It’s not uncommon when you walk the halls of Jean Augustine Secondary School to see students engaged in the design process. You will see design thinking in action in those spaces you might expect to see it, in the DesignLab, in a construction technology class, and the computer engineering lab. But it is particularly exciting when you see a grade 9 Healthy Active Living class engaging in design thinking to create innovative solutions to mental health challenges faced by their peers. Or when our grade 11 Social Innovation classes are using design thinking to find creative solutions to issues of poverty, hunger, and equity right in their own community.
We aren’t talking about the kind of work that ends up in the recycling bin at the end of the semester. It’s real, it has an impact, and the students see value in the work that they do. So, what is design thinking and why should it continue to be an integral part of what we do here at Jean Augustine Secondary School? Here are some resources to help explain it’s value.
Why Design Thinking Works – Harvard Business Review
Why Design Thinking is Relevant – IDEO
Design Thinking: A Unified Framework For Innovation – Forbes
Way back in 2010, 1500 CEOs from around the world declared that Creativity is the most crucial factor for Future Success
