Design Thinking in the Classroom

Jessica Artiles@Jess_Artiles

Design Thinking Integration Strategist

jartiles@mit.edu

Robert ViethEdgerton Center

Instructorrvieth@mit.edu

Rachel ShulerMeadowbrook School

MS Science Chairrshuler@meadowbrook-ma.org

Handout & Presentation: http://bit.ly/DTatMAST

Our Presentation Today1. Focus:

○ Who are you? Who are we?○ What is design thinking?

2. Explore: ○ Dive into Design Thinking Curriculum

3. Reflect:○ What struck you?

4. Apply○ Let’s try it out with some IPS curriculum

5. Resource Sharing & Future Work

Our Presentation Today1. Focus:

○ Who are you? Who are we?○ What is design thinking?

2. Explore: ○ Dive into Design Thinking Curriculum

3. Reflect:○ What struck you?

4. Apply○ Let’s try it out with some IPS curriculum

5. Resource Sharing & Future Work

What are YOUR NEEDS today? You are OUR user:● How do you use design in your

classroom?● What do you hope to get out out

of our talk today?

Design Thinking is......a process...everywhere...iterative...user-centered...empowering...transformative...a mindset.

YOU are design thinkers, naturally

In many ways, you’ve been doing this already! DT = Ideal Instruction

+ Cross-over of using it in different disciplines, knowing how to apply it across content areas.

Design Thinking is all these... and more!

DT= Engineering Design Process + empathy and HCDDT= Problem-Based Learning + versatile learning stylesDT= Project-Based Learning + set within a processDT= Hands-On Learning + authentic learningDT= Tinkering + with a process purpose

Our Presentation Today1. Focus:

○ Who are you? Who are we?○ What is design thinking?

2. Explore: ○ Dive into Design Thinking Curriculum

3. Reflect:○ What struck you?

4. Apply○ Let’s try it out with some IPS curriculum

5. Resource Sharing & Future Work

Sometimes, you need to go back to the basics: What do you want to teach and why?

How does your curriculum reflect your goals for qualities and characteristics?

How might we collaborate, across all levels of the school?

What projects would get your kids (and you)excited about learning? Can they be authentic?

Brainstorm. Refine. Develop.Together.

The Basics

● Design Challenge● User-Centered● Understands inputs

and outputs at each stage

● Bite-sized but open-ended

● Authentic● Flexible

The Awesome

6th Life Science: DT ChallengeDESIGN SOMETHING THAT CREATES

excited learning in JK class about Meadowbrook’s Birds

RESEARCH: ornithology INTERVIEW: kindergarteners

DEFINE: kindergarteners’ needs

IMAGINE: design using ornithology to meet needsPROTOTYPE: iterate with critical questions

Our JK buddies need a way to creatively manipulate a

miniature world so as to to understand the real world

they live in.

Our JK buddies need a way to do something

challenging and succeed so as to feel independent like

a competent ‘big kid.’

TRY: revise, try again

Our Presentation Today1. Focus:

○ Who are you? Who are we?○ What is design thinking?

2. Explore: ○ Dive into Design Thinking Curriculum

3. Reflect:○ What struck you?

4. Apply○ Let’s try it out with some IPS curriculum

5. Resource Sharing & Future Work

Reflect: What struck youWhat struck you most?

What are you most curious about?

Any big questions?

Share with your neighbor!

Our Presentation Today1. Focus:

○ Who are you? Who are we?○ What is design thinking?

2. Explore: ○ Dive into Design Thinking Curriculum

3. Reflect:○ What struck you?

4. Apply○ Let’s try it out with some IPS curriculum

5. Resource Sharing & Future Work

Reimagining a Characteristic Properties of Matter LabIn this common IPS/APS experiment students will:

● Heat water: record temperature from ice to gas

● Collect Data in a Table● Analyze & Graph phase change data● Discuss boiling point & characteristic

properties of matter

Handout: BP Lab from IPS Lab 3.11

Apply! Let’s do it together:1. Brainstorm: In what contexts or situations does someone encounter boiling point?

a. Might be explicit or implicit. b. Go for quantity! c. Narrow it down and pick one context your students could design for.

2. Pick a user and word a design challenge (create the project).3. Fill in the blanks, imagining what they might go through:

a. What are the users you need to connect with? b. What content do they need to know? c. Tools that exist?

We Brainstormed

We narrowed down

We narrowed down and chose one

Apply! Let’s do it together:1. Brainstorm: In what contexts or situations does someone encounter boiling point?

a. Might be explicit or implicit. b. Go for quantity! c. Narrow it down and pick one context your students could design for.

2. Pick a user and a word a design challenge (create the project).3. Fill in the blanks, imagining what they might go through:

a. What are the users you need to connect with? b. What content do they need to know? c. Tools that exist?

We came up with our needs statement

A baker opening a new shopneeds to design new bread baking recipes

so as to create more bread options for new customers.

Apply! Let’s do it together:1. Brainstorm: In what contexts or situations does someone encounter boiling point?

a. Might be explicit or implicit. b. Go for quantity! c. Narrow it down and pick one context your students could design for.

2. Pick a user and a word a design challenge (create the project).3. Fill in the blanks, imagining what they might go through:

a. What are the users you need to connect with? b. What content do they need to know? c. Tools that exist?

RESEARCH: Yeast, flour, etc. INTERVIEW: Baker

DEFINE: Goal of bread for a type of customer

IMAGINE: How might we design a bread to evoke our goal? PROTOTYPE: iterate with critical questions

TRY: revise, try again

You did it!

Our Presentation Today1. Focus:

○ Who are you? Who are we?○ What is design thinking?

2. Explore: ○ Dive into Design Thinking Curriculum

3. Reflect:○ What struck you?

4. Apply○ Let’s try it out with some IPS curriculum

5. Resource Sharing & Future Work

Monday’s (Delicious) Low-hanging fruit

● User-centered: Have the kid work on it for someone else● Empathy-minded: Engage in understanding others’ perspectives● Process-oriented: (not about the product)● Wiggle room: Give them room to fail, and learn from it● Resiliency: Constructive critiques peer-reviews ● Problem-finders: Critical of the world around them, design is

everywhere!http://bit.ly/DTatMAST_Handouthttp://bit.ly/DTatMAST_Slideshttp://bit.ly/DTatMAST

Our process includes:

● Teacher Development and Support○ Professional Development

● Curriculum Development/Integration○ Consults with in-residence Design Thinker

● Maker spaces with a purpose○ Training, staffing, and thoughtful use

Ask us about...

Ideal Supports?Innovation Lab? On-campus resident advisor? Partnerships?

Moving Forward➔ We are a resource for you!

◆ Documentation: ● http://bit.ly/DTatMAST● eureka-lab.org/resources/

◆ Potential partnerships➔ Join us in our assessment

experiment.◆ Evaluating students from multiple

schools at the end of the year.

Design Thinking is...

...a process

...everywhere

...iterative

...user-centered

...empowering

...transformative

...a mindset.A WAY OF LIFE!

THANK YOU!

Design Thinking in the Classroom

Jessica Artiles@Jess_Artiles

Design Thinking Integration Strategist

jartiles@mit.edu

Robert ViethEdgerton Center

Instructorrvieth@mit.edu

Rachel ShulerMeadowbrook School

MS Science Chairrshuler@meadowbrook-ma.org

Handout & Presentation: http://bit.ly/DTatMAST

Back up slides

“But the content is not there…”

1. It’s always there. You can google it and find it. 2. What we are teaching should change: from content

to skills.3. (The content we’re teaching is also changing → the

process of design thinking)

Design Thinking: A mindset towards learning in which students address real-world problems, draw upon a body of multidisciplinary knowledge and skills, generate innovative ideas, and create physical prototypes to solve problems.