Design Thinking for Educators

Location: Novi Sad, Serbia or Online
Language of instruction: English.
Course duration: 5 days in person or 7 days online
Learning time: 25 hours.

The Design Thinking for Educators course is a 5-day In-Person or 7-Day Online course for educators from all backgrounds.

Design thinking is a powerful tool that can be used by teachers and educators to solve problems and challenges, and to improve teaching and learning experiences for all students. Design thinking is a a creative, iterative problem-solving process that helps us to challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test.

This workshop will introduce the design thinking process and how they can use it to solve real-world problems in their classrooms and schools.

Through hands-on activities and group discussions, participants will gain a deep understanding of the design thinking process and how to use it to make a positive impact on their students' learning.

Design thinking can be used to:

• Address social, personal, emotional, and cultural challenges.

• Solve problems relating to behaviour, conduct, and attendance.

• Develop innovative and engaging student learning experiences.

• Bring together students, teachers, educators, parents, and the wider community to develop inspiring projects.

• Enhance STEAM education programmes, Problem-Based Learning, and competency-focused teaching.

• Support students with special educational needs including learning disabilities, autism-spectrum disorder, dyslexia, and physical disabilities.

Please note: Upon request, we can organise a tailor-made version of this or any course that we offer - this can include changes to the location, duration, or learning time, incorporating specific learning objectives, or delivering for a non-English speaking audience through interpretation. Contact us for more information.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Explain the design thinking process and its key principles.

Apply design thinking to solve real-world problems in their classrooms and schools.

Facilitate design thinking activities with their students.

Implement design thinking to create innovative teaching and learning experiences.

Day 1

Morning: Introduction to design thinking, the design thinking process, and the benefits of using design thinking in education.

Afternoon: Empathizing with users activity, such as creating user personas or conducting user interviews.

Day 2

Morning: Defining problems activity, such as using the "How Might We?" (HMW) question format to identify problems to solve.

Afternoon: Generating solutions activity, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or role-playing to come up with creative solutions to the defined problems.

Day 3

Morning: Prototyping activity, such as creating low-fidelity prototypes of the generated solutions using materials such as paper, markers, or clay.

Afternoon: Testing solutions activity, such as getting feedback on the prototypes from users or other participants.

Day 4

Morning: Iterating on solutions activity, such as using the feedback from user testing to improve the prototypes.

Afternoon: Design thinking in the classroom activity, such as discussing how to apply design thinking to solve real-world problems in the classroom.

Day 5

Morning: Case studies and examples activity, such as sharing case studies of how design thinking has been used successfully in education.

Afternoon: Workshop wrap-ups and next steps, such as discussing how participants can apply design thinking in their own classrooms and schools.

The methodology used in the Design Thinking for Teachers workshop is a combination of hands-on activities, group discussions, and case studies. The workshop is designed to be interactive and engaging, and participants will have the opportunity to experience each stage of the design thinking process firsthand.

The workshop will begin with an introduction to design thinking, the design thinking process, and the benefits of using design thinking in education. Participants will then participate in an activity to empathize with users, such as creating user personas or conducting user interviews. This will help them to better understand the needs of the people they are designing solutions for.

On the second day of the workshop, participants will define the problems they are trying to solve in a clear and concise way. They will then participate in a brainstorming activity to generate a wide range of creative solutions to those problems.

On the third day of the workshop, participants will create low-fidelity prototypes of their solutions using materials such as paper, markers, or clay. They will then test their prototypes with users to get feedback.

On the fourth day of the workshop, participants will use the feedback they received from user testing to improve their prototypes. They will also discuss how to apply design thinking to solve real-world problems in the classroom.

On the fifth and final day of the workshop, participants will learn about case studies of how design thinking has been used successfully in education. They will also have the opportunity to discuss how they can apply design thinking in their own classrooms and schools.

Throughout the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on what they are learning and to share their insights with others. This will help them to solidify their learning and to develop a deeper understanding of the design thinking process.

The overall goal of the workshop is to help teachers and educators develop the skills and knowledge they need to use design thinking to improve their classrooms and schools.

At the end of the course, each participant will receive a certificate of attendance and, if requested, a Europass Mobility Certificate. Our certificates meet Erasmus Quality Standards and include a description of the course, its learning outcomes, dates, venue, provider, and instructors.

We support participants in every step of certification and validation of learning outcomes, with a focus on European instruments and Erasmus+ requirements. We understand that schools and education organizations may require additional documentation, so we can provide that as well as photos and a video of the course.

We follow high standards of quality in line with our mission to foster excellence in education and training. We are passionate about our work and strive to offer the highest quality courses and continuous improvement.

We fully comply with the Erasmus Quality Standard and the European Quality Charter for Mobility. We believe in these principles and have been organizing and participating in international training courses and learning mobility projects for over 10 years. We know that these principles are essential for a quality experience and make a difference in terms of both personal satisfaction and systemic impact. If you are working with other course providers, we recommend checking if they know and comply with these principles.