Abstract:

Design Thinking (DT) is a world-acclaimed methodology to generate innovative solutions for wicked problems that do not have a right/wrong answer. Acquiring the DT mindset (e.g., empathy, critical questioning, human-centeredness, embracing ambiguity) may help individuals become active creators rather than passive consumers, ultimately leading to innovation. In the classroom, DT has the potential to provide a dynamic process through which young people can engage in constructionist learning activities that are situated in real-world challenges, whilst also developing a DT mindset and 21st-century skills. However, DT is not included in traditional teacher development courses and teachers may only encounter it through self-selected professional development opportunities, which are limited. Also, the time constraints of the traditional classroom limit the capacity to implement DT activities, particularly when it comes to empathising with others, creating initial prototypes and iterating their design. To address these challenges, this paper reports on a pilot study conducted in the scope of a funded project [blinded for review] on using emerging technologies and games to enhance DT in secondary schools. In this study, two experiential professional development workshops were run with pre-and in-service teachers (n=64) to introduce them to DT and ChoiCo, a platform to play/modify/design games, as a novel constructionist tool for DT. The teachers participated in the workshops as part of their courses on STEM teaching, design and development of interdisciplinary projects, and 21st-century skills at a university in Belgium. Before the workshops, the flipped classroom approach was utilised using videos about ChoiCo and DT, supplemented with the ChoiCo game design manual. On campus, they participated in an experiential workshop where they worked on a DT project in groups using ChoiCo, just as their students would. The DT workshop included Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver stages as described by the British Design Council and templates were prepared by one of the facilitators to guide teachers through these stages. To gain insights into participants’ experiences regarding this professional development activity, they were asked to fill in pre-, interim and post-workshop questionnaires and participate in an interview. Moreover, observations carried out during the workshops and artefacts of learning were recorded. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and constant comparative analysis of interviews and observations. Overall, teachers were positive about the potential of ChoiCo for developing their students’ 21st-century skills, but it was found that a mindset shift is required to align with DT. The data provide some potential explanations for this, as they illustrate teachers' beliefs and practices about teaching are contrary to key concepts within DT. In particular, the pre-survey highlighted that participants were least likely to value ‘productive failure’ as a pedagogic tool and in-service teachers tended not to use hands-on/experiential approaches in their classrooms. These were reflected in the observations and interviews which found that students preferred to jump to the conclusion directly rather than spend time on understanding the problem, brainstorming ideas and iterating. The study concludes that addressing these challenges and mindsets about education is key to unlocking the potential of DT in secondary classrooms in Belgium.

Keywords:

Design Thinking workshop, game-design, non-designers, professional development, constructivist learning.