Design Thinking

We had another great week in TAG! This week, our highlighted class was the third grade group. They were engaged in an introduction to design thinking. Engaging student in hands on projects provides a rich learning experience. For design thinking, I provided scaffolding and facilitated reflection as the students designed the ideal wallet for their partner.

As we talked about in class, it is all about listening to your partner and even thinking beyond what they tell you. For instance, one student asked great questions to design the perfect wallet for her partner, but she also thought about making her wallet waterproof - something the partner had no idea they wanted until it was already done!

A few reasons to love design thinking:

•  It is human centered, so they have to talk to their neighbor and ask questions. 
• Students engage in rapid prototyping and redesign based on "consumer" feedback.
• Hands on! By the end, they are building wallets, purses, or whatever their partner suggested. 
• It get students ready for the culture of design, which will aid them greatly down the road.

We had some great wallets and happy designers!