Why come
The Design Thinking Workshop is a two-day professional development experience for educators new to the topic. Participants will explore design thinking conceptually and practically as the foundation for learning experiences in a makerspace / maker-centered learning program, but also for other curricular subjects as well. Through hands-on activities, reviews of various design thinking models, and deep dives into classroom examples, we will build a foundation of knowledge educators can use to transform their teaching.
Registration
Limited to a maximum of 25 participants
US$650 Early-bird Registration fee (register by September 1, 2018)
US$700 Late Registration (register by October 1, 2018)
Fee includes coffee/refreshments and lunch for two days.
Workshop details
Who is it for
For classroom teachers and school leaders
Workshop goals
Each portion of the Design Thinking workshop is designed to bring the learner through a process that will inform, challenge and deepen understanding, while providing methods and strategies educators will need to embrace design thinking in their classroom environments. We will look at how design thinking changes pedagogy, how it puts the learner in charge of their educational experience, and why empathy is the foundation upon which true design thinking is based. We will build our “design muscles” through exercises and challenges that leverage ordinary materials in extraordinary ways, using “making” to forge connections that drive the learning.
Schedule
08:30–09:00 am – Coffee and refreshments
09:00 – 12:00 – Morning Session (including coffee break)
12:00 – 12:30 – Lunch (provided)
12:30 – 15:00 – Afternoon session (including coffee break)
Day 1, AM: Origin, Foundations & Imperatives of Design Thinking in K-12
Description: Both introduction and deep dive, this module looks at the foundations of design thinking, what it offers to K-12 education, and an exploration of the pitfalls in common implementations.
Participants will:
Develop a working understanding of Design Thinking, in theory and practice
Compare & contrast Design Thinking implementations in K-12 schools
Review curated, relevant research on Design Thinking
Explore what Design Thinking can and cannot do in a K-12 setting
Day 1, PM: Learning Design by Doing Design, Part 1
Description: Get into the details and embrace a real design challenge as a means to learn how to implement Design Thinking in your classroom, school or district.
Participants will:
Appraise the necessity for empathy as the foundation of design
Deconstruct the d.school model: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test
Develop & conduct a design challenge, start to finish
Day 2, AM: Learning Design by Doing Design, Part 2
Description: Solidify your learning while you ponder the implications of the tools you’ve just learned and how they might impact your own professional practice.
Participants will:
Develop their own working definition of Design Thinking
Evaluate current instructional programs through a Design Thinking lens
Re-imagine an existing (or new) unit taught via Design Thinking
Day 2, PM: How Design Thinking can inform Curriculum & Pedagogy at Scale
Description: Dive more deeply into best practices Design Thinking in K-12 (including how it impacts assessment) and develop a ‘path forward’ relevant to your environment.
Participants will:
Compare & contrast Design Thinking and the Engineering Design Process
Dissect, critique best practice Design Thinking curricula
Explore assessment techniques and tools
Develop a ‘path forward’ for your classroom, school or district
Featured speaker
Kevin Jarrett
Award-winning educator consultant
Kevin Jarrett is an award-winning educator, author, workshop leader, and respected STEM / Maker Education consultant with fifteen years of K-8 classroom experience. He has envisioned, planned and implemented human-centered design thinking programs including complete curricula as well as the spaces, tools and equipment needed to support the work. His enthusiastic, high-energy teaching style ensures a memorable experience. Kevin is a Google Certified Innovator, a Google Certified Trainer, and one of twenty 2016-2017 Stanford Fablearn Fellows.