- Iterate and ideate to problem solve in any subject
- Collaborate to communicate for problem-solving
- Develop character for leadership, perseverance by valuing all perspectives, ideas, and feedback
- Developing self-compassion, team compassion by being active listeners, inquiring, accepting suggestions for ideation and iteration
- Always referring to empathy, understanding the purpose with empathy to why care and how to care for learning either by designing or getting feedback and taking action
- An interdisciplinary process that is inclusive of all thinking skills to problem solve (language arts, math, science, arts, engineering). Religion for us too as we focused on the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations
- Connecting learning to real-world problem-solving in all disciplines
For the Science inquiry on ecosystems, the students walked to Kanata Beaver Pond to collect data about the effect of housing developments on the interdependence of the marshes, water, and forest ecosystems. The students spotted a dead bird on the road and wondered how the bird was injured and how to care for injured wild birds.
I knew about the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre @WildBirdOttawa . The students checked the Twitter feed and Facebook page to learn more about the centre. After connecting with Patty McLaughlin who works at the centre, she presented the students with the problem of injured birds and easy accessibility for food and water. The problem for Food and Water Dishes Patty became the partner for feedback throughout the process for designing to solve the problem.
The students took ownership and agency of their learning in developing the process. Below there are two projects. The link to the Google Photo album also shares all students' projects and learning with Patty's visit to the classroom.
 |
| Link to the project |
 |
| The link of the project |
The design thinking process was empowered by students' inquiry about injured birds. This was the first design thinking process with a partnership for this year's group of Grade 7 students. I am looking forward to their own lead design process as they plan for many community connections and problem-solving for action taking.
Of course, many thinking strategies and community development have taken into effect in order for students to build their confidence to take risks and value each others thinking. Building this community takes time, this blog post refers to the process of self-regulation and social-emotional learning developments.
The students personalized the design process by:
- Defining the problem
- Developing the empathy map
- Ideation by valuing all perspectives individually to finalize a team design
- Team design meets all problems for feeding injured birds
- An initial meeting with Patty for the first feedback after ideation and 1st prototype
- Back to ideation and iteration for most teams
- More ideation and iteration after designs were 3D printed
- Students decompose the designs using Tinkercad involving team discussions on math, science and engineering
- Presenting the design face to face with the end user
 |
| Initial online meeting for Iteration |
This was an exciting and amazing process full of agency, inquiry and problem-solving. The students were dedicated to persevere and decompose algorithms.
This post is highlighting the importance of having students explore the core of creativity. Creativity is not a task! It is the core of giving the students agency, providing them the opportunity to design their thinking, learning, risk-taking, collaboration, communication, empathy and making a difference in their community.
When students lead they learn more in any situation using creative processes from writing to designing. It is about spreading uniqueness of thinking and decision making for every step during the process and for students to continue seeking growth and be emotionally engaging for learning.
No matter how complex the knowledge is, it is not to for us to regulate, it is to allow students to connect with it to make a difference with their learning.
The students solve problems that they perceive as meaningful. We need to support thinking and not to disconnect them from knowledge building, developing ideas, prototyping their learning and making connections among each others' thinking.
Learning and students' thinking has to be revisable, iterated and reflected upon to our students to be successful. So many layers that intervene with all of the learning stages that focus on thinking skills models, social-emotional reaction to learning. Learning is prototyping, thinking is prototyping by allowing students to connect, reflect, reconnect and reflect again.
When students are experiencing designing and creativity they are also experiencing the equity of learning. We continue to transfer the empathy building from the designing experiences to our daily active learning at the school and outside the school. The design process involves social-emotional development and dealing with many situations during the process.
Some reflections about iteration, leadership, and creativity.
All reflections are in French. The students indicated in their reflections that the design thinking process has encouraged them to persevere in their learning and accept risk-taking. Also building empathy and compassion when collaborating and learning.
Let's make time for creativity on a daily basis by focusing on learning as prototyping and co-creating than just consuming.
How are we giving time for wondering than telling! How do we foster creativity in the classroom? How are we allowing students to drive interest in learning? How are students exercising or applying their agency?
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)
“Too much of what is called ‘education’ is little more than an expensive isolation from reality.”
Thomas Sowell (1930 – )
