Design Thinking Innovation Problem Solving and Discovery in Lower School

Today, more than ever at RHCD, stakeholders are engaged in creating a culture of innovation. This mindset, given the opportunity to thrive, is contagious, liberating, and enlightening. Picture any School community member, and you will see an innovator who has re-tooled, re-designed, re-learned, or unlearned. From the new PTL formats connecting our community, to the Upper School’s redesigned Seminar course prioritizing the social-emotional experiences of our students, more physical activity, DEI education, and mindfulness practice, to our expansive use of campus space, to the re-imagined Hack for Global Good virtual design sprint, to the creative methods engineered by our dedicated food service staff, the evidence of our culture of innovation is everywhere.

Natalie Joseph Third Grade Thinking Outside, Lower School

Mining these challenges for the gifts they present takes critical thinking, empathy, a collaborative mindset, comfort with ambiguity, value-spotting, and a fearless willingness to be moved in new directions, grounded in new

Originally developed to help large companies create innovative solutions, design thinking urges students to shift their mindset and reframe their thoughts to bring them closer to a solution. Following a sociogeographic study of the Northeast, Eric Wyzga’s 3rd grade students learned about the Empire State Building. To facilitate an engaging and hands-on summation, students experimented with ways to build their own “free-standing” structure, despite many not thinking they would be able to achieve such a feat. The students were challenged to reframe their mindset before being given a range of household building items (including popsicle sticks and clothespins), with instructions that the structure must be free-standing, at least 18 inches tall, and only use the materials provided.

As the 3rd grade so aptly demonstrated, design thinking neatly fits our institutional model to “Think Outside,” allowing us to form an engaging, interdisciplinary approach that reflects our unique culture at Rocky Hill Country Day School.