The Design Thinking project required the girls to think in new ways and not impede their own ability to come up with ideas.KARRI NORTH PHOTOGRAPHY
Creative A Grade 11 Biology class isn’t where one would typically expect to see Stanford Design Thinking methodology at work.
But exploring new and creative ways to engage girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 is how The Bishop Strachan School (BSS) in Toronto fulfils its mission: Inspire Girls to be Fearless. Educate Girls to be Leaders.
Biology, science, art and IT teachers recently collaborated to develop a project challenging the Grade 11 students to identify and prototype a solution to help a person (a friend, family member or part of the student’s community) manage an illness or disease associated with the human digestive, circulatory or respiratory system.
While several girls easily thought of a person (referred to as a ‘user’) and a solution, they quickly discovered that following the five-step methodology – Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test – produced unexpected results. A critical part of the process requires starting with an interview to determine a user’s needs, and those needs were often different to the girls’ initial impression of the situation.
Genny Lee, the school’s head of science, cites an example where a person with diabetes who was required to regularly monitor her blood sugar levels didn’t avoid the testing because she was forgetful, but because she had a fear of needles. That discovery changed the student’s perspective and impacted the direction of the project.
“This was a big lesson. In many cases, we see someone struggling, make an assumption about their problem and jump to a conclusion. By really walking in the footsteps of their user, the girls understood that someone dealing with a disorder could be experiencing very different circumstances to someone else with the same illness. That process developed empathy, an important part of the learning,” says Heidi Miller, biology teacher.
Finding solutions required the girls to think in new ways.
By really walking in the footsteps of their user the girls understood that someone dealing with a disorder could be experiencing very different circumstances to someone else with the same illness. That process developed empathy, an important part of the learning.
— Heidi Miller, biology teacher at The Bishop Strachan School (BSS) in Toronto
“They are used to focusing on what is logical and what makes the most sense – we wanted them to think divergently and not impede their own ability to come up with ideas that may or may not work,” says Ms. Lee.
BSS student Megan Torisawa, a gifted artist, credits her skills of creativity and ingenuity for enabling her to effectively present her prototype solution and show how it could help someone dealing with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. People with WPW have an extra electrical pathway in the heart leading to a rapid heart rate, which can have dangerous consequences.
Her solution used Bluetooth technology to link an electrocardiogram monitor, worn on the inside of a bracelet or watch strap, to a hospital or doctor’s office. Leveraging her experience and skills that were developed through visual arts, digital-based media arts and design technology classes, Ms. Torisawa’s presentation was a good example of cross-curricular learning, says Ms. Miller.
“As teachers, one of the most rewarding parts of this initiative was how invested the girls were in finding solutions that would work. It wasn’t just an assignment they would be graded on. Because they really cared about their user and wanted to help in a meaningful way, they were deeply invested in finding solutions, and in many cases their relationship with the user was strengthened,” says Ms. Lee.
The Design Thinking project achieved more than creating an opportunity to earn a good grade. “It was a good illustration of the Signature of a BSS Girl: growth mindset, ethical citizenship, self-awareness, curiosity, grit, voice and leadership,” adds Ms. Lee.
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