Project: &Then Stories

2022 - Present

Designed and proposed a business model (&Then Stories) and product prototypes. The product prototypes were based on merging learning design with current cognitive science and instructional design practices.

&Then Stories focuses on the creation of children’s literature and related activities that introduce non-western family/ancestral honor norms, specifically multigenerational kinship support and ancestral responsibilities. The goal: building a children’s literature collection that depicts how ancestral connection and family honor can shape life’s directions and responsibilities, while navigating and thriving, in two or more different cultures within one’s environment.

Scope:

7-8 year-old Learners, Adult Caretakers, 3rd Culture Kids, Family/Ancestral Honor Contexts

Mission:

&Then Stories will support increased culturally responsive socio-emotional competencies and feelings of belonging for learners from multigenerational households and family honor contexts. The children’s literature content will be trifold and scaled to include:

1. Informal Learning Fanfiction: retell existing children's book narratives through family/ancestral honor norms

2. Activities and Discussion Prompts: bite-sized reading resources for adults and children to spark intergenerational, multigenerational and peer conversations about identity, values, and culture

3. A Children’s Book Series: create original content that focuses on multigenerational kinships support, ancestral responsibilities and empowerment

Skills:

Design

• built learner/target audience profiles

• produced children's literature - creative writing

• prototyped instructional design of related activities and discussion prompts

• assessed learning challenges and developmental opportunities within target audience demographics

• incorporated cognitive science and curriculum best practices into design: teaching for understanding, project-based learning, conceptual change, analogy and transfer​

Leadership & Management

• created strategic go-to-market strategy that leverages partnerships with publishers that share similar visions and missions

• drafted formative evaluation plan

Intended Outcome:

• foster critical and reflective thinking skills within target audience

• increase social and emotional competencies, and belonging within target audience age group

• increase representation of 3rd culture kids and family/ancestral honor contexts within the children's book industry

Prototype Samples: