LEARNING | LUMEN
9
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“ Design is not just what it looks like and
feels like . Design is how it works .”
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- Steve Jobs
With the gradual shift towards studentcentred learning in the classroom , the facilitation mode of teaching required in BDT served as an ideal platform for a well-guided but unrestrictive learning environment . The design approach is iterative in its processes , requires abductive reasoning and self-motivation ; this mode of learning was at first foreign to our students who were very much constrained by traditional ‘ chalk and talk ’ classes . However it did not take long before these young Josephians relished their newly-found independence in learning .
In a BDT class , failure became the fastest route to success as the mantra was : To fail fast , learn from mistakes and hence succeed sooner . Experimentation and taking calculated risks became the norm and students learnt more via hands on learning tasks and activities .
Through the three gears of BDT that focused on Empathy , Ideation and Prototyping , the pilot classes learnt to carry out the holistic and intuitive process of design and applied it to everyday problems . Fundamental human dispositions like mindfulness , awareness and empathy were also subconsciously practiced as students carried out their various tasks in observations , photo-journaling and user interviews during empathy research . The greatest pay-out for the team was perhaps witnessing how the programme piqued students ’ interest in learning all over again . The pilot curriculum for the three classes finally culminated in a BDT exhibition for their parents in the newly renovated ThinkSpace in the Beurel .
Riding on the success of BDT , the team also conducted several workshops for the larger school community , including a session for key personnel during the Staff Strategic Planning Session in June and all academic staff in November .
As the world mourns the recent demise of Apple co-founder , Steve Jobs , one cannot help but revel in the innovative breakthroughs by the design maestro himself . On first mention , the noun design seems ill-fitting in an education system where the math and science of grading and standardization are worked out to the very last precision . After all , design , to many is aesthetic , subjective and ever-changing . However , as the education landscape in Singapore ventures forth , the need to cultivate 21st century skills and mindsets in our students become imminent . As a verb , design then serves as the very action and process in everyday teaching needed to cope with constant flux , generate solutions and drive creativity in our young charges .
Design Thinking is a human-centred process and ultimately a 21st century frame of mind to problem solving . The spontaneous participation and experimentation , together with logical deduction and effective ideation undertaken by students , suggests that it will not be long before learning takes on new and non-linear routes along the continuum of change in SJI .
Facing page ( top ): Brainstorming in the ThinkSpace Facing page ( bottom ): And here ' s our masterpiece . Ta-dah ! This page : Engrossed and engaged