Teaching Young People the Art and Science of Collaboration
We are so excited about our partnership with novelist Noah Knox Marshall! Together we’ve created a set of curricular resources to help K-12 students learn the deep skills of collaboration needed to address complex technical and social challenges. The following is an excerpt from a media release announcing the partnership
Noah Knox Marshall is the author of the Dax: Zander: Sea Patrol anthology, a nine-book series that begins with 13-year-old, Dax Zander as a brash, reckless thrill seeker with a remarkable capacity for science. The series follows Dax’s transformation from a carefree, impulsive adolescent to a wise, compassionate, and courageous hero. Along the way he encounters beings and places both awesome and terrifying – and eventually bears upon his young shoulders, the fate of not just one world, but three!
One of Dr. Scott Hutcheson’s areas of research and practice is related to the science and practice of collaboration. He and his colleagues at Purdue University, where he’s a faculty member, have translated that research into tools and frameworks to help people do complex work. Their approaches are being used by over 4,000 leaders from 143 different countries.
Marshall and Hutcheson have collaborated to develop a set of learning resources specifically customized for K-12 students, to spark their interest in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and to provide them a framework to work in collaborative teams designing strategies and solutions to address our most complex challenges.
“We are thrilled to be working with Mr. Marshall, designing a game to help students learn the art and science of collaboration. Simply telling students to work together isn’t enough, we need to show them how to work together, giving them a discipline to follow. This game, set in the Dax Zander universe, does just that,” says Hutcheson.
Marshall notes, “During my research for the ‘Dax Zander’ books, I dreamed of inspiring young people – all over the world – to encounter and embrace the mysteries of the universe and give them tools and disciplines to make the world an even better place. I’m honored and elated in the confidence extended by Hutcheson and his Purdue colleagues. That purposeful minds of this caliber and expertise would offer to develop educational and socially-constructive exercises based upon my books ,is not merely a dream come true, it enriches the potential that this generation of children might reach all the more for the stars – and finally grasp them.”
The game is called Ubuntu: Do More Together. “Ubuntu,” a word found in several cultures in Southern Africa, refers to a philosophy that there is a universal shared bond that connects all of humanity. This notion of designing innovative solutions by connecting the assets each member of a group is willing to share, is a common thread found in both the Dax Zander books and this work at Purdue.
Those interested in learning more about bringing these powerful resources to their educational institution should connect with Hutcheson Associates.
More About Noah Knox Marshall
Under a different name, Noah Knox Marshall has been writing live-action and animated features in Hollywood for 15 years. “Dax Zander: Sea Patrol” evolved out of a pitch for TV Animation. He has a great affection for science-fiction, space exploration and marine science, three realms that blend seamlessly in his forthcoming books. Noah lives adjacent to the ocean in Los Angeles, and enjoys a walk on the shore almost every day.