Introduction​​​​

This guide for teachers explains how to supervise a design project for young children in school years 1, 2, 3; that is 6 to 8-year-old children, which we group together and name ‘Level I.’ Note that we do not use the phrase ‘design thinking’ as this level, we simply say ‘design.’ Bringing design into the curriculum in the early years of schooling opens the door to the children’s creativity and experimentation, and legitimises this vital activity in the minds of children. Young children will experience designing as a fun, creative, yet purposeful activity. In designing, they explore a world of boundless possibilities.

To teach design is to teach the process of designing. The children learn how to design by doing. At the start of a design task, the teacher will set a common Design Topic for the entire class from the range of options to be found in the Design Thinking for Schools website. Whether it is a lollipop, a cap, or a wallet, or a topic set by the teacher; having the whole class work on a common design topic is easier to manage, and it allows the young children-designers to learn from each other. Learning-by-doing and following the steps of the design process will give the children a mental model of how to design. While some children will do better than others, the goal is to raise everyone’s confidence in designing. It may indeed be possible for older Level I students, perhaps 8 year-olds, to collaborate on a project. The figure below shows the design steps for Level I children. They are: LEARN, DRAW, and MAKE.

FIGURE: The design steps, Level I.

The figure below shows the teacher’s role when supervising Level I design in class. It begins with PREP, when the teacher prepares the design task; followed by the LEARN, DRAW, and MAKE design steps; and ends with the POST for the teacher to assess and mark the student design work.

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FIGURE: The teacher’s role, Level I.

​​​​​​​PREP

Plan a design task in advance. Will the children work in the classroom or at home? Should they work individually or in groups? Should the classroom desks be re-arranged for the children to work in groups? Consider too, the expected outcomes, what will the children have to show at the end of the design task? Print the Design Steps Poster (I) and display it in your class to familiarise the children with the design steps for Level I.

Stationery and materials
Ensure that the necessary stationery and materials are at hand. The exact needs vary with each design topic, but the following are the typical requirements per student:

Stationery

• Sheets of white paper, A4.
• Graphite pencil and eraser.
• Set of colour pencils or colour fibre-tip pens.
• Blunt-tip scissors.
• Adhesive stick.
• Clear adhesive tape.

Materials
The materials used will depend on the design topic. They may include the following:

• Coloured thin card, A3 or larger.
• Coloured modelling clay.
• Coloured EVA foam plastic craft material.

Schedule
Each Design Topic handout for students indicates how long it should take to complete. Design tasks for young children in Level I can take from half a day (1 session), to one full day (2 sessions), as the young children can concentrate on a topic for only so long. The figure below will help you to schedule a design task, it shows the approximate time needed for each design step for Level I.
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FIGURE: Time schedule, Level I.

Introduce the design task
If you want to do a design project in your class but are unsure how to begin, return to the checklist at this page: Teach Design in Your Class, and then choose a Design Topic for your level of student. Once you have chosen a design topic, continue here to introduce the design task to your Level I students:

Explain the design topic

• Explain the design topic* by reading from the handout.
  • Explain the words: “to design,” and “task.”
  • Explain the task: “to design a (topic*)”
  • Explain the outcomes: “At the end, you will have a…”

(* The design topic that the teacher has set for the students.)

Explain the design steps

• Show The Design Steps Poster (I).
• “To design is to make something new, just as we want it to be. We design step-by-step. The three steps are, LEARN, DRAW, and MAKE.”
  • “The first step is LEARN. We want to know more about the thing that we are designing. So, we learn about it.”
  • “The next step is DRAW. We draw it just as we want it to be. Drawing is designing.”
  • “The last step is MAKE. We make it just as we want it to be. When it is made, we can finally see it!”