Design Thinking (DT)

Design Thinking

Design thinking is characterized as a process that enables students to solve problems, generate creative ideas and come up with solutions that meet the needs of people (Kala S. Retna, 2016).

What

Design Thinking consists of 5 stages as pictured in the figure below. 

More about design thinking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldYzbV0NDp8

How

Design Thinking nurtures inventive thinking through:

1. Empathy: Encouraging a deep understanding of people and their problems, leading to innovative, user-centered solutions.

2. CAIT 5: Explores possibilities and generates novel and useful ideas

• 1. • Ideation: Stimulating creative brainstorming, promoting 'out-of-the-box' thinking

     • Prototyping: Fostering experimentation and hands-on exploration, allowing students to test and iterate on their ideas.

3. CAIT 6: Evaluates and refines ideas to formulate novel and useful solutions

• • • Reflection: Enabling students to refine their solutions, learning from failure and evolving ideas into inventive outcomes.

Studies have also indicated that design thinking has the potential to enhance skills such as creativity and problem solving which also help students to build on their cognitive and social skills (Todd, 1999).

Suggested strategies for fostering 'Inventive Thinking' through Design Thinking

1. Integrate the design thinking process by guiding students through the 5 stages:

• Guide students through 5 stages in art projects

• Use real-world problems or users as inspirations for projects (e.g., environmental issues, cultural themes, societal issues)

2. Encourage divergent thinking and creative exploration

• Use open-ended prompts and challenges to spark imagination

• Assign open-ended projects that allow students to explore personal or society issues

• Apply creative constraints (themes, limited materials) to inspire resourcefulness

• In the ‘Prototyping’ stage, encourage students to create quick, rough drafts of their artwork, experimenting with materials, forms, and concepts

3. Collaboration and reflective practices

• Ideate by using creative brainstorming techniques like mind maps or group discussions to generate diverse ideas for artwork

• Thinking routines such as ‘Step Inside’ or ‘See Think Wonder’ can deepen understanding

• Students may also wish to document how their ideas evolved and reflect on their creative process using art journals or sketchbooks

• Incorporate gallery walks and peer feedback for improvements

4. Create a safe space for risk-taking

• Build a culture that celebrates experimentation and acceptance of failure as part of learning

• Emphasize process over product (encourage continuous refinement and evolution of artistic ideas) 

Lesson Ideas for Design Thinking

References:

Kala S. Retna (2016) Thinking about “design thinking”: a study of teacher experiences, Asia Pacific Journal of Education

Todd, R. (1999). Design and technology yields a new paradigm for elementary schooling. Journal of Technology Studies, 25(2), 26–33.