Design thinking is a creative and critical thinking process which creates effective solutions to problems. It also involves making sense of data/information by organising it into themes or patterns (Koh et al., 2015). There are five stages of DT including: discovery, interpretation, ideation, experimentation, and evolution (IDEO, 2012). These stages are briefly outlined in figure 2:
Figure 1: image of 3D prints taken in Educ3620 tutorial
This design thinking process fosters creativity as it encourages students to think outside of the box, it also encourages teamwork as students work together to solve problem. This in turn fosters a sense of community in classrooms and promotes a growth mindset. (Malekzai, 2023).
Figure 2: The Design Thinking Process
Digital technologies can be used to teach and implement DT in schools such as 3D printing. 3D printing in simple terms allows for the creation of a physical object from a digital design.
Figure 3: 3D printing and DT in schools (Makers Empire, 2017)
SketchUp:
Sketchup is essentially a 3D modelling program. It allows students to to build any model they like using basic shapes in turn giving students the opportunity to design and communicate their ideas in 3D.
The 5 stages of design thinking are enhanced through SketchUp, this is because students are able to visualise and create their designs in 3D which in turn encourages students to think about their designs in a more holistic way. Sketchup also allows students to easily make changes to their design, encouraging students to play around with different ideas. The collaboration aspect in SketchUp also encourages design thinking as it allows students to share and receive feedback which also allows them to think critically and analytically to find the best solutions (Wells, 2012).
Sketchup addresses many KLAs in specifically, students’ creativity can be fostered through Sketchup in their Science lessons. The Science & Technology Syllabus outcome ST3-4LW-S for Living World can be addressed through Sketchup (NESA, 2017). Students can create 3D models of an Australian native flower such as the Golden Wattle to further enhance their understanding of Living world in Science.
Figure 4: Australian Golden Wattle created via SketchUp.
Limitations:
Like any emerging technology there are limitations. It is quite complex to get the hang of especially for beginners. Also, while it is free it does have a fee to access the full program, making it quite costly for schools to use. Lastly, while its great for sketching designs it lacks realism.
References:
IDEO (2012). Design Thinking for Educators (2nd Edition).
Koh, J. H. L., Chai, C. S., Wong, B., & Hong, H. (2015). Design Thinking for Education:
Conceptions and Applications in Teaching and Learning. Springer.
Malekzai, Z. (2023). Design Thinking for Creativity and Innovation at Schools. pressbooks.pub. [online] Available at: https://pressbooks.pub/schools/chapter/design-thinking-for-class-creativity-and-innovation/.
NESA (2017). Science and Technology K–6 | NSW Education Standards. [online] Nsw.edu.au. Available at: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/science/science-and-technology-k-6-new-syllabus.
Wells, A. (2012). The importance of design thinking for technological literacy: a phenomenological perspective. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 23(3), pp.623–636. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-012-9207-7.
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