Design Thinking Through STEAM

Hawally, Kuwait

Students engaged in solving real-world problems through the design thinking process using new and innovative technologies.

Students in the Middle School are engaged in a STEAM program once per week that focuses them on solving real-world problems affecting them or those around them using design thinking. In small groups, students identify a problem of need in their community. They then work through the design thinking process; empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Web presence

2018

Established

-

Children

1

Countries

Updated

February 2019

It is amazing what children can come up with when you give them the framework, the time and the space to be creative.

About the innovation

Solving problems, without having all the answers

The program was created out of an extensive consultation and reflective process that identified a need for opportunities for students to be creative, have choice and voice, be able to engage with new technologies and to engage in learning that is authentic.

At the beginning of the semester, students and teachers are assembled together in the MakerSpace - all 90 students and 12 staff. Students are introduced to the design thinking process, and told that they won't be working on projects, but rather solving problems.

They then form into groups based on areas that they are interested in (i.e. sustainability, inclusion and access, technology, etc), and start examing problems that affect them or their communities.

Students are then guided through the design thinking process as they empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test. As they are all in the MakerSpace together, they can see a range of different teachers as the need arises; Science, Math, Art, Technology, etc.

Each of the groups keep a learning journal in which they document and reflect on their learning at the end of each session. At the end of the semester, students present their work and the process they went through, to their peers. Students are assessed in a variety of ways, including self-assessment, peer-grading, and teacher feedback.

Media

Self-watering Greenhouse

Laptop Charging Station

Sensory Map of Kuwait

Drone

Implementation steps

Define your objectives

You and your teams need to be clear on what you want the end outcomes to be. You don't need to necessarily know what the projects will be, but you need to clearly identify the learning outcomes to be achieved.

Set your parameters

You need to identify how big or how small students can go. This will depend on their level of prior exposure to the design thinking process and student-centred learning. For example, will you give the students free reign to choose any problem they can imagine, or will you give them a small range of choices to pick from.

Identify resources and training needs

Identify what resources you will need to successfully implement the course and support the students.

What do you need to buy?

Where will you hold the classes?

What training is required for teachers?

Start!

Don't over plan. Make sure you have enough done to get started, then allow it to be guided by the students. The teachers are just the facilitators guiding their work.

Reflect, and be flexible

Remember, a key part of the design thinking process is prototype and test. This applies as much to the students as it does to the adults. Don't be afraid to make modifications and adjustments as things progress. How the teachers model flexibility and creativity will impact how the students approach their work.