Students at Groh Public School in Kitchener are taking the lead in their learning journey thanks to a design thinking approach used by their teachers. We first caught up with the students in December 2022, as they set out with the goal of improving the experiences of newcomers in their community. Groups of students in the class created proposals to address a need, and pitched it to a panel of Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab (SWRIL) representatives. Four groups received funding, and put their plans into action.
Teachers Jen Schaefer and Jes Neilson took these students on a unique journey as they completed each of the required learning areas in Grade 7, and then some. Through their design thinking inquiry, students delved deeply into subjects like critical thinking, collaboration, geography, mathematics, science, project management, communications technology, and more.
