欢迎来到Synthesis：参与方式

首先，欢迎加入Synthesis Teams，这是全球最创新的教育体验。

孩子将面临挑战，并在这个过程中结识一些来自世界各地的非常优秀的朋友们。每个游戏都经过精心设计，旨在引发团队中做出的有趣决策。

我们建议通过两个方面来最好地支持您孩子的成长：

1. 出勤是帮助您的孩子的最佳途径。我们建议每周至少60分钟。您可以将Synthesis的时间添加到您的家庭日历中，点击此处。
2. “友善” 和 “参与” 是我们文化的两个支柱。

在Synthesis待几个月后，我们通常会看到这三个方面的增长：

1. 增强与不同类型的孩子合作的信心；
2. 在团队中找到自己的声音；
3. 在复杂和模糊的情境中感到舒适。

感谢您的支持，我们期待着未来的道路。

如果您有任何问题或需要任何帮助，我们会在这里提供帮助。

向星际（和火星）启航，
Josh

Let me be the first to welcome to Synthesis Teams, the world’s most innovative educational experience.

You are going to be challenged, and along the way, they are going to meet some pretty exceptional kids from around the world. Each game is crafted to provoke interesting decisions that are made in teams.

We recommend two things to best support child’s growth:

1. Attendance is the #1 best way to help your child. We suggest at least 60 minutes per week. You can add Synthesis times to your family calendar here.
2. Be kind and join in are the two pillars of our culture. 

After a few months in Synthesis, we typically see growth in these three areas:

1. Increased confidence working with different types of kids;
2. Finding their voice in a team; and
3. Comfort in complexity and ambiguity.

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to the road ahead.

We are here if you have any questions or need any help.

To the stars (and Mars),

Josh

祝贺你们！

让我成为第一个欢迎你们来到 Synthesis 的人，这是世界上最具创新性的教育体验。接下来该做什么：

📺 准备
观看我的视频《Josh 家长入门指南 V1》，了解 Synthesis 的起源、运作方式以及你们可以期待什么。

🖥️ 就绪
登录你的账户并完成视频和音频技术检查。（该登录链接不会过期，可以在任何支持的设备上添加书签。）

🗓️ 出发
我们将在前三次课程中建立基本技能，这些课程称为基础课程。为你的学生选择一个 60 分钟的首次课程时间段。

就是这样！最重要的是为你的孩子成功做好准备，然后我们将接手。

飞向星辰（和火星），
Josh Dahn
Synthesis 联合创始人

视频《Josh 家长入门指南 V1》

Congrats!

Let me be the first to welcome to Synthesis, the world’s most innovative educational experience. Here’s what to do next:

📺Get ready.
Watch my short video about why Synthesis started, how it works, and what can expect.

🖥️Get set.
Log in to account and complete the video and audio tech check. (That login link will not expire and can be bookmarked on any supported device.)

🗓️Go.
We build the basic skills during the first three sessions, called Foundation. Choose a 60-minute timeslot for your student’s first session here.

That’s it! The most important thing is to set your child up for success, and we’ll take it from there.

To the stars (and Mars),
Josh Dahn
Synthesis creator and co-founder

Video: Josh Parent Orientation V1

来自 Synthesis 的问候！

在你孩子的第一次基础课程中，学生们掌握了 Synthesis 的基础知识：

• 目标：练习解决问题和团队合作。
• 问题：在 Constellation 这个团队思维游戏中完成越来越困难的协作挑战。
• 过程：从个体部分，成为一个统一的团队。 他们可能提到过这是一个艰难的开始。

这是有意安排的。

我们希望学生们直接跳进去，通过经验学习。如果团队沟通不畅，他们就无法完成挑战。这时教练会提出重要的问题：“我们可以在哪些方面改进？下次我们要做什么不同的事情？” Synthesis 每周都会积累这些小的改进。

现在，是时候超越基础了。

在基础课程的下一集中，我们将在地图中引入逆境，并在团队中引入冲突。因为即使在困难的时候，优秀的团队也会坚持在一起。

我会在下周再次联系，看你的孩子感觉如何。

飞向星辰（和火星），
Josh Dahn
Synthesis 联合创始人

PS：这是第二集任务简报的预览。请随意与你的学生分享！

Greetings from Synthesis!

In your child’s first Foundation session, students got the basics of Synthesis:

• The Purpose: to practice problem-solving and teamwork.
• The Problem: complete increasingly difficult collaborative challenges in Constellation, a team thinking game.
• The Process: from individual parts, become one, unified team.

They might have mentioned that it was a rocky start.

That’s by design.

We want students to jump right in and learn through experience. If the team communicates poorly, they don’t beat the challenge. And that’s when the coach asks the important questions: “Where can we improve? What are we going to do differently next time?” Synthesis compounds these small improvements, week after week.

Now, it’s time to move beyond basics.

In the next episode of Foundation, we’re going to introduce adversity into the maps and conflict into the teams. Because good teams stick together, even when things get tough.

I’ll check in again after next week and see how your child is feeling.

To the stars (and Mars),
Josh Dahn
Synthesis creator and co-founder

PS: Here’s a sneak peek at the mission brief for Episode 2. Feel free to share it with your student!

在你的孩子解锁 Synthesis 宇宙的其余部分之前，只剩下一步了。

你可以说这是一个最终测试。回顾一下：

✅ 在第一集中，我们练习了团队合作和解决问题的基本知识。
✅ 在第二集中，我们克服了逆境和冲突。

但在第三集中，你的孩子能在没有教练带领的情况下完成这些吗？

毕竟，Synthesis 学生真正的表现是在没有人看着时他们会做什么。

别担心——教练会一直在场，就像在我们所有的课程中一样。这周的不同之处在于，教练会在场边，学生们会自己领导。

如果他们的团队能团结起来，协调他们的方法，互相支持，他们就有很大的机会打败我们设计的四个最困难的地图。

如果不行，也没关系——因为这次，学生们只有完成所有四个地图才能晋级。

无论赢或输，成功或失败，我都很期待接下来会发生什么。

飞向星辰（和火星），
Josh Dahn
Synthesis 联合创始人

PS：我很想听听你们学生的经历。仅需几个问题。我会将结果分享给你孩子的教练。

There’s only one step left before your child unlocks the rest of the Synthesis universe.

A final test, you might say. To recap:

✅ We practiced the basics of teamwork and problem-solving in Episode 1.
✅ We worked through adversity in conflict in Episode 2.

But can your child do these without a coach leading the session In Episode 3?

After all, the real demonstration of a Synthesis student is what they do when no one’s watching.

Don’t worry — there will be a coach present the whole time, just like in all of our sessions. The difference this week is that the coach will be on the sideline, and the students will lead themselves.

If their team can come together, coordinate their approach, and support each other, they’ve got a good shot at beating the four most difficult maps we can cook up.

And if not, there’s always next week — because this time, students only advance if they complete all four maps.

Win or lose, success or failure, I’m excited to see what happens next.

To the stars (and Mars),
Josh Dahn
Synthesis creator and co-founder

PS: I’d love to hear about your students’s experience so far. Just a few questions. I’ll share the results with your child’s coach.

作为父母，我们知道事物变化很快。我有三个孩子：Eames（4岁），Fox（2岁）和Mosey（5个月）。我在职业生涯的前四年里在拉斯维加斯的Title I学校教授五年级，两年在洛杉矶的一所天才学校工作，过去的10年里创建了Ad Astra、Astra Nova和Synthesis。

我在教育领域的所有工作都基于对未来的三个信念：

1. 我们的孩子将在团队中工作——与来自世界各地不同背景的不同类型的人合作；
2. 我们的孩子将应对复杂的问题——并且什么方向是最好的并不总是明确的；
3. 我们的孩子在他们的工作中对善尽一份力时会更幸福——但找到善和将其变为现实并非微不足道。

您的孩子正在走上成为能够使任何团队更强大的人的道路。在Synthesis的核心是一场英雄的征程，我们渴望通过即将到来的反馈评价和一对一会议，与您分享我们看到的成长。

Synthesis宁愿不花钱进行任何广告，只是通过口碑发展，所以如果您认识一家看起来非常适合Synthesis的家庭，请把他们介绍给我们。

向星际（和火星）启航，
Josh

Hi everyone,

As parents, we know that things are changing quickly. I have three kids: Eames (4), Fox (2), and Mosey (5 months). I’ve spent the first four years of my career teaching 5th grade in Title I schools in Las Vegas, two years at a gifted school in Los Angeles, and the last 10 years creating Ad Astra, Astra Nova, and Synthesis.

Everything I work on in education is grounded in three convictions about the future:

1. Our kids will work on teams—different types of people with different backgrounds from around the world;
2. Our kids will grapple with complex problems—and it won’t always be clear what direction is best;
3. Our kids will be happiest when their work contributes to the good—but finding the good and bringing it to life is not trivial.

Your child is on the path to becoming the type of person who can make any team better. There is a hero’s journey at the heart of Synthesis, and we are eager to share the growth we see with you through the upcoming metrics and opportunity for a one-on-one conference.

Synthesis would prefer not to spend money on any ads and just grow by word of mouth, so if you know a family that seems like a great fit for Synthesis, please send them our way.

To the stars (and Mars),
Josh

如果教育的目标是培养孩子创办能够超越SpaceX的公司，那会是什么样子？我们是否仍然会坚持要求他们写五段论文并学习几何证明？

我花了六年的时间在SpaceX的校园里创建了一所名为Ad Astra的学校。我的目标是为我们的学生提供与SpaceX文化中编织在一起的目标感最为接近的体验。“登陆火星”对于太空公司来说是一个强大的统一力量，但我们如何让孩子们在实现这样的目标上获得团队合作的实践？

我创造了一门课程叫做Synthesis。它旨在让我们的Ad Astra学生在早期就体验到在有效的团队中合作的愉悦。

例如，一个名为“艺术大放送”的游戏要求团队在艺术拍卖中竞争。另一个名为“寻找鱼”的游戏让团队发现最有价值的捕鱼路线。重大决策将团队凝聚在一起，而在游戏过程中反思灾难性决策的时刻是一些最大的成长时刻。

我们将Ad Astra原始的课程搬到了公司中，并以此命名我们的公司，并致力于为每个孩子提供Synthesis的体验。在与我们在一起的一年中，学生将参与数百个独特的团队，与成千上万的孩子一同合作。他们还可以将队友添加为好友，以便他们的路径再次交叉。

一如既往，如果您有任何问题，请及时告诉我们。记得请将Synthesis添加到您的日历中，使其成为您一周的一部分。

向星际（和火星）启航，
Josh

What would it look like if education prepared kids to start companies that could outcompete SpaceX? Would we still insist they write five-paragraph essays and learn geometric proofs?

I spent six years creating a school called Ad Astra on the campus of SpaceX.My goal was to give our students the closest thing to the sense of purpose that is woven into the culture at SpaceX. “Get to Mars” is a great unifying force for a space company, but how do we give kids practice working together on such a goal?

I created a class called Synthesis. It was designed to give our Ad Astra students the joyful experience of working on effective teams at an early age.

For example, one game called Art for All required teams to compete in art auctions. Another game called Fish tasked teams with uncovering the most valuable fishing routes. Big decisions bring teams together, and some of the greatest moments of growth were in the moments reflecting on disastrous decisions in the course of the game.

We took the original class at Ad Astra, named our company after it, and are working to give every kid a Synthesis experience. Over the course of a year with us, students participate in hundreds of unique teams with thousands of kids. They can also add teammates as Friends so their paths cross again.

As always, let us know if you have any questions, and if you have not done so, please add Synthesis to your calendar to make it part of your week.

To the stars (and Mars),
Josh

在Ad Astra位于SpaceX校园时，我们听说过一个关于SpaceX一个小团队的故事，他们的任务是找出如何建造一支“无人机船队”以进行猎鹰9号火箭的着陆。

据说，这个团队成功地完成了船只建造、港口许可、与美国海岸警卫队的沟通、在汹涌的海上引导一艘没有船长的船，以及主要任务：在试验性的着陆火箭在甲板上爆炸时保持船只浮在水面上。

受SpaceX和特斯拉英勇的团队合作的故事启发，我们在Synthesis开始使用“超级协作者”这个词来描述那种可以让任何团队更强大的人。那么，我们如何培养数百万个能够有效评估问题、克服障碍，并使一个团队全体人员都认同计划的孩子呢？

给他们实践的机会。

在Synthesis，我们将孩子与各种各样的团队匹配，这些团队在大小、年龄、性别、技能和经验上都有所不同。游戏本身都需要不同的社交技能和思维模式。

并非所有孩子在所有类型的团队中都能茁壮成长，特别是在Synthesis的前几周。我们的责任是帮助您的孩子找到自己的声音，即使他们发现自己是团队中年龄最小的球员或者与战略意见不一致。众所周知，团队合作可能会变得混乱。但我们追求的是世界上最持久的技能：您的孩子学会如何为任何团队带来他们独特的价值。

我们期待在本周在Synthesis中见到您的孩子。如有任何问题，请随时与我们联系，或安排一些时间与我们会面，讨论您孩子的进展。

向星际（和火星）启航，
Josh

When Ad Astra was on the campus of SpaceX, there was a story we heard about a small team at SpaceX tasked with figuring out how to build a fleet of “drone ships” for Falcon 9 rocket landings.

Apparently, this team was able to successfully juggle ship construction, harbor permits, communication with the U.S. Coast Guard, navigating a captainless ship through rough seas, alongside the primary task: keeping the ships afloat as the experimental landing rockets exploded on the deck.

Inspired by the stories of heroic feats of teamwork at SpaceX and Tesla, we started using the word supercollaborator at Synthesis to describe the type of people who can make any team better. So how do we get millions of kids who can effectively size up a problem, overcome obstacles, and get a team of people buy into the plan?

You give them practice.

At Synthesis, we match Jiaxun with teams that vary by size, age, gender, skill, and experience. The games themselves all require different social skills and thinking patterns.

Not all kids thrive in all types of teams, especially in the first few weeks of Synthesis. It is our responsibility to help your child find their voice even if they find themselves on a team as the youngest player or disagree with the strategy. Teamwork, as we all know, can be messy. But we are in pursuit of the most endurable skill in the world: your child learning how to bring their unique value to any team.

We look forward to seeing your kids in Synthesis this week. As always, please reach out with any questions or schedule some time to meet with us to discuss your child’s progress.

To the stars (and Mars),
Josh

我有一个问题要问你。想象一下，一个太空机构有五个项目希望获得资金支持，但只有足够的资金支持两个。那么，他们应该资助哪些项目呢？

• 选项A：人类航天飞行。发送宇航员在火星上创建一个文明。
• 选项B：机器人航天飞行。发送机器人探索我们太阳系之外的未知世界。
• 选项C：太空旅游。出售门票，让非宇航员绕地球轨道。
• 选项D：撞击小行星。创建一个系统，在小行星撞击地球之前将其粉碎。
• 选项E：望远镜。建造世界上最先进的太空望远镜，了解宇宙更多信息。

如果你向家庭所有成员提出这个问题，他们可能不太可能达成一致意见。有建设性地不同意是我们可以在孩子身上培养的最重要的技能之一。倾听其他人解决类似“NASA难题”问题的方式，让你重新考虑自己的推理方式。对改变主意的开放态度从来都不是坏事 🙂

这类问题出现在周二[太平洋时间上午9点和下午4点]和周四[太平洋时间上午9点和下午4点]的讨论中。孩子们在这里不是进行思维游戏，而是深入探讨涉及系统思维、激励和集体责任等强大概念的重大问题。

如果需要，我们有成年主持人随时待命，但这是Synthesis孩子们每周独自开展的对话类型。

希望在那里见到艾克！

向星际（和火星）启航，
Josh

I have a question for you. Imagine that a space agency has five programs they want to fund but only enough money for two. So, what should they fund?

Option A: Human spaceflight. Send astronauts to start a civilization on Mars.

Option B: Robotic spaceflight. Send robots to unexplored worlds outside of our solar system.

Option C: Space tourism. Sell tickets to allow non-astronauts to orbit Earth.

Option D: Asteroid blasting. Create a system to pulverize any large asteroid before it hits Earth.

Option E: Telescope. Build the world’s most advanced space telescope to learn more about the universe.

If you ask this question to all the members of your family, you are unlikely to get a consensus. Disagreeing constructively is one of the most essential skills we can develop in our kids. Listening to the way others approach a problem like the NASA Conundrum allows you to reconsider your own reasoning. Openness to changing your mind is never a bad thing 🙂

Questions like these are found in Discussions on Tuesdays [9am and 4pm PT] and Thursdays [9am and 4pm PT]. Instead of thinking games, kids dive into big questions that touch on powerful concepts like systems thinking, incentives, and collective responsibility.

We have adult moderators standing by if they are needed, but these are the types of conversations Synthesis kids are having weekly all on their own.

Hope to see Jiaxun there!

To the stars (and Mars),
Josh

在Ad Astra的第一年结束时，埃隆的执行助手打来电话，询问我是否能过去开个会。我被要求准备一份年度回顾和“课程调整”清单。

我感到恐慌。“课程调整”这个概念似乎意味着学校走错了方向。但两件事可能是真实的：阿德阿斯特拉度过了成功的第一年，但仍有无限的改进空间。

在Synthesis， “预期进行调整”的原则是将良好反馈的价值进行架构的最强大方式之一。当我们只给孩子们赞扬或允许他们“获得完美的成绩”时，我们在传达改进是不可能的信息。

思维游戏是通过错误学习的理想环境。在标准游戏中，通过复制成功玩家的技巧来取得成功，但在思维游戏中行不通。在Synthesis，没有人能够通过秘密战术将团队带向成功。相反，团队必须利用每个玩家的贡献并共同进行持续的课程调整。

由于课程调整是改进的引擎，我们将每隔几周为您发送个人度量数据。这些电子邮件的目标是分享一些关于您孩子在Synthesis的经历的见解，并为定期会议铺平道路，以讨论您孩子的成长。

怀着改进的精神，我们很乐意听取您的反馈。请将您的任何想法发送给我们。

向星际（和火星）启航，
Josh

At the end of the first year of Ad Astra, Elon’s executive assistant called and asked if I could come in for a meeting. I was asked to prepare a review of the year and a list of “course corrections.”

I panicked. The concept of “course corrections” seemed to imply that the school was not on the right path. But two things can be true: Ad Astra had a successful first year, and there was endless room for improvement.

At Synthesis, the principle of “expect course corrections” is one of the most powerful ways of framing the value of good feedback. When we only give kids praise or allow them to “get perfect grades,” we are communicating that improvement is impossible.

Thinking games are the ideal environment to learn through mistakes. In a standard game, you succeed by copying the tricks of successful players, but that doesn’t work in thinking games. No one person can carry a team to success with a secret tactic at Synthesis. Instead, teams have to leverage the contributions of each player and make continuous course corrections together.

Since course corrections are the engine of improvement, we will send you personal metrics for every few weeks. The goals of these emails are to share some insights into your child’s Synthesis experience and set the stage for periodic conferences to discuss your child’s growth.

In the spirit of improvement, we’d love your feedback. Please send anything on your mind our way.

To the stars (and Mars),
Josh

您的孩子可能是我们思维游戏中最优秀的孩子之一。要达到那个水平，将需要与标准游戏相当不同的东西。

首先，我们与类似Roblox的游戏有不同的目标。我们希望您的孩子思考。但仅仅思考是不够的；成功来自执行计划并根据从环境中获得的更多反馈进行调整。我们的游戏是多人游戏（通常是3、4或5人团队），但它们也是团队必不可少的。成功来自于最好地合作的人。

由于这样的游戏在世界上并不存在，我们在我们的游戏工作室中创造它们。大多数商业游戏都侧重于货币化循环。我们有幸制作纯粹的游戏，这些游戏只存在于为我们的学生带来最好的东西。每个游戏都以协作为支柱。例如：

• POLIS：一个需要协商优先事项的游戏。
• CONSTELLATION：一个需要在复杂环境中执行的游戏。
• PROXIMA：一个需要分派任务的游戏。
• HYPERBALL：一个需要高度协调的游戏。

有没有在 Synthesis 中最受欢迎的游戏？实际上，没有，但对所有游戏都有很强烈的意见。团队合作是多方面的，因此我们的每个游戏都需要一组独特的能力才能取得成功。

在Synthesis参与一年后，您的孩子将获得在不同协作环境中与团队合作的数小时练习。查看您孩子在这些即将到来的几周内的度量数据，了解他们在不同挑战中的表现如何。如果您想讨论数据或进行简单的了解，我们随时提供会议。

向星际（和火星）启航，
Josh

It is possible that your child may be one of the best kids in the world at one of our thinking games. To reach that level will require something quite a bit different from standard games.

To start, we have different goals from games like Roblox. We want your child to think. But thinking alone is not enough; success comes from executing a plan and making course corrections as you get more feedback from the environment. Our games are multiplayer (most often in teams of 3, 4, or 5), but they are also team-essential. Success comes to those who collaborate best.

Since games like these do not exist in the world, we create them in our game studio. Most commercial games focus on monetization loops. We get to make pure games that only exist to bring out the very best of our students. Each game rests on a pillar of collaboration. For example:

• POLIS: a game that requires negotiating priorities.
• CONSTELLATION: a game that requires executing in complexity.
• PROXIMA: a game that requires delegation of tasks.
• HYPERBALL: a game that requires high levels of coordination.

Is there a most popular game at Synthesis? Actually, no, but there are strong opinions about all of them. Teamwork is multi-faceted, so our games each have a unique set of competencies required to be successful.

After participating in Synthesis for a year, your child will get hours of practice working on teams in different collaborative environments. Take a look at your child’s metrics in these upcoming weeks to see how they are faring in the different challenges. If you want to discuss the data or just check in, conferences are always available here.

To the stars (and Mars),
Josh

随着我们的Synthesis团队夏季战略营即将开始，我想分享一些关于社区和友谊的重要性。我们本周的夏令营名额很可能会售罄，如果您有兴趣加入我们，请立即预订：www.synthesis.com/summer ——Chrisman

观看Synthesis团队的活动，看到孩子们结交朋友，是最令人兴奋的亮点之一。

您可能知道，Teams最初是由我的联合创始人Josh与Elon Musk在SpaceX实验学校创办的一个课程。那所学校很小——只有大约30个家庭——所以孩子们都彼此认识并且信任对方。他们稳定的社会关系让他们的思维得以自由地讨论Teams游戏和模拟中探索的高级概念。

当我们开始这家公司时，我们必须想办法从一种为30个彼此认识的孩子设计的体验，转变为一种能让来自全球各地数千名孩子感到受欢迎的体验。

我们尝试的第一个方法是像典型的课堂一样运行Teams，每个班级有15-20个孩子和一个老师。许多孩子在这种形式中建立了友谊。但如果您在组里没有找到合适的朋友，Teams可能会成为一种孤独的体验。我们对此并不满意。我们希望每个孩子都能交朋友并感到受欢迎。因此，我们打破了课堂形式，重新推出了基于互相好友请求的社区/网络形式的Teams。

其工作原理如下：在您的第一个游戏中，我们会将您与随机的孩子配对。游戏结束后，您可以向任何您想再次一起玩的孩子发送好友请求。下一个游戏，我们会尝试将您与您的朋友和一些新孩子混合配对，让您有机会结交更多的朋友。随着时间的推移，您会更频繁地与已经结交的朋友一起玩。您可能不会每次都见到您最好的朋友，但您会“偶遇”足够多的您认识并喜欢的人，使之感觉像一个社区。

对于Synthesis团队中的教练也是如此。您可能不会每次都见到您最喜欢的教练，但如果您坚持参加，会有一些您反复见到的教练，他们会逐渐了解您并希望帮助您成长。

社区不是一次建立起来然后放在一边的东西。这是一个持续的努力。但这种努力让我充满活力，因为我完全相信在Synthesis中形成的一些友谊将来会促使孩子们创办自己的公司并改变世界。即使他们不这样做，我仍然认为作为一个10岁的孩子，我自己的儿子能有来自多个大陆的朋友是非常酷的:)

Chrisman Frank CEO & 联合创始人 | Synthesis

With our Synthesis Teams summer strategy camp starting soon, I wanted to share some recent thoughts on the importance of community and friendships in Teams. We will likely be sold out of summer camp spots this week, so reserve now if you are interested in joining us: www.synthesis.com/summer. – Chrisman

One of the highlights of watching Synthesis Teams in action is seeing the kids make friends.

As you may know, Teams was originally a class at the SpaceX lab school my cofounder Josh started with Elon Musk. The school was small—only about 30 families—so the kids all knew and trusted each other. Their steady social relationships left their minds free to discuss higher-order concepts that are explored in Teams games and simulations.

When we started the company, we had to figure out a way to go from an experience designed for 30 kids who all knew each other in person to something that would feel welcoming to thousands of kids from all over the planet.

The first path we tried was to run Teams like a typical classroom, with 15-20 kids and a teacher. Many kids formed friendships in this format. But if you happened to not click with anyone in your group, Teams could be a lonely experience. We weren’t satisfied with this. We wanted to make it so every child would make friends and feel welcome. So we broke up the classroom format and re-launched Teams as a community/network based on mutual friend requests.

Here’s how it works: In your first game, we match you with random kids. After the game, you can send a friend request to anyone you want to play with again. Next game we try to match you with a mix of your friends, plus some new kids so you have the opportunity to make more friends. Over time, you’ll play more frequently with the friends you’ve made. You might not see your best friend every time, but you “bump into” enough people that you know and like to make it feel like a community.

The same is true for coaches in Synthesis Teams. You may not see your favorite coach every time, but if you keep showing up, there will be a handful of coaches you see repeatedly who come to know you and want to help you grow.

Community isn’t something that is built once and put aside. It is an ongoing effort. But it’s an effort that invigorates me, because I fully believe some of the friendships formed on Synthesis are going to lead to kids starting their own companies and changing the world someday. And even if they don’t, I still think it’s pretty cool that as a 10-year-old, my own son has friends on multiple continents 🙂

Chrisman Frank
CEO & Cofounder | Synthesis

Synthesis夏令营从周一开始！第一周的体验将为接下来的三周奠定基础。以下是预期内容。

预期混乱

没错，你没看错。未来的问题将是复杂且未知的，假装它们不存在对孩子们没有帮助。相反，我们希望孩子们在混乱中找到清晰的思路。为此，我们使用游戏，但我们不会告诉孩子们如何玩或如何赢。这需要他们自己去摸索，一起合作。

预期独立

Synthesis不是学校；我们的教练不会站在舞台中央。他们会给学生提出挑战，让他们共同解决问题。在学生们工作时，我们会在隐藏模式下观察团队动态并准备下一个挑战。为什么要隐藏？因为能够在“无人监督”时展示团队合作和战略的学生，才是真正内化了这些技能的学生。

预期发展

以下是我们将围绕的主题：

• 第1周 — 混乱到清晰：如何在混乱中找到清晰的步骤。概念包括：迭代思维、目标设定和角色协调。
• 第2周 — 增加复杂性：通过增加分析和评估层次来加强学生的战略过程。概念包括：批判性思维、风险评估和创新。
• 第3周 — 变幻中决策：在不可预测的条件下进行决策和纠正。概念包括：适应性、课程修正和压力反应。
• 第4周 — 技能整合：在全新Synthesis游戏中综合之前的技能。概念包括：技能转移、团队凝聚力和反思。

预期个性化反馈

每周结束后，我们会通过电子邮件向您发送一周的体验回顾、关于您孩子的个性化反馈以及下周的预告。

我们不期望Synthesis夏令营在短短四周内完全掌握上述技能。我们期望的是展示学生的舒适和自信之处、改进空间以及帮助他们达到目标的可操作步骤。

我们的理念

我们相信学生有能力通过自己的方式、以自己的节奏进行体验学习。因此，我们的教练会期望文明行为，但也会给学生空间来处理冲突并解决问题。他们会支持学生学习，但不会告诉学生该怎么想。他们会调节沟通，但不会规定谁说话和什么时候说话。

源起

Synthesis的学生将为生活中的问题做好准备，不是因为他们记住了信息，而是因为他们不断练习——通过起伏不定的过程，直到这个过程变得自动化。

我们期待看到您的学生踏上他们旅程的第一步。

Synthesis

Synthesis Summer starts on Monday! The experiences of the first week will set the foundation for the next three weeks. Here’s what to expect.

Expect confusion.

You read that right. The problems of the future will be complex and unknown, and we don’t help our kids by pretending otherwise. Instead, we want your child to get comfortable in confusion and find clarity in chaos. To do that, we use games. But we don’t tell kids how to play or how to win. That’s for them to figure out. Together.

Expect independence.

Synthesis is not school; our coaches do not take center stage. They set a challenge before students and allow them to work together on a solution. While they work, we observe on hidden mode to analyze team dynamics and prepare the next challenge. Why stay hidden? Because the students that can demonstrate teamwork and strategy “when no one’s watching” are the ones that have truly internalized the skills.

Expect development.

Here are the topics we’ll center our experiences around.

• Week 1 — Find the Shape: How to become comfortable with confusion and take steps to find clarity within chaos. Concepts include iterative mindset, goal setting, and coordinating roles.
• Week 2 — Added Complexity. Reinforcing students’ strategic process by adding an analytical and evaluative layer. Concepts include critical thinking, risk assessment, and innovation.
• Week 3 — In Flux. Decision-making and course-correcting under unpredictable conditions. Concepts include adaptability, course-corrections, and stress responses.
• Week 4 — Synthesis Squared. A synthesis of previous skills in a brand new Synthesis game. Concepts include skill transfer, team cohesion, and reflection.

Expect personalized feedback.

After each week, we’ll email you with a review of the week’s experience, personalized feedback about your child, and a preview of what’s coming up the next week.

We don’t expect Synthesis Summer to create complete mastery of the skills above in four short weeks. We do expect to show you where your student is showing comfort and confidence, where there is room to improve, and what actionable steps will help them get there.

Our philosophy.

We believe in the capacity of our students to learn through experience in their own way, at their own pace. Therefore, our coaches will expect civil behavior, but they will also give students space to encounter conflict and work to resolve it. They will support student learning, but they will not tell students what to think. They will moderate communication, but they will not dictate who speaks and when.

Here’s why.

Synthesis students will be prepared for life’s problems, not because they memorized information, but because they’ve practiced — again and again, through ups and downs, until the process feels automatic.

We’re looking forward to watching your student take the first steps on their journey.

Synthesis

主题：关于反馈邮件和如何帮助孩子提高的澄清

亲爱的Georgi，
希望你一切安好。

我最近收到了一些类似下面的反馈邮件，家长们询问“未完成”、“无输入”和“无反馈”等术语的具体含义。他们还关心如何根据这些报告帮助孩子提高。

你能解释一下这些术语的含义吗？具体来说：

• 在成就和回复的上下文中，“未完成”意味着什么？
• “无输入”表示什么，为什么这个术语在反馈中频繁出现？
• “无反馈”代表什么，我们如何确保学生能收到教练的建设性评论？

此外，任何关于如何让家长支持孩子更充分地参与计划并完成成就的建议都将不胜感激。

感谢你的帮助。

此致， William

您好，

感谢您的联系，抱歉回复延迟。参加Synthesis Teams和Summer的老学生可以访问他们门户上的“成就”页面。

该页面将显示他们可能有或没有的各种成就。一些成就与他们在游戏中的表现有关。当他们未完成游戏中的某项挑战时，系统将显示“未完成”的消息。

“无输入”是我们基于学生回答若干问题的第二类成就中会看到的消息。一旦他们点击特定的成就，这些问题将会在他们的门户中显示出来。

“无反馈”消息同样与成就的书面回复有关，而不是指游戏和课程的反馈。

此致， Georgi Klisuranov

亲爱的Georgi，

感谢您的详细解释。然而，我收到了一些家长的反馈，他们表示孩子们收到的报告中几乎所有方面都显示“无”，这可能会让学生感到沮丧。与其仅仅表明“无”或“未完成”，提供一些建设性的反馈或可操作的建议会更有帮助。这将有助于学生了解他们可以改进的地方，并鼓励他们取得进步。

这只是我的观点，但我很想听听您的看法。感谢您的理解和持续支持。

此致， William

亲爱的William，

感谢您的反馈，我们非常感谢，我会将其传达给我们的团队。

我们完全理解这对学生来说是一个全新的功能，他们仍然需要时间来适应。在过去几周中，学生们在每节课前看到的Mission Brief视频中已经介绍了这个功能，并详细说明了如何实际使用它。我建议让家长们知道，学生们可以通过仔细观看下一次加入课程前的Mission Brief视频，了解更多关于成就的信息。

此致， Georgi Klisuranov

Subject: Clarification on Feedback Emails and How to Help Kids Improve

Dear Georgi,

I hope this message finds you well.

I’ve been receiving a few feedback emails similar to the one below, and parents have been asking for clarification on what the terms “Not completed”, “Nothing entered”, and “No feedback” mean. They are also concerned about how they can help their kids improve based on these reports.

Could you please provide some insight into these terms? Specifically:

1. What does “Not completed” signify in the context of achievements and responses?
2. What does “Nothing entered” mean, and why might this be appearing frequently in the feedback?
3. What does “No feedback” indicate, and how can we ensure students receive constructive comments from coaches?

Additionally, any advice on how parents can support their children to engage more fully in the program and complete the achievements would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards,
William

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out and sorry for the delay. Our veteran students that are attending both Synthesis Teams and Summer have access to a page called “Achievements” on their Portal.

That page will show a range of possible achievements that they either have or don’t have. Some achievements are linked to their performance in the game. When they haven’t completed a certain challenge within the games the system will display the message “Not completed”

Nothing entered is the message that you will see for our second type of achievement which is based on students answering a number of questions. The questions will be visible for them once they click on a specific achievement from their Portal.

The “No feedback” message is once again linked to the written responses that they can provide for the achievements, it is not referring to feedback about the games and the sessions.

Kind regards,
Georgi Klisuranov

Hello Georgi,

Thank you for the detailed explanation. However, I’ve received feedback from several parents expressing concern that the reports their children received show almost “No” in every aspect, which might be overwhelming for the students. It would be more beneficial to provide some constructive feedback or actionable suggestions instead of just indicating “No” or “Not completed”. This way, it can help the students understand where they can improve and feel more encouraged to make progress.

It’s just my opinion, but I would appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Best regards,
William

Hello William,

Thank you for the feedback, we truly appreciate it and I will pass it along to our team.

We fully understand that this is a completely new feature for students and they still need time to adjust to it. Our Mission Brief videos that students see before each sessions have been introducing the feature in the past few weeks and are giving students more details on how to actually use it. I would recommend letting parents know that students can learn more about the Achievements but taking a closer look at the Mission Brief video before the next session they join.

Kind regards,
Georgi Klisuranov