ChangeMakers | Nurturing the design thinking mindset of children through gaming Erasmus Project

Project Title

ChangeMakers | Nurturing the design thinking mindset of children through gaming

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

The main goal of the ChangeMakers Project has been to create an innovative computer learning game for Design Thinking Education of children (6 -10 yo), that can be easily implemented in formal, non-formal and informal education settings.Thus, the project’s value proposition has included:• Aiming a specific target group (children 6-10 yo) • Promote the learners development in an integrative framework capacitating the new generations with the competences required to act in a context of complexity, adaptive challenges, innovation, technology and active citizenship• Use of innovative e-learning technologies (gaming) to develop new competences.

Empatheia is an innovative computer learning game for Design Thinking Education of children between 6 and 10 years old, to be used in formal, non-formal and informal education settings, and that is online available and completely free Europe wide!
In Empatheia, the player is sent to a period which appears to be in between the medieval age and the renaissance age. Why this period ? Because it is a period where crafts become more and more focused on combining both functionality and aesthetics together, where efficiency joins with beauty. The player is sent in that period and plays the role of a craftsman/designer who will have to design a carriage for the royal couple. Of course, the brief is quite blurry as the couple have just asked for the « best carriage in the world », but what does it mean? What are the needs of the couple? how do they travel? what are their habits? what do they like? Since the player can’t get answers from the royal couple, s/he has to explore the subject by meeting with characters and discussing with them, especially with people who directly concerned by the royal couple and/or the carriage : the captain, the court people, but also people we forget about like the coachman or the stable boy. The player has then to define what directions s/he wishes to take according to what s/he has listened to and her/his own intuition. Then the player starts generating ideas by first having a look at what already exists out there, then by starting creating its own idea of the carriage. After a couple of iterations, the player finally get to a functioning prototype which will need to be tested. And that’s where things get more complicated : as the player tests its prototype, s/he encounters unexpected disruptions : s/he gets attacked, s/he passes totally unnoticed then s/he encounters a situation where s/he gives a ride to someone else. This is the critical point of the game as it enlarges the scope of solutions way beyond the carriage features. We are seeing a bigger picture in which the carriage shall not only be seen as a product but as a product-service system of transportation. It opens new options like surrounding the carriage with soldiers or entertainers but also sharing it. Finally, the game does not end with one solution to the problem but a multiple set of possible solutions as Design Thinking is not only about problem solving but also problem setting and about finding unobvious and/or unexpected and/or indirect solutions to problems.
The online game is combined with offline activities (a Toolkit for teachers and Toolcards). The ‘Toolkit’ guide aims to support educators with the implementation of the game both in class and off-class and also with inspirational hints on how to further develop the design thinking mindset. In addition to the guidance provided by the toolkit, it offers a set of ‘Toolcards’ that educators can use to combine the use of the online game with a serie of offline activities. This extra output of the project has proven to be a valuable add-on to the game as it offers an opportunity for kids to collaborate together in class around real items that they discuss, manipulate and reflect on.

The conclusions from the feedback collected in real educational contexts show how the Project results are succesful to nurture Design Thinking skills in primary education contexts: Change Makers provide innovative tools (Online Game, Toolkit and Toolcards) for Teachers/trainers and Parents for teaching Design Thinking skills that can be used in various settings; Children can use these tools (guided by educators) to learn a wide set of Design Thinking skills, as well as transversal competences; Organisations active in Education have a new tool and knowledge to improve specific Design Thinking skills but also key educational transversal skills of primary education children.
The Change Makers Project has also obtained results that shows how game-based learning for nurturing Design Thinking skills in primary education supports the development of innovative learning methodologies, meaningful, learner-centered and connected to the real world; The Change Makers resources nurture a new generation of citizens, workers and leaders, more proactive, creative and innovative, boosting a new generation of educators.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 140131 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRA & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Boon Unipessoal, Lda.
• ADVANCIS-BUSINESS SERVICES, LDA
• PANEPISTIMIO DYTIKIS MAKEDONIAS
• NewSchool
• STRATEGIC DESIGN SCENARIOS SPRL