Design Thinking Thought Leadership
Be inspired by our expert learning team as they share the latest on Design Thinking
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The Power of Maker Pedagogy & 8 ways to Spot It and Embed It in the Classroom
I am becoming increasingly convinced that maker pedagogy has the power to develop critical, creative and design thinking, and the creative confidence and self-belief our young people need to become innovators, problem-solvers and positive change makers. I can often be heard sprouting the virtues of constructionist learning theory. Occasionally, I am pulled up on this...
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New Makers Empire 13-Part 'Design Thinking' Professional Development Series for Teachers
As part of the Makers Empire School Subscription, teachers gain access to an innovative, 13-part professional development (PD) video series in the Teacher's Dashboard. This series is designed to help teachers successfully teach Design Thinking, implement maker pedagogy and use 3D design and 3D printing an authentic teaching tool. This on-demand video series replaces Makers...
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5 Ways Design & Technology Curricula are Changing and How Makers Empire Can Help
We hear a lot of talk about what it's going to take for our young people to thrive and survive in their 21st-century futures. It's become almost cliched to talk about 21st-century skills but it is fair to say that many of today's school students will be working in jobs that don't yet exist and...
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4 Reasons Why I Want My Kids to Be Design Thinkers (Not Just Happy)
As a new mum, I remember gazing at my sleeping baby and silently vowing to protect, guide and love her. I remember thinking: I'm going to help you grow into the best version of yourself. Whatever you want to do, I'll help you get there. I just want you to be happy. I'm sure a...
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9 Ways Teachers Can Differentiate Design Tasks for Students
At Makers Empire we believe that every child can change their world. Our dream is to empower every student with the tools, skills and creative confidence they need, to be able to tackle challenges head-on and develop creative, innovative solutions to problems. We know that teachers play a major role in helping students develop the...
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4 ways to help students identify needs and opportunities and to design apt solutions
At Makers Empire, we believe that design thinking skills are crucial tools for students to have in their kit bags as they prepare to thrive into the 21st century. Students who can successfully follow design thinking processes are best placed to think creatively, critique and analyze situations and products, create solutions to problems, visualize new...
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Lesson Plan Library with 130+ Lesson Plans
Aligned to Australian Common Core Standards, Australian Curriculum, Next Generation Science Standards
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ENTREPRENEURS UNITED
- Grade/s: 7, 8
- Subject/s: Tech., Economics
- Type: Lesson Plan
Students investigate the attributes and skills of successful entrepeneurs. They use design thinking processes to plan an entrepeneurial venture and develop 3D printed prototypes of their ideas.
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BUILDING RENOVATIONS
- Grade/s: 7
- Subject/s: Maths, Engineering
- Type: Unit Plan
Students design a 3D model of a house. They are then required to make renovations to their house design by making selected geometric changes to their houses.
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DESIGN A PRODUCT
- Grade/s: 6
- Subject/s: Technologies
- Type: Lesson Plan
In this lesson, students will learn how to design, make and sell a 3D printed product. A great exercise for students to learn about product design, prototyping, entrepreneurship and marketing.
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NATURAL DISASTERS
- Grade/s: 6
- Subject/s: Science, Technologies
- Type: Lesson Plan
Students identify and study problems caused by natural disasters. They devise solutions to these problems and then design and 3D print their practical remedies.
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School Case Studies
Discover how these teachers and students are using Makers Empire in the classroom
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How 3D Printing United My Class (and Helped Us Raise Funds for a Local Hospital!)
This guest post was written by Canadian grade 4/5 teacher, Jeff Hennigar. We are excited to share Jeff's story and hope that it inspires you as much as it inspires us. You can follow Jeff on Twitter here. Our 3D Printing Project by Jeff Hennigar We held a Make Sale at BLT Senior Elementary School's...
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7 ways schools are teaching Design Thinking using 3D Printing
Design thinking is a growing strategy for teaching at all levels. But what exactly is design thinking? Why is it important? Design thinking is a process for solving problems that involves asking questions, empathizing, experimenting and hands on testing. There are defined steps in the design thinking process: Empathize --> Define --> Ideate --> Prototype...
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How Birdwood Primary School students solved a sticky problem with 3D printing
Wondering how to use 3D printing to teach STEM subjects, design thinking and 21st century skills? Be inspired by this new interview with Bianca Laister, the Deputy Principal and Student Wellbeing Coordinator at Birdwood Primary School, a school in regional South Australia. Prior to completing Makers Empire's Learning by Design course as part of the SA...
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How Forbes Primary School students use 3D printing to solve a common classroom issue
At Forbes Primary School in South Australia, students have embraced 3D printing as a way to solve a common classroom problem. Every teacher and student knows the frustration students face when searching for their own bag within a sea of identical or similar looking bags. So the students at Forbes Primary School decided to use...
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How students learned design thinking and persistence by inventing superhero gadgets
Wondering how to use 3D printing and design in the classroom as an authentic teaching tool while engaging students and achieving curriculum requirements? Be inspired by Abbie Krieg, a Year 3/4 Teacher at Snowtown Primary School (PS) in regional South Australia. Abbie has been teaching for five years and it's her fourth year teaching at Snowtown PS....
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How Braemar College created a sculpture made out of 840 3D printed blocks using Makers Empire
Braemar College in Australia celebrated its 40th anniversary in a unique way - the school created a sculpture made out of 840 3D printed blocks designed by the school community using Makers Empire 3D! From their blog: "In 1976, Braemar College commenced with 202 students and 15 staff. 40 years on, the College has 820 students...
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Design Thinking Competitions
Browse our past Design Thinking competitions and check out the winning entries
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Find A Way 3D Design Thinking Competition Winners!
We are proud to announce the winners of Makers Empire's Design Thinking competition from July: Find A Way! In this competition, students were challenged to design a complex 3D maze that they could get lost in. This was the original design challenge: We enjoyed all of the competition submissions! The mazes that students created were incredibly complex...
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Splash Down 3D Design Competition Winners!
We are proud to announce the winners of Makers Empire's Design Thinking competition from June: Splash Down! In this competition, students were challenged to design a landing pad where bees could safely access the water to drink. This was the original design challenge: We enjoyed all of the competition submissions! The students created such thoughtful, practical and creative...
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Super Gadget 3D Design Competition Winners!
We are proud to announce the Super Gadget 3D design competition winners! Students were challenged to create a superhero character and then design a new super gadget the superhero needs to fight supervillains. This was the original design challenge: We enjoyed all of the competition submissions! The students showed lots of innovation and inventor skills...
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