Reflections on Global Day of Design #GDD17

In the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to visit many classrooms across my district that were participating in Global Day of Design. (For those of you that aren't familiar with Global Day of Design, click here).  As I visited different classrooms there were three things that really stood out to me:  smiles on students' faces, perseverance as a common behavior and collaboration as a consistent theme.
As I resonated on what I observed a question came to mind: What are we teaching our students through the opportunity of participating in a Global Day of Design?  The answer is simple, all the right stuff.
Just imagine if we provided our students with more than just a day.
By providing students with an understanding and framework of design thinking and allowing them to identify problems and work to seek solutions, we are creating thinkers, problem-solvers, and individuals that can make real life changes.
Students attitudes towards learning also shift when provided these opportunities. A common quote from students this past week have been,  "Can I stay in at recess to work on this?" We need more of this in our schools. We need to find ways where we can embed these opportunities and make it a habit of learning that happens frequently. Students need opportunities to complete design challenges, work collaboratively and problem-solve without a list of steps on how to get there. Instead, time, space, and encouragement is needed for students to think for themselves, accept failure and celebrate success.
Our district had many classes K-12, participate in #GDD17. Below are just a few of the challenges that were created throughout the district.

Elementary Projects

Designing the Tallest and Strongest Bridges
BSES Art GDD
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Middle School - After Reading Hoot
Designing an Egg Drop 


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High School Projects - Designing Catapults 

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