To revolutionise teacher collaboration, Horizon Primary infused Design Thinking (DT) in the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The aim was to support teachers in their understanding of student needs better and in the process, transform teaching and learning practices so as to engage students effectively. DT is an innovation process that has been used by organisations for decades to identify and define the needs of users and then dream of new ideas and design solutions that cater to their needs. With the use of DT in PLCs, collaborative educators design solutions catering to students' ever-changing learning needs and help prepare them to become future-ready learners equipped with knowledge, skills and learning dispositions. The school provided each Professional Learning Team (PLT) an overview planning document which mapped the different Design Thinking processes (Empathise-Define-Ideate-Prototype-Test) to the 4 Critical Questions in PLC (What do we expect our students to learn?/How will we know when they have learnt?/How will we respond when they don't learn and How will we respond when they have learnt?). In addition, a Facilitator Guide with templates included, were also provided to each PLT in carrying out the PLC sessions infused with the Design Thinking process. By adopting Design Thinking in PLCs, teachers were able to: ●Focus on student data ●Ensure that student voice is heard ●Define actual student needs ●Foster creativity amongst themselves ●Create an iterative course of action ●Create new and innovative solutions With the introduction of DT as a mindset for effecting change, 97.4% of our educators felt supported in the process of implementing DT in PLC and 100% of educators felt empowered for their professional growth and development as an educator. This contributed to a culture of professional excellence in our school and helped educators understand how student outcomes could be enhanced in a systematic, timely and holistic manner. By the end of 2021, a total of 17 projects were implemented with the use of DT, enhancing the professional development of all educators and benefiting more than 500 students in our school.
To revolutionise teacher collaboration, Horizon Primary infused Design Thinking (DT) in the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The aim was to support teachers in their understanding of student needs better and in the process, transform teaching and learning practices so as to engage students effectively. DT is an innovation process that has been used by organisations for decades to identify and define the needs of users and then dream of new ideas and design solutions that cater to their needs. With the use of DT in PLCs, collaborative educators design solutions catering to students' ever-changing learning needs and help prepare them to become future-ready learners equipped with knowledge, skills and learning dispositions. The school provided each Professional Learning Team (PLT) an overview planning document which mapped the different Design Thinking processes (Empathise-Define-Ideate-Prototype-Test) to the 4 Critical Questions in PLC (What do we expect our students to learn?/How will we know when they have learnt?/How will we respond when they don't learn and How will we respond when they have learnt?). In addition, a Facilitator Guide with templates included, were also provided to each PLT in carrying out the PLC sessions infused with the Design Thinking process. By adopting Design Thinking in PLCs, teachers were able to: ●Focus on student data ●Ensure that student voice is heard ●Define actual student needs ●Foster creativity amongst themselves ●Create an iterative course of action ●Create new and innovative solutions With the introduction of DT as a mindset for effecting change, 97.4% of our educators felt supported in the process of implementing DT in PLC and 100% of educators felt empowered for their professional growth and ...
Virtual Room 5.18 Redesigning Pedagogy International Conference rpic@nie.edu.sgTechnical Issues?
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