According to IDEO, analogous inspiration projects are “a form of exploration that takes a team outside of its industry to find inspiration in the ways others have tackled similar challenges”. With a fresh perspective, we often develop creative solutions to the challenges we face.

This idea led Noora Health—a nonprofit that works with health systems to improve health outcomes by equipping family caregivers with the skills they need to care for their loved ones—to conduct an analogous inspiration project to draw perspectives from the education sector. The aim was to put these learnings into practice through our Care Companion Program, which has typically been viewed through the lens of public health, but can also benefit from deeper investigations of other fields.

Through interviews with 12 experts in the education space, we gained insight into how we might strengthen our programming, with a particular focus on increasing our effectiveness as trainers and educators in the health sector. The project also revealed the larger need for the health sector to learn from the education sector.

This article captures five key learnings, highlighting what public health can learn from education.

  • Learning #1: Staying motivated Motivation is why we do what we do. Teachers and nurses often do what they do because their work gives them purpose and the joy of contributing to their communities. Without motivation, teaching or medicine can be very emotionally and physically demanding fields and difficult to cope with.
  • Learning #2: Increasing the role and relevance of technology Our participants shared three benefits of incorporating technology into their classrooms: teacher aids, personalisation of education, and accessibility of education.
  • Learning #3: Understanding the importance of context, community, and collaboration Collaboration between parents, teachers, school administrators, governments, and the larger community is central for quality education.
  • Learning #4: Investing in people Investing in the growth and development of the team is the best way to ensure that organisational goals are continually met.
  • Learning #5: Recognising the need for organisational support Organisations can play an important role in ensuring the success of its teaching staff. To build a sense of community among the staff, organisations must provide high levels of continued support.

Read the full article about lessons for public health industry from education industry by Minha Khan at India Development Review (IDR).