Designing Empathy through Playful, Relationship-focus Learning Experience

Lyris is a learning experience designer from Hong Kong, who uses her background in education, advocacy and theater to develop engaging, culturally responsive, and relationship-focused educational experiences. She believes in the power of story, play and games to build empathy, nurture human relationships, and inspire action for social change.

Who Lyris Helps:

• Educators & Schools: Designing student-centered and engaging learning experiences for diverse group of students, while also providing educators with the tools and support to create inclusive classrooms.
• Nonprofit Organizations: Collaborating to create immersive educational programs that inspire social change, community building, and support for marginalized groups.
• Higher Education Institutions: Developing curricula based on research and incorporating game-based learning, and facilitating workshops to advance innovative teaching practices.
• Museums: Imagining new ways for the public and youth to engage with existing collections and exhibits through interactive and game-like experiences that spark curiosity and foster deeper learning.
• Cultural Organizations: Supporting educational initiatives that foster cultural awareness, empathy, and connection across diverse communities, using inclusive and creative methods to bridge cultural gaps in learning environments.

How Lyris Helps: Lyris takes the time to learn your story, using her background in theater and diverse cultural experiences to craft culturally responsive, immersive, and relationship-focused educational experiences. She believes in keeping the process playful, encouraging the tinkering of new and creative ideas to empower individuals to connect and grow.

Engagement Tools:

• Culturally Responsive Education: Honoring diverse identities and perspectives to create inclusive learning environments.
• Simple Interaction Framework: Empowering everyday interactions that strengthen relationships and promote growth.
• Art-Integrated Curriculum: Using narratives to foster empathy, critical thinking, and creativity through theater and other art-related exercises.
• Movement and Embodied Learning: Engaging learners holistically through physical expression and emotional connection.
• Lifelong Kindergarten: Emphasizing playfulness, creativity, and collaboration to foster a hands-on, experimental learning environment where learners can tinker and grow through active engagement.

Key Clients:

• Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Kalmar County Museum
• Boston Public Schools
• Hong Kong Public Schools

Notable Achievements: Lyris is a lead learning designer for various educational programs for diverse audience including relationship-focused professional development for early childhood educators in rural China with Harvard Graduate School of Education, art-integrated curricula for Boston Public Schools, and the first DEI program for Hong Kong public schools. Lyris has also collaborated with Kalmar County Museum to create an online course for educators on a Live Action Role Play (LARP) adventure she developed.

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