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Design for Next 12th EAD Conference Sapienza University of Rome 12-14 April 2017 Copyright © 2016. The copyright of each paper in this conference proceedings is the property of the author(s). Permission is granted to reproduce copies of these works for purposes relevant to the above conference, provided that the author(s), source and copyright notice are included on each copy. For other uses please contact the author(s). Design Culture in school. Experiences of design workshops with children. Fabrizio Pierandrei a , Elena Marengoni b a PACO Design Collaborative b PACO Design Collaborative *Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] Abstract: This paper discusses the social and cultural roots of the emerging need for project-based didactic approaches within education systems, showing the advantages of the adoption of design tools and specifically of the Service Design Thinking method. These are presented in relation to extant literature in the pedagogic field, giving an overview of the domains within which Service Design Thinking can be beneficial. A series of workshops carried out with children are then presented, highlighting the most relevant findings that have been gathered from them and discussing their methodological potential toward an implementation of design education in primary schools. Keywords: Education, Design Thinking, Service Design, Didactic Methods, Learning 1. Introduction In the 21st century society, it has become clear that knowledge will become increasingly more important than the tangible resources we have at our disposition (Robertson, 2005). In fact, it will be more and more a fundamental asset to support us in the attempt to overcome those wicked problems that are a daily issue in our societies. This confronts us with the need to ensure that the educational system is ready to take this new challenge onboard. Three key topics inspire this debate. 1.1 Holistic understanding, autonomous discovery, critical thinking When we talk about the importance of teaching students how to solve open-ended problems, there is a stream of literature about logic and creative thinking to draw on. Experts have observed that one of the key processes that enable problem-solving outside of closed systems is the capability to transfer knowledge between fields and to generalize, zoom out and see the underlying complexity. This relies on what Bartlett describes as ‘adventurous thinking’, which is the capability to go beyond
Transcript of Design Culture in school. Experiences of design workshops ... · 2. Design Culture Nurturing a...
DesignforNext
12thEADConferenceSapienzaUniversityofRome
12-14April2017
Copyright©2016.Thecopyrightofeachpaperinthisconferenceproceedingsisthepropertyoftheauthor(s).Permissionisgrantedtoreproducecopiesoftheseworksforpurposesrelevanttotheaboveconference,providedthattheauthor(s),sourceandcopyrightnoticeareincludedoneachcopy.Forotherusespleasecontacttheauthor(s).
DesignCultureinschool.Experiencesofdesignworkshopswithchildren.FabrizioPierandreia,ElenaMarengonibaPACODesignCollaborativebPACODesignCollaborative*Correspondingauthore-mail:[email protected]
Abstract:Thispaperdiscussesthesocialandculturalrootsoftheemergingneedforproject-based didactic approaches within education systems, showing theadvantages of the adoption of design tools and specifically of the Service DesignThinking method. These are presented in relation to extant literature in thepedagogic field, giving an overview of the domains within which Service DesignThinkingcanbebeneficial.Aseriesofworkshopscarriedoutwithchildrenarethenpresented, highlighting themost relevant findings that have been gathered fromthemanddiscussing theirmethodological potential toward an implementationofdesigneducationinprimaryschools.
Keywords: Education, Design Thinking, Service Design, Didactic Methods,Learning
1.IntroductionInthe21stcenturysociety,ithasbecomeclearthatknowledgewillbecomeincreasinglymoreimportantthanthetangibleresourceswehaveatourdisposition(Robertson,2005).Infact,itwillbemoreandmoreafundamentalassettosupportusintheattempttoovercomethosewickedproblemsthatareadailyissueinoursocieties.Thisconfrontsuswiththeneedtoensurethattheeducationalsystemisreadytotakethisnewchallengeonboard.Threekeytopicsinspirethisdebate.
1.1 Holisticunderstanding,autonomousdiscovery,criticalthinkingWhenwetalkabouttheimportanceofteachingstudentshowtosolveopen-endedproblems,thereisastreamofliteratureaboutlogicandcreativethinkingtodrawon.Expertshaveobservedthatoneofthekeyprocessesthatenableproblem-solvingoutsideofclosedsystemsisthecapabilitytotransferknowledgebetweenfieldsandtogeneralize,zoomoutandseetheunderlyingcomplexity.ThisreliesonwhatBartlettdescribesas‘adventurousthinking’,whichisthecapabilitytogobeyond
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theobvious,askillthatcanbenurturedandtrainedalsobyexposingchildrentoastimulatingenvironmentthatallowsthemtoexperiment,movebetweenfieldsofknowledgeandmakeautonomousdiscoveries(Bartlett,1958).Onthecontrary,traditionalschoolprogramsoftenconfrontchildrenwithpre-packagedinformationandasimplifiedunderstandingofreality,offeredintheformofdistinctschoolsubjects:inthisapproach,thelearneractsasan“independentobserverofobjects”(Scheeretal.,2012,p.9).Schoolsshouldevermorepromoteaholisticunderstandingoftheworld,tohelpkidsbecomebetterindividuals,equippedwithstronglogicandcreativeskills.
1.2 AdoptingavarietyofmethodstofitdifferentlearningstylesExistingresearchhaswidelyshownevidenceofhowdifferentthelearningprocessisforeachchild:studentsmaybenaturallyinclinedtousecertainintelligencesmorethanothers(Gardner,2011;Azzali&Cristanini,1995),forinstancebeingmoreateaseexercisingtheirverbal-linguisticcompetencethantheirvisual-spatialorlogical-mathematical.Thedifferentextenttowhichintelligencesaredevelopedforeachpersonresultsinendlesscombinationsandahugediversityoflearningstyles.Althoughsomedegreeofgeneralizationisneededinordertocomeupwithareplicablemethodology,itisclearthatthereisanopportunityforschoolstorecognizethisvariety,allowingstudentstoexercisethosecompetencesthatareeasierforthem,butalsostimulatingthemtotrain“otherintelligences”throughavarietyofactivities,rangingfromthemoretheoreticaltothemorepractical(Cornoldi,1999).
1.3 FosteringcollaborationandencouraginggroupworkAthirddimensionthatcannotbeoverlookedhastodowiththebroadercontextwithinwhichlearningoccurs,theclassroom.Alotofresearchhasbeendoneonhowtofacilitatetheexchangebetweenteacherandpupilsbut‘theconceptofpedagogyneedstobeextendedtoallowforothersocialrelations,inparticular,thoseinvolvingco-learnersorpeers’(Blatchfordetal.,2003,p.6).Researchhasshownthatcollaborationbetweenmembersofaclassroomcanimprovebothlearningachievementsandattitude/motivationtowardactivities.This,inturn,reinforcestheimportanceoffosteringcooperationwiththeaimtogeneratemoredebateandthereforetohelpchildrentonurturecriticalthinkingskills.
Thedebatearoundthesetopicsisstillopenastheyposenumerouschallengeswhenitcomestoturningtheseprinciplesintoactionableguidelinesandimplementingthemthroughactivities.Ittakesmorethanasimplemanifestotopromoteaculturalshift:thecombinationofasolidmethodologicalapproachandthere-organizationofinternalprocessesarebothequallyessentialforthisevolutiontotakeplace.
2.DesignCultureNurturingadesignculturewithintheschoolsystemisseenasaphenomenonthatcanresultinbeneficialoutcomesfortheschoolitself.Designcultureishereintendedastheheadlineunderwhichtwomajorcontributionsfall.First,ittakestheformofaproject-baseddidacticapproachthatencourageschildrentoperformdesignactivitiesand"contextuallyinformedactionswithinthedevelopmentofadesign”(Julier,2005,p.70).Second,itappearsasaspecificattitudetowardschangeandasenseofagencythatcanbeseenwithintheschoolasanorganizationandinrelationto
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theoutsideworld.Inthispaper,wewillmainlyfocusonexperiencesconcerningthedidacticapproachperse.
Promotingchangewithintheschoolinthesetwodirectionswouldmean,ononehand,allowingstudentstogainmoreactivecontrolovertheirlearningprocessthroughdesignand,ontheotherhand,absorbingthesemethodologiesattheinstitutionallevelandputtingtheminusebycontinuouslyimprovingthewayeducationalexperiencesareoffered,thusturningtheschoolintoalearningorganizationitself.
Onamorepracticallevel,thekeyenablerofthisculturalshiftistheServiceDesignThinkingmethodology,asetoftoolsandmethodsthatcouldbothhelpteacherstodeliverengaginglearningexperiencestopupilsandsustainthischangeattheorganizationallevel.
Inparticular,theServiceDesignmethodologyhasrecognizedtheimportanceofdesignasaprocessandnotjustasanoutcomeexpressedthroughanartefact,withacertainform,function,andvisuallanguage(Stickdorn&Schneider,2012).TheServiceDesignapproachadoptsahuman-centeredapproachasopposedtoamoretraditionalfeature-centeredprocess.Ithasalsopusheddesignerstolookbeyondsingleobjectsandtoexplorethecomplexsystemofinformation,interpersonalrelations,andcontextualdynamicswithinwhichtheyexist.Thisperspectivecouldhelpeducatorstofocusmoreonthelearningprocessanddeveloptheireducationalapproachbytakingthepointofviewoftheirlearners,butitcouldalsohelpthemtoconnectthedidacticexperiencewiththebroadercontextofinterpersonalrelations,environmentalinfluences,…
Inotherwords,educatingthroughDesignwillhelpchildrentousetheircreativitybeyondthelimitsofexpressingthemselvesandasatooltobecomecriticalthinkersandproblemsolvers,towardsafuturegenerationofmoreconsciousindividuals.
Table1.Designculturemanifestation
DESIGNCULTUREINSCHOOL
What Project-basedapproachwithstudents(classroom)
School’sattitudetowardschange(institution)
How Designtoolsandmethods,ServiceDesignThinkingmethodologyThiswholeapproachsetsitsrootsinthestreamofconstructivistideasoflearning,aimingtospreaddesigncultureamongexistingprograms.Italsodiffersfromtheotherconstructivistapproachesinthefollowingregards:
• Whileconstructivistlearningmethodsareseenas“opposedto”thosederivedfrombehaviourismandrealism(Scheeretal.,2012),thegoalhereistopromotetheintegrationofdifferentlearningmethodsandnottogeneratea“brand-new”onenortoaddnewdisciplinestoanalreadycrowdedcurriculum.
• ThemethodsandtoolsarederivedbythosedevelopedforServiceDesignandDesignThinking.
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3.HypothesesAfundamentalassumptionofthisresearchisthatServiceDesignmethodscanprovidesupporttodifferentmomentsofthelearningexperience,allthewayfromdiscoverytoexecution.Likewise,itisassumedthatthisdidacticapproachresultsinchildrennotonlyabsorbingknowledgeinadifferentwaybutalsoengagingindesignactivitiesandproducingknowledge.
Startingfromthispreliminarydefinitionofdesignculture,asetofhypotheseshasbeendefinedtobeusedasparametersagainstwhichtoevaluatetheoutcomesofexperimentalprojects.
• ServiceDesignThinkingallowslearnerstoexercisedifferentintelligencesandcan
matchdifferentpersonalattitudes(Cornoldi,1999).
• Itfacilitatesadeepunderstandingoftopics,facilitatingtheunderstandingofcause-effectrelationshipsandcorrelations,increasingawarenessandhelpingchildrentoformopinions.
• Itencouragestheinteractionbetweenpeople,bothbetweenpeersandasymmetric,(teacher-pupilsrelation).
• Itsupportspermanenceofknowledge:inBrunoMunari’swords,“IfIseeIremember.IfIdoIunderstand”.
• Ithelpschildrentoevaluatethefeasibilityandviabilityofasolution.
• Itencouragesempathyandhelpsthosewhopracticeittotakeotherpeople’sperspective(user-centricapproach).
• Itfostersaholisticunderstandingoftheworldandencouragesspontaneousconnectionsbetweendifferentfieldsofknowledge.
AseriesofexperiencesthatbringchildrenclosertotheServiceDesignThinkingapproachhasalreadytakenplace.
4.Lessonsfromthefield
4.1IntroductionInitiativespromotingtheuseofdesignmethodswithandbychildrenhavetakenplacesince2014.Fuelledbythecontributionofdesigners,educators,andteachers,theseinitiativesadoptedaproject-basedapproachwiththegoalofapplyingServiceDesignThinkingmethodsineducationalcontexts.
DesignsessionsmainlytookplaceduringDesignEventsinPrimaryandSecondaryschools,inItalyandabroad,orwerehostedbyinstitutionslikeChildrenandSciencemuseums,oftenwiththesupportofthelocalMunicipalityandofdesignassociations.
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Overall,ithasbeenmadeuseofthreeformats,whichdifferintermsofgoals,length,activitiesandtoolsusedbythestudents:
• DesignJams• Workshops• SchoolPrograms
Inallofthesecases,thetraditionalDoubleDiamonddivergent-convergentapproach(DesignCouncil,UK,2005)hasbeentakenasareferencebutadaptedtotheneedsofthesession,sometimesmodifyingphaselengthasrequired.
Thebackboneoftheprocessadoptedinallthethreeformatsisstructuredasfollows:
• Receive(thechallenge):thesessionbeginswiththepresentationofachallenge,often
relatedtotheeverydaylifeofthepupils.Atthislevel,thefacilitators’roleiscrucialindrivingthechildrentoembracethechallengeempathically.
• Understand(theproblem):childrenareengagedinaprocessofdefiningresearchquestions,findingcriticalpointstosolveandgatheringkeyinformationthroughdeskandfieldresearch;theyarethenguidedthroughareflectionaboutwhattheyhavelearned.
• Develop(anidea):thisisamanualandcreativephaseinwhichchildrenareaskedtosketchworkablesolutionsonpaper,usingdifferenttechniquesandamixofvisualandverballanguage.
• Prototype(thesolution):byusingdifferentkindsofmaterialsandprobes,childrengivevisibilityandtangibilitytotheirideasbymockingupobjects,keyinteractionsorspacesinwhichtheirdesignsits.
• Present(theproject):aftercollectingfeedbackontheprototype,childrenarrangeapublicpresentationoftheirproject,explainingtotheirparents,teachersortherestoftheaudiencetheadvantagesoftheirproposalanddescribingthesalientaspectsofthedesignprocesstheyhavegonethrough.
Also,someexperiencepillarscharacterizetheexperienceacrossphases:
• Fromcomplextosimple:breakingdowncomplexnotionintosimplerfactsandusingstorytellingtodeliverconceptstokids
• Fromabstracttoconcrete:focusingoneverydaylifetopicsandpracticalchallenges• Fromknowledgetoinvolvement:promotingengagementthroughrole-playingand
gamingandrelyingonkid’sself-consciousnessandresponsibilityintakingaction• Fromtalkingtodoing:learningwiththeirhands,activatingbehaviouralchangein
children
Ontheotherhand,themaindifferencebetweentheformatsisreferredtothedurationandhowtimedifferentlystresseachdesignsessionphaseandtheinteractionsamongparticipants.
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4.2DesignJamsDesignJamsareactivitiesopentochildrenandpre-teensandcharacterizedbyastrongemphasisonimprovisationandfastprototyping.Theyareusuallycarriedoutinlessthan4hoursandaimatteachinghowtotransformideasintoprototypestobetested.
ThegoaloftheJamsistohelpparticipantstotryoutthebasicprinciplesofaServiceDesignThinkingprocess,byshowingthemthatweliveina“designedenvironment”inwhichproducts,services,andinteractionscanbeimprovedthroughdesign.Theyarealsoencouragedtoconceivesolutionsthattakeintoaccountwhat“theothersthink”andneed,understandingtheirperspectiveasusersandassessingthecomplexityofsituationswhichincludemultipleactorsandpointsofview.
Thescheduleistightlybuiltaround6activities:kick-offandchallengepresentation(15-20min),brainstormingsession(30min),userinterviews(40min),projectinsightsgeneration(30min),rapidprototypingofsolutions(60min)andpresentationtotheaudience(20min).
TheJam’sactivitiesarecarriedoutingroupsof3-5kidseach,supportedbyafacilitator,usuallyadesigneroraneducator.Groupsofthissizehaveproventobethemosteffectiveintermsofinternalcollaborationandpeer-to-peerexchange,whilethesupportofafacilitatorhelpsthemtofollowtheprocess,makedecisionsandfocuson“doing”ratherthantalking.
Figure1.Interviewingapasser-by
Characteristicofajamistointroducethetopicattheverybeginningofthesession.Thisisacriticalphaseinwhichitisimportanttomakechildrenfeelemotionallyconnectedtothegivenchallenge,whichcanbeencouragedthrougharole-playactivityinwhichalltheparticipantsareaskedtotellwhattheir‘superpowers’areandarethencalledtousethemintothespecificcontextoutlinedby
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thetopic.Toincreaseempathy,facilitatorsareaskedtotakepartintotherole-playtoo.Perceivingthemselvesas“heroes”calledtoactionhelpskidstoembracethechallengeinamoreenthusiasticway.Plus,choosingthemesthattouchuponaspectsoftheirdailylifeincreasesrelevance.Examplesoftopicsare:“Avisittothedentist”,“Thefearofdarkness”,“WhatifIcouldfly”.
Throughbrainstorming,childrenexploreanddeepentheirunderstandingofthegiventopic,sharingopinionsandstartingtocollect“preliminaryinsights”uponwhichtocreateadiscussionguidefortheinterviews.Largesheetsofpaperandaseriesofprintedimagesrelatedtothetopicactasicebreakersinthediscussionandhelptheparticipantstosharepersonalexperiences.Interviewsrequirekidstoaskquestionstoadultsorpeersandtoreporttheinsightstheyhavegathered.Parents,teachers,andpasser-byareofteninterviewed.Theuseofstickynotesisencouragedtobetterorganizeuserfeedback,whilepropssuchasfakemicrophonesorbadgesareusedtohelpkidsinterprettheroleofresearchers.Interviewnotesareclusteredbyaffinityanddiscussedtoselectthosethatcanbemoreeasilydevelopedintoprototypesinthelimitedavailabletime.
Prototypingistheactivitythattakesthelongest:childrenusethistimetogivelifetotheirideasthroughartefactsandtoperformthekeyactions/interactionsrelatedtotheirsolutions,focusingontheentire‘userjourney’.Actingout,simulatinggesturesandtalkingoutloudhelpkidstobetterimaginehowtheexperiencewillbelikeandtoideatefaster.Prototypesarebuiltwithpoormaterials,suchascardboardandglue,colouredplasticsheets,fabric,andmodellingclay.
Eventually,eachgroupisaskedtopitchtheirproposaltoanaudiencecomposedofalltheparticipantsandtheirparentsbystagingtheirsolution,showingthekeyfeaturesandmaininteractionsbutalsoexplainingtheprocesstheyhavefollowedthroughouttheJam:thisalsobecomesamomentoffeedbackonthepotentialoftheServiceDesignThinkingapproachasalearningmethod.
Figure2.Quickprototyping
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4.3DesignWorkshopsDesignWorkshopsdifferfromJamsinrespecttothreefactors:
• theyaremainlycarriedoutinschoolswiththepresenceandparticipationofteachers• theyarecomposedofdifferentdesignsessions:2-3shortencounters• thetopicisagreeduponwiththeteachersandpresentedtothekidssomedays
beforethefirstdesignsession.
Whilejamsareusuallyofferedtoanopenaudience,workshopsareofferedtochildrenfromthesameschooloreventosingleclasses.Therefore,teachersplayacrucialroleaspartoftheteamwhopreparesanddeliverstheactivities,makingsurethatthereisintegrationbetweenthedesignsessionsandtheothercurricularactivities:
• Theypreparethegroundfordesignactivitiesthroughpreliminarygroupdiscussionsorshort
• lecturesfocusedonthetopicoftheworkshop• Theygraduallyintroduceaproject-basedapproachalsotoformprojectteamsbased
onkids’• personalattitudesinadvance.• Theirpresencethroughoutthesessionsfacilitatestheworkshopprocess,increases
children’sparticipationandhelpstocreateormakemoreevidentthelinkwithpreviouscurricularactivitiesorexperiences.
Exercisesareformulatedinordertodrivechildrentoproposeworkablesolutionsaroundatopicrelatedtotheireverydaylifeorexperienceatschool:themescanbeconcrete,suchas“Redesigntheschoolcanteen”,ormoreabstractlike“Howtohelpteacherstoteachlovefornatureatschool”.Thequestionthattriggersthedesignsessionisneverseenasataskorahomeworkbutratherasaninvitationtoexplore,understand,elaborate,prototypeandpresent,thusfosteringadiversityofresponsesandmovingbeyondconventionalmentalmodels.
Inordertofacilitatethisoutcome,pupilsareengaged,notinstructed,bybeingprovidedwithaclear,butopen,end-goaltoreachandaselectionoftools(toolkit)fromwhichtheycanchoosetheonestheywanttouse.Thetoolkitisbasedonthemostcommonandeasy-to-useServiceDesignandDesignThinkingtools:itincludesaguidetocontextualinterviews,adiary,astoryboard,someworksheetsthatguidechildrenthroughthe“fivewhys”and“whatif”tools,renderedmoreapttochildrenbyaddingplayfulcontentandbymakingthesetoolspartofagameinordertoencouragethemtoparticipate.
Theconceptof“workablesolution”requireschildrentodrawontheirpersonalexperiencesandonpreviously-learnednotionsfromdifferentdisciplines.Asinthejams,theyarealsoaskedtoevaluateotherpeople’sopinionsbyinterviewingthemorcreatingalistofquestionsonthetopicstheyarelessfamiliarwith,usuallyinvolvingparentsandteachersinthisprocess.
Overall,theworkshopprocessencompassesthesamephasesofaDesignJam,allthewayfromresearchtoideationandshare-out,withtheexceptionthatactivitiesarestretchedoveralongerperiodanddividedbetweensessions:thisgivestimeforin-homeinterviewsandformoregroupdiscussionsatdifferentstagestoensurethatkidsgettoreflectupontheiractivitiesandconsolidatetheirlearnings.
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Figure3.Discussingasolution
4.4SchoolprogramsThepeculiarityofschoolprogramsisthattheyareplannedaroundanexistingdidacticprograminordertointroduceaholisticapproachtolearning:programstouchupondifferentschoolsubjectsatonceandprovideteacherswithnewtoolsandmethodstocreatea“learningbydoing”experience.Theseprogramstakeplaceatschooloveraperiodoftimeofoneorseveralmonthsandtopicandmethodologycanvaryaccordingtotheageofthestudentsandtheirbackground.
Amongotherexamples,twostandoutastheprototypesofthisformat.
• Agame-basedprogramonfoodeducation,inwhichchildrenareguidedtodiscoverthecharacteristicsofvitaminsandnutrientsinfruitsandvegetables,bytransformingtheminto“super-powers”.Accordingtothegamerules,childrenarechallengedtoeatfruitsandvegetablesregularly,bothathomeandinschool,sotoincreasethepowersoftheirfavouritesuper-heroesandgetstrongenoughtodefeatthevillains,representedbyunhealthyfood.Usinggamescreatesamomentinwhichtheconceptslearnedinclassandthroughtheactivitiesathomefuelaction,thusencouragingchildren’scollaborationandcompetition.
• A6-monthlongweeklyprogramon‘designandbasicentrepreneurship’offeredtopre-teens(10to12yo),withthegoaltohelpthemideate,produceandlaunchaproductorservice.Thedurationofthisprogramallowsteachersofdifferentdisciplinestocontributetotheprojectwithspecificlectures(e.g.basicprinciplesofeconomics)aroundwhichdesignactivitiesaredeveloped.
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InbothexamplesthecontributionoftheServiceDesignThinkingmethodliesin:
• thecreationofagameoraplot,thenarrativeofwhichenhancesthelearningexperienceandthebehaviouralchangeandthecollaborationamongchildren(storytelling)
• theactivitiesandthetoolsdesignedinordertopromoteactiveandenthusiasticparticipationandfacilitatethedevelopmentoftheirdesignskillsandstrategicthinking.
• thetranspositionofcomplexconceptsintosimplefactsthatcanbeusedtodesignorrefineideas(whichcanhelpteacherstoreplicatethesamedidacticapproachlateron).
• thedefinitionofa“userjourney”ofthelearningexperience,whichtakesalloftheactorsintoaccount.
5.ConclusionsAlthoughtheseexperiencesrepresentthefirststepstowardsamoreconsolidatedmethodology,theyalreadyshowsomeadvantagesofaproject-basedapproachtolearning.
Apartfromthenaturalenthusiasmshownbythepupilsallalongthedesignsessions-verylikelyalsocausedbythenoveltyoftheexperienceandthepossibilitytoworkwithaverycleargoalbutverylittleconstraints–otherbenefitsofthismethodologyhavebeenobserved.
Overall,theseactivitieshavefacilitatedadeepunderstandingoftopics:attheendofasessionorduringmomentsofshare-outchildrenwerecapableofrecallingwhattheyhadlearnedandwheretheinsightscamefrom,referringtofeedbackreceivedduringinterviewsortheirdirectexperienceduringthesession.Thishasoftenbeenmatchedbyhigh-qualityoutcomesthatstoodoutintermsofconceptualcomplexityandcompleteness:mock-upsandacting-outactivitiesoftenshowedacompleteunderstandingoftheentireuserexperienceandofallitsdifferentaspects.ThishasbeenthecaseevenduringDesignJam,theshortestformat,inwhichmanygroupssucceededinquicklydevelopingsolutions,mainlyaccordingtotwopatterns:bysurfacingtheentireuserjourneyandgivingahintoftheexperienceorbydeep-divingintoafewselectedaspects.
Availabilityoftimeinfluencesdepth,especiallyduringtheimmersionphase,whileitseemstobelessinfluentialonprototypesquality,probablyreflectingchildren’snaturalinclinationtowardsmanualactivities.Longerprograms,therefore,deliverbetteronbuildingaconceptualstructure.
Childrenapproachtheactivitiesindifferentways,dependingontheirattitudesandnaturalinclinations:shortformatshaveprovenlesseffectiveinallowingfacilitatorstofruitfullyexploitthisdiversityandhelpchildrentoexercisedifferentintelligences(visual,verbal,…),whilstlongerformatsallowedenoughtimetowitnessanevolutionoftheirskills.
ProvidingDesigntoolswithminimalinstructionsgraduallyshowedincreasedautonomy:thishelpedthemtoorganizetheiractivitiesbothintheexploratoryandthegenerativephases.
Thismethodologyalsoseemstoreinforcepermanenceofknowledge:afewmonthsaftertheendofthefoodeducationprogram,afollow-upwiththeschoolhasshownthatchildren’sbehaviorsand
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choiceswerestillinformedbythenotionstheyhadacquiredduringtheworkshopandthatconsumptionoffruitsandvegetableswasstillhigherthanbefore.
Fromarelationalpointofview,aproject-basedapproachimpliesalotmoreemphasisoncollaborationandempathythanatraditionallectureset-up.However,theverysameactivitiesyielddifferentoutcomeswhenembeddeddifferentformats,aschildren’sreactionstothemaredifferent.Forinstance,usingthemetaphorof‘heroes’andencouragingchildrentousetheirsuperpowersoffersanimmediatehooktogetstartedduringDesignJams,inwhichtimeisascarceresourceandimprovisationiswelcome,whilst,ifusedinlongerprograms,itpushesparticipantstocomebacktotheirindividualresourcesandactmoreindependently,notnecessarilyfacilitatingcooperation.
Ingeneral,itcanbeconcludedthatDesignJamsproveeffectiveinmakingchildrenandparentsmorefamiliarwithanewmethodologythathelpsthemtotackleunexpectedchallenges,gobeyondtheirpersonalopinionsandbiases,createsolutionscollaborativelyandpresenttheirideasinfrontofanaudience.Ontheotherhand,morecomplexformatsallowthegenerationoflong-lastingoutcomesbothforkidsandforteachersandeducators.
However,itistooearlytomeasuretheimpactofthismethodologyinthelongrun.Theexperiencesdiscussedinthispaperhavealreadyshownthepotentialofthedesignthinkingapproachinchangingthewaychildrenlearnandretainknowledge,butfurtherinvestigationisneededtoproveitsbenefits.Duringarecentworkshop,somepreliminaryworkhasbeendoneontheapplicationofthesemethodologiestotheSTEMsubjects:thesedisciplinesareaparticularlyinterestingtestinggroundastheyoffernumerouspossibilitiesforthekidstoproduceprototypesandconductexperiments.However,itwillbeessentialtocollaboratewithschoolstointegrateServiceDesignThinkingintotheirtraditionalcurricularactivities.
Thiscaneventuallyhelpkidstolearnfromtheirexperiences(learningbydoing),toexpresstheirpotentialwithoutfears,toseeeducatorsasfacilitatorsandenhancersoftheirlearningexperienceandtofinallygrowaresponsiblewayofthinkingthatcanbetterpreparethemforbeingcitizensofthisworld.
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AbouttheAuthors:
FabrizioPierandreiaddanauthorbiothatdescribesresearchinterestsandmainachievementsinamaximumof40words.
ElenaMarengoniisamemberofthePACOcommunityandaprofessionaldesignresearcherandservicedesigneratfrog,interestedindesignthinking,collaborativeandparticipatorydesignasmethodologiestogrownewskillsbothintheeducationalandbusinesscontext.
Acknowledgements:WewishtoexpressourdeepestgratitudetoallthemembersofthePACOcommunity,fortheexperiencesdescribedinthispaperwouldnothavehappenedorbeenpossiblewithouttheircontributionandcommitment.
