Design in Education: Creating Effective Learning Experiences
The concept of design is gaining attention in the education industry. Bringing the complex idea of design into learning experiences takes courage, deep reflection, perseverance, and lots of practice. Here’s how educators can learn from designers.
In their search for innovative ways to teach future skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, self-management, and flexibility, which, according to the WEF Future Job Report, will be among the top future job skills by 2025, educational institutions and learning consultants have discovered the value of design. In fact, design skills can play a key role when it comes to shaping the future of our planet, according to a 2017 report by the British Design Council. According to this report, skills that are important to designers—visualization, imagination, creativity, analytical thinking, empathy, and complex problem-solving skills—can be directly linked to productivity and innovation. But how can we bring the complex idea of design into the mainstream of classroom teaching, online learning, and organizational training to make learners fit for the future? Here is what some experienced designers think:
“Design is a way of being,” says Satyendra Pakhalé, the renowned Amsterdam-based Indian-born designer and poet, who calls himself a cultural nomad, in his book Culture of Creation. “How we design our world depends on how we perceive it: design is a manifestation of the mindset—the world view.” When entering Pakhalé’s studio—a former fur-making factory and later woodworking shop on Borneo Island—an open space flooded with bright northern light welcomes the visitor. The calm, optimistic, and mysteriously idealistic ambiance of the place seems to remind us that every action we take has an impact on the world. We understand that “design shapes society” and that it can help communities discover how they should live in today’s world.
Invisible Glass Table by Satyendra Pakhalé
Design can create a condition for “social cohesion.” – Satyendra Pakhalé, inspired by Hannah Arendt’s thoughts on tables in The Human Condition (1958).
And that’s exactly what educators aim for with the learning environments, learning products and services they create. Recently, we have seen a vastly growing interest in the concept of design thinking. This 5-step approach is used to help learners develop empathy, come up with innovative ideas, and find better solutions. Can design thinking frameworks as currently applied be of educational value and help us raise multidisciplinary thinkers and problem solvers? Yes, they can. But educators need to be aware that the implementation of design thinking frameworks into their learning practice is not a straightforward, foolproof process, as they will have to avoid a number of potential pitfalls on their path. Design thinking is no one-stop shop where educators will find a one-size-fits-all solution for their learning challenges.
For the designer, it is therefore important that all people who are involved in the design process share their worldview, their concerns, the issues that are relevant and meaningful to them.
Vienna-based German goldsmith and jewelry designer Sabine Deller agrees: “As a designer, you pick up a lot of know-how through practice, exchange and experience. We learn by doing, through cooperation, through deep reflection and discussion. We find inspiration through traveling. Coming up with really good design takes deep reflection, perseverance, and practice. And we must not forget the joy of creating and making!”
What Educators Can Learn from Designers
In times where growing automation, climate change and a global health crisis are putting massive pressure on living standards and job security, it seems a fruitful way for the education industry to take over and implement the values of design. “I am very happy to see the concept of design getting more attention in our industry,” says Dr. David Guralnick, NYC-based CEO of Kaleidoscope Learning and founder of The Learning Ideas Conference. “I definitely see design skills as critical, and I think the more the industry can ask itself core design questions, such as “What are the learning goals?,” “Who is the audience?,” and “What types of experiences can we create?,” the better off we are. Education, after all, is about creating an experience and not just about delivering content.” Dr. Guralnick points out that while good design seems simple and intuitive to its audience, creating an effective learning experience is a multi-faceted process.
Good (Learning) Design Requires Courage
“Sensorial sophisticated design carries great social, environmental, economic and above all cultural responsibility and implies three layers: the project layer, the research layer, and the ongoing practice layer,” explains Pakhalé. He warns that “the current hype around the narrow framework of design thinking suggests that we can solve deeply rooted problems with a simplistic, quick-fix approach.”
It seems that educators need to recognize that designing effective learning experiences, just like teaching and acquiring future skills, requires the courage to ask primary questions and to critically and permanently reflect one’s educational practice. We need to understand that effective learning design, just like good design, is about bringing together diverse teams, making meaning, knowing one’s purpose, and coming up with an always-better solution.
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