design thinking
At Raintree School, we believe that the goal of education is not to teach children to read and write - though they will undoubtedly learn those skills - but to create citizens with agency to solve the world’s problems with empathy and collaboration. One of the cornerstone processes used to achieve this goal is Design Thinking. This human-centered approach to problem solving begins with identification with empathy. Students then come together to brainstorm solutions to the problem, keeping the audience at the forefront. Many iterations of prototypes may be necessary to solve the problem, and that is what it is all about - test, retest, retool, and come to the final design.
Through implementing design thinking through project based learning, our students develop into creative human beings with agency capable of recognizing and putting their strengths to use to better the community.
The beginning of the design process is messy and uncertain. As children conduct research, they create a plan, make prototypes, and a solution slowly emerges.