But, as an educator, have you thought about how you can help your students inculcate the right skills to become innovative leaders of the future?

In this week's newsletter, we take you through the two foundational pillars that foster innovation in education - design thinking and critical thinking. You will learn how to effectively implement these approaches in the classroom and explore the several benefits it poses for students, teachers and the overall education system.

Whereas, integrating critical thinking in the classroom encourages students to find solutions based on evaluation, logic and evidence. It empowers them to become better thinkers by questioning everything and reflecting on their learnings based on reasoning and rationality.

So, howcan you, as a teacher, foster design thinking and critical thinking in the classroom? Here are 3 practical classroom practices to help you get started:

• Incorporate Project-Based Learning (PBL)PBL is a student-centered instructional approach that engages students and allows them to apply their knowledge and skills to meaningful tasks. Teachers can introduce PBL in the classroom by:
  • Assigning projects that involve identifying and solving challenges practically
  • Encouraging students to ideate and come up with innovative solutions
  • Build critical thinking skills by evaluating the feasibility of these solutions

  Example: In a Geometry class, students can be asked to construct a scale model of a monument, like the Taj Mahal. This will not only test their geometric principles but help them hone their creative and spatial reasoning skills.

• Introduce Design ChallengesDesign challenges are structured activities where students are involved in generating, prototyping and testing ideas for solving a specific problem. Here’s how to implement it in a classroom setting:
  • Present students with real-world problems that require innovative solutions
  • Encourage them to empathize with users, define problems, ideate solutions, create prototypes and evaluate their effectiveness through critical thinking

  Example: Ask students to create an app that solves a specific real-world problem or design a website explaining a process or product.

• Organize Debates & Discussions Conducting discussions on complex topics can be a great way to boost both design thinking and critical thinking skills. Here’s how:
  • It encourages students to carefully consider different perspectives and arguments
  • Requires them to critically evaluate viewpoints and gather evidence to support defending arguments. This activity tests both critical and design thinking skills.

  Example: Conduct an in-house debate session on topics like ‘should schools prioritize digital textbooks over traditional learning material for a sustainable future?’

By implementing theseclassroom activities teachers can empower students to become creative problem solvers, tackle complex real-world challenges and be future-ready.

We dive into more detail on this in our Extramarks Elevate webinar on ‘Teaching for The Future: The Synergy of Critical & Design Thinking in Digital Pedagogy’. If you're striving to improve your teaching practices, this webinar is for you.