GCISD Secondary STEM

Engineering Design Process

The EDP is a thinking process that all students practice to solve challenges and problems. Students will be able to guide themselves through the process, document how they are using the EDP and discuss their problem solving methods as they move toward a refined solution.

Imagine

The beginning of the challenge where students make observations, identify problems and "blue sky" think about possible solutions. Students should never limit their thinking during the imagine phase.

Plan

This phase is where students narrow their thinking based on criteria and constraints. It is helpful to review notes and create a detailed plan or blueprint.

Create

In the create phase students will build their plan. Students will be tempted to try to make their product perfect. Instead, they should build as quickly as possible. Mistakes can and should be created during iteration.

Iterate

Iteration is all about making changes based on feedback. The feedback can be from data, criteria and constraints or from peers.

Communicate

This is the end and the beginning of the design process. Students show off their thinking and share the results of their design. Sometimes students can use that design to launch into the EDP again for another design improvement.

Grapevine Middle School

Grapevine High School

Colleyville Heritage High School

Design Thinking

Design Thinking is developing creative solutions that are well tested with the “human” in mind. Students are only doing a design thinking activity if they are presented with a problem or challenge to solve. Problems and challenges can be physical or social in nature. Regardless of the problem or challenge type, students will use the EDP to guide their thinking as they produce their solution.

Examples

• Students complete a short design challenge ex. Build a Tower out of newspaper and masking tape

• Students apply design thinking to a process in content ex. Use the EDP for the writing process or students designing and building an amusement park to learn potential and kinetic energy. In both examples empathy is developed through research

• Students design and prototype a product with a specific end user in mind. ex. Building a tiny house, empathy is developed through contact with a tiny house expert

The inclusion of evidence for a design is where the content enters design thinking in the classroom. Evidence from specific data, quantitative or qualitative, must be accompanied by a justification. The design ends up being proof of the student's understanding of the content.