Collaborators
- University of the Arts
- 3 High Schools (String Theory Schools, SLA@Beeber, Hallahan Girl's HS )
- The Franklin Institute
- Philadelphia History Truck
- The Art Guild
Utilize design thinking principles to investigate the community view of a social question/issue ....
- What makes a community?
- What defines home?
- What makes a family?
Synthesize data and fabricate an interactive exhibit that shares that collective experience back to the community.
- Philadelphia Science Festival
- Design Philadelphia
- multiple Philadelphia Free Libraries around the city
Course Format
Semester 1 - Design Thinking
Class composed of University of the Arts graduate students in the Museum Planning & Exhibition Design program and high school students (10th - 12th) from 3 different high schools (String Theory Schools, SLA@Beeber, Hallahan Girl's High School) and community liaison (Philadelphia History Truck).
Objective- Take a central community issue/question and better understand what it means to a focus community through engagement in the form of pop-up interactives. By end of semester each group has design & community input to contribute to final exhibit.
Semester 2 - Fabrication
A few of the graduate students become the teachers and the class comes together to create one collaborative exhibit design that embodies the work of all groups.
The final exhibit is shared with the community in multiple venues.
How does this type of community engagement program supplement the high school learning experience?
Experiential Learning
Design thinking methodology is used to solve complex problems using systemic reasoning and intuition to design future states or products.
Students utilized the design-thinking & fabrication process to understand their fundamental question and then translate that into a tangible exhibition.
- Design
- Prototyping
- Iteration
- Community sampling
- Fabrication
STUDENTS INTERNALIZE DESIGN THINKING PROCESS INTO THEIR LEARNING PRACTICE.
Student Agency
Course is organized by an instructor, but the process and ultimate exhibit is 100% graduate & high school student created. They are equals in the class.
- High schoolers take lead in community engagement.
- Equal partners in defining direction and completing deliverables.
- Must articulate, discuss & defend designs
- Ownership = Invested students
OWNERSHIP = INVESTED STUDENTS
Collaboration
Working collaboratively is required in every class. Critiques are frequent, problem solving and creation/recreation constant.
we have witnessed the transition from individual to team member with ownership in every student.
Maturity
Creating a learning situation outside the traditional teacher/student relationship facilitates student empowerment & responsibility.
Graduate students provide minimal structure to provide safety,. By the second semester the creation and process were taken on evenly.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARTICULATE AND DEFEND DESIGNS.
Empathy
Students are asked to share their personal views on the central community issue/question at the very beginning of the course.
By the end of the course each student's view had widened exponential.
STUDENT'S WORLD LENS WIDENS EXPONENTIALLY.