Design Thinking with the Deaton Darlings

The Upper School Design Thinking and Creative Technologies class is working with the Deaton Darlings kindergarten class to answer the question:

How might we redesign/rediscover the fun we had In kindergarten now that we are Upper School students?

One purpose of this activity is to encourage students to reflect on their experiences as a young student and how they felt about learning.

An important part of the design thinking process is interviewing to gather information. As a class, we had to create questions that would allow the kindergarten students to share their insights about their daily routines in kindergarten. Then, we interviewed the students, and here are some of the results:

Tell me about the different activities you complete in kindergarten:

Charlie: I like reading cartoon books, playing games with other kids, and dancing!

Asher: We read a lot of books and play on the computers.

Chandler: We learn all about the alphabet.

Madison: We have play time, listen to Mrs. Deaton, and play matching games.

Barrett: We work on the computers, play on the swings, and build with Legos.

Ethan: We study our letters, read books, and work on iPads.

What is your favorite part of kindergarten?

Tucker: Going to the library, going outside, and playing Star Wars with my friends.

Laine: Playing on the computers and iPads.

AJ: Playing games and Legos.

Henry: Building with blocks and going to stations like computers and arts and crafts.

Ward: Doing the stations and playing with Legos.

Why do you like being a Deaton Darling?

Madeline: Because I get to play with iPads and computers, there are fun places to sit, and I get to color a lot.

 

Henley: Because this class is fun, we play outside a lot, we play a lot of games, and the teachers are really nice.

Sophie: It is fun and we get to play on the swings and color.

Max: I like the teachers and playing the games.

What do you like about your classroom?

Anna: There are a lot of books and colors.

Neeley: There are building blocks and stations.

Walker: We have a smartboard and we play games on it.

Lindsay: We have a lot of toys, iPads, and computers.

The second part of this design thinking activity is for groups to design an experience that will help their user rediscover the fun of kindergarten in his or her daily life as an Upper School student. Design groups will create physical prototypes to make rediscovering the fun of kindergarten at the Upper School a reality. Stay tuned for the results!