Using Design Thinking to Help Students Become Better Writers

Overview

Over the past three years, the junior English Language curriculum of this school have been integrated with Design Thinking and Maker Education pedagogies into teaching and learning. Through experimenting with Maker Education pedagogy, the school has found effective strategies for improving writing and thinking skills, helping students to produce more authentic, creative and meaningful writing products. The school has developed the tools, resources and strategies in collaboration with the EDB NET Scheme’s SEED project entitled 'Developing Students’ Creativity, Collaboration and Problem Solving Skills through Creating the Makerspace in the Secondary English Language Classroom'. The SEED project team has steadily grown over the years, from one teacher to half a department, as the school has further discovered the benefits of Maker Education and the potential for this pedagogy in language classrooms. This project has not only shown positive outcomes in the classroom, but also brought profound impact to our departmental planning, collaboration and the design of learning experiences.