taught in schools. It puts ideas to work in situations that allow students to test themselves and the
value of learning in everyday life. When children are engaged in the process of designing--a
product, a building, a city plan, or any object--they are learning to identify needs, frame
problems, work collaboratively, explore and appreciate solutions, weigh alternatives, and
communicate their ideas verbally, graphically, and in three dimensions. With periodic
self-assessment and critiques of work in progress, students come to understand that performance
testing and continual improvement are as fundamental to the design process as they are to
lifelong learning.
Teachers nationwide are using the design process as a problem-solving tool to integrate
curriculum, teach thinking and communication skills, and encourage students to apply academic
concepts in authentic tasks. This ground-breaking book developed in cooperation with the
National Endowment for the Arts provides an introduction to effective design activities and
strategies for every grade level and subject area.
