Brookwood growing next generation of design thinkers

3/4/2020

Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Staff Report

THOMASVILLE - Design Thinking is all around us. From the cell phones we use to the chairs we sit in, every object has gone through this creative problem solving process. At Brookwood School, eighth grade students are challenged in the Design Thinking enrichment class to identify problems they see around them and to create workable solutions to those problems using the five steps of the Design Thinking process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. This is a fluid process, not a linear one. Students’ ideas are continuously challenged and revised. One of the most challenging aspects of the Design Thinking process for the eighth graders is empathy. Students are required to conduct unbiased interviews to learn from those around them before defining the actual problem they will be solving in the class.

While learning the Design Thinking process is critical, students also learn how to compose a formal email, conduct an interview, be empathetic, work collaboratively, and give a formal presentation in front of Brookwood’s Leadership Team and the remainder of the eighth grade class.

This year, our focus has been on products. Throughout this process, students have created prototypes for the following products:

The Right Light- a lightbulb fully controlled by an app

Scaley- a fishing pole with a built-in scale

LOCKi Purse- a bag with a biometric lock

My Catcher- a helpful tool for softball and baseball pitchers that will return pitches

Pet Tech- a smart dog collar with tracking capabilities

Smart Lures-a crankbait with interchangeable lips

Silibuds- a more comfortable wireless earbud

Dudes with Food- a food delivery business that utilizes bicycles to cut down on emissions

While the Design Thinking class teaches the process, students can take the skills learned in the class to creatively solve everyday problems in and out of the classroom.

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