Design

Thinking
Workshop

October 4, 2012
 Our
1:30 1:40 Context
Approach
1:40 2:20 Deep Dive
2:20 2:35 Classroom
Work
2:35 2:45 Q & A

 Pat Bassets Four Questions

for 21st Century Schools

(Posed
What do we teach?
in 2008)
How do we teach?

How do we assess our teaching?

How do we transform our schools given

our historic success?
 Colorado Academy
21st Century Curriculum
Inclusive Community
ional, participatory High Tuition
n academics, the arts,
experiential education. Complacency
Global Education and Worst Economy
Service learning Since the 1930s

Uplift
Agents of Change or Victims
of Change?
 Force

That which changes or tends to change the state of

motion or rest of a particular body.
Transformation
21st Century Skills
-Critical
6 Thinking
-Creativity
-Collaboration
-Communication
-Cultural
Competency
-Character
 What is Design
Thinking and Why
Learn About it ?
 Design Thinking
1. Powerful Set of
Problem-Solving
Strategies
2. Opportunity to
Encourage Creativity
3. Tool for reshaping
Schools & Curriculum
 Educational Shifts:
1970 to 2012
1. Writing
1. Teamwork
2. Computational Skills
3. Reading Skills 2.Problem Solving
4. Oral Communication Interpersonal Skills
5. Listening Skills Oral Communication
6. Personal Career Listening Skills
Development Personal Career Development
7. Creative Thinking Creative Thinking
8. Leadership Goal Setting/Motivation
9. Goal Setting/Motivation Writing
10.Teamwork Organizational Effectiveness
11. Organizational Effectiveness Computational Skills
12.Problem Solving Reading Skills
13.Interpersonal Skills
Teacher as Innovator
 Innovators Mindset
ACT! we are problem
solvers, doers, creators.
Learn from Mistakes
we fail fast and fearlessly,
learning from each try
Work Together we
collaborate, creating better
solutions
Contribute to the
Greater Good we
improve our community and
world
Be Resilient we dont
give up
Grow we are life-long
learners
Deep Dive
WHAT?

Design is a Process
d.Light designs
Design Thinking in
Schools
 WHY?
Engagement
Achievement
Success after school

Businesses want it
 Design Thinking Provides
a Road Map

Theory Practice
CONNECTIONS

Communication
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Collaboration
Problem Solving
 MY REQUESTS OF YOU
FOR THE MORNING:
1. Step in to the shoes of
students You are learning to
be a design thinker
2. Defer judgment: You may end
up just using components of this
process or overall mindsets
3. Have fun!
Familiarize with the
Process
 LETS GET STARTED
Redesign the Wallet for your User
using the design process.
EMPATHIZE
 UNDERSTAND
Or
EMPATHIZE

Expose. Observe.

Engage .
Have a good conversation
27
 Always
seek STORIES
talk about FEELINGS
follow-up withWHY?
 Design Something
Useful

Switch roles and repeat interview 1

FOR THE NEXT MINUTE

?
?
?
?
?
Ask Why 5 times
Point of view
 IDEATION

Switch roles and repeat sharing

FOR THE NEXT MINUTE EVERY IDEA
MUST COST OVER 1 MILLION
DOLLARS TO IMPLEMENT
 EVERY IDEA MUST
REQUIRE MAGIC
Prototype:
FAIL early and often
Cost of failure vs. project time
Let Go of Ideas

Embrace v 0.0 Embrace v 1.0

 Test (or, OBSERVE again!)

you will bring your prototype BACK to users

Rapid Prototyping + Feedback

Switch roles and repeat sharing

 Outcomes

Intentional Better
Process Outcomes
What Teachers Think
Classroom
25 30 Projects in the Pilot or
2nd Year Phase
Multiple projects at each grade level
Middle School layers in Performance
Tasks and 8th grade Design Thinking
Capstone Projects
Upper School continues skill
development
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
THE BOOT CHALLENGE:

EMPATHY: Interviewed
each other about why boots
are all over the place in the
winter.

PROTOTYPE: Created new

systems and ideas for how to
organize boots.

TEST: Tried a different idea

each week and got feedback.
 3rd Grade - Playground
.
EMPATHY: Interviewed students about what they liked and
disliked on school playground.
Observed kids playing what did they like? Where did they
bump into each other?
PROTOTYPE: Created scale model of ideal playground and
built simple machine to represent one of the structures.
TEST: Tested ideas with other students for feedback.
Showed ideas to Facilities department for feasibility
feedback.
 LANGUAGE LEARNING

Design Characters in a book:

Empathy: What is important to

a character?
~Reading comprehension

Prototype: Ideas to meet the

characters needs

Test/present: Ideas to
classmates and teacher for
feedback
Oral practice
STUDY SKILLS
Learning Subject Vocabulary:

Empathize: Students interview one

another about effective learning
experiences.

Prototype: Students build

game/presentation etc. to teach
complex vocab skills.

Test: Ideas are tested in class as a

platform to learn vocabulary.
 7th Grade Problem
Solving Bootcamp

Partner with the

Denver Childrens
Museum to create
prototypes that
visitors can make in
the Museums
Construction
Exhibit
 9th Grade
Dedicated 9th
grade trimester
course in Design
Thinking
A cross-
disciplinary
problem-solving
intensive
 Key Benefits
Student: School:
Encourages Orients the curriculum
INNOVATORS toward COMPLEX
MINDSET PROBLEM SOLVING
Provides a set of Provides COMMON
PROBLEM SOLVING LANGUAGE for
STRATEGIES teachers and students
Creates the Creates context for
opportunity to COLLABORATIVE and
PRACTICE COMMUNICATION
Skill development
 From Here to There
Choose your TARGETS and Tools wisely
INVOLVE the faculty
Provide PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Make time for CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
Have CLEAR EXPECTATIONS
Make room for MISTAKES
Questions
Design Thinking
Clear Goal Definition
 ThinkingLAB
D Quadrant

Design Thinking Performance Tasks

Process intended - Complex Task
to encourage creative - Student in Role
thinking involving: - Data Evaluation
Empathy - Product of Some Sort
Definition - Direct Evaluation of
Ideation Critical Thinking
Prototyping Development
Feedback - CWRA - Like
 Critical and Creative
ThinkingLAB
Critical and Creative Thinking Skill
Development should be a full partner with
other reading, writing and math in all
grades
Critical and Creative Thinking Skills can
be taught, practiced and improved over
time
Lower and Middle School Children are
NOT too young to begin practicing
 Lower School
ThinkingLAB
20 Design Thinking
Projects Piloted so far
At Least Two at Every
Grade Level Next Fall
Huge Faculty Buy-In
Consistent Skill
Development
In Many Cases -
Highlight of the
Curriculum for Kids
Middle School ThinkingLAB
Two ThinkingLAB projects
in each class
7th Grade Outside the Box
program in place
Critical Thinking Focus
Performance Task Practice
& Design Thinking Projects
in ALL Grade Levels
Capstone Projects for 8th
Graders
Consistent Skill
Development and
Assessment Across Grade
Levels
 Upper School
Continue to integrate the
5Cs in all curriculums
Integrate Real World
Problem Solving, Design
Thinking and CLA-type
performance tasks as
appropriate in all curricula
Launch Design Thinking
freshman trimester course
in fall 2012
Provide consistent feedback
on student progress
 D Quadrant
Students demonstrate their ability to
think in complex ways and to apply
their knowledge and skills.
Even when confronted with perplexing
unknowns, students are able to use
extensive knowledge and skill to create
solutions and take action that further
develops their skills and knowledge.
Rigor/Relevance Framework
 Assessment, Feedback &
Measurement

College Work and

Readiness Assessment

Critical Thinking CWRA

Rubric
Mix and Match
Tools
Design Thinking in
Schools
 2nd Grade LEARNING GAME
Prototype: Try the game as a
team
Problem Statement: Create a
game that teaches a concept

Teach addition and

subtraction with cards
Iterate: Refine the game
and add rules until it works.

Give it to the 1st graders so

they can learn
 STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING
Redesigning School for the
summer school students:

Empathy: Asking students

how they feel about school
and how they learn best

Prototype: Developing new

structures for summer school
based on responses

Test/present: Testing
structures with students and
asking for feedback