Design thinking is an analytical approach that involves five stages: design, discovery, interpretation, ideation, experimentation and evolution (Smith, 2019). These phases seek to comprehend individual's needs, foster ideas, sample solutions, and lets user's experiment with them (Brown, 2009).
Literature suggests that a design-thinking approach to learning, can enhance student creativity by:
Enabling students to come up with original solutions to issues and concerns (Panke, 2019).
Encouraging pupil’s to explore ideas, prototype, embrace ambiguity and to learn from things which did not work for them (Kim & Lee, 2018; Panke, 2019).
Immersing student’s in real-world contexts which broadens their understanding outside of their own personal experiences (Panke, 2019).
SketchUp
SketchUp as an innovative technology is a 3D modelling software that has the capability to construct, modify, and constitute 3-dimensional objects (Fischer et al., 2005; Liveri, Xanthacou, & Kaila, 2012). The tool’s ability to provide pupil’s with a hands-on and interactive learning experience whereby students can create unlimited and complex models, undoubtedly nurtures student’s creativity (Fischer et al., 2005; Noss & Hoyles, 2006)
Mathematics:
The use of SketchUp as an emerging technology can be beneficial in fostering and nurturing student creativity in mathematics. According to a case study by Maharjan, Dahal and Pant (2022), SketchUp can be an effective ICT tool for visualising mathematical concepts, creating 3D models, and discovering solutions to complex mathematical problems. The majority of students in the study found maths complex and dull, partly because mathematics typically relied on rigid set of rules (Maharjan, Dahal & Pant, 2022). However, when SketchUp was implemented, students better understood theoretical problems and geometric shapes (Maharjan, Dahal & Pant, 2022). The reason for this was because they could visualise their problems and then transform them into 3D models (Maharjan, Dahal & Pant, 2022).
Link to curriculum
The Stage 4 maths syllabus requires students to identify the features of 3D and 2D dimensional shapes. To nurture and cultivate their creativity, students can use SketchUp to create, design and interpret their own 3D shapes such as cubes, prisms, and pyramids and explore how the different features affect the shape's properties.
Sketch Up: CC Zeyba Orya
Limitations
SketchUp can be a lengthy process and thus one would need to put in a lot of time and effort to master the programme before teaching it to students. Given the limited time available in lessons, this may be difficult.
References:
Brown, T. (2009). Change by design: How design thinking transforms organizations and inspires innovation. Harper Collins.
Fischer, G., Giaccardi, E., Eden, H., Sugimoto, M., & Ye, Y. (2005). Beyond “bits and atoms”: Toward a philosophy of information technology. Interactions, 12(4), 41-51.
Kim, S., & Lee, Y. (2018). Teaching design thinking for creativity in higher education: A review of literature. Creativity Research Journal, 30(4), 385-394.
Liveri, A., Xanthacou, Y., & Kaila, M. (2012). The google sketch up software as a tool to promote creativity in education in Greece. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 69, 1110-1117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.12.021
Maharjan, R., Dahal, P., & Pant, K. (2022). The effectiveness of SketchUp as an ICT tool for visualising mathematical concepts. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 25(1), 153-166.
Noss, R., & Hoyles, C. (2006). Sketching across the curriculum. Design and Technology Education: An International Journal, 11(3), 15-22.
Panke, S. (2019). Design thinking in education: Perspectives, opportunities and challenges. Open Education Studies, 1(1), 281-306.
Smith, M. A. (2019). Design thinking: An analysis of definitions, frameworks and applications. International Journal of Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurial Research, 5(1), 1-9.
Hi Zeyba,
This post was very informative and the layout made it easy to read!
I think the exploration of sketch up as a tool for teaching children mathematics was very creative and something I had never considered. Utilising the application for children to physically create and manipulate shapes they are learning about in an online forum would definitely assist in fostering creativity and enhance learning. I think by linking a mathematics lessons to an ICT programs will enhance students engagement more in turn increase learning as subjects such as mathematics, tend to be disliked by students.
As you mentioned students would need to be fully taught and equip with the knowledge and skills surrounding sketch up to complete this…
Hi Zeyba,
Your blog post about Design Thinking is engaging to read and view.
I enjoyed the use of videos but I felt that three videos wasn't necessary because a lot of ideas are repetitive from previous videos and earlier/ later information. It was good to see, in the first video how the students' would use the 5 stages/ process of design thinking. I enjoyed watching the first video. I felt that, that video alone was necessary for further information.
It was good to see literature supporting your ideas on how design thinking enhances students' creativity. Though, I would've love to see further detail on how one of the three ideas enhance students' creativity. For example, you perhaps could've focused…