Every classroom is a vibrant space filled with curious learners, guided by thoughtful teachers. Every teacher faces complex and varied situations that need to be addressed. These challenges may span across teaching and learning processes, classroom environments, community and more.  These problems are multifaceted and human-centred. To solve these interdisciplinary issues, educators should formulate innovative solutions. 

John Dewey has rightly said, ​‘We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience’. This concept is central to reflective teaching, a widely used approach among teachers. A teacher regularly reflects upon teaching methods, materials, and interactions to determine what worked, what did not, and why. This allows teachers to adapt approaches that best suit their classrooms.

However, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, emphasises experiential and inquiry-based learning. It calls for a holistic learning experience integrating humanities, sciences and arts. The NEP encourages students to construct their own knowledge and connect it to real-world experiences. This requires new, student-centred innovations that link learning beyond the classrooms.

In this context, Design Thinking becomes a powerful complement to reflective teaching. The design thinking process offers a structure and flexible approach that a teacher can use. By integrating both, reflective teaching and design thinking, an educator can address multifaceted issues in the classroom. 

Design Thinking was originally developed for corporate settings. It has now been adopted across education systems where it is effective and successful in catering to the needs of the 21^st century as explained in Design Thinking in Classroom by David Lee. Design Thinking is both a method and a mindset. It is a process that is innovative and learner-centric. The process involves the following stages.

1. Empathise

Design thinking begins with empathy. Understanding the needs, interests, and challenges of the students is the first step. In order to obtain insights, teachers interact with students through discourse, observation, and listening. This helps in understanding the student’s perspective.

Key activities:

• Listening to students’ feedback
• Observing their behaviour
• Having open conversations for better understanding to learn more about their preferences and challenges
   

2. Define 

To better characterise the issue or difficulty, teachers combine the knowledge they acquired during the empathy step in this phase. The goal is to construct a targeted issue statement that takes into account the needs of the students. 

Key Activities:

• Examining the information gathered during the empathy phase
• Presenting the problem in an understandable and concise manner
• Identifying key needs and issues to be addressed in the classroom
   

3. Ideate 

At this point, educators brainstorm and produce suggestions to deal with specified problems. The focus is on ingenuity and investigating multiple options; the most viable and significant concepts to be chosen.

Key Activities:

• Brainstorming various concepts and methods
• Promoting creative and nontraditional thinking
• Evaluating and listing suggestions to find the most innovative and useful classroom solutions
   

4. Prototype

Teachers develop a concrete or testable version of the idea or ideas they choose during ideation in this phase. New projects, lesson plans, or activities that can be used in the classroom are examples of prototyping.

Key Activities:

• Designing a prototype based on the chosen idea
• Creating a model or mock-up of the solutions eg., activities, teaching strategy or a tool
• Preparing the classroom environment for testing the prototype
   

5. Test

Putting the prototype into practice in the classroom and getting student input constitutes the last phase. The method is adjusted to better suit the demands of the students in light of the results.

Key Activities:

• Implementing the prototype (new activity, lesson, etc.) in the classroom
• Getting student input on what worked and what did not
• Improving the solution iteratively in response to feedback

In addition to encouraging a more innovative and problem-solving approach to teaching and learning, this design thinking method helps teachers stay adaptable and attentive to the specific requirements of their students.

Design thinking and reflective teaching are two powerful frameworks which are unique and complementary to each other. In order to produce meaningful outcomes in an educational setting, a facilitator can examine the distinctive aspects of both reflective teaching and design thinking. 

Comparing design thinking and reflective teaching

Adaptation of design thinking in the classroom

To understand design thinking in a classroom environment, let us take an example of redesigning the Reading Corner in a school. The objective is to promote language development and to improve a shared learning environment. This method enhances 21^st century abilities, including teamwork and communication among students aligning it with the recommendations of NEP 2020.

Redesigning the school Reading Corner 

Stage 1: Empathy 

In order to learn what makes the Reading Corner enjoyable, students and teachers talk, with the teacher asking questions, such as, ​‘What do you like about our reading space?’ or ​‘What more would you like to have in the Reading Corner?’  This encourages the students to note and observe reading behaviours, preferences and challenges. 

Stage 2: Define

Students compile their responses into a collective group problem statement. For example, ​‘the current reading space lacks proper seating, lighting or displays, making it less enjoyable for students to read.’ 

Additionally, this encourages precise writing and structuring skills, focusing on clarity and grammar in the target language. 

Stage 3: Ideation  

Teams come up with original ideas through brainstorming.

• Lists of attributes, like organised bookshelves, a storytelling area, etc. 
• Use descriptive and convincing language to explain why each feature is essential. 
• Introduce vocabulary related to design and reading – shelves, lighting, comfort etc depending upon the class level. 

Stage 4: Prototyping  

Students create physical or digital models of their planned Reading Corner. 

• Use craft materials to make 3D models. 
• Label the prototypes in the target language, for example, Storytelling Section. 
• Prepare a brief write-up explaining their design choices. 

Stage 5: Testing 

Groups present their prototypes to classmates and teachers 

• Focus on oral presentations 
• Gather responses through organised discussions, improving comprehension and listening skills. 
• Implement peer suggestions and refine the designs. 

This approach not only builds design and collaborative skills but also integrates vocabulary, grammar, and communication, making language learning engaging and practical.

Supporting a constructivist approach

Both design thinking and reflective teaching align with constructivist ideas, which emphasise that knowledge is co-constructed through interaction. Design thinking nurtures a flexible, cooperative classroom atmosphere. Students and teachers work together to create knowledge. Reflective teaching aids a teacher in adapting methods based on feedback nurturing the process of knowledge construction.

Adaptability is crucial in a world that is changing quickly. Design thinking provides a stage for the students to express their thoughts.  Working collectively and collaboratively helps them to acquire the skills vital for any future profession.

As Rabindranath Tagore said, ​‘Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.’ Just as pixels come together to create a unified picture, elements from both reflective teaching and design thinking can blend harmoniously, addressing the unique, context-based challenges within classrooms and beyond, aligning with NEP’s vision for transformative education. 

Author

Akila Radhakrishnan is an educationist with 19 years of experience and is currently the Academic Head of a Bengaluru-based NGO. She is passionate about creating meaningful and impactful educational experiences that foster holistic development.