1. WhatisDesign?
TeacherResourcePacket
TargetDesignK-12

2. DearEducator,
ThankyouforregisteringforprogramTargetDesignK-12:DesignintheClassroom.This
excitingprogrambringsSmithsonianCooper-Hewitt,NationalDesignMuseum’scompelling
impactsofdesignondailylifetoyourclassroom!ThisTeacherResourcePacketisabout
WhatisDesign?,an introductoryworkshopintendedforallaudiences,includingthosewho
arenewtodesignthinking.
What is Design?,a45-minuteworkshop,is facilitatedby a DesignEducator inyour
classroom.Uponcompletion oftheworkshop,studentswillhaveabasicunderstandingof
designandwillhavesolvedachallengethroughprototyping.Tohelpyouandthestudents
preparefortheworkshop,pleasereadpageonecarefully.
Thispacketalsoprovidesseveralresourcesonhowtocontinueintegratingdesignthinking
connectionsintoyourclassroomcurriculumaftertheworkshop, includingrecommended
activitiesandselectedkeylessonplansfromCooper-Hewitt’sEducator ResourceCenter (ERC).
ERC hasover400freestandards-basedK-12design-focusedlessonplanswritten
primarilybyclassroomteachersfromaroundthecountry.
Weenjoyreceivingfeedback fromteachersabouttheirexperiencewiththeworkshop.Within amonth
ofyourworkshopyouwillbeemailedabriefsurvey.Thankyouinadvancefor
takingtimetoprovideyourfeedbacksothatwecancontinuetoofferahighqualityprogram
forNewYorkCity’sK-12schools.
Sincerely,
KimberlyCisneros JessicaNuñez
School&ToursManager EducationAssistant

3. TableofContents
PreparingfortheWorkshop………………………………………………………………..1
DesignThinkingConnections………………………………………………………………2
AftertheWorkshop…………………………………………………………………………..4
AppendixA:OXOpeelerbackground.………………………………………….8
AppendixB:Ready,Set,Design!.……………………………………………….11
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………16

4. PreparingfortheWorkshop
Wearelookingforwardtocomingtoyourclassroomtointroducetheworkshopandengage
yourstudents.Thereareafewthingswerecommendthatyoudopriortoourarrival.
Takeanactiverole
TheDesignEducatorwillsendaconfirmation/introductionemailpriortotheprogram.Please
respondandprovideanyadditionalinformationaboutyourstudents(e.g.learningneedsand
modifications)sowecanensureasuccessfulexperienceforallparticipants. Theprogramis forty-
fiveminutesandtheDesignEducatorwillneedyoursupporthelpingstudentsstay on
task.YoumustremainintheclassroomatalltimeswiththeDesignEducator.
Preparetheclassroom
PleasehavethecomputerandprojectorreadyfortheDesignEducatortoshowhis/her
PowerPointpresentationonaUSBdrive.Beforetheprogrambegins,putyourstudentsin
groupsandadjusttheclassroomsotheyareseatedtoimmediately begingroupwork.
Kindergartenandfirstgradestudentswillworkinpairs.Allotherstudentswillworkingroups of
threeor four.
Prepareyourstudents
TellthestudentsthataDesignEducatoriscomingfromSmithsonianCooper-Hewitt,National
DesignMuseumtodoahands-onprogramaboutdesign.Studentswillbeencouragedto
sharetheirideas,althoughduetotimelimitationsitisnotalwayspossible. Ifthisisthecase,
pleaseassurestudentsthattheycansharewithyouafterthevisit.
WatchaVideo
Throughoutthispacket therearerecommendedvideos.AllvideosarepartoftheWhatis
Design?VideoPlaylistfoundathttp://www.cooperhewitt.org/learning/designk12/videos.
RecommendedVideo:IntroductiontoProgram
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5. DesignThinkingConnections
Designthinkingcansupportwhatyouarealreadydoingintheclassroom.InadditiontoERC
lessonmodelsofK-12cross-curricularconnectionstodesignacrossgradelevels,design
thinkingcanbefoundinthenation’scurrentintegrationof CommonCoreStandardsand
emphasisonS.T.E.A.M.subjects.
CommonCoreStandardsfocusonthe21stcenturyskillsthatallowstudentstobe
successfulinschoolandcareerreadiness.Thesecanbefoundbyvisiting
http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards.Ourprogramincludesmanyof the
samehighorderskills:
Usingpersonalexperienceandknowledgetobeginunderstandingthepurposeand
functionofdesignedsolutionstoeverydaychallenges
Collaborativeproblemsolvingwithteamstothinkcriticallyaboutsolutions
Visualizingsolutionsthroughprototyping
S.T.E.A.M(Science,Technology,Engineering,Art,Mathematics)arekeysubjectsselected
tohelpstudentspreparedforfuturecareers.Hereareexamplesofhowdesignersinvarious
disciplinesmightusetheS.T.E.A.M.subjects:
ProductDesignersusetheirunderstandingofengineeringandmathematicstomake
themillionsofobjectsweuseeveryday,fromyourtoothbrushtoyourclassroom
furniture.
LandscapeArchitectsincorporatetheirunderstandingofscienceandarttocreate
beautifulandengagingenvironmentsinwhichpeoplelive,work,andplay.
GraphicDesignerscombinetechnologyandarttocommunicateideasthrough
imagesandtext.
Recommendedvideos:
WhatisDesign? HowandWhyThingsWork LearningbyDesign
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6. WhatisDesign?WorkshopVocabulary
DesignChallenge Adifficulty orchallengethatcanbesolvedthroughdesign.
Tomakesomethingforsomeonewhoneedstosolvea
Design
problem.
Apersonwhodesigns;onewhocreatesanewobject,idea,or plan.
Designer
DesignProcess Thestepsyoutaketosolveyourchallenge.
DesignSolution Theway,idea,oranswertoadesignchallenge/problem.
Form Theshapeandstructure ofanobject.
Thewaysomethingworks.
Function e.g.,thefunctionofapaperclipistofastenthingstogether.
Theitemsyouareusingtorepresentyourideas.
Materials
e.g.,foilpaperrepresentsmetal
Whattheusermusthaveinordertousethedesign
Needs
successfully.
Prototype Anoriginalmodelonwhichsomethingispatterned.
Team Agroupworkingtogetheronacommongoaloractivity.
Theway,idea,oranswertoaproblem.Therecanbemore
Solution
thanonesolution.
User Apersonwhooperatesorexperiencesthedesign.
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7. AftertheWorkshop
Nowthatyouhaveexperiencedtheworkshopwithyourstudents,werecommend you
continuetoexploredesignthinkingintheclassroom.Hereareafewrecommendationsto
helpgetyoustarted:
Recommendation1:Designanotherprototypeusingthesamechallenge
Nowthatyou’veexperiencedtheworkshop andhavehadaneducatormodelhowtofacilitate
thedesignprocess,youcandoitagain.TheDesignEducatorwilllikelyhavetwotothree
teamssharetheirprototypesduringtheworkshop.Haveeachteamkeeptheirprototypeand
writedowntheirchallenge. SeeAppendix Atoreviewworkshopmaterialsandchallenge
questions.Atalatertime,giveeachgroupanopportunitytosharetheirprototypeswiththe
classtoaskfollow-upquestionsandprovidefeedback.
TeacherPrompt:
Whatwasyourchallenge?
Whoisyouruserandhowdoesyourprototypework?
Whatdoyourmaterialsrepresent(e.g.,doesfoil=metalorwater)?
Eachteamwilltakethefeedbackanddesignasecondprototypetoimprovetheirdesign
solution.Providean opportunityfortheteamstoshareagain.
Follow-upprompts:
Whatfeedbackdidyouincorporateintoyournewdesign?
Howwasdoingasecondprototypedifferent?
Howdothetwocompare?
Recommended Video:Cooper-HewittVisitsSmartDesign
SeeAppendixA:OXOpeelerbackground
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8. Recommendation2:Exploringdesign-basedlessons
Lookingtoextenddesignlearninginyourclass?ExploreourfreeERC.Onpagesfourand
fiveyouwillfindrecommendedlessonplansfromtheERCwebsite
http://dx.cooperhewitt.org/resources/.Theseinterdisciplinary,design-focusedlessonplans
focusedonproject-basedlearning,criticalthinkingskills,andproblemsolving.Youcan
searchforlessonplansbysubjectarea,gradelevel,or category.
Tocreateanaccount,gotohttp://dx.cooperhewitt.org/resources/.Click“Registerhere”in
thetoprightcorner.Enteryourinformationand thenclick“Save.”Onceregistered,you’ll find:
Videosoftalksandworkshopsfromtopdesignthinkers
Onlinediscussionboardwithfelloweducators
Design-focusedactivities,printouts,appsvideos,books,andarticles
Recommendation3:DesignaPrototypeusingyourCurriculum
Thistimeyoucandesignachallengequestionsbasedonyourcurriculumwhichwillgive
studentsanopportunitytocontinuetobuildontheirunderstandingofthedesignprocess.
Youmayprovidethechallengeoraskthestudentstocomeupwiththeirown.Keepinmind
thattheyarethinkingofproblemsthathave designsolutions.
Tipsonposingachallenge:
Itisimportantthatthechallengeisopen-endedtoencouragedifferentinterpretationsand creative
thinking.Apoorly-wordedchallengemightreadsomethinglike,“Designawater
bottle.”Effectivewordingwouldbe,“Designawaytotransportwateronthego.”
Weencourage youtoshareyourlessonplanontheERCwebsite. Logonandthengoto
“createalessonplan.”
RecommendedVideo:Ready,Set,Design!
SeeAppendixB:Ready,Set,Design!
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9. Theselessonplanswereselectedasexamplesofhowyoucanmake cross-
curricularconnectionstodesignacrossgradelevels.
Kindergarten&Grade1 2–5
LeSchoolSac
Help!Help!ICan’tGetDown! Studentswilllookathowtheirbagsaredesignedto
Studentswillengageinactiveproblemsolvingas assesshowtoimprovethemtobetterfittheiruseand
theycreateawaytotransportastuffedanimal
needs.
fromahighplacetoalowplaceusingonly
materialsprovidedorfoundwithintheir classroom.
OnTheGo!ForcesandMotion
WhatShouldaPlaygroundLookLike? Throughtheprocessof designingacarthattravelsthe
fastestandthefarthest,studentswillinvestigatetypes of
Studentswilleachdesignaplaygroundthatwill motion,forces,gravity,friction,andincline.
reflecttheirinterestsandallowforopportunities
toshare,taketurns,listen,andtalk. SummerVeggiesAllYear
Studentswill designgrowingsystemstoprovide
MyOwlBabiesMissMomma warmthandnutrientstosummervegetablesinorder
Thislessonwillengagestudentsinthestepsof forthemtogrowyearround.
thedesignprocessastheybuildhomesforowl
babies. CreateAWordBank
Thislessonchallengesstudentstodesignauseful
MeasuringRainfall wordbank.
Studentswilldesignanobjecttomeasurerainfall.
JudgingABookByItsCover
Usingapieceofcreativewritingasinspiration,
studentswilldesignandproduceabookthatreflects
oneofthepiece’sthemes.
DetractingDistraction
Studentswillidentifyaclassroomproblemandfigure
outfeasiblesolutions.
TotallyCoolToys
Studentswillimaginetheyhave beenhiredasa
designeratthe“TotallyCoolToyCompany”andwill
designatoyusingavarietyofmaterials.
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10. 6–8 9–12
RedesignMyStreet ViewingDevice:NewPerspective
Studentswillexploretheproblemsofpedestrian Thelessonconsistsofadesignchallengetocreatea
safetyandredesignastreetand/orintersection. simpledevicethatwillallowtheusertoseeadifferent
perspectiveofthespacearoundthemwithoutmoving.
TheEnergyEfficientChemicalHouse
Studentswillbechallengedtodesignahouse MicrobiologyDesignChallenge
thatcaneffectivelyheatandcoolitselfusingonly Studentswillbeaskedtodesignasolutionforobtaining
oneheatingsourceandonecoolingsource. cleandrinkingwaterinundevelopedcountries.
DesigningAMythicalCreature FlyFlyAway
Studentswillbrainstormalistofnaturalphenomenon Studentswilluseeverydaymaterialstocarefullydesign
andwilldesignamythicalcreaturetoexplainoneofth akite.Intheprocessofdesigningtheirkites,students
ephenomenon. willdiscoverhowtheirenvironmentandtheirsupplies will
impacttheirdesign.
Creating/ImprovingTheInternationalSpace
Station T-ShirtDesignForReal
Throughresearch,studentswillidentify Studentswilllearnthebasicelementsandprocedures
challengesthatastronautsexperiencewhile living ofdesignastheyengageintheirproductionofT-shirts.
inspaceandwilldevelopinnovativesolutionsfor
thesedifficulties. ATallShipandaStartoSteerHerBy
Thisunitisanintroductiontotransportationsystemsthatwill
60-30-10 culminatewiththestudentsdesigningawind-
Studentsinvestigatetheconceptofhow poweredwatertransportationdevice.
percentagesareusedbydesigners.Studentswill
decoratethesameroomusingthreedifferent
percentagesof colors.
Soil,DesigningTheSmallFarmofThe
Future
Studentswillusedesignthinkingtoevaluate
currentchallengesandtodevelopfarming
solutionsthataresustainableandmore
environmentallyfriendlythancurrentofferings.
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11. AppendixA:OXOpeelerbackground
OXO(pronounced Ox-O,noto-x-o)isdedicatedtoprovidinginnovativeconsumerproducts
thatmakeeveryday livingeasier.Thecompanyadvocatesaccessto well-designed
merchandisedforallusers,regardlessofage,economicstatus,orphysicalhealth.Sam
Farber,aretiredcookwareentrepreneur,startedOXOInternationalandproducedalineof
ergonomicallysuperiorkitchenandgardentoolsunderthebrandnameGoodGrips.
FarberwasinspiredbyhiswifeBetsy’sinabilitytocookandpreparefoodwithconventionalutensilsbe
causetheycausedarthritispain.Herealizedthatthemarketwasnotmeetingthe needsofindividuals
withdisabilitiesandthatmanypeoplewouldbenefitfromimproved
cookingutensils.WiththeintroductionofitsiconicSwivelPeeler,OXOchallenged thenotion
thatdesignandfunctionaremutuallyexclusive.OXO setanewstandardbycreating
effective,attractivetoolsthatpeopleofallagesandabilitiescoulduse.
DesignProcess
ThefollowingareobservationsthatpromptedSamFarber’sre-design:
Theoriginalpeelerismadeofmetalandpainfultouse.
Thehandleisuncomfortabletogrip.
Itdoesnotprovideasafegripwhilewet.
Thepeelershouldappealtoabroadrangeofpeople.
Healsoconsideredthefollowingduringtheprototypingprocess:
Thepeelerisanecessityinanykitchen.
Improveuponitslimitedusabilityanditsuglymetalform.
Peelermustbesafeandcomfortabletouse.
DesignChallenge
Designapeelerwithasuitable materialforthehandlethatwouldmakeacomfortable
interfacebetweenthehandandthepeelerandwouldalsoprovidesufficientfrictionto
preventthehandlefromslippinginyourhandwhenitgetswet.
Importanceoftestingprototypewithauser
Thefinalproductwascreatedaftertestingdozensofprototypes.Severaldifferentiterations
ofthepeeler weredevelopedandtestedwiththepublic,includingchefs,cooks,general
kitchenutensilusers,NewYorkarthritisgroups,amongothers.Thetestusers’insightswere
importantassetsindesigningtheGood Grips OXOpeeler.Theresultwastheuseof
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12. Santroprene, aneoprenesyntheticelastomermaterialwithaslightsurfacefriction.The
materialissoftenoughtosqueeze,firmenoughtokeepitsoverallshape,andcapableof
beingcleanedinthedishwasher.
DesignintheClassroom
AfteracloserexaminationoftheOXOpeeler,yourstudentswillbeabletoseethe importanceof
theprototypewithinthedesignprocess.Iterationallowsthedesignertogo
beyondonesolutionandexploremanypossibilities.Studentswillonlycreateoneprototype
intheWhatisDesign?workshopandsowillneedtounderstandthatitwouldtakemany
morebeforecomingtoafinaldesign.
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13. ThefollowingphotographisincludedintheWhatisDesign?workshopandnicelyillustrates
thenumerous3Dmodelsthatwereproducedasprototypesduringthedesignprocessfor
theGoodGripsTeam.
TheCooper-HewittvisitsSmartDesignvideoincludesabriefinterviewwiththeGoodGrips
Team.Thedesignersexplainthemanymodelsandvariousdesignideasthatwererevisited
andimprovedupontoreachthefinalOXOpeeler.
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14. AppendixB
0
Smithsonian
Cooper-Hewitt,NationalDesignMuseum
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15. Ready,Set,Design isaquickgroupactivity.
Itusessimple,inexpensivematerialsandisaneffectivetoolforproblem
solving,creative thinkingandteambuilding.Ready,Set,Designisnot
justfordesignersbutcanbeusedbyanyaudienceasawaytoengagein
designthinking.
Objective
Participantsareaskedtosolveanopen-endedproblemwithtimeand
materialconstraints.Workinginsmallgroups,solutionsaredeveloped
quicklyandyieldsurprisingsolutionsthatmaynothavebeenimmediately
obvious.
noglue,tapeorscissorsareallowed.
excludingtheseitemsforcesparticipantstouse
materialsmorecreatively!
Materials
*Paperlunchbags
*challengecards(canbeaslipofpaperoranindexcard)
*Fasteneriteas{forexa.ple,pipecleaners,rubberbands,paperclips,string)
*Surfaceitees(torexa.ple,coffeefilters,carboardsquares,balloons,paper)
*Structureiteas(forexaaple,straws,tonguedepressors,woodskewers,tinfoill
0
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16. Prep
1Stuffonelunchbagforeachteam.(You'lldivideyourgroupintoteams
of2-4).Eachbagshouldcontaintwoorthreefasteneritems,twoorthree
surfaceitems,andtwoorthreestructureitems.
Here'sasamplebagwith3rubberbands,2coffeefiltersand2straws:
/-------
youcangiveeveryteamthesamesetofmaterials,
oryoucangiveevery teamdifferentmaterials.
bothwillyieldinterestingresults!
2Writeachallengeoneachcard.Everyteamintheroomcangetthesame
challenge,oreveryteamcangetadifferentchallenge--it'supto you.
Thechallengewilldriveeachteam'sconversation.It'simportantthatthe
challengeisopen-endedtoencouragedifferentinterpretationsandcreative
thinking.
Apoorlywordedchallengemightreadsomethinglike,"Designawaterbottle."
Effectivewordingwouldbe,"Designawaytotransportwateronthego."
Youcancreateyourownchallengestate.entsbasedonappropriate
subjectsforyourgroup,oruseoneofours:
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17. 3Putonechallengecardineachbag.Don'tworryaboutmatching
materialswithchallenges--rememberthatyouwantyourteamsto
usethematerialsinsurprisingandcreativeways!
WithYourGroup
1Dividethegroupintoteamsof2,3,or4.
2 Eachteamgetsoneofthebagsthatyoupreparedearlier.
3Beforetheteamsopenthe bags,introducetheactivityandinstructions.
Here'sthe wayweliketointroduceReady,Set, DesignatCooper-Hewitt:
"Workinginsmallteams,every groupwillreceiveapaperbag.In thisbagyou
willfindeverydaymaterialsandachallengecard.Thefirstthing you'regoingto
·doisreadyour challengecard.Yourteam'sjobistofindasolutiontothat
challengeusingonlythematerialsinyourbag.You'llhave15minutestocreate
aprototype*ofyouridea."
prototypeisasmallmodelofyourfinaldesign
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18. *remindtheteamsthatthe
prototypeisn'tmeanttobe
aperfectlyrenderedmodel,
butaroughphysicalsample
thatdemonstrateshowthe
ideawillfunction *
4 Givethegroup15-20minutestoprototypeasolutionusingonlythe
materialsintheirbag.Remindtheteamsthattheycan'tdesignasolution
thatalreadyexists!
5 Whentimeisup,thegroupspresenttheirsolutionstotheotherteams.
Askarepresentativeofeachteamtoreadtheirchallengecardaloudand
articulatehowtheirsolutionaddressesthatchallenge .
Wanttodiveintothedesignprocessabitfurther?
Tryintroducingabrainstormingsessionforabout5-10 in.Thiscangive
thegroupmoretimetothinkcreativelybeforetheystartconstructingtheir
prototype.
Brainstormingguidelinestosharewiththegroup:
*Encouragewildideaswithinthegroup.Thesky'sthelimit!
Sometimesit'sthewild ideathathelpsformthefinalconcept.
*Goforquantity.Themoreideasthe better.
*Writedownordraweveryideathegrouphas.
*Onepersonspeaksatatime.
*Oeferjudgment,Inadditiontoneverstrikingdownan idea,Ifthe
groupoverlypraisesonememberfortheiridea,itmightlimitthe
possibilityofmoreideasbeingexpressed.
ThisactivityisbasedonInnaAlesina's"InventomaniaChallenge.·
InnateachesdesignatMarylandInstituteCollegeofArt.
Formoreactivitiesandideasindesignthinking,visitcooperhewitt.org/education 0
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19. Bibliography
Jeavans,Christine."Adesignfor(long)life."BBC,January14,2005.AccessedJune5,
2012.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4079345.stm
OXO.“WhatisSantoprene?”(n.d)AccessedJune5,2012.http://www.oxo.com/faq.aspx
Raven,SusanRichelle.“GuidelinesforDesigningKitchenAppliancesfortheElderly.”Master’s
Thesis,AuburnUniversity,2006.AccessedJune5,2012.
http://etd.auburn.edu/etd/bitstream/handle/10415/265/RAVEN_SUSAN_15.pdf
Şen,Alper.“ApplicationofGroundedTheoryforConceptAnalysisinNewProduct
DevelopmentProcess.”Master’sThesis,İzmirInstituteofTechnology,2006:38-70.
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20. Foradditionalinformationpleasevisitourwebsite
http://www.cooperhewitt.org/education/designk12
Orcontactusatchtours2@si.edu