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100 Questions
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Title:
100 Questions
Posted by:
Ben zhao
Date:
9/25/2008
Grade Level:
High School
Category:
Design for the Other 90%
Subject Area:
Arts
Language Arts
Social Studies
Lesson Time:
5 ninety minute class periods
Introduction:
 

Dr. Paul Polak has said about design that if you haven’t had conversations with at least twenty-five people who you are trying to serve, don’t bother. In this lesson, students will practice problem solving skills through asking questions and going through a design challenge. Students will:

  • build the mental habits of an inquirer
  • learn to be reflective
  • understand the role of empathy in design
  • use research skills to understand another culture
  • use problem solving skills to design a solution for an emerging country
State Standards:
No State Standards available.
National Standards:

Visual Arts
Standard 2.  Using knowledge of structures and functions.
Standard 3.  Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas.
Standard 5.  Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others.


Language Arts
Standard 7.  Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

Objectives:

Students will:

  • have better habits of always being curious and asking questions
  • learn to be more reflective of their own thoughts and emotions
  • learn the importance of empathy as the most important criteria in the design profession and for anyone in a position of power
  • practice problem solving skills

 

 

Resources:
  • National Geographic magazines
  • Design for the 90% website:  https://other90.cooperhewitt.org/
  • Access to library or internet for research
  • Out of Poverty by Dr. Paul Polak

 

 

Materials:
  • sketchbooks
  • pencils
  • model/presentation materials (determined by each project)

 

 

 

Vocabulary:
  • self analysis: a penetrating examination of your own thoughts, beliefs, and motives
  • reflective: the state of being deeply or seriously thoughtful
  • inquirers: people who are curious, who ask questions
  • thinkers: people who ponder the state of things; people who are curious
  • caring: a feeling of concern or interest
  • balanced: a state of equilibrium; symmetry; equality of distribution
  • empathy: understanding another person’s feelings

 

 

Procedures:
1. Have your students work in pairs.  Try pairing a boy with a girl or a freshman with an upperclassman (the goal is for each student to gain a perspective of someone who they think they understand, but actually do not).   Ask each student to take a turn being the “client” and the “designer.”  Each “designer” will ask the “client” fifty questions as if they were designing a solution for something that may be difficult in that person’s life.  Ask them to record these questions in their sketchbooks.  End the class period by leading a discussion on what each student learned from this exercise.  Were they surprised by their partner’s answers?  Did they find that one question would lead to another question?

2.  During the next class meeting, ask your students to apply the empathy they gained from the previous exercise to a new design challenge.  In small groups, have students choose one emerging country to research.  As they collect information about this country, ask them to identify a challenge that the country may face.  As they begin to identify this challenge, they should narrow their research.  Remind them to take in to account the country’s culture and customs.  After each group has compiled research relevant to their challenge, ask them to generate a list of 50 - 100 questions that they would like to ask their client if possible.  Again, end the class by discussing how the previous day’s exercise influenced the questions they chose to ask today.

3.  During the third class meeting, have the students return to their groups.  Give them 15 minutes to brainstorm possible solutions to their identified problem.  They must then choose two to three of their best ideas that they would like to pursue.  Give your students another 30 minutes to develop these ideas.  They may sketch, model, do additional research, etc. during this time.  At the end of the class meeting, allow time for each group to briefly present their identified challenge and their possible solutions.  Remind them to articulate how each design addresses the challenge.  Encourage the class to give constructive feedback to each group on how to improve each of their designs how to pick one design to continue to work on.

4.  On the fourth day, student groups should use the entire class period to create any final prototypes or presentation materials.  Groups should discuss how they will present their ideas to the class.  If any of the design solutions does not lend itself to a visual object or rendering, encourage them to think about alternate ways to convey their solutions (through writing, oral presentation, digital media, graphs, charts, etc.).

5.  The final class meeting should be used for student presentation and critique.  Allow each group 15 minutes to present their project.  Remind them to answer the following questions:  What challenge did you identify?  Who is your client?  How does your solution address the challenge and client’s specific needs?  Encourage the class to ask questions and give each group constructive feedback.  At the end of the period lead a discussion with the entire class.  Ask the following questions: How did you arrive at your final solution?  What would you do next if you had more time to work on it?  How was it working in teams?  What role did empathy play in the design process?
Assessment:
Students should be evaluated based on their class participation.  Final assessment should also reflect the student’s development and involvement in the design process as a whole, not the final product.

 

 

Enrichment
Extension Activities:
No Enrichment Extension Activities available.
Teacher Reflection:
N/A.
Related
Files:
No related files are necessary.
 
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