Over the past few years, “design thinking” has emerged as one of the most effective collaborative strategies that leaders, educators, and students can use to tap into the intrinsic capacities that all individuals and groups possess, but that tend to be overlooked by more conventional approaches to leadership, problem-solving, and collective action. By bringing a human-centered approach to investigating and solving problems, design thinking helps organizations and groups create experiences and products that will provide the best outcomes for everyone involved. Over the past several years, the Business Innovation Factory in Providence, Rhode Island, has been working with teachers to harness the creativity and critical-thinking skills they use everyday to solve tough problems in education—from creating student-centered schools to elevating the priorities of teachers in school governance to creating, testing, and implementing classroom activities and pedagogical approaches that meet the needs of every student.
In this workshop, participants will (1) develop a working understanding of the value and methodology of design thinking and how it can be applied to their practice, (2) learn specific exercises for using design thinking to tackle challenges in classrooms, schools, districts, and communities, and (3) be introduced to Teachers Design for Education (TD4Ed), a free, online platform that the Business Innovation Factory’s Student Experience Lab co-created with teachers.
