Heliotrope: To the classroom and beyond
A unique family of plants whose flowers and leaves follow the daily arc of the sun, the heliotrope has become the guiding metaphor for a company of the same name. Heliotrope has developed a solution that teaches individuals to gravitate toward and draw inspiration from the power of a positive self-image and a positive worldview. Prelude, the collaborative learning game developed by Dr. Howard Esbin, Heliotrope’s founder, conveys essential soft-skills ignored in most traditional education curricula, but essential to the 21st century economy.
Particularly impactful with youth at risk, new immigrants and the newly unemployed, Prelude assists individuals to develop self-knowledge, creative thinking skills, cooperation skills, empathy, resourcefulness, creativity, self-identity, innovation, communication skills, global awareness and civic literacy (among many others).
As a truly innovative way to catalyze self-discovery, wellbeing, team building, and appreciation for interdependency, Prelude’s learning tools are receiving notice from social agencies, workplace training programs, community development programs and schools across the country.
Esbin’s journey to develop Prelude began at 35, when he walked away from a high-paying job to go back to school. Esbin spent 14 years attending university part-time to get his PhD while working as a senior executive at a non-profit organization. Esbin’s research took him to Africa where he studied a community of soapstone carvers. The craft was taught by direct informal observation in a supportive, social atmosphere. As a result of these observations, Esbin began thinking about new ways to teach, and what important skills our schools are missing. He also began studying the link between positive psychology and positive outcomes. Prelude is the culmination of Esbin’s research efforts, and was developed completely on his own dime.
After four years of piloting, the game is set to play a big role in the next generation of learning and assessment tools. The key to the game is that it allows individuals to better understand their differences, how they complement one another and how they can work more harmoniously together, improving social discourse. With the current emphasis on creativity, experiential learning and soft-skills, the timing for Heliotrope’s game couldn’t be better. The company is now licensing Prelude to “early adopter” institutions with the support of game evangelists across the country, and overseas. According to Esbin, “We woke up one morning, and the flowers had bloomed”. The company still faces hurdles, however. Angel investors are beginning to show interest in Heliotrope, but Esbin remarks, “I feel like I’m sitting on top of a gold mine, but I’m mining it with a spoon”, citing the classic entrepreneurial challenge of securing investment capital while at the same time, building sales.
Prelude has been five years in the making and, according to Esbin, a hard uphill slog that is now starting to pay off. Many business colleagues thought it was a mistake for Esbin to give up a lucrative job to return to school and later run a start-up. However, Howard has never regretted his decision. His advice to would-be entrepreneurs is to trust your intuition and persevere.
Website: www.heliotrope.ca
