Design Thinking is becoming popular.  It's complex to read about, difficult to describe to others — but easy to learn by doing!  From 9am to 3pm on May 15, the director of the Design Program at IDS will guide a group of 20 educators from all over Connecticut through the design process three times, and provide tools and resources and mind-set guidance in how to start a design thinking program in your classroom or your school.  He'll talk from the first-hand experience of IDS's first two years, sharing stories and actual examples. 

 

9:00    Continental breakfast

9:10    Getting started

9:30      Design Experience #1

11:30    First Debrief

12:00    LUNCH

12:45    Design Experience #2

1:00      Second Debrief

1:30      Design Experience #3

2:30      Third Debrief

3:00      Conclusion and departure

 

In each of the three design experiences, teams of attending teachers will work together on three real-world problems, and try to devise solutions using limited materials, limited time, and limited choices.  Each team will work through collaboration difficulties and communication challenges.  The majority of their time will be spent in hands-on activities designed to show how the Design Thinking process can develop student insights.  Some examples of projects from the IDS Design Lab's first year in operation will also be on view, but the primary mission of the day will be to showcase how limited materials and simple office-closet supplies can develop thought processes which writing or reading alone cannot supply.  In each of the Debrief sessions, teachers will examine their experiences during the previous Experience session, and develop some takeaways to bring the Design Thinking practice to their own classroom or school.