Innovation, Design Thinking, STEM...S2 (Week 11a)

This week I focused on specific readings to help me with my Plan B. I finished reading several papers and online articles on design thinking/ engineering design. Here are some main ideas that I've learned: 
  1. The role of designers has shifted a lot since the 1960s. Where at one time designers were only called upon at the last stages of project development to make pretty the final products, today designers are seen as an essential part of the engineering process. "Design" is considered integral in addressing large-scale societal problems that are interdisciplinary and complex (Cassim, 2013).
  2. Engineering design problems are never simple. They are considered "wicked" or "ill-defined" problems, without clear parameters, which can have many different possible outcomes. The process of defining the problem can be confusing and frustrating when there is no known outcome. (Cassim, 2013; Mentzer, 2011)
  3. Many of the problems worth tackling in engineering are formulated from real community-based needs within society. Today, defining problems that are meaningful to communities is at the heart of innovative design and engineering as a whole (citation?).
  4. There is a misunderstanding in schools that hands-on equals STEM, or design is merely the process of building things. This is just not true. But, there is a growing movement to merge "design thinking" and "STEM" into school curricula. Research shows that innovative design thinking (also referred to as design STEM, design engineering) is an efficient way to develop higher-order critical thinking skills in learners, particularly in high school students. The process of leading students through the iterative process of defining, analyzing, and improving solutions to solve real-world problems is rooted in a genuine empathy and concern for those communities that would benefit the most (citation?). 
  5. Traditional technology education modules generally include lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on activities during instruction that is not necessarily student-focused or problem-driven. This is different than "integrated STEM engineering design modules" that encourage applying science and math knowledge to predict, analyze, and solve problems/engineering challenges. Students that engage in STEM, in general, are shown to have a greater understanding of conceptual knowledge and a higher ability to predict problems and use analytical skills (Fan & Yu, 2007).
  6. The process of thinking before acting is "critical if designing is to be a well-planned and predictive process, rather than a trial-and-error process" (Fan & Yu, 2007, referenced Hayes, 1989).
  7. "In design activities typical of existing high school technology education, teachers allocate a lot of time and effort explaining basic knowledge and skills and providing numerous demonstrations for students. However, without a specific connection presented between the problem context and STEM knowledge, students often lose interest in learning basic conceptual knowledge. As a result, they rarely develop a feasible solution during their design project process due to the lack of appropriate conceptual knowledge and skills. Additionally, when their solution fails, students may have difficulties determining the problem with their design, because they do not know how to develop a scientific and mathematical analysis. Simply stated, they do not know “why.”" (Fan & Yu, 2007, p. 125)
  8. Innovative STEM design can be a social process. Depending on the design model being applied the first step typically is to gather information and define the problem. Communities are packed with needs that impact the quality of life of everyday people. Some issues are big, some are small. However, the realness of "needs" can be energizing for students and fuel for classroom activities and STEMS2 learning. Empathy is a critical part of innovative STEM design (citation?).
  9. However, some innovations only become apparent after they are pointed out, known as the "hidden obvious." Ethnography is a simple and useful tool that can be applied to help uncover the roots of problems so real and sustainable solutions can be developed (Isaacs, 2013). 
  10. "Connecting STEM to design thinking may be a creative way to excite students about STEM and empower them to apply what they learn to solve problems and take on new challenges." Problem Finding can replace Empathize as the first phase in the Design Think process as an "intro" for content teachers,  as is being done in STEM classes in the California Vista Unified School District. "Teachers ask students to solve problems in content areas while acquainting them with the design thinking approach" (Collian, 2014). 
  11. Combining design thinking and STEMS2 seems to be the ultimate expression of student development and engagement in today's unpredictable and complex society. 
  12. Two of the most critical elements of the design STEM process (engineering design) is 1) the way in which students understand and define the problem and 2) how they gather information. If students fail to fully understand what they were asked to do (the problem), they may drift aimlessly through relevant information without knowing how to use it efficiently. More specifically, the internet serves as a source of endless information which can become frustrating to navigate for a student who does not understand what they are searching for (Mentzer, 2011). As I reflect on this finding, I think about times in my teaching where students have wasted so much time browsing the internet with little to show for it. In many cases, it was more efficient for me to provide them with the information necessary for our activity. 

:)


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