Design Thinking Learning Tool: A Teacher’s Companion

One can say that the essence of teaching is learning. Over the years, the development of

new teaching modalities had emerged in consonance with the technological developments.

Learning is complex and evolving such that teaching modalities must be on board with what is

current to best accentuate the complexity and dynamism of learning. One way to capture learning

is through the use of the best teaching modality. One of which is DESIGN THINKING.

The development of design thinking is a response to the desire to contribute to the

modern world. Design thinking is a way of solving complex and multi-dimensional problems

through solution-based approach utilizing a smorgasbord of strategies and designs. It is both

a way of thinking and working as it results to learning by means of a repeated cycle of

operations which does not follow a specific pattern. The use of design thinking in the

classroom has become a common parlance among schools and universities. Though there are

no hard and fast rules as to which teaching-learning methodology works best, design

thinking can be a great companion to a teacher.

To a teacher, design thinking is EDIPTeR. It follows the pattern of Empathizing,

Defining, Ideating, Prototyping, Testing, and Repeating. By the process of Empathizing, one

must first develop a sense of empathy for one to gain better understanding of the needs of the

students. This is simply put as putting oneself in the shoes of the students. Once empathy is

developed, Defining steps in. It is at this point where problems coupled with the opportunities for

creating solutions are established. Ideating takes place as a brainstorming of creative ideas are

generated and visualized. As a consequence, Prototypes are then developed. To assess the

effectiveness of the solutions presented, they are then Tested. The process is then
culminated with feedbacking. A repeat may be necessary to fully consummate learning at

the prototyping phase or at the point of ideating.

Indeed, design thinking is not as complex as the Gordian knot, even newcomers can

easily grasp it through--EDIPTeR. Not even this pandemic can halt design thinking. It is

designed to adapt to the ever changing modern world. It embodies flexibility as it allows

students to fit in to new situations effectively. As a great companion of teachers, it cannot

be denied that it can greatly impact the creative confidence of students no matter what

situations they are into in the real world. It further fosters creativity and being innovative

among students. Not to mention positivity, and feeling for others as problem solvers and

productive citizens of the world. And by developing these traits in the students, they are

then ready to face the challenges ahead. Having said that, as a teacher, one can proudly say

—"That’s my student!”