record

Thesis Info

LABS ID
*removed* 00856
Thesis Title
Teaching and learning design thinking through a critical lens at a primary school in rural Trinidad and Tobago.
Author
Lesley-Ann Noel
2nd Author
3rd Author
Degree
PhD. Design
Year
2018/8/14
Number of Pages
156
University
North Carolina State University
Thesis Supervisor
Tsai Lu Lie
Supervisor e-mail
tliu12 AT ncsu.edu
Other Supervisor(s)
Traci Rose Rider
Language(s) of Thesis
English
Department / Discipline
Design
Copyright Ownership
Languages Familiar to Author
English, Portuguese, Spanish, French
URL where full thesis can be found
www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.20/35744
Keywords
design thinking, critical education, student empowerment, critical thinking
Abstract: 200-500 words
The last two years of primary school in Trinidad and Tobago are marked by preparation for national standardized tests. The focus on preparing for these tests impacts teaching and learning strategies, as there is a shift to teacher centered classrooms and teaching strategies that depend on rote learning and memorization. This study explored how design thinking, a process for creative problem solving which uses empathy and iteration to solve problems creatively (IDEOU n.d), could be used as an alternative style of teaching and learning at primary level in Trinidad and Tobago to enhance critical awareness of students, and their empathy and critical thinking skills. These three abilities were found to be vital to the cognitive and social development of the children, and their long-term success. The study documented and analyzed a three-week design thinking workshop with 4th grade students at a rural primary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Qualitative data were collected via journals kept by the children and the instructors, focus group interviews, observation and the work that the children developed. The findings of the study were presented in three research articles. The aim of the first article was to demonstrate how a design curriculum could be developed with the aim of building critical awareness, promoting agency and empowerment and encouraging critical discussions among the participants. The curriculum was developed through a lens of critical pedagogy and around design thinking strategies that encouraged the children to identify and solve problems within their community. Discussions around rights, bias and change, problems and utopian ideals were used each week to lead to the development of designs. The findings demonstrated how the pedagogical features of the design class, and the content of the design challenges could be used to encourage critical awareness and support a student-centered approach to primary education that promotes critical consciousness. The second article examined how children practiced empathy during the class and in the development of the design solutions. The findings revealed that the children practiced empathy in several stages in the design process such as in defining the design problem, in doing research with target stakeholders and in developing appropriate solutions. The findings also demonstrated that the collaborative nature of the design studio and pedagogical style of the design class, where children work very closely with their colleagues also meant that children could practice empathy in group collaborations and during the critique as they listened to the presentations of their colleagues and gave feedback on the projects. In the third paper, the aim was to share with other educators how critical thinking skills could be built during the design class. The children who participated in the study used their critical thinking skills throughout the design process as they did research on their stakeholders, as they framed the design problems, as they presented and defended their designs, and as they analyzed the designs of others and provided feedback. They also demonstrated a comfort with complexity throughout the projects, preferring ill-defined design problems where they had the freedom to discuss and frame the problems, to more tightly defined problems. These results suggest that design-based education can play a role in developing critical thinking skills in an engaging way, even in an under-resourced context at elementary level. This dissertation contributes to the discussion on the aims of twenty-first century primary education by demonstrating three different ways in which design thinking at primary level can be beneficial in children’s cognitive and social development. It provides concrete examples on how empathy and critical thinking skills are built through the design activities. The three papers also provide detailed information that other educators can use to develop similar types of classes for students in similar and differing contexts.