INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
I have grouped the resources provided through this site by grade level. On each of the three subpages, you will find additional information about each Design Thinking extension activity and the Social Studies standards and essential question it has been designed to address. In addition to the Tips for Teaching Design Thinking to Young Learners provided below, I have also included relevant standards from the College, Career & Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards and from the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21)'s Framework for 21st Century Learning that are addressed across the DT4All curriculum and through Design Thinking activities in general. (Additional C3 and P21 standards may also apply to individual grade level design challenge activities.)
TIPS FOR TEACHING DESIGN THINKING TO YOUNG LEARNERS
Encourage failure.
Trust that your kids are going to come up with some pretty whack design ideas. You may be tempted to guide them toward a more plausible path, but try to resist that urge. They'll probably learn a lot more from reflecting upon their failures than upon unhindered success.
Encourage students explore a variety of research methods.
Students will gain valuable research skills from interviewing and observing users, but there are other innovative ways to engage in primary research. Check out these Inspiration Methods from IDEO.
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This one is really important. Students are likely to gain far more insight (and pleasure) from practicing these equally important dispositions separately. They need to be able to let their creative imaginations run wild before critically thinking about how to refine ideas.
Encourage divergent and convergent thinking in isolation.
Support collaboration, but don't over-scaffold it.
The mindset of Radical Collaboration involves an acknowledgement that a diversity of perspectives leads to more innovative and insightful solutions. If students are denied the opportunity to grapple with conflict and differing opinions within their design teams, then they're not getting the full experience.
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Empathy and true innovation stem from a willingness to experience uncertainty and vulnerability. Remind students that mistakes can be revised and that the only true mistake is never daring to try.
Encourage risk-taking and vulnerability.
Support students in differentiating between users' wants and needs.
Aesthetics and self-expression are compelling to kids, but not typically the "meat" of Design Thinking. Nudge students to move beyond a focus on users' preferences and into the problem-solving realm of identifying true pain points and needs.
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Encourage students to understand themselves as designers.
Try to get kids thinking of themselves as designers, just as you encourage them to think of themselves as readers, writers, and mathematicians. Anyone who works to empathize with others and solve problems to make the world a better place is a designer.
Follow student cues.
I'm not deluded. I know you have a lot on your plate and that time is always of the essence. And I know that opportunities for teacher risk-taking and experimentation are not always valued. But to the extent that you are able and willing, try to go with the flow. Allow students to identify their own content focus, learning objectives, and performance standards.
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Children who are still in the early stages of identity formation may need to first work on articulating their own needs and preferences in order to more effectively empathize with others. Furthermore, kids should know that it is OK to design solutions than can improve their own lives as well as others.
Encourage students to understand themselves as users.
There are merits and challenges associated with each model that may vary significantly among introverted and extroverted students. Ensure that everyone has a voice and equal access to the process by allowing students to process ideas individually prior to engaging in group work.
Provide opportunities to work both independently and collaboratively
RELEVANT STANDARDS
The Framework for 21st Century Learning
College, Career & Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards
