Design Thinking in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

Design Thinking is a popular topic and problem-solving method that is gaining attention and being used more and more often across disciplines in recent years such as “IT, Business, Education and Medicine” (Dorst, 2011). Its ability to address wicked problems, problems that are inherently complex and socially layered, has branded it an attractive and useful problem-solving method for a wide range of industries and consequently a wide range of problems. Its human centered and empathetic approach to addressing problems also paints design thinking to be an action-based method that works well with interdisciplinary teams in which all members have the same desired end. More recently, its use has expanded to the field of education and is being cited as a way to develop 21st century learners and redefine the field of education as a whole. This paper intends to examine design thinking in the context of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College of Arizona State University specifically. The goals of this paper are to define design thinking for the educational field, examine and analyze the methods of it use, as well as determine the purpose for exposing undergraduate education students to the process. Through expert interviews of faculty and staff members that were analyzed for common themes and other consistencies, an understanding of how the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College defines design thinking is obtained, as well as the various uses and applications of design thinking skills and process for the field of education. The paper describes multiple areas in which design thinking is being implemented internally, externally, and within teacher preparation curriculum through the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and details the four main reasons for exposing future teachers to design thinking practices and principles.