8 LUMEN | LEARNING
Changing
The Way We Learn
- Business Design Thinking
By Elisa Tan
Failure is not frowned upon but embraced as a learning opportunity .
The whole paradigm shift was not only difficult for teachers Mr Kyris Ang , Ms Elisa Tan , Ms Melissa Yam and Mrs Vivian Tan who had undergone training in a 1-week intensive course at Singapore Polytechnic helmed by Ms Heather Fraser ( Director of the Business Design Initiative , Rotman School of Management ). Both teachers and students have some adjustments to do .
In April 2011 , SJI embarked on its first collaborative project in Business Design Thinking ( BDT ) with DesignWorks Singapore ( Singapore Polytechnic ) and The Rotman School of Management ( University of Toronto , Canada ). After being introduced to using design as a way to conceptualize problem , spur creativity and construct sustainable solution from a humanistic perspective , it became evident to the team of teachers that this intuitive methodology can help them grow as educators , change the way creativity , innovation and knowledge acquisition interact in the classroom .
As an institution focused on developing young minds that will learn how to learn , BDT with its human-centred mindsets , methods and thinking skills became a natural addition to the core aspect of the Integrated Programme in SJI
The first course challenge for the teachers became the very project that they will undertake – to design a BDT curriculum pegged to the level of 13 to 16 year olds , yet maintaining the essence of the design process and developing the skills and mindsets vital to creating positive change . With the help of DesignWorks Singapore , the team crafted a curriculum for the BDT pilot classes 101 , 102 and 110 in SJI this year and followed it through to success . In a system where students very often suffer from information overload and intolerance to failure , BDT celebrated diversity and encouraged young minds to think like designers , broaden their perspectives and embrace fresh and exciting solutions .