October 11, 2010

By: Robin L. from St Petersburg, FL
Comments: 31

Posted By: Robin Little
On: 10/7/2007 10:34:55 PM

I haven't seen any postings yet regarding what others are doing for National Design Week. I checked the USA map Kim showed us, but don't see anything that has specific school events. I am interested in seeing what others are doing.

Posted By: Nancy Gerber
On: 10/8/2007 10:01:40 PM

We sponsored a Study Space Design Challenge at our elementary school. Organization is a real challenge for many of our students so we sponsored a competition for kids in 3rd throuh 6th grade to design a desk organizer for their student desk or a home study space. Many of our kids do not have a place to study at home, so they are turning cardboard boxes into personalized study carrels. One came in today with a pink feather boa on the top. They are putting pictures of things they like and adding envelopes and dividers to organize their tools. Many kids enthusiastically took the entries (design statements) home, but their is little support from weary staff members so not many actual entires have come in so far.

Posted By: Erin Jacobs
On: 10/11/2007 3:27:39 PM

As fate would have it, our school's 50th anniversary takes place during Design Week. I've been working with students grades K-6 to build a student designed and currated exhibit about the life of the school. Themes generated by the students include "How has our school changed over time, and how has it stayed the same?" (fourth grade). "How has your identity been shaped by being a student at this school?" (Sixth grade) "How does being a memeber of a community influence our understanding of place?" (second grade) Each grade is responsible for creating artwork that addresses these themes and designing an exhibit for a specified location of the school. It has brought up many issues related to audience, and challenges related to designing an experience as opposed to a physical object. All of this will culminate with a show titled "Student Reflections on Place: Our School's Past, Present and Future". We're in the home stretch and hopefully I'll have a link to pictures to share soon!

Posted By: barbara pierce
On: 10/11/2007 4:39:15 PM

Erin! Please go to https://www.cooperhewitt.org/CALENDAR/map/ and submit your school's exhibit. We would love to post it on the map. As of now, we have design events happening in all 50 states, so everyone should check it out and find events near them.

Posted By: Kelley Oxley
On: 10/27/2007 4:51:38 PM

I was looking at the Art Center Website seeing what they were doing for Design Week, and I came across a great article on design and "Skin" ((yes, I did say skin!) Check it out below: 10.12.2007 PASADENA STAR NEWS "Skin Deep" by Janette Williams PASADENA - As packaging goes, skin is a pretty efficient way of holding us all together, former Caltech President David Baltimore points out in his introduction to "In the Dermisphere," the exhibit opening today at Art Center College of Design. The innovative installation kicks off "SKIN/Art & Ideas 2007," a three-week citywide festival with daily events exploring the skin in a blend of science and the visual, performing, and literary arts. "My curatorial idea is to expand the idea of skin beyond our own species ... to the entire family of living organisms," said Stephen Nowlin, director of Art Center's Williamson Gallery, as the exhibition of shells, stuffed birds, animal pelts, photographs and artworks took shape Thursday... If you would like to read more, please check out the Pasadena Star News at www.pasadenastarnews.com

Posted By: Judith Stroman
On: 12/26/2007 10:59:45 PM

I know it is way past National Design Week but I wanted to share what I did as well. I am an art teacher who had a school-wide design contest from prek-8th. Every Wednesday the whole school comes together for all school meeting which includes activities, celebrations etc. I asked the organizers if I could have about five minutes three weeks before the official week. I had a kick off by reading "The Dot" a story about how a student made beautiful art work by merely painting a dot. After that I asked students about what they thought design was and took comments. Then I defined design in its basic sense, I brought in different types of sneakers, plain, light-up in the heals, with holes, and wheels on the bottom to show as an example. This visual example really connected with students from all ages. Then I proposed a question that I borrowed from one of the books I received from Cooper Hewitt Design class, "If we can fly to Mars why can't we...?" I filled it in first with, "create unique elevator car storage systems in DC so I could stop getting parking tickets!" Then I had other students answer the questions. I again handed a simple worksheet for teachers to handout to their students to complete for homework with the same question. I was shocked when nearly 90% of the students responded. Some teachers had students complete them in the classroom and many students did their worksheets for homework. At the next all school meeting I had some students share their ideas. Then I introduced the next phase, to choose one answer and come up with a sketch. Close to 30% of students completed this phase. This was also a homework assignment. The students who completed this assignment were able to enter the final phase which was a school wide contest, turning your idea into a model using whatever material they wanted. All projects were completed at home. I displayed all entries in the commons where we held all school meetings. At the next meeting I had students come on stage and quickly describe their creations. I was impressed with their creations. They did not create models that could be used for actual usage, they created wonderful, funky designs to their original problems. As a reward, I threw a little design party for all who created a model and I have a whole school now introduced to the concept of design, even prek students!

Posted By: Robin Little
On: 12/27/2007 11:09:18 PM

What a great idea to get the whole school involved in one project for all ages! Thanks for sharing this. I just ordered "The Dot" which I don't have. This is a great activity to recreate or spin off of at any grade level and a great way to introduce or reinforce design. Maybe we will try something similar during National Engineering Week in February. I'll let you know what we do.

Posted By: Judith Stroman
On: 1/3/2008 10:47:28 PM

I had lots of fun with it! I was also excited that the students, even ones that did not enter the contest, continued to talk about design in their classrooms and at homes. Parents shared how their young children were picking up on spotting design solutions. If you need any other support or information, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Enjoy the process and watch a school become excited about design.

Posted By: Elizabeth Roszak
On: 1/8/2008 12:50:56 PM

I also had a good time with the design challenge Nancy Gerber and I sponsored at our school. I hadn't thought about it for a long time but then I had a parent just email me about the contest. I have had requests from parents to repeat this challenge again next year and to include more "design thinking" in our art curriculum. Is anyone else going to repeat contests again next year? or is everyone on to something new?

Posted By: Judith Stroman
On: 4/13/2008 3:31:56 PM

I think there is a lot of beauty in repeating things. Having a second or even third chance to repeat something offers the value of refining the porcess. If I am at the same school next year, I will repeat this design contest again.

Posted By: Carmen Espinal
On: 4/15/2008 11:38:04 AM

I entirely agree with Judith. Repeating a lesson, allows for a refinement in the lesson plan making process. As well as how the lesson plays out in the classroom. It makes room for perfection.

Posted By: Cynthia Eaton
On: 4/15/2008 7:22:14 PM

I agree with the refinement and fine-tuning aspect of repeating lessons, although I usually tweak the first prototype w/ a new innovation and a deletion post-evaluation of something a bit weak. It keeps it fesh and engaging for me!! Me Design Week exhibit is still up in the Spokane International Airport in case any of you are flying in for some obscure reason. Okay...Spokane is NOT Seattle!

Posted By: Robin Little
On: 4/26/2008 10:55:33 PM

In my job as a coach, I often get the opportunity to repeat the same lesson with 5-6 classes. I don't think it is ever the same lesson because, by repeating it, I get a chance to say something a little bit differently or have the students take another approach. Sometimes it improves the lesson and other times it takes it in a whole different direction which might open up new ideas for all of us. The important thing is that you learn from the repetition and strengthen the beginning lesson outcome. For me, it might all happen during the same school year. However, we all know classes are different every year. There might be many more repetitions to come in the future and a whole new lesson waiting to emerge! I encourage you to repeat, repeat, repeat, and discover the potential of each lesson.

Posted By: Judith Jastal
On: 4/28/2008 1:16:54 PM

You're right on target about repeating lessons. Not only do we as instructors get a chance to say things differently, the "tweaking" changes every time because of the way students react to what we say. Classes certainly are different from year to year, but I find that they are also different from period to period. What's presented today may take on a whole new look and feel by next year. The lesson that emerges from the repetitions is usually the new and improved version.

Posted By: Frances Brown
On: 7/24/2008 4:50:31 PM

Since this was the first year our school was involved in the Design Fair - we look forward to bigger and better achievements in our classes. For those that attended, many great ideas and enthusiasm was expressed by all. We look forward to incorporating design with a greater understanding of where we are going with this concept this school year.

Posted By: Kathy Scoggin
On: 10/17/2008 12:48:13 PM

For National Design Week 2008 I will be doing the lessons we prepared for the 2008 Summer Institute. The idea is to combine a study of Variables (in experimental design/science) with the design process. We use play car racing track and steel marbles to do this. The class designs ways to make the marbles move to accomplish specific "tasks". I also did an activity last week based on an idea from a Design Week article several years back found in a Scholastic Instructor Magazine. (I originally saw the link for this in this website - but cannot find either the link or the website again - if anyone can help me I'd be very appreciative.) The class design challenge was to use recycled cans to design simple games. They really enjoyed the challenge, had fun playing their games together, and look forward to playing their games with their little "buddies" (younger partners in another class too. It was a very simple yet satisfying weekend homework project.

Posted By: Mary Romoser
On: 10/19/2008 2:38:40 PM

I would love to see the lessons focusing on variables that you did, and am also very interested in the Instructor Magazine link you mentioned. Has anyone located it, yet? Do you have the variables lesson published? What kind of games did the students come up with when using the recycled cans?

Posted By: Lindsey Clement
On: 9/21/2009 8:47:51 PM

When is National Design week? I really like the idea of completing small and specific tasks each day of the week. That will be fun and will really get across the importance of design. I also like the idea of partnering the students with younger/older grades. I think it will be an eye opening experience to my 5th graders to see that younger students might think of a challenge in a completely different way.

Posted By: Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
On: 9/30/2009 11:33:33 AM

Cooper-Hewitt wants your school to celebrate National Design Week with us. We would like you and your students to participate with an event, big or small, and can’t wait to hear what you have planned! National Design Week is officially from October 18th – 24th, but please include any events from the entire month of October. Cooper-Hewitt has assembled a national online calendar packed with information about design-oriented events including (but not limited to): design challenges, workshops, exhibitions (including school project exhibits), and panel discussions. This national map lives on the Cooper-Hewitt website ALL the time and is constantly updated. Cooper-Hewitt wants to add YOUR design-related event for National Design Week. Check out the map now at https://www.cooperhewitt.org/CALENDAR/map/ to add your event and see what is going on in your community - we are close to collecting events for all fifty states! National Design Week is also a great opportunity to introduce to design to your students and school if you have not done so already. Check out the Cooper-Hewitt’s Educator Resource Center or PBS’s Design Squad for lesson plans and classroom activities.