Empathy and action are at the heart of Quaker education. These attributes are also central to design thinking, where students are asked to discover and understand needs, and then collaborate to meet them. They are encouraged to empathize, to interview, to dig deeper, and to ask why? or how might we?

As parents, we often look for ways to teach our children empathy. And, sometimes, we have those moments where our children surprise us and see things through a different and unexpected lens.

Westtown School teachers had this experience during a design thinking lesson led by the school’s kindergarten teachers and Westtown’s Innovation and Technology Specialist. They learned an impactful and exciting way to talk about empathy with the youngest members of our community.

Here’s more in The Gingerbread Adventure!

Now in the sixth year of offering an integrated, design thinking curriculum, Westtown intentionally models this mindset and process through engaged assignments, activities, and projects. As students participate in this curriculum, they develop creative self-assurance, embrace ambiguity, empathize, and iterate with confidence. Once students are able to empathize with a person, they can then begin to effectively brainstorm and design creative solutions to varying needs.

Using design thinking principles in the classroom develops future innovators, students who are adept at problem-solving and equipped to enter today’s world with confidence. They will move beyond “out of the box” thinking — and instead, discover there is no box.

We invite you to experience a taste of Westtown at Winter Fest on Saturday, February 8, 2020 from 9:30 — 11:30 am. Young guests are invited to try yoga and mindfulness, make their own snow(!!), run an obstacle course, design and create a natural bird feeder, and much more!

This is a great opportunity for students and families outside the Westtown community to get a taste of our campus and school. Click here for more details and to register.

Photographs courtesy of Westtown School.