At QUT’s Pedagogy Exchange on 21 July, we were given the opportunity to share our learnings on implementing the Digital Technologies Curriculum. One key step in our journey has been the decision to engage our learners with Design Thinking as a process for design, inquiry, creativity and innovation. Ewan McIntosh of NoTosh, in a blog described Design Thinking as being ‘Design FOR Thinking’.
Design thinking, as well as being a key thinking skill within this curriculum, has also provided us with a tool for strategic decision making, curriculum design and inquiry. It has assisted our community to redesign a vision for learning, it has prompted groups of teachers to find connections within curriculum and is slowly becoming part of teacher’s toolsets in supporting creativity and critical thinking.
This presentation was an attempt to share some of these things.
Additionally, I repeated key tips for the teachers attending in relation to the Digital Technologies Curriculum:
- This curriculum was written for students and is futures oriented
- See it as an opportunity for both staff and students
- Start small but do start
- Start where success is most likely
- Focus on the thinking and the processes.