Design Thinking

EMPATHIZE     During this stage, students developed a deeper understanding of the topic.  We took out several books from the school and public library that used numbers to tell a story or that explored counting.  We created anchor charts to identify the particularities of each type of book.  We also discussed our feelings about each book in relation to the artwork, the story line, our interest level and why we would reread the book. DEFINE    At this time, students identified what the key features of books that are published.  They also talked about the needs of the readers in the library and the types of books that the library could use more of.    As a group, we developed a problem sentence that would encompass whichever type of book the students created.   We came up with this p roblem:  We will create a real math number book that can be displayed in the library for other students to enjoy or be taken ho...

What is Design Thinking in Kindergarten? Young students benefit from design thinking in many ways.  The opportunity to stretch thinking, explore problems from a variety of angles and work together toward a common goal strengthens the mindset of young children. In my French Immersion Kindergarten classroom, students were active writers and enjoyed writing books.  One student wanted to learn how to write a "math number book."  Other students at the writing center followed suit.  Soon, the students approached me and asked if I could show them how to write a "math number book."   After some thought, I decided to use my background in design thinking to help the students come together to solve this problem. During this process, I worked with a group of 5 students who showed genuine interest in creating options to create a "math number book."   I led the students in the design thinking process so that they were able to create a math number book...

Design thinking is prevalent in educational settings.  The core of design thinking is solving real world problems in a collaborative environment. There are 5 steps to design thinking. EMPATHIZE          Gaining a deeper understanding of the topic DEFINE       Insights into the topic.  What are the needs?  What is the problem? IDEATE       Brainstorm as many visual solutions as possible PROTOTYPE      Testing ground for the prototype.  Improve design as needed. TEST       Use feedback to adjust the prototype and test it out.