David Jakes Designs

DESIGN THINKING IN ACTION: The Grand Rapids Public Museum School, Grand Rapids, Michigan

The Grand Rapids Public Museum School is housed in the Grand Rapids Public Museum in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. The museum was originally founded in 1854 and contains more than 250,000 artifacts (1). The school opened in 2015 and will eventually serve grades 6-12 (2).

What’s interesting, and how does it apply to a design thinking-based classroom experience?

Place-based learning.   Place-based learning is a process that enables learners to “develop insight into the cultural, historical, economic, and environmental character of one's place.” (3) The Museum School embraces this approach by using the city of Grand Rapids and the Museum itself as a living textbook.  This provides students with a unique opportunity to deeply understand the community in which they live while creating an entirely new context for learning.   In my opinion, expanding the locations for learning beyond the school is long overdue.

The opportunities for place-based learning are further enhanced by a thematic curricular approach (such as industrialization and social change, social crisis, and response) that encourages students to study the challenges that their community faces. By employing a design-thinking project-based approach to learning, the school expects students to engage their community and address questions and issues of importance. 

Design Thinking:  Like the other schools that are featured in the case studies, the Museum School uses design thinking as an integral part of its pedagogical framework.  The school bases their approach by using the Kendall College model of design thinking: Frame it, Find it, Play and Plan it, Make it, and Try it.  The process forms the investigative pathway for their project-based approach to learning and supports the school’s intention to offer a learning experience focused on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. (4)

As you learn more about what the design process is, I’m going to encourage you to do the same thing- make the design model your own.  Many schools and organizations have done this and I think it makes sense.  

Unique learning spaces: Imagine going to school at a museum! Because of the location, the school has access to the Museum’s collection of over 250,000 artifacts that provides access to primary source materials that contribute to the school’s focus on place-based learning. (5) These have become incorporated into the school’s curriculum. Additionally, the school also focuses on using locations for learning around Grand Rapids (downtown is across the Grand River) which serve as extensions of the classroom. For example, students have used Grand Rapids’ downtown ice skating rink for a physical education class.(6)

Partnerships:  If the community itself frames the school experience, it makes sense that the school employs community resources as partners.  The school has established partnerships with a number of Grand Rapids organizations, including the “Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University, the City of Grand Rapids, and Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc.” (7)

These partnerships also lead to internships for students.  Imagine having these connections and what they could mean for the learning experience and each student’s future. Imagine using these partnerships to support the connections to use design thinking beyond the campus of your school.

The Upshot: what can this mean for your practice and a design thinking classroom?

The school uses a modified version of the typical design process.  As you read the book and develop your own understanding of design, you should start thinking about how a design process could be uniquely shaped for your classroom and your needs.

I challenged you to find the authenticity in the content of your curriculum to find the entry points for provocations and design challenges. How could a focus on place-based learning support the identification of compelling provocations to use in your classroom that align with your curriculum?

How would you define what a partnership(s) could mean for your class?  How would the addition of expertise empower you to create even more interesting experiences for students?  And, in the simplest case, could you develop partnerships within your school to extend the experience and reach of your classroom?

Not everyone can have their classroom in a museum.  But you can focus on building partnerships, whether they are in your community or even in your school.  Your classroom doesn’t have to be defined by a square room.  And if you can’t travel, you can always connect to locations in your community and beyond that can support teaching and learning through a variety of technologies. Connecting students to community-based resources and issues can become a significant component of a design thinking classroom.

Literature Cited:

“Grand Rapids Public Museum | Things to Do in Grand Rapids MI.” Grand Rapids, Michigan, 15 March 2022, https://www.experiencegr.com/articles/post/public-museum/. Accessed 1 December 2022.

“Grand Rapids Public Museum High School.” Grand Rapids Public Schools, https://grps.org/schools/high-school/gr-museum-hs/. Accessed 1 December 2022.

"Place-Based Education for Environmental Stewardship and ...." https://www.gvsu.edu/place-based-education/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2020.

"Museum High Curriculum - the Grand Rapids Public Schools." https://www.grps.org/museum-high-curriculum. Accessed 3 Dec. 2020.

Changing Expectations, A School in a Museum - Association ...." 31 May. 2019, https://www.midwestmuseums.org/2019/05/31/school-in-a-museum/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2020.

"Photos: A Look Inside the Grand Rapids Museum School ...." 8 Jun. 2017, https://www.edutopia.org/article/photos-look-inside-grand-rapids-museum-school. Accessed 3 Dec. 2020.

"Museum School – Grand Rapids Public Museum." https://www.grpm.org/grpms/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2020.

Images:

Artifacts

Skating