Design thinking prompts students to consider: "I've learned it. Now what am I going to do with it?" Equipped with strategies from Designed to Learn, teachers will be able to ensure that learning in their classrooms is visible, student-centered, and measurable-by design.
Read moreHOW DESIGN THINKING EQUITABLY ELEVATES COMMUNITY VOICES FOR CHANGE
What happens when you invite elementary and middle school students along with their teachers, parents, and administrators to co-create solutions the most pressing concerns in their learning space? Perspectives shift, minds expand, and voices carry further than they ever have before.
Read more here: https://ace-ed.org/how-design-thinking-equitably-elevates-community-voices-for-change/
The PFC’s of Design Thinking to Activate Your Biological PFC
Amidst the constant buzz of disruption, innovation, and the “future of (fill in the blank)” there’s a large and untapped resource with the potential to revolutionize the way we do education. It’s something that comes prepackaged in each of us at birth and something that gives us the upper hand on the oft feared role of AI in our future. While humans are thankfully quite distinct from technology, we do have some tricks up our sleeves. Or perhaps in our skulls. These “tricks” are largely based on our ability to think flexibly and critically, take perspective and potentially empathize with others, and in our unique ability to create solutions to life’s most pressing and often promising challenges.
There is much ado about mystical ways to enhance learning or deepen engagement from quick fix to tech laden innovations. Yet the most promising way educators or policy makers might implement deep change requires little more than harnessing the innate capacity of each individual, and the built in technology that distinguishes us from other creatures: our prefrontal cortex or PFC (Carlén, 2017).
The region of the human brain developed most recently is also the part that supports our ability to plan, monitor, and regulate our lived experiences. And whether our PFC evolved for another purpose and has since been repurposed as the place of higher order thinking (HOT) the PFC may very well be our human superpower (Brown, Lau, & LeDoux, 2019).
Design thinking as a construct is hardly novel. A quick search of the history of design thinking surfaces talk of ‘wicked problems’ (Buchanan, 1992) or manufacturing materials (Hackman & Grimm, 1971). Yet the way in which teachers are using the practices to elicit higher order thinking, connections to content, and meaning making are quite revolutionary. Ultimately, the model of design thinking that I’ve put forth is based on iterative yet flexible application of knowledge in the pursuit of making a meaningful change.
The PFC’s of design thinking in my model include: Process (over product), Formative assessment (over single-shot summative assessment), and Creation (over consumption). And the research is clear, a focus on feedback through the process of learning (Berland & McNeill, 2010) and providing ongoing feedback (Weurlander, Söderberg, Scheja, Hult, & Wernerson, 2012) may be the best methods we hold to enact meaningful educational change.
Individual differences in thinking are made visible in the process of design thinking. These differences are not only highlighted but celebrated in a design thinking classroom. Moreover, the formative feedback during this process becomes future facing feedback that fuels continuous learning and purposeful engagement. What emerges from design thinking work is not only a concrete outcome but perhaps a different process, but the most important aspect of design thinking is the emphasis on creation over consumption of canned curriculum.
The same standards can be addressed in a way that provides learners with the autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2010) students crave to find meaning in applying learning in the world. What’s more, design thinking can happen in a single class period or an entire semester, in a stand alone course or school wide over the course of the year. The only requirement is a commitment to flexibility and iteration with an eye towards the application of knowledge towards a purposeful end.
The skills rooted in the PFC’s of Designed to Learn enhance our biological PFC and can be augmented by the technologies of today and tomorrow. In Designed to Learn, the elements of design thinking include a continuous focus on metacognition (learning to learn), self-regulated learning, and epistemology (nature of knowledge and knowing). In each element students and their educators reflect, revise, and rethink the way in which knowledge can be applied to design the change THEY want to see in the world.
How we think about our thinking, take the perspective of others, provide and receive feedback during learning, and create our own use of knowledge is often the best ways to enhance and support learning. Taken together, elements of design thinking can be used in tandem with the tech of today and those in our future to augment the process, feedback, and creation of powerful learning. Moreover, the emphasis of process over product, embedded formative feedback, and the nature of creation make design thinking a natural partner for innovative technologies. Design thinking taps into our latent skills and supports our learners today and in the future OUR STUDENTS have yet to create.
Check out the book here: http://bit.ly/PrtnyASCDBk
And don’t forget to get the free study guide here: http://bit.ly/PrtnySG
For free design thinking documents to support the flexible yet intentional method I share in the book please reach out here: https://forms.gle/WvYnofmQuGjaUG1j6
Read a sneak peek from the book in the Washington Post here: http://bit.ly/PrtnyWPArt
References
Berland, L., & McNeill, K. (2010). A learning progression for scientific argumentation: Understanding student work and designing supportive instructional contexts. Science Education, 94(5), 765-793.
Brown, R., Lau, H., & LeDoux, J. E. (2019). Understanding the higher-order approach to consciousness. Trends in cognitive sciences.
Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked problems in design thinking. Design issues, 8(2), 5-21.
Carlén, M. (2017). What constitutes the prefrontal cortex?. Science, 358(6362), 478-482.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). Self‐determination. The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology, 1-2.
Hackman, L., & Grimm, G. (1971). Designing and fabricating with filamentary composites. Materials Science and Engineering, 8(5), 249-258.
Weurlander, M., Söderberg, M., Scheja, M., Hult, H., & Wernerson, A. (2012). Exploring formative assessment as a tool for learning: Students' experiences of different methods of formative assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(6), 747-760.
What is design thinking? And why does it belong in Classrooms?
What is “design thinking,” and why does it belong in America’s classrooms?
Actually, as cognitive scientist Lindsay Portnoy explains in this post, many teachers are already using design thinking but may not know it.
Design thinking is a process for solving problems creatively and infusing meaning into what students learn, regardless of the subject or grade. She writes:
Innovative methods of teaching and learning like design thinking are helping students and teachers reframe the way that school is done. What has become clear is that the success of each individual won’t come from besting a computer or working more quickly or efficiently than a robot, but rather by using our innately human capacities of talking with others to debate, discuss and develop dynamic solutions toward our shared goals.
Design thinking is a method of applying knowledge to practice. Isn’t this also the definition of teaching?
Read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/08/what-is-design-thinking-why-does-it-belong-classrooms/
Portnoy, L. (2019, October, 8) What is ‘design thinking’? And why does it belong in classrooms? Washington Post
Design thinking adds "why" to the "what" and "how" of learning
By the time our current 4th graders enter the workforce in the year 2026, more than 1.4 million U.S. jobs will be disrupted (changed or eliminated) by technology (World Economic Forum, 2018). At that same time, however, 48 new types of career opportunities will have been created. What is more, children today can expect to have more career changes than any previous generation. To prepare our youngest citizens for an exciting and uncertain future, schools must build skills such as creative thinking, problem solving, perseverance, and effective communication. Teaching our children to think like designers can foster this type of thinking.
From its origins in an engineering classroom several decades ago (Atman & Bursic, 1996), design thinking can be applied across the curriculum and with learners from preK to higher education. The only requirement is an open, curious mind and a desire to innovate. Plattner's (2010) model for design thinking (see Figure 1) provides an ideal canvas for learners to develop a sense of agency in their learning, and autonomy in their ability to innovate and iterate on problems that are most meaningful to their lives. The five, iterative stages of this model—empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test—integrate "soft skills" like communication, collaboration, problem solving, and perspective-taking with the "hard skills" taught across the curriculum. Moreover, this model for design thinking engages students in the three-dimensional thinking presented in the Next Generation Science Standards (2013) framework, including domain-specific content (disciplinary core ideas), interdisciplinary connections (cross-cutting concepts), and skills and practices of successful problem solvers (science and engineering practices).
Read more here:
Portnoy, L. (2018, April). Design thinking adds "why" to the "what" and "how" of learning. ASCD Express, 3(14). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol13/1315-portnoy.aspx
Design thinking: Bridging learning and real-world application
A recent study from PwC found that 91 percent of CEOs are concerned that employees lack the soft skills necessary to meet the needs of an evolving economy.
With automation transforming the role of employee from rote worker to innovator and problem solver, the 4 Cs–critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication–are more powerful than ever.
While companies tailor learning experiences to upskill employees through badging or micro-credentialing, global educators are turning to flexible, but intentional elements of design thinking to guide students in purposely applying foundational knowledge today as they design novel solutions to the problems of tomorrow.
5 key elements
The five essential elements of design thinking include:
Understanding through empathy
Identifying and researching problems
Communicating to ideate potential solutions
Designing and testing solutions
Reflecting and iterating on solutions
Read the full article here:
Portnoy, L. (2019, June, 12). Design thinking: Bridging learning and real-world application. K12 Insight. Retrieved from https://www.k12insight.com/trusted/design-thinking-bridging-learning-and-real-world-application/
Design Thinking in Curriculum Design: A Talk With Education Talk Radio
AN ASCD SHOW DESIGN THINKING IN CURRICULUM DESIGN : Author of "Designed to Learn: using Design Thinking to Bring Purpose and Passion to the Classroom, Dr. Lindsay Portnoy is our guest
Listen in here: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/edutalk/2019/10/01/an-ascd-show--design-thinking-in-curriculum-design
Demystifying Learning So We Are Designed To Learn
Lindsay writes and researches about learning science in articles in peer-review journals to widely read publications such as EdSurge and Getting Smart, to ASCD and Digital Culturist. Her new book, Designed to Learn is available now for pre-order.
What it was like when you were a student
I had a very traditional experience with school. I didn’t feel like I was a ‘good’ student until I was in high school and sometimes I wonder if even that was by accident. I remember taking a test in high school telling me what types of careers I should pursue and thinking “wow, I don’t want to do any of those things but I guess I’m not able to do anything else.”
I think it’s really an interesting juxtaposition that in a time where so much money is being spent on initiatives to foster ‘growth mindset’ the grown-ups in the room are still following the entity perspective of ‘this is what type of learner you are and this is what your ability is’. We’re still looking to standardized tests to determine what people are capable of accomplishing and not allowing people to pursue what they care about and supporting them along the way. We ask our kids to be resilient but we don’t model it very well. Especially in a school system that is predicated on bells and exams and multiple barriers to entry from college to career. It seems a bit silly to me.
Read more & listen in here: https://barbarabray.net/2019/09/22/episode-83-demystifying-learning-so-we-are-designed-to-learn-with-dr-lindsay-portnoy/
How can cognitive science inform the future of education?
How can cognitive science inform the future of education?
The education field has a wealth of cognitive science research that reveals how people learn, yet the applied practice happening is schools shows an enormous disconnect.
Things like school bells, siloed 'one-hour-one-subject' classes, traditional grades, and standardized testing are outdated design features of the education system.
Equitably educating all learners across diverse populations to help them be as successful as possible will require education innovators to put cognitive science to work in the field, and to re-educate policymakers on what school could look like.
Listen in/watch here: https://bigthink.com/yes-every-kid/how-can-cognitive-science-inform-the-future-of-education
Design Thinking: Problem of Practice to Opportunity to Innovate
Designing Solutions to Tomorrow’s Problems Today
Preparing our youngest citizens to be critical thinkers and creative problem solvers requires a combination of hard and soft skills inherent within the design thinking framework. Blending complex content communication, problem solving, and collaboration, design thinking invites learners to take the perspective of others and develop empathy to guide students in solving real problems in their lives today along with the uncertain problems in their futures.
Design thinking is simply good pedagogy. Read more here and here.
