An Evidence-Based Model to Support Teacher Design Thinking
摘要
This chapter presents an evidence-based practical model that teachers can use to understand and support their design thinking and practice. The model is derived from our in-depth investigation of early career and experienced teachers’ thinking and practice which has been conducted through teacher observations and interviews. The model has been developed for school education to support an iterative and adaptable design thinking approach, with stimulus questions that help teachers work through important factors in their contexts. To use the model, a teacher starts with a set of questions that guides them through exploring the design problem they are engaging with, so that they spend time actively generating their understanding of the needs of the learners and the outcomes they are seeking to achieve through their design. They then move through considering various contextual factors, exploring resources and shaping the design of the learning experience. How a teacher interacts with the model is flexible, allowing them to move through different parts of the design process, and revisiting and revising aspects of their developing design as needed. They can even return to their initial understanding of the design problem and modify their ideas and desired outcomes. We also discuss how the approach can be adapted for other educational settings from the early years, through to higher education and professional learning and training.