Hypothesis:
Changing a child's environment can modify their behavior, therefore in areas where obesity is most prevalent among children, changing the environment in which a child learns can modify their academic success and physical health.
The location of my project is NYC. (Why NYC 1+2)
In New York City Public Schools more than one in five public school children are obese (21%) and a similar number of students are overweight (18%). Compared with children nationwide, NYC children are more likely to be obese (21% vs. 17%).
NYC Public Schools are beginning to make changes due to childhood obesity but it's not enough. (What NY Public Schools are doing? US Dept. of Health) In 2003 the Department of Physical Education and Fitness was initiated and the State has initiated Physical Education Learning Standards being addressed through the FITNESSGRAM: a report that summarizes each students performance on fitness assessment and suggest ways for them to reach a "healthy fitness zone"...In June 2009 1.2 million parents and students recieved the assessment in nine languages. Other physical education initiatives being taken in NYC public schools are CHAMPS- (Piloted in 2005 and now reaching 200 NYC public schools) and Physical Best. New York public schools form the largest school system in the US with over 1.1 million students taught in more that 1,600 separate schools which means programs being initiated are only covering 1/8th of the problem.
After school programs aren't enough.
After interviewing a pediatrician in Harlem I learned that children don't have access to after school programs because there is no one to take them- access. While after school programs have proven a successful method in the prevention of childhood obesity, only 21% of children in New York State participated in after school programs and on average spent 3 hours 3 days a week at that program according to results from the After School Alliance for 2009. This leaves 25 percent of kids spending the afternoons alone and another 18 percent are watched by a brother or sister.
Potential External Partner Identified: Mighty Milers: Giving Youth a Running Start
Mighty Milers, based in elementary and middle schools, motivates children to run a minimum of half a mile, two to five times a week - cumulatively running 'Marathon of miles" + mighty milers database- participants with a personalized web page- health, academic and character based resources.Mighty milers enables kids to develop healthy fitness habits, improve classroom focus and performance, set and strive for goals, bond with their classmates and school organization, release energy constructively and get moving. Serves 184 local sites.Focused on Public Schools in the South Bronx and Harlem, running program in NYC public schools where children run- authority given over to school system- flash cards- web based system.
Design Opportunity
1. Designing for the child is not enough- the social system surrounding the child has to be addressed.
"You have to address not just the patient but the whole family,...the patient is a reflection of the whole family." - Dr. Parker, OBGYN
2. Designing for a child's day, not their eating habits or fitness habits alone but the health of an entire day of their life.
"Society doesn't see the link between academics and other educational pursuits."...it's just testing and prep-testing for prep-testing for testing."
-Example: Take for example, the relationship between academic success and physical fitness a recent study found that students with better physical fitness scored higher on academic testing.
3. Incentives to exercise- (for mighty milers it's gifts of erasers, and metals)
4. How do children remain physically active and health conscious outside of school when parents are trying to solve the problem by asking "What products are out there to keep children sedentary after school??"
Who I spoke to today: Mary, Rick, Steven, Patty, PJ and Erica
Feedback:
1. Presentation: Practice Presentation skills and condense to 3 minutes, Presentation Graphics: no text- pictures only, viewer should be able to grasp instantly: focus on synthesis of graphics and narrow research presentation
2. Interviewing: reconsider the way I talk to people- understand their time constraints, when talking to potential external partners: first-tell them the problem, second-what I know- my credibility and third-ask questions.
3. Market Research: know what's going on in the market and why- talk about what's good because bad stuff doesn't need to be brought up again. When doing market research evaluate other products based on my own design criteria.
4. External Partners: find more- from 20 stakeholders pick 5 and move forward- push and narrow to attain more comprehensive response/ take advantage of external partners while considering others
5. Analyze design briefs from previous years
6. Ask can I tell a story? Where am I falling short?
Feedback from meeting with Mary:
1. Research Howard Gardener: 7 Intelligences + haptic learning experiences, math, beats, rhythm
2. Learning methods that aren't linear
3. Gates Foundation: high school learning methods for African American boys
4. Analyze past successful methods of learning that incorporate physical activity
Deliverables for next week:
Perform Charette:
Set-up numerous scenarios for children to do homework in after school- have the children do their homework in several different settings- one that requires the child to be completely sedentary vs. others that allow the child to "expel energy constructively" while doing homework simultaneously and analyze under what circumstances the children perform best academically.
Moving forward in my process: Questions I need answers to and research methods I want to employ:
- Research learning methods that incorporate physical activity or do not follow a linear path of learning- what are alternative ways of measuring the intellectual growth of a child?
1. Market Research: look at all of the products on the market that "encourage children to expel energy constructively" and analyze them according to my own design criteria- find precedents.
2. Interview teachers: Find out what works for children as far as learning strategies-what doesn't work, Interview Coaches to understand why physical activites they employ to extract energy constructively in elementary schools
3. Public Schools: Observe in classrooms(passively and actively): take note on interaction- what seems to be working not working for getting children enthusiastic about learning, to further understand how things are measured and what's wrong with the way things are measured. (Exercise-punishment?, How do children understand what's important in their day- when asked almost always said -school or homework, what do parents praise their child for, what is valued in the home, )
4. What is the setting for children when they go home after school and do homework? What are parent's goals when they get home from work- does it include the child? their homework?
5. What does the family dynamic of the child look like: Grandparents/ Child/ Mom/ Dad/ Sister/ Brother/ Cousin/ Teacher/ Coach/ School Administrators/ Friends
6. Investigate peer relationships: mentioned as one of the top incentives to achieve in Mighty Milers Running program- could this potentially be an outlet for change?
7. Begin planning graphics and layout of 30 by 30 board
8. Find more external partner potential
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