A process for creative problem-solving, design thinking is a pillar of Nueva's learning approach. It draws on the humanities for empathy and ethnography; the arts and engineering for idea generation and invention; and the sciences for hypothesis creation, prototyping, testing, and reflection. Students develop the mindset to identify situations where they can better the world, and design thinking gives them the tools and resolve to take action.

Design
Thinking

Design thinking—empathy-centered design—asks students to put themselves into someone else’s shoes in order to understand their needs and create meaningful solutions. This gives students tools and mindsets to embrace new challenges, unleash creativity, and develop a strong sense of self-efficacy, all starting from a place of empathy.

And because developing empathy in our students is a core principle of our foundational Social-Emotional Learning program, the overlap creates natural synergies, building students’ capacity to look beyond themselves.

Nueva partnered with IDEO and Stanford’s d.School to develop the first design thinking program and Innovation Lab (I-Lab) specifically for PreK–12 education. Students engage in design thinking across the curriculum daily—in our two dedicated I-Labs and in their classrooms.

IN THIS SECTION

In This Section

Students engage with design thinking principles on a daily basis across the curriculum, both in the dedicated I-Labs and in their classrooms. Design thinking and engineering are taught, applied, and explored through project-based learning, integrated projects that require real-world problem solving, and independent exploration.

By asking "What do we need next?", design thinkers craft a unique process for each particular project. As students become more mindful of the process they have used on previous projects, they build confidence in their ability to successfully navigate open-ended challenges.

The immersion in design thinking and engineering at Nueva begins in PreK, and students build on their skills throughout their years in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. Student projects address issues from the local to the global and touch on all disciplines of the curriculum—science, math, engineering, art, humanities, music, and more.

As part of Nueva's mission to share our resources, talents, knowledge, and innovation with the larger gifted and education communities, we offer on-site tours of the I-Labs and share best practices at our Innovative Learning Conference and Design Thinking Institute, as well as in presentations at national conferences.

Kim Saxe

Founding Director of the Innovation Lab

“Design thinking is a collection of techniques and mindsets that enable people to identify underlying needs through empathy, to harness and develop their ability to generate ideas, and to actively seek feedback. By flaring and focusing, people discover a path through complex, difficult problems, which transforms them into fearless and effective changemakers.

Design Thinking and Engineering

Lower School

In the lower school, students gain hands-on experience with design, engineering, and computer science through projects integrated into their classrooms as well as opportunities to engage with the I-Lab faculty both inside and outside of the Hillsborough I-Lab.

Design thinking is integrated into the lower school curriculum and projects in ways that are developmentally appropriate for each age group. As early as PreK and across the grades, students cycle through the full process, and zero in on a particular element (e.g., brainstorming, growing their repertoire of skills). In the fourth grade, using all of the skills they've learned throughout their time in the lower school, students embark on a full-scale, 16-week design thinking challenge to build an LED lamp for someone in their lives who needs light.

Middle School

Nueva middle school students take design thinking, engineering, and computer science each year. In this year-long class, held in the Hillsborough campus I-Lab, students practice all the elements of design thinking by completing projects in which they tackle problems and transform their ideas into solutions. At each step, students are challenged to improve their skills with new engineering concepts, tools, or components, and to further refine their design process as they build. With continued practice and problem-solving, students become facile at integrating their computer, engineering, and design thinking skills. In many cases, projects integrate concepts from other classes, reinforcing the use of design, engineering, and programming as tools for interdisciplinary work.

Eighth-grade students are able to further explore their passions utilizing the design thinking process while working on their Recital Project, their six-month deep dive into a topic or passion of their choosing.

Upper School

Nueva’s upper school students quickly become adept at design thinking process, practices, and mindset. Extensive offerings in design thinking, engineering, computer science build skills through human-centered design challenges, ensuring all students have hands-on experience with the design thinking process and the ability to use computational thinking and problem-solving.

A wide array of electives enables students to dive deeply. Examples include Design Engineering for Social Good, Machine Learning, Engineering and Fabrication Workshop, and many more, all of which are taught using the Nueva Way philosophy emphasizing real-world context for learning.

Across the classes, students identify needs, prototype, obtain feedback, and create and test solutions, while gaining both knowledge and skills along the way. With experience, students have ready access to the design thinking tools: it ceases to be “a process” and becomes the way they think. They are empowered changemakers, prepared for a future where resilience is key and translating ideas into reality is essential.