design culture in school. experiences of design workshops ... · 2. design culture nurturing a...
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DesignforNext
12thEADConferenceSapienzaUniversityofRome
12-14April2017
Copyright©2016.Thecopyrightofeachpaperinthisconferenceproceedingsisthepropertyoftheauthor(s).Permissionisgrantedtoreproducecopiesoftheseworksforpurposesrelevanttotheaboveconference,providedthattheauthor(s),sourceandcopyrightnoticeareincludedoneachcopy.Forotherusespleasecontacttheauthor(s).
DesignCultureinschool.Experiencesofdesignworkshopswithchildren.FabrizioPierandreia,ElenaMarengonibaPACODesignCollaborativebPACODesignCollaborative*Correspondingauthore-mail:[email protected]
Abstract:Thispaperdiscussesthesocialandculturalrootsoftheemergingneedforproject-based didactic approaches within education systems, showing theadvantages of the adoption of design tools and specifically of the Service DesignThinking method. These are presented in relation to extant literature in thepedagogic field, giving an overview of the domains within which Service DesignThinkingcanbebeneficial.Aseriesofworkshopscarriedoutwithchildrenarethenpresented, highlighting themost relevant findings that have been gathered fromthemanddiscussing theirmethodological potential toward an implementationofdesigneducationinprimaryschools.
Keywords: Education, Design Thinking, Service Design, Didactic Methods,Learning
1.IntroductionInthe21stcenturysociety,ithasbecomeclearthatknowledgewillbecomeincreasinglymoreimportantthanthetangibleresourceswehaveatourdisposition(Robertson,2005).Infact,itwillbemoreandmoreafundamentalassettosupportusintheattempttoovercomethosewickedproblemsthatareadailyissueinoursocieties.Thisconfrontsuswiththeneedtoensurethattheeducationalsystemisreadytotakethisnewchallengeonboard.Threekeytopicsinspirethisdebate.
1.1 Holisticunderstanding,autonomousdiscovery,criticalthinkingWhenwetalkabouttheimportanceofteachingstudentshowtosolveopen-endedproblems,thereisastreamofliteratureaboutlogicandcreativethinkingtodrawon.Expertshaveobservedthatoneofthekeyprocessesthatenableproblem-solvingoutsideofclosedsystemsisthecapabilitytotransferknowledgebetweenfieldsandtogeneralize,zoomoutandseetheunderlyingcomplexity.ThisreliesonwhatBartlettdescribesas‘adventurousthinking’,whichisthecapabilitytogobeyond
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theobvious,askillthatcanbenurturedandtrainedalsobyexposingchildrentoastimulatingenvironmentthatallowsthemtoexperiment,movebetweenfieldsofknowledgeandmakeautonomousdiscoveries(Bartlett,1958).Onthecontrary,traditionalschoolprogramsoftenconfrontchildrenwithpre-packagedinformationandasimplifiedunderstandingofreality,offeredintheformofdistinctschoolsubjects:inthisapproach,thelearneractsasan“independentobserverofobjects”(Scheeretal.,2012,p.9).Schoolsshouldevermorepromoteaholisticunderstandingoftheworld,tohelpkidsbecomebetterindividuals,equippedwithstronglogicandcreativeskills.
1.2 AdoptingavarietyofmethodstofitdifferentlearningstylesExistingresearchhaswidelyshownevidenceofhowdifferentthelearningprocessisforeachchild:studentsmaybenaturallyinclinedtousecertainintelligencesmorethanothers(Gardner,2011;Azzali&Cristanini,1995),forinstancebeingmoreateaseexercisingtheirverbal-linguisticcompetencethantheirvisual-spatialorlogical-mathematical.Thedifferentextenttowhichintelligencesaredevelopedforeachpersonresultsinendlesscombinationsandahugediversityoflearningstyles.Althoughsomedegreeofgeneralizationisneededinordertocomeupwithareplicablemethodology,itisclearthatthereisanopportunityforschoolstorecognizethisvariety,allowingstudentstoexercisethosecompetencesthatareeasierforthem,butalsostimulatingthemtotrain“otherintelligences”throughavarietyofactivities,rangingfromthemoretheoreticaltothemorepractical(Cornoldi,1999).
1.3 FosteringcollaborationandencouraginggroupworkAthirddimensionthatcannotbeoverlookedhastodowiththebroadercontextwithinwhichlearningoccurs,theclassroom.Alotofresearchhasbeendoneonhowtofacilitatetheexchangebetweenteacherandpupilsbut‘theconceptofpedagogyneedstobeextendedtoallowforothersocialrelations,inparticular,thoseinvolvingco-learnersorpeers’(Blatchfordetal.,2003,p.6).Researchhasshownthatcollaborationbetweenmembersofaclassroomcanimprovebothlearningachievementsandattitude/motivationtowardactivities.This,inturn,reinforcestheimportanceoffosteringcooperationwiththeaimtogeneratemoredebateandthereforetohelpchildrentonurturecriticalthinkingskills.
Thedebatearoundthesetopicsisstillopenastheyposenumerouschallengeswhenitcomestoturningtheseprinciplesintoactionableguidelinesandimplementingthemthroughactivities.Ittakesmorethanasimplemanifestotopromoteaculturalshift:thecombinationofasolidmethodologicalapproachandthere-organizationofinternalprocessesarebothequallyessentialforthisevolutiontotakeplace.
2.DesignCultureNurturingadesignculturewithintheschoolsystemisseenasaphenomenonthatcanresultinbeneficialoutcomesfortheschoolitself.Designcultureishereintendedastheheadlineunderwhichtwomajorcontributionsfall.First,ittakestheformofaproject-baseddidacticapproachthatencourageschildrentoperformdesignactivitiesand"contextuallyinformedactionswithinthedevelopmentofadesign”(Julier,2005,p.70).Second,itappearsasaspecificattitudetowardschangeandasenseofagencythatcanbeseenwithintheschoolasanorganizationandinrelationto
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theoutsideworld.Inthispaper,wewillmainlyfocusonexperiencesconcerningthedidacticapproachperse.
Promotingchangewithintheschoolinthesetwodirectionswouldmean,ononehand,allowingstudentstogainmoreactivecontrolovertheirlearningprocessthroughdesignand,ontheotherhand,absorbingthesemethodologiesattheinstitutionallevelandputtingtheminusebycontinuouslyimprovingthewayeducationalexperiencesareoffered,thusturningtheschoolintoalearningorganizationitself.
Onamorepracticallevel,thekeyenablerofthisculturalshiftistheServiceDesignThinkingmethodology,asetoftoolsandmethodsthatcouldbothhelpteacherstodeliverengaginglearningexperiencestopupilsandsustainthischangeattheorganizationallevel.
Inparticular,theServiceDesignmethodologyhasrecognizedtheimportanceofdesignasaprocessandnotjustasanoutcomeexpressedthroughanartefact,withacertainform,function,andvisuallanguage(Stickdorn&Schneider,2012).TheServiceDesignapproachadoptsahuman-centeredapproachasopposedtoamoretraditionalfeature-centeredprocess.Ithasalsopusheddesignerstolookbeyondsingleobjectsandtoexplorethecomplexsystemofinformation,interpersonalrelations,andcontextualdynamicswithinwhichtheyexist.Thisperspectivecouldhelpeducatorstofocusmoreonthelearningprocessanddeveloptheireducationalapproachbytakingthepointofviewoftheirlearners,butitcouldalsohelpthemtoconnectthedidacticexperiencewiththebroadercontextofinterpersonalrelations,environmentalinfluences,…
Inotherwords,educatingthroughDesignwillhelpchildrentousetheircreativitybeyondthelimitsofexpressingthemselvesandasatooltobecomecriticalthinkersandproblemsolvers,towardsafuturegenerationofmoreconsciousindividuals.
Table1.Designculturemanifestation
DESIGNCULTUREINSCHOOL
What Project-basedapproachwithstudents(classroom)
School’sattitudetowardschange(institution)
How Designtoolsandmethods,ServiceDesignThinkingmethodologyThiswholeapproachsetsitsrootsinthestreamofconstructivistideasoflearning,aimingtospreaddesigncultureamongexistingprograms.Italsodiffersfromtheotherconstructivistapproachesinthefollowingregards:
• Whileconstructivistlearningmethodsareseenas“opposedto”thosederivedfrombehaviourismandrealism(Scheeretal.,2012),thegoalhereistopromotetheintegrationofdifferentlearningmethodsandnottogeneratea“brand-new”onenortoaddnewdisciplinestoanalreadycrowdedcurriculum.
• ThemethodsandtoolsarederivedbythosedevelopedforServiceDesignandDesignThinking.
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3.HypothesesAfundamentalassumptionofthisresearchisthatServiceDesignmethodscanprovidesupporttodifferentmomentsofthelearningexperience,allthewayfromdiscoverytoexecution.Likewise,itisassumedthatthisdidacticapproachresultsinchildrennotonlyabsorbingknowledgeinadifferentwaybutalsoengagingindesignactivitiesandproducingknowledge.
Startingfromthispreliminarydefinitionofdesignculture,asetofhypotheseshasbeendefinedtobeusedasparametersagainstwhichtoevaluatetheoutcomesofexperimentalprojects.
• ServiceDesignThinkingallowslearnerstoexercisedifferentintelligencesandcan
matchdifferentpersonalattitudes(Cornoldi,1999).
• Itfacilitatesadeepunderstandingoftopics,facilitatingtheunderstandingofcause-effectrelationshipsandcorrelations,increasingawarenessandhelpingchildrentoformopinions.
• Itencouragestheinteractionbetweenpeople,bothbetweenpeersandasymmetric,(teacher-pupilsrelation).
• Itsupportspermanenceofknowledge:inBrunoMunari’swords,“IfIseeIremember.IfIdoIunderstand”.
• Ithelpschildrentoevaluatethefeasibilityandviabilityofasolution.
• Itencouragesempathyandhelpsthosewhopracticeittotakeotherpeople’sperspective(user-centricapproach).
• Itfostersaholisticunderstandingoftheworldandencouragesspontaneousconnectionsbetweendifferentfieldsofknowledge.
AseriesofexperiencesthatbringchildrenclosertotheServiceDesignThinkingapproachhasalreadytakenplace.
4.Lessonsfromthefield
4.1IntroductionInitiativespromotingtheuseofdesignmethodswithandbychildrenhavetakenplacesince2014.Fuelledbythecontributionofdesigners,educators,andteachers,theseinitiativesadoptedaproject-basedapproachwiththegoalofapplyingServiceDesignThinkingmethodsineducationalcontexts.
DesignsessionsmainlytookplaceduringDesignEventsinPrimaryandSecondaryschools,inItalyandabroad,orwerehostedbyinstitutionslikeChildrenandSciencemuseums,oftenwiththesupportofthelocalMunicipalityandofdesignassociations.
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Overall,ithasbeenmadeuseofthreeformats,whichdifferintermsofgoals,length,activitiesandtoolsusedbythestudents:
• DesignJams• Workshops• SchoolPrograms
Inallofthesecases,thetraditionalDoubleDiamonddivergent-convergentapproach(DesignCouncil,UK,2005)hasbeentakenasareferencebutadaptedtotheneedsofthesession,sometimesmodifyingphaselengthasrequired.
Thebackboneoftheprocessadoptedinallthethreeformatsisstructuredasfollows:
• Receive(thechallenge):thesessionbeginswiththepresentationofachallenge,often
relatedtotheeverydaylifeofthepupils.Atthislevel,thefacilitators’roleiscrucialindrivingthechildrentoembracethechallengeempathically.
• Understand(theproblem):childrenareengagedinaprocessofdefiningresearchquestions,findingcriticalpointstosolveandgatheringkeyinformationthroughdeskandfieldresearch;theyarethenguidedthroughareflectionaboutwhattheyhavelearned.
• Develop(anidea):thisisamanualandcreativephaseinwhichchildrenareaskedtosketchworkablesolutionsonpaper,usingdifferenttechniquesandamixofvisualandverballanguage.
• Prototype(thesolution):byusingdifferentkindsofmaterialsandprobes,childrengivevisibilityandtangibilitytotheirideasbymockingupobjects,keyinteractionsorspacesinwhichtheirdesignsits.
• Present(theproject):aftercollectingfeedbackontheprototype,childrenarrangeapublicpresentationoftheirproject,explainingtotheirparents,teachersortherestoftheaudiencetheadvantagesoftheirproposalanddescribingthesalientaspectsofthedesignprocesstheyhavegonethrough.
Also,someexperiencepillarscharacterizetheexperienceacrossphases:
• Fromcomplextosimple:breakingdowncomplexnotionintosimplerfactsandusingstorytellingtodeliverconceptstokids
• Fromabstracttoconcrete:focusingoneverydaylifetopicsandpracticalchallenges• Fromknowledgetoinvolvement:promotingengagementthroughrole-playingand
gamingandrelyingonkid’sself-consciousnessandresponsibilityintakingaction• Fromtalkingtodoing:learningwiththeirhands,activatingbehaviouralchangein
children
Ontheotherhand,themaindifferencebetweentheformatsisreferredtothedurationandhowtimedifferentlystresseachdesignsessionphaseandtheinteractionsamongparticipants.
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4.2DesignJamsDesignJamsareactivitiesopentochildrenandpre-teensandcharacterizedbyastrongemphasisonimprovisationandfastprototyping.Theyareusuallycarriedoutinlessthan4hoursandaimatteachinghowtotransformideasintoprototypestobetested.
ThegoaloftheJamsistohelpparticipantstotryoutthebasicprinciplesofaServiceDesignThinkingprocess,byshowingthemthatweliveina“designedenvironment”inwhichproducts,services,andinteractionscanbeimprovedthroughdesign.Theyarealsoencouragedtoconceivesolutionsthattakeintoaccountwhat“theothersthink”andneed,understandingtheirperspectiveasusersandassessingthecomplexityofsituationswhichincludemultipleactorsandpointsofview.
Thescheduleistightlybuiltaround6activities:kick-offandchallengepresentation(15-20min),brainstormingsession(30min),userinterviews(40min),projectinsightsgeneration(30min),rapidprototypingofsolutions(60min)andpresentationtotheaudience(20min).
TheJam’sactivitiesarecarriedoutingroupsof3-5kidseach,supportedbyafacilitator,usuallyadesigneroraneducator.Groupsofthissizehaveproventobethemosteffectiveintermsofinternalcollaborationandpeer-to-peerexchange,whilethesupportofafacilitatorhelpsthemtofollowtheprocess,makedecisionsandfocuson“doing”ratherthantalking.
Figure1.Interviewingapasser-by
Characteristicofajamistointroducethetopicattheverybeginningofthesession.Thisisacriticalphaseinwhichitisimportanttomakechildrenfeelemotionallyconnectedtothegivenchallenge,whichcanbeencouragedthrougharole-playactivityinwhichalltheparticipantsareaskedtotellwhattheir‘superpowers’areandarethencalledtousethemintothespecificcontextoutlinedby
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thetopic.Toincreaseempathy,facilitatorsareaskedtotakepartintotherole-playtoo.Perceivingthemselvesas“heroes”calledtoactionhelpskidstoembracethechallengeinamoreenthusiasticway.Plus,choosingthemesthattouchuponaspectsoftheirdailylifeincreasesrelevance.Examplesoftopicsare:“Avisittothedentist”,“Thefearofdarkness”,“WhatifIcouldfly”.
Throughbrainstorming,childrenexploreanddeepentheirunderstandingofthegiventopic,sharingopinionsandstartingtocollect“preliminaryinsights”uponwhichtocreateadiscussionguidefortheinterviews.Largesheetsofpaperandaseriesofprintedimagesrelatedtothetopicactasicebreakersinthediscussionandhelptheparticipantstosharepersonalexperiences.Interviewsrequirekidstoaskquestionstoadultsorpeersandtoreporttheinsightstheyhavegathered.Parents,teachers,andpasser-byareofteninterviewed.Theuseofstickynotesisencouragedtobetterorganizeuserfeedback,whilepropssuchasfakemicrophonesorbadgesareusedtohelpkidsinterprettheroleofresearchers.Interviewnotesareclusteredbyaffinityanddiscussedtoselectthosethatcanbemoreeasilydevelopedintoprototypesinthelimitedavailabletime.
Prototypingistheactivitythattakesthelongest:childrenusethistimetogivelifetotheirideasthroughartefactsandtoperformthekeyactions/interactionsrelatedtotheirsolutions,focusingontheentire‘userjourney’.Actingout,simulatinggesturesandtalkingoutloudhelpkidstobetterimaginehowtheexperiencewillbelikeandtoideatefaster.Prototypesarebuiltwithpoormaterials,suchascardboardandglue,colouredplasticsheets,fabric,andmodellingclay.
Eventually,eachgroupisaskedtopitchtheirproposaltoanaudiencecomposedofalltheparticipantsandtheirparentsbystagingtheirsolution,showingthekeyfeaturesandmaininteractionsbutalsoexplainingtheprocesstheyhavefollowedthroughouttheJam:thisalsobecomesamomentoffeedbackonthepotentialoftheServiceDesignThinkingapproachasalearningmethod.
Figure2.Quickprototyping
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4.3DesignWorkshopsDesignWorkshopsdifferfromJamsinrespecttothreefactors:
• theyaremainlycarriedoutinschoolswiththepresenceandparticipationofteachers• theyarecomposedofdifferentdesignsessions:2-3shortencounters• thetopicisagreeduponwiththeteachersandpresentedtothekidssomedays
beforethefirstdesignsession.
Whilejamsareusuallyofferedtoanopenaudience,workshopsareofferedtochildrenfromthesameschooloreventosingleclasses.Therefore,teachersplayacrucialroleaspartoftheteamwhopreparesanddeliverstheactivities,makingsurethatthereisintegrationbetweenthedesignsessionsandtheothercurricularactivities:
• Theypreparethegroundfordesignactivitiesthroughpreliminarygroupdiscussionsorshort
• lecturesfocusedonthetopicoftheworkshop• Theygraduallyintroduceaproject-basedapproachalsotoformprojectteamsbased
onkids’• personalattitudesinadvance.• Theirpresencethroughoutthesessionsfacilitatestheworkshopprocess,increases
children’sparticipationandhelpstocreateormakemoreevidentthelinkwithpreviouscurricularactivitiesorexperiences.
Exercisesareformulatedinordertodrivechildrentoproposeworkablesolutionsaroundatopicrelatedtotheireverydaylifeorexperienceatschool:themescanbeconcrete,suchas“Redesigntheschoolcanteen”,ormoreabstractlike“Howtohelpteacherstoteachlovefornatureatschool”.Thequestionthattriggersthedesignsessionisneverseenasataskorahomeworkbutratherasaninvitationtoexplore,understand,elaborate,prototypeandpresent,thusfosteringadiversityofresponsesandmovingbeyondconventionalmentalmodels.
Inordertofacilitatethisoutcome,pupilsareengaged,notinstructed,bybeingprovidedwithaclear,butopen,end-goaltoreachandaselectionoftools(toolkit)fromwhichtheycanchoosetheonestheywanttouse.Thetoolkitisbasedonthemostcommonandeasy-to-useServiceDesignandDesignThinkingtools:itincludesaguidetocontextualinterviews,adiary,astoryboard,someworksheetsthatguidechildrenthroughthe“fivewhys”and“whatif”tools,renderedmoreapttochildrenbyaddingplayfulcontentandbymakingthesetoolspartofagameinordertoencouragethemtoparticipate.
Theconceptof“workablesolution”requireschildrentodrawontheirpersonalexperiencesandonpreviously-learnednotionsfromdifferentdisciplines.Asinthejams,theyarealsoaskedtoevaluateotherpeople’sopinionsbyinterviewingthemorcreatingalistofquestionsonthetopicstheyarelessfamiliarwith,usuallyinvolvingparentsandteachersinthisprocess.
Overall,theworkshopprocessencompassesthesamephasesofaDesignJam,allthewayfromresearchtoideationandshare-out,withtheexceptionthatactivitiesarestretchedoveralongerperiodanddividedbetweensessions:thisgivestimeforin-homeinterviewsandformoregroupdiscussionsatdifferentstagestoensurethatkidsgettoreflectupontheiractivitiesandconsolidatetheirlearnings.
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Figure3.Discussingasolution
4.4SchoolprogramsThepeculiarityofschoolprogramsisthattheyareplannedaroundanexistingdidacticprograminordertointroduceaholisticapproachtolearning:programstouchupondifferentschoolsubjectsatonceandprovideteacherswithnewtoolsandmethodstocreatea“learningbydoing”experience.Theseprogramstakeplaceatschooloveraperiodoftimeofoneorseveralmonthsandtopicandmethodologycanvaryaccordingtotheageofthestudentsandtheirbackground.
Amongotherexamples,twostandoutastheprototypesofthisformat.
• Agame-basedprogramonfoodeducation,inwhichchildrenareguidedtodiscoverthecharacteristicsofvitaminsandnutrientsinfruitsandvegetables,bytransformingtheminto“super-powers”.Accordingtothegamerules,childrenarechallengedtoeatfruitsandvegetablesregularly,bothathomeandinschool,sotoincreasethepowersoftheirfavouritesuper-heroesandgetstrongenoughtodefeatthevillains,representedbyunhealthyfood.Usinggamescreatesamomentinwhichtheconceptslearnedinclassandthroughtheactivitiesathomefuelaction,thusencouragingchildren’scollaborationandcompetition.
• A6-monthlongweeklyprogramon‘designandbasicentrepreneurship’offeredtopre-teens(10to12yo),withthegoaltohelpthemideate,produceandlaunchaproductorservice.Thedurationofthisprogramallowsteachersofdifferentdisciplinestocontributetotheprojectwithspecificlectures(e.g.basicprinciplesofeconomics)aroundwhichdesignactivitiesaredeveloped.
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InbothexamplesthecontributionoftheServiceDesignThinkingmethodliesin:
• thecreationofagameoraplot,thenarrativeofwhichenhancesthelearningexperienceandthebehaviouralchangeandthecollaborationamongchildren(storytelling)
• theactivitiesandthetoolsdesignedinordertopromoteactiveandenthusiasticparticipationandfacilitatethedevelopmentoftheirdesignskillsandstrategicthinking.
• thetranspositionofcomplexconceptsintosimplefactsthatcanbeusedtodesignorrefineideas(whichcanhelpteacherstoreplicatethesamedidacticapproachlateron).
• thedefinitionofa“userjourney”ofthelearningexperience,whichtakesalloftheactorsintoaccount.
5.ConclusionsAlthoughtheseexperiencesrepresentthefirststepstowardsamoreconsolidatedmethodology,theyalreadyshowsomeadvantagesofaproject-basedapproachtolearning.
Apartfromthenaturalenthusiasmshownbythepupilsallalongthedesignsessions-verylikelyalsocausedbythenoveltyoftheexperienceandthepossibilitytoworkwithaverycleargoalbutverylittleconstraints–otherbenefitsofthismethodologyhavebeenobserved.
Overall,theseactivitieshavefacilitatedadeepunderstandingoftopics:attheendofasessionorduringmomentsofshare-outchildrenwerecapableofrecallingwhattheyhadlearnedandwheretheinsightscamefrom,referringtofeedbackreceivedduringinterviewsortheirdirectexperienceduringthesession.Thishasoftenbeenmatchedbyhigh-qualityoutcomesthatstoodoutintermsofconceptualcomplexityandcompleteness:mock-upsandacting-outactivitiesoftenshowedacompleteunderstandingoftheentireuserexperienceandofallitsdifferentaspects.ThishasbeenthecaseevenduringDesignJam,theshortestformat,inwhichmanygroupssucceededinquicklydevelopingsolutions,mainlyaccordingtotwopatterns:bysurfacingtheentireuserjourneyandgivingahintoftheexperienceorbydeep-divingintoafewselectedaspects.
Availabilityoftimeinfluencesdepth,especiallyduringtheimmersionphase,whileitseemstobelessinfluentialonprototypesquality,probablyreflectingchildren’snaturalinclinationtowardsmanualactivities.Longerprograms,therefore,deliverbetteronbuildingaconceptualstructure.
Childrenapproachtheactivitiesindifferentways,dependingontheirattitudesandnaturalinclinations:shortformatshaveprovenlesseffectiveinallowingfacilitatorstofruitfullyexploitthisdiversityandhelpchildrentoexercisedifferentintelligences(visual,verbal,…),whilstlongerformatsallowedenoughtimetowitnessanevolutionoftheirskills.
ProvidingDesigntoolswithminimalinstructionsgraduallyshowedincreasedautonomy:thishelpedthemtoorganizetheiractivitiesbothintheexploratoryandthegenerativephases.
Thismethodologyalsoseemstoreinforcepermanenceofknowledge:afewmonthsaftertheendofthefoodeducationprogram,afollow-upwiththeschoolhasshownthatchildren’sbehaviorsand
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choiceswerestillinformedbythenotionstheyhadacquiredduringtheworkshopandthatconsumptionoffruitsandvegetableswasstillhigherthanbefore.
Fromarelationalpointofview,aproject-basedapproachimpliesalotmoreemphasisoncollaborationandempathythanatraditionallectureset-up.However,theverysameactivitiesyielddifferentoutcomeswhenembeddeddifferentformats,aschildren’sreactionstothemaredifferent.Forinstance,usingthemetaphorof‘heroes’andencouragingchildrentousetheirsuperpowersoffersanimmediatehooktogetstartedduringDesignJams,inwhichtimeisascarceresourceandimprovisationiswelcome,whilst,ifusedinlongerprograms,itpushesparticipantstocomebacktotheirindividualresourcesandactmoreindependently,notnecessarilyfacilitatingcooperation.
Ingeneral,itcanbeconcludedthatDesignJamsproveeffectiveinmakingchildrenandparentsmorefamiliarwithanewmethodologythathelpsthemtotackleunexpectedchallenges,gobeyondtheirpersonalopinionsandbiases,createsolutionscollaborativelyandpresenttheirideasinfrontofanaudience.Ontheotherhand,morecomplexformatsallowthegenerationoflong-lastingoutcomesbothforkidsandforteachersandeducators.
However,itistooearlytomeasuretheimpactofthismethodologyinthelongrun.Theexperiencesdiscussedinthispaperhavealreadyshownthepotentialofthedesignthinkingapproachinchangingthewaychildrenlearnandretainknowledge,butfurtherinvestigationisneededtoproveitsbenefits.Duringarecentworkshop,somepreliminaryworkhasbeendoneontheapplicationofthesemethodologiestotheSTEMsubjects:thesedisciplinesareaparticularlyinterestingtestinggroundastheyoffernumerouspossibilitiesforthekidstoproduceprototypesandconductexperiments.However,itwillbeessentialtocollaboratewithschoolstointegrateServiceDesignThinkingintotheirtraditionalcurricularactivities.
Thiscaneventuallyhelpkidstolearnfromtheirexperiences(learningbydoing),toexpresstheirpotentialwithoutfears,toseeeducatorsasfacilitatorsandenhancersoftheirlearningexperienceandtofinallygrowaresponsiblewayofthinkingthatcanbetterpreparethemforbeingcitizensofthisworld.
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AbouttheAuthors:
FabrizioPierandreiaddanauthorbiothatdescribesresearchinterestsandmainachievementsinamaximumof40words.
ElenaMarengoniisamemberofthePACOcommunityandaprofessionaldesignresearcherandservicedesigneratfrog,interestedindesignthinking,collaborativeandparticipatorydesignasmethodologiestogrownewskillsbothintheeducationalandbusinesscontext.
Acknowledgements:WewishtoexpressourdeepestgratitudetoallthemembersofthePACOcommunity,fortheexperiencesdescribedinthispaperwouldnothavehappenedorbeenpossiblewithouttheircontributionandcommitment.