Today’s topic is Begin, which is fitting since today is the 1st of Elul and the first day of #ExploreElul! We are beginning on our Jewish STEM journey to explore ourselves and the world around us. This first week of #ExploreElul is a short one, and our overarching theme is: Intention, or Kavanah in Hebrew. Each week we will have a new overarching theme, with daily topics that fit into its umbrella. As part of Intention week we will be using the Design Thinking Process to help in setting The JEdSTEM Initiative’s and #ExploreElul intention for the year 5781. Design thinking is an iterative process, meaning you go through it repetitively. Using 5 key steps, the Process helps people solve complex problems. The first 3 steps of the Design Thinking Process ask you to do a bit of thinking, figuring out what the crux of the issue is, and beginning brainstorming. 1. Empathize: Have you ever seen someone struggling and thought “I know exactly how that feels! I wish I could do something to help!” In that very moment, you have started the Design Thinking Process! You are discovering the needs that people around you have, and seeing how there is a missing piece that is causing an issue. During this part of the Process, you are using observational skills and interviews to gain a clear understanding of the issues at hand. 2. Define: The next step asks you to narrow down exactly what the issue is. This helps to make sure later that you are brainstorming solutions that help fix the issue. 3. Ideate: Get out your pencils and paper, dust off your research skills, and grab those building materials, because it’s time to brainstorm ideas! There are no bad ideas during this step, because every little part of an idea can help lead you to the best possible solution. RESOURCES: https://designthinking.ideo.com/ https://designthinkingforeducators.com/ That’s all for today--check out the post tomorrow for the last two steps of the Design Thinking Process and think about how we can use it to prepare our intentions for the rest of #ExploreElul. This post is part of ExploreElul, from The JEdSTEM Initiative, a month of reflection and exploration of the intersection of Judaism and STEM.
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Here is the prompts calendar for #ExploreElul! Throughout the coming days and weeks, use these daily prompts, insights and experiments to check-in with yourself and add a layer of intentionality to your actions and relationships.
To be honest, I hadn’t ever paid much attention to Elul before, but it turns out, it’s a pretty cool time of year! Elul is the 12th month of the Jewish Calendar--the final one before the High Holy Days. Traditionally during Elul, we look inward and reflect on the last year while preparing for the coming year. Jewish themes combined with STEM are a great way to explore during Elul, whether internally about yourself, or externally about the world around you. And, #ExploreElul was born!
Similar to BlogElul, we will be exploring different themes and topics that allow us to reflect and prepare for the new year. Each week of #ExploreElul will kick-off with an experiment relating to the week’s theme, and be followed with daily prompts and hot takes about the experiment and theme. With these hands-on activities and more abstract ideas, we can dive into the relationship between Judaism and STEM, seeing how these two big ideas actually go hand-in-hand. Elul begins this Friday, August 21st, and is 29 days long. The last night is Erev Rosh Hashanah, on September 18. Keep your eye out later this week for our first #ExploreElul post, with some awesome graphics from my good friend and colleague, Brett Lubarsky, Director of the Jewish Teen Initiative. Sounds cool? Want to follow along? Or get in on the action? Be sure to follow JEdSTEM on Instagram, test out the experiments at home, tag us and #ExploreElul to show us how you are taking this opportunity to dive deeper into Judaism and STEM as you get ready for 5781. This post is part of ExploreElul, from The JEdSTEM Initiative, a month of reflection and exploration of the intersection of Judaism and STEM. |
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