What is ‘design thinking’? And why does it belong in classrooms?

This article was originally published in the Washington Post on October 8, 2019: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/08/what-is-design-thinking-why-does-it-belong-classrooms/

Fauquier High School is a large public school in Warrenton, Va. With its multiple buildings, it feels more like a college campus than a high school. The layout makes it difficult for the school community to connect. In 2017, school officials went in search of a solution that would help students and staff feel a greater sense of community.

One educator drew inspiration from an unusual place: the school’s front lobby and hallways.

George Murphy is a science educator at Fauquier and realized that while he couldn’t change the structure of the buildings, he could work with students to design a space that builds community. He noticed the bare walls along the main lobby where school faculty members and students gathered each morning and saw a blank template ripe for innovation.

Murphy’s idea: create an interdisciplinary mural.

The mural would be a living timeline to visually document the tremendous amount of knowledge acquired within the school’s walls. Murphy’s AP biology students started in the lobby by representing their learning through rich visual…