My engineering classes have been working on helping to design the new playground at Advanced Learning Academy. On Thursday, the architect, landscape architect, and district Director of Constructor visited the students to explain the process and answer questions. I wanted to make sure there were some high level questions in there, so I decided to … Read more
Thomas Heatherwick demonstrates amazing feats of design, architecture, and engineering in this TED video that I showed my 2nd graders (studying structures) this week. After the revelation I had a few weeks ago that my students aren’t entirely sure of the importance of creativity, I wanted to be certain that they saw these examples of … Read more
Since my 2nd graders are studying structures right now, it seems only right that they should design one of their own. With Mother’s Day coming up, I thought I could make their designs seem more relevant if they had a “client” in mind. I keep talking about the importance of empathy in Design Thinking, and … Read more
Disruptus is one of my new favorite games. It’s great for Brain Breaks and to jump start brainstorming sessions. I’ve used it with my younger and older students, and it has been a hit with all of them so far. Like Anaxi, which I reviewed here, it is produced by Funnybone Toys. You can find … Read more
Sometimes random themes show up in the various social networks that I follow. Today, I came across two completely different posts that appealed to my appreciation for creative ways for students to show their learning. First, I saw this tweet: .@NCTE: Inspired by this month’s Council Chronicle, a Tower and Wall series of poems and … Read more
Update 7/30/2021: Unfortunately, Mockups does not seem to be available for purchase any longer. For a similar game that is great to use for Design Thinking, I recommend Disruptus. Also, here is a list of books, including picture books, to use with Design Thinking. And don’t forget that I provide professional development on Design Thinking … Read more