What Is Design Thinking and Why Is It Important?

Souza, Molly
ID
Razzouk, R., & Shute, V. (2012). What Is Design Thinking and Why Is It Important? Review of Educational Research, 82(3), 330–348. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654312457429
https://csu-sjsu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_SJO/1nj5q0c/cdi_proquest_journals_1038353599

The main goal of this article is to summarize and synthesize research on design thinking, with a focus on understanding its characteristics, processes, and how it applies to education. Design thinking involves how designers perceive and think about problems, often starting with diagrams that evolve into complex graphic representations to aid in reflection and problem-solving. Designers continually modify their designs and requirements based on new information, aiming to align the problem space with the proposed design solution. Designing is described as a situated act, where designers invent issues and requirements based on their environment, with a strong connection between unexpected discoveries and the invention of issues and requirements. This article highlights the importance of switching between different design activities and the opportunistic nature of the design process.

I was really new to the concept of design thinking and I feel like this article really broke it down for me in a palatable and comprehensive way. One of my favorite parts, that I feel is applicable beyond understanding design thinking but understanding different types of educational experiences in general, is this graph:

Basically, this graph breaks different learning into these four groups, and each group is different based on how much each type of learning uses symbols, real things, and analysis in their processes.

The upper left hand area is the “analytic/symbolic” quadrant that encompassing fields like science that heavily rely on analytical processes, and their subject matter is often represented more symbolically than concretely. I studied sociology in my undergrad work, and that type of work would be in this quadrant.

The upper right hand area is the “synthetic/symbolic” quadrant that involves how intangible things are made tangible. The main example given for this quadrant is law, because in law arguments are made based on symbolic idea and then applied to real people and things.

The lower left hand side represents the “analytical/real” quadrant. Medicine could belong in this quadrant because it so often relies on testing or analyzing real and tangible things through the process of diagnostics and experiments.

The lower right hand side is the “synthetic/real” where design thinking lives. This area represents the ways in which people create real things and use a process to put them together.

I feel like for me to understand what something is I also need to understand what it is not, and this graph really helped me in that regard. I could see myself using this to analyze different learning environments and teaching/learning methods in the future.

What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning?

Smith, Elyce

Inquiry

Wolpert-Gawaon, H. (2016, August 11). What the Heck is Inquiry-Based Learning. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-heck-inquiry-based-learning-heather-wolpert-gawron

Summary:

The author gives a brief introduction to the idea of using inquiry in lesson design and points out the importance of modeling curiousity to students as a part of the process. The author then outlines the four steps of an inquiry unit: 1) Students dvelop questions they are hungry to answer, 2) Research the topic using the time in class, 3) Have students present what they learned, and 4) Ask students to reflect on what worked about the process and what didn’t. Again the author points out that the teacher starting with their own curiosity is the most important first step for inquiry-based learning to be effective.

Evaluation:

Inquiry is not something new for many teachers, but many teachers have tried to infuse it into their classroms with no success. This article helps make clear why that may be. Many teachers have bemoaned the lack of engagement from their students, when they themselves are disengaged from the learning process. We cannot expect more from our students that we expect from ourselves. Step one in engaging our students in inquiry is modeling for them real curiosity and inquiry from us. Another important aspect of true inquiry is the presentation step, which many teachers overlook. As authentic learners, we all know what if feels like to be so excited about something new that we’ve learned we can’t help but share it with someone we know. Unfortunately, we deny our students this step all the time. We want their inquiry to take place in a vaccuum, but that is not how it works. In order for a classroom to be a true space of inquiry, our students need to be able to share what they have learned.

Tech Leaders

Koppenhaver, Chelsie

Topic: Technology

Summary: In this article, School Library Journal highlights the efforts of 6 library professionals who are using technology in innovative ways in their schools. These librarians are working with kids using technology like podcasts, 3-D printers, video cameras and more, but most importantly, they recognize that the tech itself is secondary to how students use it, emphasizing creation, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration in their schools.

Evaluation: While it is a short article, I believe it is important for us as library students to see that there are librarians out there who are putting the ideas we are studying into practice in innovative and effective ways. Each of the librarians highlighted here also shows a dedication to putting their students’s voices, opinions, and learning first in their library’s design and instruction.

Citation: Snelling, J. (2019, May 3). Tech leaders: Amplifying reading and research. School Library Journal. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=amplifying-reading-research-tech-edge

Understanding Genius Hour

Smith, Chloe

ID

Krebs, D. & Zvi G. (2016). The genius hour guidebook. New York: Routeledge.

Summary: This book is focused on Genius Hour, a program in which a teacher sets aside a set amount of time each week for students to pursue independent and self-directed projects. It is by two teachers, one an elementary school teacher in private and public settings and one a faculty member in a teacher training program, who met online and began collaborating and sharing resources as part of their Personal Learning Networks (PLN). It is very much a product of an online community, with lots of pointers for readers to check out resources like TED talks and to share experiences with each other via Twitter and other social media platforms. In essence, the book does just what is says on the cover–it explains what Genius Hour is, and it gives pointers and suggestions for how an educator can make it work in their classrooms. It includes guidelines for introducing the concept, scaffolding the development of students’ independent inquiry, and helping them reflect and self-assess. It also includes appendixes with FAQs, more resources and lesson plans, and a reading list.

Evaluation: I really liked the practical and detailed scaffolding that this book provided. I could definitely see depending on it if I was rolling out Genius Hour in my own classroom or library space. I wonder, however, if a print book was the best format for this document–there are so many online works cited that it seems like this would have worked better as a website other format where the references could be linked.

KQED Mindshift: How To Ease Students Into Independent Inquiry Projects

Gould, Molly

ID

Mackenzie, T. & Bathurst-Hunt, R. (March 1, 2018). How to ease students into independent inquiry projects. Mindshift.  KQED. Retrieved from: https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/50620

Summary:

This article and its accompanying chart describe the spectrum along which inquiry-based education can occur, from structured, to controlled, to guided and, finally, to free inquiry. In structured inquiry the educator leads the one inquiry from start to finish. In controlled inquiry, the teacher provides the questions asked, the resources and assigns the project, deliverable or assessment. In guided inquiry, the educator assigns the subject and asks the essential question, but the students have more freedom and autonomy to choose resources and design projects. Free inquiry completes the spectrum, where student initiate the inquiry, choose their own topics, select resources and design their own projects or performance tasks.

 

Evaluation:

As a term and a concept, inquiry is often thrown around with little explanation of what it is or how it works. As a relatively new public school educator, inquiry-based learning has often seemed to me to be a lofty constructivist ideal without much place in real-world classrooms. At least part of the reason for this is that there’s very little training in how to implement inquiry-based learning experiences. This article provides a very useful framework for where to begin, depending on teacher interest and ability, as well as student readiness.