Workshop Overview

This workshop will introduce educators to the Design Thinking process and ways this powerful process can be implemented in the classroom. Design thinking is a way of learning about problems that places empathy for the user at the centre of the inquiry. The essential understanding is that if a designer can empathise with the needs and goals of a user, then they are able to design an ideal solution. Design thinking, with its focus on empathy, has emerged as a key component of project-based learning approaches, and is what most design curriculums are built around. Participants will be introduced to the practice of design thinking in the context of a design cycle. They will learn some strategies and tools for implementing it in the classroom such as creating and using Personae, Rapid prototyping, and the GRASPS model for developing units of inquiry.

This is a hands-on workshop, where participants will collaborate, take risks, and share their thoughts and experiences as they build their knowledge and understanding.

Facilitator: