An introductory verse

I’m new to blogging.
I have rewritten this first entry about a dozen times trying to find the right words and ideas, fretting about how it makes me sound. So I’m going to just write freely and see where my thoughts take me! Bare with me…

An introductory verse! I’m currently studying my Masters of Education with the plan to graduate with a specialisation in Contemporary Literacy. You might ask yourself why I’m in a design course. The simple answer is I just love this stuff! Designing and fitting out my classroom is one of the things I look forward to the most as I begin a new year of teaching. I love making spaces, nooks and crannies within the larger classroom space for students to explore, engage, learn or take a few deep breaths. I love making every child feel welcome, loved,  safe and seeing that they are reflected in their space. I like it when it is neat and tidy, organised, labelled and worthy of a magazine photoshoot but I love it when it looks disheveled as it is being  used, explored and enjoyed by it’s users.

I wouldn’t call myself a desinger. As I have explored this week’s readings, this seems to be a common theme in people’s thinking. Unless we are trained specifically in design-related professions we tend not to call ourselves designers. However, according to Leifer, Plattner & Meinel (2013), design thinking is everywhere. It is every solution to every problem, both simple and complex. We can all find problems, we can all think of solutions. Razzouk and Shute (2012) describe the characteristics of the designer as follows:

• Having human/environment concern

• Ability to visualise

• Ability to think multifunctionally

• Ability to use language as a tool

• Ability to search for competing alternative solutions

• Cooperation and teamwork skills

I believe we all have these capabilites in some form, therefore we reach the exciting conclusion that we are, in fact, all designers!