The creative ally that reshaped a school’s Applied Learning Programme  

When it comes to the development of 21st-century competencies in students, there’s no question in the minds of Lee Li Juan and her colleagues at Peicai Secondary School (PCSS) that design thinking is a crucial tool.

“In an increasingly fragile global economic order, it is imperative to equip every student with the temperament to find and create new value,” says Li Juan, who is the Head of the school’s Information and Communications Technology Department. She adds, “design thinking and the mindsets associated with it stand out as excellent tools to achieve these objectives.”

Li Juan first encountered design thinking during her own studies and past employment. She became familiar with its capacity to foster adaptive thinking, resilience, and a culture of ongoing innovation. At PCSS, she could clearly see how it would benefit both her students and the school at large. So, when it became apparent in 2022 that the school’s ALP was in need of an overhaul, it was design thinking to the rescue!

The ALP at PCSS had been running for at least three years with a focus on health and food science, but a staff shortage in the relevant departments and a shift in student interests had begun to impede the programme’s success. Something needed to change, and the Learning by Design programme ‘Design Thinking in Schools’ provided the answer.

The Singapore University of Technology and Design’s (SUTD’s) design centre, DesignZ, was a programme partner and had been looking for a school in which to pilot its design thinking initiative. The DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) connected the two parties and it was a perfect match.

They set out on a nine-month journey during which DesignZ upskilled the ALP teachers with dedicated training in design thinking. Together, they also co-created the new ALP curriculum using design thinking principles.

In keeping with those principles, empathy with the user group (Secondary 1 students) was crucial. So, a pivotal student-teacher dialogue was organised. This helped teachers to define the focus areas for the ALP programme in line with topics and issues that students felt strongly about. For PCSS students, caring for their school environment and community were key.

Teachers’ apprehensions about the new approach to teaching were eased by demonstrative design sprints hosted by DesignZ. “This immersive experience was invaluable,” explains Li Juan, “offering ALP teachers a tangible insight into design thinking facilitation.” Teachers were also given the autonomy to customise the teaching and learning materials for their own classes.

Design thinking has had a tangible positive impact on both the teachers and students at PCSS. Any initial apprehensions teachers may have had were soon replaced by conviction and a bias to action!

Teachers have incorporated design thinking principles and their newly acquired skills into their daily work to enhance their teaching practices and solve problems within the school environment. They have also applied design thinking to the development of a new Teaching and Learning Framework, which has since been implemented across the school.

Much to Li Juan’s delight, several teachers even took it upon themselves to conduct a design thinking workshop for students from other cluster schools. They focused on how design thinking processes can be complemented by the use of AI tools!

Meanwhile, students have demonstrated greater empathy, teamwork, problem-solving confidence, and technical skills. They have tackled real-world challenges – for instance, developing proposals to transform spaces in the school’s library. The innovative ideas they generated contributed valuable insights to the school’s actual library transformation efforts.

The potential of design thinking to make positive change at PCSS is now also extending beyond the ALP. This year, the school is collaborating with design studio Design Exchange to participate in Dsg’s Real World Co-design Platform, tackling a challenge statement sponsored by the James Dyson Foundation, Dyson’s charity.

In this programme, design thinking will be harnessed by students, parents, and teachers to redesign the school’s pond area into a sustainable, inclusive learning environment that is multisensory, interactive, and immersive. The vision is to allow students of all abilities to explore biodiversity and geographical features while promoting environmental stewardship and eco-friendly practices.

It’s a wonderful example of how creative problem-solving can be incorporated more broadly in the school’s curriculum and with wider community engagement, for meaningful change.

Educators considering the introduction of design thinking into their curricula may wish to take a leaf out of Li Juan’s book. She shares some sage words of advice:

“I suggest dreaming big but starting small. Set a clear vision of what you hope to achieve with design thinking – whether it’s fostering creativity, enhancing problem-solving skills, or preparing students for future challenges.”