1st Schoolwide Design Day!
The Campbell School of Innovation held its inaugural Schoolwide Design Day, where all TK - 8 students designed paper gifts to bring a partner joy.
On May 28, 2024, the Campbell School of Innovation held its inaugural “Schoolwide Design Day”, where students in grades TK - 8 were tasked with getting to know, and rapidly designing a gift for an assigned partner from another grade level. The theme for this first day of design was “Design to Bring your Partner Joy”. In preparation for the big day, teachers also engaged in the same partner design sprint earlier this month.
The event emphasized creativity, empathy, community-building, and collaboration through CSI’s design thinking process: Seek, Learn, Lead. Students started by interviewing their partners (Seek). Some of the questions they asked were, “What do you like to do at CSI? What do you like to do at home? What brings you joy? Tell me more.”
Next, students brainstormed, or ideated, at least two design ideas based on what they learned in the interviews (Learn). They brought these ideas to life using a single piece of paper, and in some classes, markers or a few small materials. After creating their gifts, students presented their designs to their partners (Lead), providing feedback on what they liked about the gifts that they received, and what could possibly be improved.
A reflection session allowed students time to discuss their experiences and lessons learned. Second grader Paisley shared, "It felt nice to have a seventh grader design a game spinner of my favorite activities. She really listened to me."
Teachers were impressed by the students' enthusiasm and school-wide community building. "It was heartwarming to see the effort and care the students put into their designs," commented Ms. Woll, an eighth-grade teacher.
CSI plans to schedule additional School-wide Design Days next year, continuing to inspire young minds through the principles of design thinking. Families can also repeat this same Design Sprint at home to create additional moments of joy!
