MoMA has a large collection of Design objects that we use as the basis for lessons, programs and resources. Design is actually a very useful tool in that it is surrounds us in our everyday life and is easy for students to connect with. For students, exploring design objects deeply encourages them to pay close attention to the world around them. It is also a tangible way to show how society changes over time. Consider a cellphone, which has changed considerably since it was first invented. Warming your students up to the topic won't be a problem. You could start by asking your students to take out and ordinary object such as a cell phone or a pen. Have them consider what these objects would look and feel like if they were made out of a different material. How would changing the material, impact the way their object functioned? Asking these types of questions can lead to a deeper understanding of why designers shape these everyday objects in the way they do. Would you want to carry around a cell phone made of marble? Another, more in depth way to introduce the concept of design to your students is to have them create a Design Journal. Like designers do, they will use the journal to document the role of design in their life. Have your students record at least one interesting design object they encounter each day. Have them keep up the journal for at least two weeks. Encourage them to make sketches, tape or paste down supporting images, and write notes to help document the experience of using each design object. Make sure the journal is portable so they can bring it wherever they go. Alternately, you can start a digital journal using a social media app like Pinterest. Just make sure that they have personally encountered and used each object that they record. After the two weeks are up, you can reflect on their top 5 favorite design objects. What did they like about the way they looked or how they functioned? What role does each of the objects play in their life? Through this exercise you will be able to see how much design impacts their daily life. From there you can create all sorts of projects that build upon their understanding of the design process. "Design" does not only refer to things and spaces. Design and Design Thinking is about the process of planning, evaluating, and implementing a plan or a solution to a problem. Getting your students engaged in the design process is a great way to help them build design thinking skills and also to look closely at the world around them and consider and critique what they see and experience. You don't have to look any further than your classroom to find a design challenge for your students. Have your students spend some time analyzing the design of your classroom. You can even have them work in teams and assign different areas or types of space. For example, one team can look at furniture while another team could look at storage. Have each team take detailed notes and sketches of the area that they are assigned. Take all of the research and compile it, organizing it by section or location and post it on a bulletin board or if you are using a computer into a shared document. Have each student present their research and assessment of the spaces and places. Make sure to have them include comments about; How it looked, How it functioned? Whether or not the space working well for its designated task? If there was a need for improvement, what that might look like? As a group you can review all of the notes and then together make what designers call a brief or a detailed plan of the changes you would make. This brief includes words and images which can be drawings or photographs. You can even attach sample materials. Have your students "mock-up" their design in a two-dimensional drawing and a three-dimensional model. Once you finish this process, invite students, teachers or parents in for a design critique to get feedback. Once you finish that process you can take it further, beyond the classroom into the neighborhood of your school or you could even put together a plan to implement some of the proposed changes in your classroom. The first step in the design process is often to brainstorm possible solutions to a problem. You can teach about design as a noun, through physical objects and you can also explore it as a verb through the design process. In both cases, problem solving and critical thinking are key!
