Highlands Elementary, the newest member of St. Vrain Valley Schools, has gotten off to a strong start in its first year. Highlands Elementary’s focus around design thinking promotes a culture of wonder, creativity, and innovation in all students. The implementation of design thinking at Highlands Elementary drives academic excellence and encourages students to reach their full potential.
According to Highlands Elementary Principal, Ryan Ball, evidence of design thinking is everywhere at the school. “Students and teachers use the language and process everyday. We have succeeded in forming a common language and process. All students participate in school-wide design thinking challenges,” says Ball.
Students have incorporated design thinking into many projects this year, including designing a community park. Classes worked together with Erie Parks and Recreation and town representatives, receiving feedback on their ideas. “We began by building empathy through interviews of community members and then created user statements that spoke to as many user needs as possible,” says 4th grade teacher, Mandy Warren. “We shared prototypes in an all-school gallery where we invited community leaders in to give us feedback. The city planner was so excited about what we came up with that one of our ideas we had will be incorporated into a local park in the future!” The project has given students a voice in their community, and shown them that their work has a real-world impact.
More recently, students have been designing games for Highlands Elementary’s inaugural PTO community carnival in May. Once again, students interviewed interested community members of all ages and backgrounds to empathize with potential carnival attendees. Next, students will create user statements, brainstorm design ideas, and eventually build a couple of their designs to be featured during the carnival.
Highlands Elementary’s students have benefited greatly from the focus on design thinking. “It has given students a structure to be creative, innovative, and wonder. They are asking more questions and are able to research and find creative solutions to problems,” says Ball. Students are encouraged to work together in teams to generate creative solutions to their problems. Fifth graders often support younger grades on projects, empowering the older students and teaching them leadership skills. Students interact with their community and see the impact their work is having on the world. Most importantly, design thinking teachers students to become lifelong learners. “It’s a reminder that the learning cycle is never really finished- there are always more questions to ask, feedback to receive, and ways of thinking about the answers to the problems of the world,” says Warren.