Designing with Sustainability in Mind
Students working on design projects in Neil Henderson’s Design Class.
What student wouldn’t love working in a design lab to create new products, designs and prototypes? Especially if that design lab featured multiple 3D printers, machines for working with wood, textiles, jewelry and any other product you could imagine?
Students at Seoul Foreign School in South Korea have access to state-of-the-art design labs and maker spaces, and high school teacher Neil Henderson has been working with Inspire Citizens’s Aaron Moniz to create innovative learning experiences this year.
“I met Aaron in my third or fourth week at SFS this year, and invited him to dive into my 10th and 11th grade classes. He came in and has been an amazing resource to connect students with people who can support them to understand the SDGs they’re interested in and how these relate to their design work,” says Neil.
In Neil’s Grade 10 Design class, students learn about the design cycle and use it throughout the year. For one particular unit, they explore sustainability in relation to product design, which is where learning about the SDGs takes a central role.
“I have students designing upcycled and recycled clothes, and one is redesigning a building from an architectural perspective to make it more eco-friendly and sustainable. He’s exploring exterior gardens on the walls and roof, and using alternative building materials as well,” explains Neil. “Students are also making furniture out of reclaimed wood, and jewelry out of Keurig cups and other recycled materials. One student is investigating bee hives and how to create them out of natural materials to start a beehive at the school. Another is designing a composting unit for our café. ”
The unit is a long one, about four months in total, allowing students the time to sink into the design process and prototype solutions that work. Neil feels time is an essential ingredient for creative thought work.
“Sometimes the students get very distracted and lose track of time because they’re so into what they’re creating. It’s wonderful inquiry time,” he reflects.
Aaron’s work in introducing students to the SDGs and helping them think creatively about application in the design realm has provided a wonderful opportunity to get to know the students. As he sees them throughout the school day on campus, they know they can approach him with questions and thoughts. Through a long-term consulting partnership with Seoul Foreign School, Aaron’s home base has been the SFS campus for roughly 1-2 days a week over the past two years, and this has provided a rich opportunity for SFS students to explore ideas about sustainability and global citizenship.
“The students at SFS are quite aware of the SDGs because we look at this in many parts of the school and curriculum,” says Neil. “In a design class, they can bring in what they know and make connections across many different types of subject areas. It’s quite interdisciplinary.”
At the end of the 10th Grade Design unit, Neil will have the students demonstrate their learning through a formal display of prototypes on campus. Some students will also be able to deliver products to their partners. For instance, one grade 10 student has been designing bluetooth speakers for a peer who lives at a local orphanage, and will be able to deliver the prototype at the end of the unit.
“I never say no in my classroom. I say ‘can you’?” says Neil with a smile. He likes to be a facilitator of learning, guiding students with questions and helping them teach themselves as they learn by doing.
“The design students really get to know how to use the tools in these spaces, and they then take on a leadership role with others. For instance, we have clubs come in to the use the makerspaces, and the G4 science students also come in to work on their projects. It’s so nice to see the design students take the lead in these settings and help others,” says Neil.
In addition to 10th Grade Design, Neil teaches a 9th Grade Design class, and Grade 11 and 12 IB DP Design. Next year he will be taking on a leadership role with the IB CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) program as well.