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  • Teach Design Thinking with Makers Empire

Design Thinking Thought Leadership

Be inspired by our expert learning team as they share the latest on Design Thinking

  • Want to be inspired? Watch These 5 Great TED Talks for Teachers

    Looking to motivate and engage your students? Wanting to dive deeper into pedagogy? Keen to be inspired by a new idea? Feeling tired and in need of a mental pick-me-up? May we suggest watching a TED Talk or 5? TED is a not for profit that shares pioneering ideas through short, engaging talks. The TED...

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  • 8 Ways Teachers and Students Can Benefit From Gamification in the Classroom

    Makers Empire 3D is not a video game. It’s specialised 3D modelling software carefully designed to help K-8 students develop Design Thinking skills in order to solve real-world problems. Our 3D design app and Learning by Design program were recently the subject of a 12-month Macquarie University study into primary schools makerspaces, so we are...

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  • What is Design Thinking? A Handy Guide for Teachers

    In this post, Mandi Dimitriadis, Director of Learning at Makers Empire, will help you understand more about Design Thinking. You’ll get to know what Design Thinking is, why Design Thinking is important, the phases of the Design Thinking process and how you might teach your students how to use Design Thinking to reframe problems and needs...

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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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Lesson Plan Library with 130+ Lesson Plans

Aligned to Australian Common Core Standards, Australian Curriculum, Next Generation Science Standards

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

Learn more about the lesson plan library

School Case Studies

Discover how these teachers and students are using Makers Empire in the classroom

Design Thinking Competitions

Browse our past Design Thinking competitions and check out the winning entries

  • Winners of the Share the Love 3D Design Competition

    Every month, Makers Empire hosts an in-app 3D design competition giving students around the world the opportunity to test their Design Thinking skills against their peers. To coincide with Valentine's Day, in February, students were challenged to create a design using Makers Empire 3D software that could be 3D printed into two pieces so they could give...

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  • Winners of the Zodiac Zoo 3D Design Competition

    Every month, Makers Empire hosts an in-app 3D design competition giving students around the world the opportunity to test their Design Thinking skills against their peers. To coincide with the upcoming Chinese New Year, in January, students were challenged to create a design of an animal that is in the Chinese Zodiac using Makers Empire 3D software. Students...

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  • Winners of the The Great Ornament Tournament 3D Design Competition

    Every month, Makers Empire hosts an in-app 3D design competition giving students around the world the opportunity to test their Design Thinking skills against their peers. To coincide with the holiday season, in December, students were challenged to create an ornament to celebrate a holiday that was important to them using Makers Empire 3D software. Students from all...

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