Design: A Path to Agency, Design thinking: An Educational Imperative

Design(ing) and Design Thinking are valuable frameworks that should be used to drive agency: This thesis book explores what design and design thinking are, and builds a case for incorporating design into art education. Design isn’t a very mainstream subject of study in public schools. Design offers a unique body of knowledge that is highly relevant to the inner-workings of our world: knowledge imperative to teach if we want to succeed in solving wicked problems like global warming and mitigating global injustices. Studying design allows students to connect academic learning to the world outside the ivy, bridging the gap between the natural world and what is considered human intelligence, and finding self-actualization. Design thinking trains students to think critically, work together, and, most importantly, to ACT, instilling a sense of agency within. Best of all, design and design thinking lend themselves to be neatly applied through art education. Thus forms my thesis that design education is the future and should be applied to art education curricula. Going into graduate school, I intended to study teaching to become a better educator, to become a better designer, and to become a better communicator. So a large part of my thesis is focused on making sense of what my approach design is and how to communicate that. Building on my various experiences learning about design, I can comment as to what works well and what doesn’t. This will form the teaching basis of my document. The greatest effect of learning about design and how things are made is actually having a structured and methodical approach to creating things. This understanding is extremely important when forming an outlook on the world, as it changes everything entirely! Understanding where materials come from (where they end up) and the true costs of labor are imperative to being successful in the mission to reverse wicked problems like global warming and mitigating inequality. These ideas are hardly taught in school and are effectively conveyed through design education. Thus forms my thesis that design education can drive agency in students and should be applied to art education.