Read & React Design

This chapter is not really my forte, but I did find the topic quite enjoyable.

The opening pages discussed an artist who visited school students and asked them to raise their hand if they were artists. The outcome of his question, they way less and less students raised their hands as they were older makes me so sad. I have fought very hard with my program at home to help my students realize they are all artists... But I still wonder what would happen if you asked my kids that when I was not around. I try to make it a point to always refer to them, as they are... artists, especially to their parents and the public. As Pink says, "it is a cautionary tale for our times." (Pink 2005) They need to continue to trust in their artistic decisions because it is those design types of decisions that will set them apart in the job market some day.

“Design, has become an essential aptitude for personal fulfillment and professional success for at least three reasons: good design is now more accessible than ever, design has become crucial for most modern business, and we’ll increasingly be able to deploy design for its ultimate purpose: changing the world.” (Pink 2005) That paragraph speaks volumes to the reasons our students and teachers need to be investing in the ideas and abilities of design. All of these reasons above shove the need for design for the future of businesses and even mankind; For design is everywhere around our students. It would be interesting to give my students the assignment to “keep a design notebook” or even “channel your annoyance” both of these activities would force students to stare at the designs that surround them, to analyze the choice that were made in that design, giving them a better understanding of how to design.

The CHAD school sounds like a dream come true!! Who wouldn’t want to teach there, I feel like I would love to be apart of their class to understand more about their “design-centered curriculum, which aims to use design to teach core academic subjects.” (Pink 2005)

“Design in its simplest form is the activity of creating solutions. Design is something that everyone does every day.” (Pink 2005) I enjoyed the idea of “why not” when it comes to designing a school that is aesthetically pleasing and comfort. I wonder if the choice to paint our entire school light poop brown and make it feel like a dreary hotel will poorly affect their test scores this year?!?! Especially considering those who made that decision were sent in to help clean up our testing score- Bahahaha, hate to say I told you so! Okay sorry enough of that rant. But my brain is pinging off a school from another country that Michelle talked about, where there are no classrooms, simply learning areas that are conducive to the different needs and styles of the students; Now that’s what I would call Great design.