Thinking out loud?

January 17, 2023

https://www.independentschoolsmagazine.co.uk/issues/2023-january/index.html

P7 ‘Thinking out Loud article’ published on teaching Design Thinking in Schools.

Thinking out Loud

As a designer and teacher of design, should we be placing a greater emphasis on explaining the importance of learning about the design process and the impact that design thinking has on the world around us? Should we be making it more explicit how these design tools can help pupils to navigate an uncertain future?

The design process and design thinking tools are not only used by designers but also entrepreneurs, innovative engineers (Dyson for example who was design trained at the Royal College of Art) Architects, but also academics and innovators in other disciplines.

It seems to be even more relevant now that Design Thinking is taught as a toolkit for pupils to learn to help prepare them for a future when AI is able to create and program itself. Where information is abundant and faster and robots are used across all areas of life, replacing skilled based jobs. The ability to research selectively, think creativity, respond proactively and flexibly, to be able to problem solve (potentially innovate) and communicate ideas clearly, are and will be increasingly valuable skills that pupils will require in their future lives.

I am currently teaching yr3-yr8 pupils at Orwell Park school in Suffolk. Along with designing products, lighting, jewellery, architecture and engineering projects. It’s been important to focus on teaching my classes design thinking. I have chosen to do this mostly via a vehicle of furniture. As furniture design is part of where my main interests and expertise lie and it was the focus of my MA. Furniture is also on a scale that is achievable in a reasonable timescale and can have visual impact. It is useful for learning about structure, the capabilities of materials, the balance of aesthetics, proportion and also directly designing with humans in mind. It is easy to test it, evaluate structure, form, function, proportion and adjust. It also allows pupils to think about the context of how their design can fit into the world. This exact same design process could then be applied to designing a building, a bridge, a product, an app, a user experience, a system etc. but the practical element is so important with younger pupils. The practical element acts as the hook of excitement and risk taking that draws the pupils in and enables them to develop higher order thinking skills and learn more about the design process. The creative idea generation allows them to think on a very intrinsic level, engaging in a personal experimental journey of decision making.

The design consultancy IDEO, who are regarded as highly innovative, have spent years researching design thinking and work with all sorts of companies implementing how the design process impacts on society and can be used as a tool not just by designers but many disciplines.

‘At IDEO, we are a community of designers who naturally share a mindset due to our profession. Our teams include people who've trained in applied fields such as industrial design, environmental architecture, graphic design, and engineering; as well as people from law, psychology, anthropology, and many other areas. Together, we have rallied around design thinking as a way of explaining design's applications and utility so that others can practice it, too. Design thinking uses creative activities to foster collaboration and solve problems in human-centered ways. We adopt a “beginner’s mind,” with the intent to remain open and curious, to assume nothing, and to see ambiguity as an opportunity.’

In 2002 I met Richard Parker, an industrial designer, on our teacher training course at Homerton College. One of his most well known designs is the slim London Underground ticket gates that are still in operation today, millions of people go through those gates every day in London. They are a far better design than their boxy predecessors and half the thickness, which allowed a lot more gates to be put into the same space, increasing the flow of people and allowing them to get home to their families faster.

I had lots of conversations with Richard that year. The one that stuck with me was him saying great industrial design is silent.

He explained that if you design something like a ticket gate well, no one will notice it. However if you design it badly everyone will notice, as it starts to effect their lives in a negative way.

Recently I have been thinking, have too many of us design teachers been working with great industry but also like a great industrial design, been silent? As a subject are we losing sight of the full potential of what we are teaching?

Maybe (even though it may go against the nature of most design teachers) we need to start to be less like a piece of industrial design and be more like a piece of Ettore Sottsass furniture. Have a louder voice and be more explicit about the value of Design. Highlighting how useful design thinking is for pupils. Explain how this relates to industry, by using examples of companies like IDEO, who are teaching other industries how to use the design tools they have developed, so they too can innovate, adapt and solve problems in a human centred way.

https://designthinking.ideo.com

Image of Memphis furniture by Ettore Sottsass

Orwell Bridge - photographed by Joe Earley

#STEM #STEAM #BALANCED #CURRICULUM #valuing #DesignTechnology #Creativethinking

March 13, 2021

STEM the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths or as many schools have adopted STEAM including Art as they see the wider implications and necessity to include creative thinking as part of the agenda.

Where did STEM come from and why was it created?

STEM/STEAM came from the realisation of a trend where not enough students were studying Science related courses and going into Science related careers in the U.S. The U.S. predicted this would be problematic for their future economy and ‘The STEM acronym was introduced in 2001 by scientific administrators at the U.S. National Science Foundation(NSF). The organization previously used the acronym SMET when referring to the career fields in those disciplines or a curriculum that integrated knowledge and skills from those fields.’ There were concerns about the number of students entering Science and Engineering professions as some took alternative degree options and with graduates who flocked to the higher rewards available in the financial services for their high level of mathematical skill and analysis. Also possibly the de-scaling of the manufacturing sector over the past 40 years hasn’t helped, certainly in the U.K. anyway.

An agenda to raise the importance of those subjects was set up and a marketing acronym of STEM was created (and then STEAM has followed). As the years have gone on there has been some really good work in promoting and adding to the importance of Science and Maths in schools. It’s vital to encourage students to take these pathways as we clearly need engineers, doctors, analysts, generally great minds to support society and shape the future.

Like any branding label though as you market and promote one thing you can then potentially demote another. Humanities, Languages and the Arts have all taken a hit and a decline in numbers in recent years and are valued less in some schools which is a great shame. Design and Technology has been somewhat stuck in the middle of this process and debate and has faced an identity crisis as a result of this, combined with the underfunding of schools since the financial crisis. Design and Technology has adopted Maths and Science into the new GCSEs in light of the current trend and robotics and computer based outcomes can also dip in and out of the department depending on where the IT departments can sit.

Design and Technology departments foster a great deal of varied skills in their teachers and technicians and yet are often undervalued and have to change with the tide as budgets are squeezed in schools across the country and this requires continuous re-shaping and can sometimes lose sight of what they are trying to or able to provide. Luckily, there are skills in the departments and design teachers are generally flexible people but the costs to the departments are felt heavily and the pupils suffer the consequences. Several politicians’ flippant comments made on a whim have not been helpful along with austerity carried out by this Government.

Design and Technology as a department has always offered a unique advantage in a school that it can be anything from Art to Science, embrace and connect all subjects together in the fact that we can create solutions for all areas of life but we can also raise the spirit and aspirations of people through purely aesthetic exploration. A great number of students have always found great solace in this department and have benefited greatly from a practical project based approach that provides something different from other areas of the curriculum. It allows them to explore a brief and experiment in not only 2 dimensions on the page but 3 which adds a value that you cannot put on a spreadsheet. A subject where students can invent, solve problems or explore the environment, space, scale, proportion and aesthetic qualities of an object. In a similar way to all the great inventors or creative thinkers who are mostly polymaths, gifted in and open to many areas of study as they bridge across the boundaries of subjects, making connections and generally it is nearer these boundaries where the new is found.

Design departments need to be able to say this is who we are, based on the unique talents of those in that department and be allowed to teach students how to design and make without constant questioning. There is enough time in the curriculum devoted to Science and Mathematics and although it’s always great to cross pollinate and collaborate, it should not detract from or de-value Design and making projects in whatever form, whether focused more on craft skill, aesthetic appeal, Design thinking, Engineering challenge, Graphic communication, textiles or electronic solutions. It almost doesn’t matter what area the department focuses in on as long as it is right for the pupils in front of them and there is enough diversity to allow all pupils to gain something from their experience.

Design Technology departments need to be empowered and supported by their schools to do it with passion and do it well as that will ultimately inspire the students across the whole curriculum. We need to understand what our USP is as a group of people and sell it to make sure we are valued equally to the rest of the curriculum.

Like SEN and Gifted & Talented if we create a label and then focus on one group of students, we stop focusing on another. The label is important to understand the needs of some, but we should continue to focus on all students and all of their needs. Therefore we should value all subjects, offering equal opportunities to help students to find the areas that they are inspired by. We as educationalists should help guide students towards those areas that are right for them.

As Design Technology departments we should embrace our unique sets of skills, in our individual departments, in the context of our locations and celebrate together the difference that our departments can offer in all areas of the Country. It’s important that we are careful not to try to morph ourselves into some sort of homogeneous standardised entity like the high streets have done and are now paying a heavy price. As high streets see the need to localise what they offer, to have unique shops and bespoke products to draw people to their towns. Government needs to provide the funds to Schools, so they can empower Design departments to do the same and schools’ leaders should continue to support and promote all subjects, all students and all teachers equally.

Joe Earley

Designer and Design Teacher

https://www.britannica.com/topic/STEM-education/STEM-education

#2020 #bespoke #church #furniture #design #commissions

December 31, 2020

Happy New Year to you all, hope for a better 2021

This is a reflection on our bespoke church furniture design commissions completed this year.

‘The last Supper’ a 4 piece furniture series for New Hall School.

A Lectern and Font for St Andrews Church inspired by the Architecture of their church.

#churchfurniture #bespoke #designed #handmade #solid #oak #altar #font #lectern #tabernacle #chair #processional #cross #bench #church #furniture #design #kneeler #pew #bench #pulpit

December 29, 2020

We are great believers in environmentally friendly design. We make using solid timber, mostly oak, here in the U.K. We have really enjoyed working on several bespoke commissions for church furniture over the last ten years for New Hall School and St Andrews Church. We have had creating hand made church furniture that is designed specifically for our clients. We have produced processional crosses, altars, church chairs, fonts, lecterns, tabernacles. We have recently picked up another commission where we are currently working on a church kneeler and church chair to use for weddings, which is exciting and will be a great privilege to have our work being used by several bride and grooms on their special day for many years to come.

Why isn’t play valued more in education?

February 10, 2019

Why do we value one style of learning so much more than another?

Why is play allowed in education up until the end of reception and then it is down to business. I had a conversation with my son Tom (6) and daughter Lyra (5) the other day and my daughter was talking about the role play that she was doing with her friends at school. My son said we don’t do play in class 1, we do work. I thought already the message is starting to sink in by osmosis that play is not work and therefore, not as important. I explained to my son that his sister was learning valuable lessons through play in a similar way to a baby when they have to pick everything up and put it in their mouths to establish how hard things are, or the texture of the material. I explained that when I design I play by drawing my design out several times or play around with materials to find out more about them. As a teacher of design it concerns me that this message is already sinking in at such a young age, as experimentation is a key part of innovation. You need to play like a 3 year old child in a free manor without being clouded by convention or restrictions in order to challenge how we look at the world in order to establish a new idea. So play is a key part of this, playing with an idea or new material, changing it and modifying it helps you to learn and find the best solution. These processes are important in many other subjects as well, trial and error in maths, story telling or creative writing in English, experimenting with theories or chemicals in Science. Kjed Kirk Kristiensen understands the importance of play as his families life’s worth Lego has been built on it, he says that he takes play very seriously. So why is time to play reduced out of curriculums by exam boards and seen as a less valuable style of learning than learning factual content? Both are necessary and both are valuable. But without the play element you would not find new ways to use the information you have learned. One is more measurable than the other in a standardised format and so may have been given more weight over time by exam boards. Isn’t it about time that we valued all types and styles of learning equally, structured and unstructured. Boelen, who is head of social design at Design Academy Eindhoven suggests we are in a society constantly striving for standardisation and for ticking all the boxes. ‘The quantification of society is ruining and taking away the diversity.’ Whereas The V&A’s Museum of childhood in London understand the importance of play and have plans for a major new redevelopment, ‘The more we discover how children’s brains develop and the importance of the early years, the more we must encourage the power of play. Dressing up, imagination, role-playing and making — these are the habits we need to encourage among London’s latest generation.’ At a time where too many walls are being built, shouldn’t we all be trying to remain open, value play, allow unstructured time for children and ourselves to try new things, experiment and realise how import this is in feeding our sole, freshening our thinking, solving new problems and having some fun.

written by Joe Earley

#play #examboards #design #experimentation #problemsolving #education #art #teaching #curriculum #creativity #museumofchildhood @homertoncollege @tes

@ipswichhigh

Our choices build our future

January 26, 2019

In the backdrop of the crazy world we now live with big business, tech firms, populist politics and an austerity agenda where the majority suffer the consequences of 2008 whilst few reap huge economic reward. Surely there will become a tipping point moment where people will say enough is enough and try to build a better future. In 2010 following an MA in Furniture Design Joe Earley and his wife Sarah set up a small family business with the intention of building a business that was about more than profit. The original vision came after the financial crisis and followed a trip by Joe and Sarah to research global furniture production in India, Thailand and Vietnam. They wanted to build a business with the circular economy in mind and create products that challenged the disposable and unbalanced nature of our world.

The first batch of furniture they sold was acorn tables and foot stool which was produced out in Bulgaria with a percentage of the profits given to a British charity that worked out in the region of Berkovitsa in Bulgaria helping to support an orphanage and an old people’s home. It was an experiment that had some challenges with initial production. All samples were damaged in transit and the first batch had some issues with quality. But this didn’t stop them and now all their products are designed and the majority are made by themselves in their home workshop in Colchester. Their products are made out of solid oak and finished in natural colour stains and oils. They are made with longevity in mind and use as much of the raw material as they can by designing products that help them to use up their off cuts to create new products. Their first big hit was their toast shaped breadboard which featured in Notonthehighstreet’s Christmas catalogue in 2011.

This sparked off the focus on a range of beautiful and in some cases fun personalised gifts that they have since developed.

They also produce a small unique range of furniture with symbolic meaning for example their recent edition of their golden gate coffee table which is a reminder of the importance in building bridges.

They have also recently started to create a limited edition series of artwork as a reaction to the populist political landscape of today’s world.

Earthome is a company driven by values, it cares about our future and would like to see more joined up and big picture thinking considering the environment, our resources and people equally to that of the economy. Collaborations like notonthehighstreet help to allow a platform for its partners who are small business owners like Earthome to gain greater exposure. As a collective we can all decide how to shape our future. With every purchase we make we all have the power to change the world in a small way. You just have to decide who is worth investing in.

#makeabetterworld circulareconomy #environmentaldesign #conceptualart #oakfurniture #personalisedgifts

@dwell @iconeye @cleverpodcast @designboom @designmilk @blueprint @notonthehighst @artfinder @Saatchiart

Best 5 reviews from our customers in 2018

January 2, 2019

Letter holder ***** Beautiful and unique!

Mad Hair Day ***** I love this key rack! It is fun, a bit different, well made, great quality and it's also very practical too. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who likes something a bit different.

Time capsule ***** The craftsman was willing to adjust the design to include a catch and hinges, and kept me informed on progress. The boxes are lovely - solid, oak, and well made, and exactly as I wanted them to be. They are memory boxes for grandchildren in memory of their beloved grandpa. I am delighted and thanks to the craftsman.

Small house sign ***** Fabulous quality product with an individual twist.

Time Capsule ***** We're really pleased with the quality of our keepsake box, thank you! Lovely craftsmanship.

15% off

December 14, 2018

Last chance for 2018 Xmas orders. Apply code 15PERCENT on our website to get 15% discount.

#whystudyartanddesign

November 17, 2018

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/videos/tateshots/why-study-art?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social_tate_shots&utm_content=arts_ed

Whipping up a storm

October 12, 2018

#storm #oak #wallart #sculpture #environment #climatechange #media #fakenews #populism #politics #policy #manipulation

#Experimenting with #Ebonising on #oak

September 23, 2018

Added a tea wash first, now just added wire wool, vinegar and water mixture.

Brilliant #photoshoot today by Simon Jarratt (sjfolio.com)

August 31, 2018

Thank you Simon Jarratt (sjfolio.com) for all your hard work, positivity and creative energy today. It was a brilliant photo shoot and you have made Earthome's personalised oak gifts, furniture and limited edition artwork look amazing.

#hope #lucky #tables

July 13, 2018

Luck and Hope

#exam #stress

June 17, 2018

Is there an alternative to our exam system?

https://www.ipswichhighschool.co.uk/exam-hall-future/

#fathersday #gifts

May 31, 2018

#personalised ‘To Do’ #letter #holder will make a great gift for Fathers Day on 17th June.

#classroomofthefuture

May 14, 2018

A proposal I made for the classroom of the future back in 2002 for my design degree major project. Interestingly the ideas I came up with then started the map for my teaching for the next 15 years. Although technology is catching up and I can now use Google and firefly to support these ideas, exam boards and school structures still have a way to go...