Sparking Wonderment, Creativity, and Solving Real-World Problems using Design Thinking

LONG BEACH, Calif., Oct. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Middle school students in Long Beach engaged in solving real-world problems in a series of week-long STEAM-based art programs at the US Sailing Center, in conjunction with the Long Beach Public Library and part of Dramatic Results' federally-funded Art of Building a City Project (ABC Project) STEAM Ecosystem. The students selected the topic of this summer's program, which was to solve a real-world problem: climate change. Tasked to build a floating city given rising sea-level projections for the area of Belmont Shore to be almost 5 ft in 2221, and using Archimedes' principle of water displacement, students worked in small groups to identify a problem in their city utilizing the five stages of the design thinking process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.

The program was created over 30 hours of collaboration between pre-service teachers from local California State University campuses, community collaborators, curriculum engineers, and teaching artists. Keeping in mind the need for socially distanced best practices, the team engineered a framework for students to design their prototypes and address their chosen problem from varying entryways and viewpoints, an approach unique to the ABC Project.

Once given the challenge, students collaborated in small teams to create a unique design that fit the needs of a developing city. Consulting with community mentors from the Long Beach Public Library, students were aided in constructing their floating cities and educated on how to use sustainable materials. The student teams ultimately used the knowledge gained through collaborative research, presentations, and hands-on science stations to design and build their floating cities, which contained solutions to specific community issues, such as income, food, clean drinking water, and recreation.

"Problem-solving is an act of creativity. Creativity stems from the ability to take information from multiple sources and weave these threads into new ideas. We want students to gain confidence in their creativity, to see themselves as valuable problem solvers, and to recognize that their ideas have value," explained Gabe Gaete, Mobile Studio Coordinator at the Long Beach Public Library and ABC Project Collaborator.

The series culminated in a Family Sharing Day, where the groups presented their floating cities to their families and finally tested their prototypes in water. This fall, students will revisit the topic of climate change and explore social justice through a series of artistic, design, debate, and discussion activities.

ABOUT DRAMATIC RESULTS
Dramatic Results is a nonprofit that designs and delivers educational programming using art, design, and culture as entryways into STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). By providing in-class and out-of-school opportunities in historically underrepresented communities, innovative programs prepare learners to be empathetic, resilient, and critical thinkers using methodologies like Design Thinking and Social-Emotional Learning to fuel collaboration and creativity. Since 1992, Dramatic Results programs have had measurable impacts on 500 classroom teachers and over 35,000 students' social, emotional, and academic performance. Visit www.dramaticresults.org to learn more.

Contact:
Talia Sandoval
505-796-2594
[email protected]

SOURCE Dramatic Results