{"id":15275,"date":"2018-11-16T17:15:36","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T22:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/?p=15275"},"modified":"2018-11-16T17:15:36","modified_gmt":"2018-11-16T22:15:36","slug":"impacting-education-with-design-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/2018\/11\/16\/impacting-education-with-design-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Impacting Education with Design Thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Impacting<\/a><\/p>\n

Lesley-Ann Noel<\/a> [PhD ’18] is determined to change the educational model in primary educational curriculum to empower students and teachers to \u201cbe curious, and to learn in a different way using design thinking.\u201d She earned her undergraduate degree in industrial design, a master\u2019s in business administration, and had a successful career as a consultant, designer, and most recently as a lecturer at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts and the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, both at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. Noel is a native of Trinidad, a mother of a fourth grader, and a Fulbright Scholar who is working towards her PhD in Design<\/a>\u2014with the intent of making a difference.<\/p>\n

Noel\u2019s research focus is design education and practice, specifically in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and how design thinking can be used to improve primary-level education by engaging various types of learners through active problem-based learning exercises. \u201cIn my research, I am trying to use design thinking as a base for a different education paradigm for the fourth grade,\u201d she states. She is substantiating her research through the lenses of critical pedagogy (CP). This teaching approach attempts to provide a platform for students or learners to question biased standards and practices and to explore options that are better suited to their personal needs and the community.<\/p>\n

For more than 20 years, Noel has been involved in design education and has questioned standards and learning objectives she feels are biased. \u201cOur elementary school system is rigid,\u201d she emphasizes. \u201cStudents immediately have to come from curiosity and exploration in preschool into this rigid system where they have to start memorizing math facts, sit, and listen to a teacher\u2014there are so many rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents immediately have to come from curiosity and exploration in preschool into this rigid system where they have to start memorizing math facts, sit, and listen to a teacher\u2014there are so many rules.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This format is teacher-focused, and Noel would like to see students have more of a voice. \u201cThese questions concern me in my thesis and my practice as an educator. To deal with that, you need to empower curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\n

This past summer, Noel\u2019s research took her back to Trinidad, where she conducted a voluntary three-week, hands-on design camp with a local school on academic watch. The school is run by the Anglican church and located in a very rural area with an economically challenged population. The design camp was free and offered during the summer holiday, however, \u201cthe principal and a few teachers shared that as long as the school gates are open, there are children there, just looking for something to do. Children want to be there, as there are not a lot of extracurricular activities for them in this community,\u201d Noel explains.<\/p>\n

While developing the camp curriculum and activities, Noel was interested in learning about student empathy and critical thinking and how the introduction of design thinking and active-based learning can empower students \u201cto identify problems in their community and in their schools using design thinking methods.\u201d She piloted some of her exercises during last summer\u2019s Design Camp<\/a>, held at the College of Design. The activities included open discussions and conversations; the opportunity for students to develop their own design projects based on interviews; the creation of a persona to try and understand target groups; journey maps, brainstorming, journaling, and feedback.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m actually describing the process and giving them the power to name the process, rather than just saying, \u2018this is how we do design.\u2019 Using design thinking in an empowering way, they [design camp students] will start with problems that may be related to themselves or how to improve their own lives. They first need to identify the problem, brainstorm the problem and develop solutions, possibly test the solutions, then collaborate and provide feedback with each other,\u201d she says. \u201cMy hope\u2014maybe a grand hope\u2014is that the children will see possibilities they hadn\u2019t seen before and filter these back into their school work and want bigger things in life. If schools start to do better, maybe it can impact national curriculum. I\u2019m hopeful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noel is back from Trinidad with completed research. \u201c[Design camp] was a great experience, and it was challenging,\u201d she admits. \u201cOperating in a small school with limited resources, I got to understand why the current education system is what it is. I still don\u2019t agree with it.\u201d She believes the conditions of class sizes of 25 to 30 students can be problematic, and adds, \u201cthis is why they [school administrators and educators] use the top-down approach.\u201d It can be difficult for an educator to manage and keep all students on the same task when there are some who learn differently or have variable skill levels and interests.<\/p>\n

With the intent of empowering students, Noel organized the classroom with groups of tables instead of front-facing rows of desks. This promoted a more interactive classroom and encouraged conversation and collaboration among the students. The research assistant working with Noel, a special education teacher in Trinidad, was wary of this set-up. \u201cFrom her perspective, the students had too much freedom and power,\u201d Noel explains. But instead, \u201cthe students were able to manage all of the space we gave them. They were able to impart the curriculum, and by the end of the third week, they wanted a day off, and they voted,\u201d she says. The students said that they wanted the freedom to paint instead of working on designing something specific. \u201cThis is the kind of empowerment that I was hoping for\u2014they were able to say, \u2018this is what we want to do,\u2019 and to then actually see an action that happened as a result of their advocacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the kind of empowerment that I was hoping for\u2014they were able to say, \u2018this is what we want to do,\u2019 and to then actually see an action that happened as a result of their advocacy.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The students were required to journal about their experience and express their feelings. At the end of each week, Noel engaged them in focus-group sessions where open dialogue and feedback were expected. Much of this will be included in her formal research in addition to observations, project outcomes, and input from administrators and educators who were involved. She looks forward to delving into all the research and feedback. \u201cThis is just a starting point, and there is a lot more work that has to be done,\u201d she acknowledges. She wants to return for further research and to seek collaborations to \u201cscale the project up\u201d and visit other schools \u201dto understand how to make this type of intervention a lot more realistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noel also found evidence of low self-confidence in students\u2019 willingness to share their ideas and provide input, as well as in their ability to draw. After three weeks, however, there was a noticeable boost. Empathy was also an area in which Noel would like to see intervention at an earlier age. In addition, she determined this was the appropriate grade level for critical thinking based on \u201cthe types of design problems they worked on and the way they did their research, and the way they broke apart problems and developed prototypes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have data for six or seven papers, but I will only write three,\u201d she says. \u201cIf I continue to work with the same school over a few years, we may be able to see what happens to their performance levels, what happens to the children as they progress in grades? We will be able to understand things better over a period of time, and future research has to be longer\u2014not just three weeks\u2014but maybe longitudinal studies, over time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\"Impacting<\/a>\n\nLesley-Ann Noel<\/a> [PhD '18] is determined to change the educational model in primary educational curriculum to empower students and teachers to \u201cbe curious, and to learn in a different way using design thinking.\u201d She earned her undergraduate degree in industrial design, a master\u2019s in business administration, and had a successful career as a consultant, designer, and most recently as a lecturer at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts and the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, both at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. Noel is a native of Trinidad, a mother of a fourth grader, and a Fulbright Scholar who is working towards her PhD in Design<\/a>\u2014with the intent of making a difference.\n\nNoel\u2019s research focus is design education and practice, specifically in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and how design thinking can be used to improve primary-level education by engaging various types of learners through active problem-based learning exercises. \u201cIn my research, I am trying to use design thinking as a base for a different education paradigm for the fourth grade,\u201d she states. She is substantiating her research through the lenses of critical pedagogy (CP). This teaching approach attempts to provide a platform for students or learners to question biased standards and practices and to explore options that are better suited to their personal needs and the community.\n\nFor more than 20 years, Noel has been involved in design education and has questioned standards and learning objectives she feels are biased. \u201cOur elementary school system is rigid,\u201d she emphasizes. \u201cStudents immediately have to come from curiosity and exploration in preschool into this rigid system where they have to start memorizing math facts, sit, and listen to a teacher\u2014there are so many rules.\u201d\n

\u201cStudents immediately have to come from curiosity and exploration in preschool into this rigid system where they have to start memorizing math facts, sit, and listen to a teacher\u2014there are so many rules.\u201d<\/blockquote>\nThis format is teacher-focused, and Noel would like to see students have more of a voice. \u201cThese questions concern me in my thesis and my practice as an educator. To deal with that, you need to empower curriculum.\u201d\n\nThis past summer, Noel\u2019s research took her back to Trinidad, where she conducted a voluntary three-week, hands-on design camp with a local school on academic watch. The school is run by the Anglican church and located in a very rural area with an economically challenged population. The design camp was free and offered during the summer holiday, however, \u201cthe principal and a few teachers shared that as long as the school gates are open, there are children there, just looking for something to do. Children want to be there, as there are not a lot of extracurricular activities for them in this community,\u201d Noel explains.\n\nWhile developing the camp curriculum and activities, Noel was interested in learning about student empathy and critical thinking and how the introduction of design thinking and active-based learning can empower students \u201cto identify problems in their community and in their schools using design thinking methods.\u201d She piloted some of her exercises during last summer\u2019s Design Camp<\/a>, held at the College of Design. The activities included open discussions and conversations; the opportunity for students to develop their own design projects based on interviews; the creation of a persona to try and understand target groups; journey maps, brainstorming, journaling, and feedback.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m actually describing the process and giving them the power to name the process, rather than just saying, \u2018this is how we do design.\u2019 Using design thinking in an empowering way, they [design camp students] will start with problems that may be related to themselves or how to improve their own lives. They first need to identify the problem, brainstorm the problem and develop solutions, possibly test the solutions, then collaborate and provide feedback with each other,\u201d she says. \u201cMy hope\u2014maybe a grand hope\u2014is that the children will see possibilities they hadn\u2019t seen before and filter these back into their school work and want bigger things in life. If schools start to do better, maybe it can impact national curriculum. I\u2019m hopeful.\u201d\n\nNoel is back from Trinidad with completed research. \u201c[Design camp] was a great experience, and it was challenging,\u201d she admits. \u201cOperating in a small school with limited resources, I got to understand why the current education system is what it is. I still don\u2019t agree with it.\u201d She believes the conditions of class sizes of 25 to 30 students can be problematic, and adds, \u201cthis is why they [school administrators and educators] use the top-down approach.\u201d It can be difficult for an educator to manage and keep all students on the same task when there are some who learn differently or have variable skill levels and interests.\n\nWith the intent of empowering students, Noel organized the classroom with groups of tables instead of front-facing rows of desks. This promoted a more interactive classroom and encouraged conversation and collaboration among the students. The research assistant working with Noel, a special education teacher in Trinidad, was wary of this set-up. \u201cFrom her perspective, the students had too much freedom and power,\u201d Noel explains. But instead, \u201cthe students were able to manage all of the space we gave them. They were able to impart the curriculum, and by the end of the third week, they wanted a day off, and they voted,\u201d she says. The students said that they wanted the freedom to paint instead of working on designing something specific. \u201cThis is the kind of empowerment that I was hoping for\u2014they were able to say, \u2018this is what we want to do,\u2019 and to then actually see an action that happened as a result of their advocacy.\u201d\n
\u201cThis is the kind of empowerment that I was hoping for\u2014they were able to say, \u2018this is what we want to do,\u2019 and to then actually see an action that happened as a result of their advocacy.\u201d<\/blockquote>\nThe students were required to journal about their experience and express their feelings. At the end of each week, Noel engaged them in focus-group sessions where open dialogue and feedback were expected. Much of this will be included in her formal research in addition to observations, project outcomes, and input from administrators and educators who were involved. She looks forward to delving into all the research and feedback. \u201cThis is just a starting point, and there is a lot more work that has to be done,\u201d she acknowledges. She wants to return for further research and to seek collaborations to \u201cscale the project up\u201d and visit other schools \u201dto understand how to make this type of intervention a lot more realistic.\u201d\n\nNoel also found evidence of low self-confidence in students\u2019 willingness to share their ideas and provide input, as well as in their ability to draw. After three weeks, however, there was a noticeable boost. Empathy was also an area in which Noel would like to see intervention at an earlier age. In addition, she determined this was the appropriate grade level for critical thinking based on \u201cthe types of design problems they worked on and the way they did their research, and the way they broke apart problems and developed prototypes.\n\n\u201cI have data for six or seven papers, but I will only write three,\u201d she says. \u201cIf I continue to work with the same school over a few years, we may be able to see what happens to their performance levels, what happens to the children as they progress in grades? We will be able to understand things better over a period of time, and future research has to be longer\u2014not just three weeks\u2014but maybe longitudinal studies, over time.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lesley Ann Noel (PhD ’18) wants to leverage her design research to transform the way elementary schools educate their students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":15277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,8],"tags":[17,14],"class_list":["post-15275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-experience","category-research-innovation","tag-design-lab-k-12","tag-phd-design"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}