Page 230 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 230
neide, 1994) indicate that the conventional administrative - entrepreneurial
approaches and the use of business plans in fostering the development of cre-
ativity and innovation in young people, in particular primary/lower second-
ary school pupils, do not produce satisfactory results. Some authors (Martin,
2004; Meinel and Leifer, 2011; Kelley et al., 2005) have thus foregrounded the
fostering of creative problem-solving, which is a universally useful skill. How-
ever, it is simultaneously also at the core of entrepreneurial thinking and ac-
tion-taking. This applies to the school population in particular, so centre stage
in primary and secondary schools (Carroll et al., 2010) is being taken by the so-
called ‘design thinking’ (Rauth et al., 2010). ‘Design thinking’ is based on the re-
alisation that we ourselves create the world that we are surrounded by, which
is a result of our way of thinking and actions. The world we are surrounded
by consists mostly of solutions to the problems we are faced with, the socie-
ty we live in and the business world of which we are a part. The educational
system does teach us how to solve problems, however, it does so on the ba-
sis of past knowledge and past methods of solving similar problems. In view
of how fast everything around us is changing, the essence of these problems
230 is likewise changing very fast. We are faced with an increasing number of chal-
lenges which previous generations were not familiar with. Considering crea-
tivity is merely a means of solving problems, resulting in new and previously
unknown solutions within the educational system, it is necessary that peda-
gogic approaches are fostered with creativity as one of the principal topics
of the process. ‘Design thinking’ places the problem (the challenge) and the
solution-finding process, which involves creative thinking techniques, at the
core of the pedagogical process. ‘Design thinking’ methods were developed
in practice and are as such not the theory that science would hand over to be
tested in practice. Its concept is namely the exact opposite of this – starting
from practice it is then integrated at all levels where it may prove useful for
man’s development and progress.
‘Design thinking’ not only includes the principle of conventional product
design, but also, and mostly, the principles of holistic development of new
solutions as a response to unstructured and new problems we are faced with
in our personal, social and business lives. The method is used to develop prod-
ucts and services, spaces, experiences and concepts of any kind. Some of the
world’s leading universities have recognised the method as a promising one
for the development of creativity and innovation, new products and problem
solving (Brown, 2008). The essence of this type of thinking is identifying the ac-
tual problems or needs of an individual or society and a practical solution to
these problems. Pedagogical approaches in developing ‘design thinking’are in
principle distinctly experimental, i.e. students get to develop their knowledge
through concrete tasks, experiments and experiences. The methodology con-
sist of four basic steps (based on Rauth et al., 2010).
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
approaches and the use of business plans in fostering the development of cre-
ativity and innovation in young people, in particular primary/lower second-
ary school pupils, do not produce satisfactory results. Some authors (Martin,
2004; Meinel and Leifer, 2011; Kelley et al., 2005) have thus foregrounded the
fostering of creative problem-solving, which is a universally useful skill. How-
ever, it is simultaneously also at the core of entrepreneurial thinking and ac-
tion-taking. This applies to the school population in particular, so centre stage
in primary and secondary schools (Carroll et al., 2010) is being taken by the so-
called ‘design thinking’ (Rauth et al., 2010). ‘Design thinking’ is based on the re-
alisation that we ourselves create the world that we are surrounded by, which
is a result of our way of thinking and actions. The world we are surrounded
by consists mostly of solutions to the problems we are faced with, the socie-
ty we live in and the business world of which we are a part. The educational
system does teach us how to solve problems, however, it does so on the ba-
sis of past knowledge and past methods of solving similar problems. In view
of how fast everything around us is changing, the essence of these problems
230 is likewise changing very fast. We are faced with an increasing number of chal-
lenges which previous generations were not familiar with. Considering crea-
tivity is merely a means of solving problems, resulting in new and previously
unknown solutions within the educational system, it is necessary that peda-
gogic approaches are fostered with creativity as one of the principal topics
of the process. ‘Design thinking’ places the problem (the challenge) and the
solution-finding process, which involves creative thinking techniques, at the
core of the pedagogical process. ‘Design thinking’ methods were developed
in practice and are as such not the theory that science would hand over to be
tested in practice. Its concept is namely the exact opposite of this – starting
from practice it is then integrated at all levels where it may prove useful for
man’s development and progress.
‘Design thinking’ not only includes the principle of conventional product
design, but also, and mostly, the principles of holistic development of new
solutions as a response to unstructured and new problems we are faced with
in our personal, social and business lives. The method is used to develop prod-
ucts and services, spaces, experiences and concepts of any kind. Some of the
world’s leading universities have recognised the method as a promising one
for the development of creativity and innovation, new products and problem
solving (Brown, 2008). The essence of this type of thinking is identifying the ac-
tual problems or needs of an individual or society and a practical solution to
these problems. Pedagogical approaches in developing ‘design thinking’are in
principle distinctly experimental, i.e. students get to develop their knowledge
through concrete tasks, experiments and experiences. The methodology con-
sist of four basic steps (based on Rauth et al., 2010).
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
