About
At LensDeck, we believe there is a better way to approach our interactions with students. A way where students’ identities and lived experiences are brought to life, integrated, celebrated, and built upon across school learning communities. We’re strong believers that empathy is everything and our mission is to help educators, administrators, instructional coaches, and counselors see how it can be leveraged to design educational experiences that truly meet students at their core.
To do this, we focus on encouraging collaboration and connection among participants as they use LensDeck. Each conversation using the cards gives educators the space to cooperatively approach their work with students, all while keeping conversations about student identity confidential. Our goal is to see LensDeck used as a tool whenever students and equity are central to the conversation. (Which, might just be all the time.)
Click here to learn more about how LensDeck works.
Our Founding
LensDeck was founded by Erica Tuke (she/her) in 2018. During her time at the Google Innovator Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark (#DEN18), she wanted to find an answer to the question, “how might we cultivate empathy in educators so they can design more culturally responsive learning experiences for their students?”
LensDeck is rooted in the Design Thinking process and centers participants on the first step of empathizing with the end user. As participants walk through the process of using the cards to understand students’ realities, they gain perspective to really think about how students’ learning capital impacts their experience in school.
While it is impossible to fully step inside another person’s life, educators, administrators, counselors, social workers, coaches, et al. that work with students can use empathy as a vehicle to better understand the behaviors, needs, and environments students experience both in and out of school. This deeper understanding not only allows us to develop deeper and more authentic relationships with students, but sets us up to create more culturally responsive learning spaces and experiences for them. Read what a few of our users have to say about how LensDeck has helped them do that.