RESEARCH

"The appeal of design thinking, which evolved out of strategies to improve product design, is that it fosters brainstorming and collaboration skills that are valuable in a changing world where many challenges don’t have textbook answers.” (Edmund, A. 2019)

“…Design thinking principles in children’s education, such as empathy, collaboration and facilitation, human-centeredness, and creativity by iterations of prototyping and testing, will provide a sound base for children not only seeking to enter a design profession in the future but moving into any profession in the future and will lead to higher engagement at school and greater success in life.” (Liub & Noel, 2017)

“To cope with the complex and ever-changing demands of the 21st century, learners require collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. These skills are increasingly becoming a focus in both K–12 and higher education settings.” (Diefenthaler et al, 2017)

“Mainly, design thinking forced the students to become flexible in their thinking. Some students who struggle with perfectionism became frustrated at first when they failed, but through the process realized that they must persevere.“ (Stith et al, 2020)

“Design thinking is not a single answer but one of several solutions that can pave the way to more meaningful learning. The elements of design thinking bring new voices into the design of solutions to our biggest problems and show both our students and our communities how our combined knowledge is key to a more just and abundant future.” (Strauss, 2019)

To learn more about the many benefits of design-thinking in the classroom please check out the following publications.

Corresponding Article Reference List:

Andrews, Edmund ( 2019) “Will Design Thinking Strategies Benefit Students After School Is Dismissed?”, Stanford Graduate School of Education. Full Article

Diefenthaler, A., Moorhead, L., Speicher, S., Bear, C., Cerminaro, D. (2017). “Thinking and acting like a designer: How design thinking supports innovation in K-12 education.” World Innovation Summit for Education. Full Article

Liub, Tsai Lu & Noel, Leslie-Ann. (2017) “Using Design Thinking to Create a New Education Paradigm for Elementary Level Children for Higher Student Engagement and Success.”, North Carolina State University, Design and Technology Education: An International Journal. Full Article

Stith, K., Potts, M.; Rubenstein, L.; Shively, K.; Spoon, R. (2020) “Perceptions of K-12 Teachers on the Cognitive, Affective, and Conative Functionalities of Gifted Students Engaged in Design Thinking”, Journal of STEM Teacher Education, vol. 55, no. 1, Article 5.

Strauss, Valerie. (2019) “What is Design-Thinking? And Why Does It Belong in the Classroom?” The Washington Post, Online Publication. Full Article