This paper is the culmination of a fifteen-week design study in partnership with a high school teacher to utilize design thinking in a classroom context. A procedure for guiding the educator through the design process was developed and implemented to gain understandings into whether incorporating design thinking in a classroom context would enhance educators problem-solving abilities and empower them to effectively tackle complex problems. The findings suggest that design thinking is a powerful tool for educator’s and can have a positive impact on their classroom environment, though continued support is key. The paper begins with a situation analysis report to discuss the mission of the partner organization, as well as goals and expectations of the study. It continues with the theoretical inspiration statement which articulates the theoretical underpinnings of the study. Then, the design statement and prototype describe the outline of the procedures developed to guide the collaborating teacher through the design process. The paper concludes with the design enactment report which includes a narrative of the process and details the findings.

Current educational systems are trying to transform their practices with those that align with critical thinking skills, collaboration amongst students and allowing students to feel motivated and engaged in learning. Within a special education classroom at a Title I high school located in South Tempe, Arizona, a design was innovated in order to attempt to enhance this learning environment to foster students’ ability to build intrinsic motivation and engaged within their classroom through collaboration and the autonomy supported by the teacher and this innovation. Throughout this paper, you will be able to see the contextual analysis, theoretical inspirations, design constructs and analysis of the implementation within two separate class periods.

Inflatable planetarium dome, 4K projection system, 4-channel surround sound audio system.

Spring 2019 Course: Curating Stories and Science in Northern Arizona (taught by Daniel Collins)

In the seminar Curating Stories and Science in Northern Arizona, students worked individually and collectively to create a “research compendium” inspired by James Turrell’s Roden Crater. Marked by the intersection of science and art, our discussions included experts from astrophysics, literature, sacred architecture, natural history, cultural geography, Native American studies, perceptual psychology, phenomenology, archaeology, and fine art.  Students generated a rich collection of works representing many disciplines and methodological approaches.  Roden Crater has become a launching pad for our own embodied experience of place—from the microscopic features of the Arizona landscape to interstellar space.

Seeds, soil

Spring 2019 Course: Curating Stories and Science in Northern Arizona (taught by Daniel Collins)

In the seminar Curating Stories and Science in Northern Arizona, students worked individually and collectively to create a “research compendium” inspired by James Turrell’s Roden Crater. Marked by the intersection of science and art, our discussions included experts from astrophysics, literature, sacred architecture, natural history, cultural geography, Native American studies, perceptual psychology, phenomenology, archaeology, and fine art.  Students generated a rich collection of works representing many disciplines and methodological approaches.  Roden Crater has become a launching pad for our own embodied experience of place—from the microscopic features of the Arizona landscape to interstellar space.

Laser printing on various papers, wire-o bound.

Spring 2019 Course: Approaches, to Light (Taught by Edward Finn)

Approaches to Light traced the fundamental questions of James Turrell’s work to their origins in philosophy, literature, physics, and art. By engaging with light as a medium for human imagination, we explored the ways in which we make meaning from the physical universe and the aesthetic frames we impose on it. Students created their own artistic expressions of light, landscape, and imagination in the form of physical artifacts, audiovisual experiences, and other vessels of meaning that responded to the work of Turrell and Roden Crater.

Gator board, LED lights.

Spring 2019 Course: Approaches, to Light (Taught by Edward Finn)

Approaches to Light traced the fundamental questions of James Turrell’s work to their origins in philosophy, literature, physics, and art. By engaging with light as a medium for human imagination, we explored the ways in which we make meaning from the physical universe and the aesthetic frames we impose on it. Students created their own artistic expressions of light, landscape, and imagination in the form of physical artifacts, audiovisual experiences, and other vessels of meaning that responded to the work of Turrell and Roden Crater.

Wood, mirror.

Spring 2019 Course: Art and Sensory Acuity (taught by Christine Lee)

For the course Art and Sensory Acuity, we looked at how our perception and ability to experience a range of sensation can inform the creation of artistic and design based work. We explored perception through the lens of artist James Turrell’s Roden Crater, under which specific materials, environment, and conditions present, shaped our sensory experience. Concurrently we expanded our sensory acuity through engagement with guest speakers ASU Assoc. Professor Patrick Young and Assist. Professor Christy Spackman, Ed Krupp Director of Griffith Observatory, and writer Lawrence Weschler, to develop a deeper sensibility across media, time and space. The resulting sculptural forms/prototypes, performance, and installations were designed and constructed in response to the collective experience.

Arizona native minerals.

Spring 2019 Course: Art and Sensory Acuity (taught by Christine Lee)

For the course Art and Sensory Acuity, we looked at how our perception and ability to experience a range of sensation can inform the creation of artistic and design based work. We explored perception through the lens of artist James Turrell’s Roden Crater, under which specific materials, environment, and conditions present, shaped our sensory experience. Concurrently we expanded our sensory acuity through engagement with guest speakers ASU Assoc. Professor Patrick Young and Assist. Professor Christy Spackman, Ed Krupp Director of Griffith Observatory, and writer Lawrence Weschler, to develop a deeper sensibility across media, time and space. The resulting sculptural forms/prototypes, performance, and installations were designed and constructed in response to the collective experience.

Glass, LED, absorptive filter, blackout screen.

Spring 2019 Course: Art and Sensory Acuity (taught by Christine Lee)

For the course Art and Sensory Acuity, we looked at how our perception and ability to experience a range of sensation can inform the creation of artistic and design based work. We explored perception through the lens of artist James Turrell’s Roden Crater, under which specific materials, environment, and conditions present, shaped our sensory experience. Concurrently we expanded our sensory acuity through engagement with guest speakers ASU Assoc. Professor Patrick Young and Assist. Professor Christy Spackman, Ed Krupp Director of Griffith Observatory, and writer Lawrence Weschler, to develop a deeper sensibility across media, time and space. The resulting sculptural forms/prototypes, performance, and installations were designed and constructed in response to the collective experience.

Glass jars with natural specimens, handmade book (cyanotypes, watercolor paint, paper, colored pencil, vellum, linen thread), single layer screen prints with etched acrylic, postcards of three-dimensional imagery, narrated story and site-specific field recordings on cassette, cassette case with printed image, cassette player, Quartz crystal radio antenna, labels made of watercolor paper, red-blue glasses, handmade sleeves and boxes.

Spring 2019 Course: Approaches, to Light (Taught by Edward Finn)

Approaches to Light traced the fundamental questions of James Turrell’s work to their origins in philosophy, literature, physics, and art. By engaging with light as a medium for human imagination, we explored the ways in which we make meaning from the physical universe and the aesthetic frames we impose on it. Students created their own artistic expressions of light, landscape, and imagination in the form of physical artifacts, audiovisual experiences, and other vessels of meaning that responded to the work of Turrell and Roden Crater.