The term “design thinking” appeared in Stanford a few years ago and became popular among designers from all over the world.
«Design» definition implies designing and creating new, original and unusual products. This process is based on creative thinking. But a designer can’t stop working waiting for inspiration like artists do – a modern world always demands new ideas from designer.
To generate ideas it’s necessary to keep your brains “switched on”. Design thinking method helps to do it – different approach to problem solving, which allows regularly to come up with solutions oriented toward people’s demands. In other words, design thinking technologies help to find as many solutions as possible and choose the best one.
Design thinking for kids
Do the kids need design thinking? Is it important to develop their creativity and teach them how to solve problems with creative approaches? The teachers of design thinking course in our school believe such skills are necessary in our constantly changing world. The ability to reconsider usual views of different things, make a decision quickly and find a solution to the situation in school or at home is a huge advantage, isn’t it?
During design thinking training process kids will learn its main principles:
- Empathy. On classes we will learn to understand values and demands of targeted audience, see the world through its eyes, think differently stand against existing schemes.
- Focus. Information analysis, identifying priorities and focusing on genuine needs are going to be our main tools.
- Idea. We will generate ideas by brainstorming during which kids will learn to work within a team, support and develop ideas of each other and cooperate.
- Prototyping. On classes we will create product prototypes related to information technologies: games, websites, mobile apps.
- Tests. We will check each prototype on practice: get feedback from real people and process the results.
- Presentation. We will learn to present and defend own decisions and products, tell stories of creating projects and share experience.
We recommend all CODDY students regardless of their age to attend “Design thinking” course for kids in Moscow before learning programming.
After completion of the course ecery child will:
- learn to creatively interpret and reevaluate usual view of different things and problems;
- demonstrate individuality, creative skills, strengths and weaknesses;
- get opportunities to develop independent thinking and decision making;
- study the basics of information technologies applying design thinking tools in own IT projects;
- understand the process of creating games/websites/mobile apps;
- develop a prototype, which later can be implemented in real life and perhaps will become a successful startup.
How do we know a student has mastered the program?
During the training process we evaluate the practical side (how to do it?) and understanding the topics as well (why and what for?)
Students demonstrate knowledge by solving tasks in their own way, explaining the algorithms in own words, helping other students to correct mistakes and creating presentations on the final course project.
en
