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Pinks Senses: Design Curriculum for the 21st Century

LTC 8740 Curriculum in Art Education
Assignment #2

KAJ LOFGREEN

Dr. Kathy Unrath

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
2015

Pink describes in his book that in the new conceptual age that we have entered, where
information jobs are out sourced, and thus material abundance is creating the need for design and
artistry to make products stand out from competitors. He says we all can not be great artists, but
we all must understand design. Design is about creating solutions, something everyone does
every day. (Pink, 2006) He calls design the classic whole-minded aptitude. (p. 70) An object
must function as designed but also must have an aesthetic appeal that goes beyond usefulness.
This calls to mind Pinks aptitude of symphony; the idea is to see patterns and put all of the
elements together to create new meaning.
Defined in his book about Industrial design, John Heskett (1980) says the essence of design can
be defined as the human nature to shape and make our environment in ways without precedent in
nature, to serve our needs and give meaning to our lives. Everything made by humans is
designed. Design combines usefulness with aesthetic.
Average people now have more access to great design, through abundance and technology, which
causes an increase in demand and expectations in the marketplace and our world. Business also
recognizes the need for good design to compete in the market place. (Pink 2006) The more
people obtain a design knowledge and awareness, the more the world can change for the better.
Pink describes how almost everyone knows the names of the common type fonts due to our word
processing programs. (p.76) Products are marketed by famous designers and retailers
specializing in good design. Good or bad design can change the world. He gave the example of
the butterfly ballet page used in the 2000 Florida Election.
Including design in a 21st century art curriculum makes sense. The CHAD: Charter High School
of Architecture and Design in Philadelphia is a charter school to prepare a diverse population of

college bound students in the arts and design so that they will help make positive change in the
world. The curriculum is steeped with design to teach core academic subjects. What the deputy
principle describes as a modern day liberal arts education, no matter what profession the students
ultimately end up doing. Pink (2006)
I understand we as educators need to teach that through design that humans can create better
solutions to the many objects that we live with today and also remind students that humans have
the power and responsibility to be designers with unlimited possibilities. By connecting to
previous knowledge and to the visual world and culture of the students, teachers can help make
connections for students which can increase connection and interest in the subject and should
then be more engaged in their learning. Strategies should include using images and technology
that students expect and use every day. But they must go beyond using images, to a structural
change in the curriculum which acknowledge the many kinds of experiences people have with
visual culture. (Freedman p. 85)
With the help of research done by scholars, the national standards of creating, connecting,
responding and presenting have been created and implemented and with strong reason they need
to be addressed consistently in curriculum and lesson plans.
Also, by addressing the other senses outlined in A Whole New Mind, we as teachers can create
learning environments that will be much more engaging, inviting and meaningful to all learners.
I see connections and possibilities with each one of them and I have outlined a few thoughts.
Design and Story is important to remember because I have discovered that through using story
we learn new things and make connections to our knowledge. Students, like designers will
discover the need to use story to learn about the needs and desires of the client or consumer.

This will help create significance to solutions that are appropriate and successful. Story is also
used in other ways with design, such as through the communication of the ideas of organizations
that will need, for example, graphics designers that will be called upon to communicate the story
of organizations to the public.
Design with Play is important to get us on the way to original thinking and solutions, which is
crucial in design. In our curriculum class we had the opportunity to experience first-hand an
activity of playing with paper. Through humor and a sense of adventure and fun, a tone was
created by the teacher, which allowed our class the liberating experience of experimentation and
play without the negative emotions of fear and fear of failure to set in. Consequently we all were
elated to discover that play had allowed us to create compelling images and solutions in an
enjoyable process. Play also allows artists to learn about how to manipulate art mediums and
discover new possibilities. In the book Imagination First, Liu and Noppe-Brandon say,
Expectations are one of the greatest enemies of imagination and by mixing up sequences of
expectations will diminish this effect. They urge to embrace it and use it to break routine. (p
161)
Design and Symphony bring the elements together into something larger than the sum of its parts,
into a greater whole. To help develop the ability to see patterns and to bring in a whole minded
approach Pink suggests some ideas, like learning to draw a portrait, listening to symphonies and
making inspiration boards of items for inspiration cultivate symphony. (Pink 2006) Metaphor
making is also an important skill to develop to help individuals connect and understand others
and world. A metaphor is many times the only way to communicate a complex idea. This idea
should be included in creating curriculum for art learners. A metaphor of a wall can be used in

design to show separation, is an example. This kind of thinking should be used when studying
design.
Design with Empathy: The definition of empathy is the ability to imagine you in anothers
shoes (metaphor) or in someone elses place and to feel what that is like. In design this skill is
very useful to identify and understand problems that design can contribute to solving. Empathy
should be included in lessons about design to help make connections to how design can make a
real impact on people. To empathize with others will lead to better designs, and sometimes it can
make the difference of life or death. I could see having students design tiny houses for homeless,
or maybe ways that buildings or other objects can be designed and made more available to
everyone on from any economic level, so all have access to comfort, convenience and safety.
To me Design and Meaning is the culminating combination of senses because it brings
everything to the larger idea of significance and importance of connections on many levels.
Meaning and the symbolic use of elements is part of the understanding and the aesthetic in the
postmodern works of today. They go beyond the formalism of the modern works that came
before. The postmodern ideas and aesthetic of today points to the reality that people and visual
culture are connected and influence each other which can change the context which with work is
viewed; this gives reason to why visual culture must be taught in the classroom of today.
(Freeman, p 42)
Its interesting that psychologists now are researching happiness and have realized that it had not
really been done before, and why not study something that people want and not the opposite.
In Pinks chapter on meaning, I felt a connection for myself personally and how we all search for
meaning. It is what has led me to this program and why I want to a better art teacher. I had not

found true satisfaction yet by just working on my own art skills and producing my own art. I
realize that meaning for me would increase if I went outside myself to help others and to help the
community. I hope to instill a desire in my students to want to do the same.

I nominate a new sense: Connection

We are all becoming more connected in many ways than ever before. I see that the aptitude
would help students want to make connections and be connected with others and be connected in
many different ways, which also implies being part a process to find solutions to challenges that
we all face individually and as a whole.

References

Pink, D. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York:
Riverhead Books
Freedman, K. (2003). Teaching visual culture: Curriculum, aesthetics, and the social life of art.
New York: Teachers College Press;.
Liu, E., & Brandon, S. (2009). Imagination first unlocking the power of possibility. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Heskett, J. (1980). Industrial Design. New York: Thames and Hudson