real life business proposal. That’s exactly what I wanted, my students were so invested, that it didn’t feel like class, but as though they were actual designers out in the real world.

Peer + teacher feedback worked as the testing phase. Students learned whether their ideas were realistic and feasible as well as what needed to be refined. Many of their ideas had to be revised after gaining feedback and this was ideal as it taught them that the design process wasn’t just about solving a problem but it was about collaboration and flexibility.

By the end of the week, many of my students vocalized that their views on the mandate changed and even though some still thought the same thing, everyone agreed that their phones are indeed a distraction. This week was the definition of project management. Students were juggling multiple tasks throughout the design process along side revisions from the constant feedback. They proved that wicked problems aren’t impossible when using the right process.