学在OCAC|MYP设计课和它的“学科主理人”

 

编者按:

“学在OCAC”是我们新近推出的一个系列。我们希望可以陆续在此栏目中,为大家介绍一些海归的课程、老师、教学成果,等等。

 

MYP课程是PYP课程与DP课程当中的衔接阶段,也是学生们进入初中后,从 “超学科探究” 转为 “跨学科探究” 及专科教育的过渡阶段,其重要性不言而喻。

 

我们的介绍就从MYP课程开始。之后,老师们将为陆续为大家介绍不同学科的内容、特色、成果等,敬请期待。

 

(本文由Mr. Patrick Carter提供原始稿件。略有修改和整理。)

 

 

 

 

01

MYP设计:从大型项目实践中GET软技能

 

 

设计是MYP课程体系中的一门重要学科,也是大多数学生在六年级之前没有接触过的课程。在海归,初中生们将有机会体验这门挑战与收获并存的新科目。设计需要运用很多学科的知识,如艺术、数学、科学和英语等,但通过设计课程,学生也可以融会贯通,以一种全新的方式重新认识不同的学科。

 

其实在日常生活中,设计无处不在。作为一门实用型课程,虽然学生在学校里接触这门学科的时间有限,但设计课绝对会让学生印象深刻。学生不仅可以通过自己的想象力设计、制作有形的产品,还能学习让他们受益终生的技能。

 

设计注重通过项目实践解决问题、创造产品和交流沟通。基于项目的学习意味着学生会在整个学年中专注于几个大型项目,而非众多的小型任务。通过大型项目实践,学生可以学习时间管理、组织规划、目标设定和计划执行等让他们受益终身的软技能。这些技能也是设计学习的核心,是生活中可以应用于诸多领域的重要技能。

 

 

02

那么,我们如何教/学设计?

 

 

埃德温·兰德博士所说:“创造力的一个重要方面就是不怕失败” 。我们希望学生在学习设计的过程中,能够逐渐get到这一点。

 

在IB设计项目的实践中,有4个步骤:

 

1. 研究和分析:学生识别问题并开始收集信息,以最适合目标需求的方式解决问题。

 

2. 开发想法:学生利用研究的信息提出解决方案,这一阶段通常涉及绘画,以图形的形式直观地表达想法

 

3. 创建解决方案:选择最佳解决方案并创建实际的或数字化产品

 

4.评估:评估所设计的产品,考察问题是否均已解决。根据测试结果,确定更改方案。

 

 

通过上述4个实践步骤,学生在不知不觉中提升了ICT能力,发展了构思草图、技术绘图和渲染技能,并学会使用和辨识各种材料、器材、工具来制作物理模型或输出过程文档。

 

03

Mr. Patrick Carter:像“阿甘”一样专注于生活的核心

 

 

有趣的学科需要配备有趣而优秀的教师,让我们来认识一下设计老师Mr. Patrick Carter。

 

 

 01 “斜杠青年” 的 “第二故乡”

 

设计老师Patrick来自于澳大利亚阿德莱德,他在那里长大,家里有四个兄弟。

 

他也在那里求学。在南澳大学(University of South Australia),他攻读了四年的工业设计学士学位。热爱设计的他也是个“斜杠青年”——从15岁起,他就从事过许多不同的职业,包括游泳教练、销售、酒店管理、媒体、设计、摄影和音乐。

 

今年已经是Patrick在苏州生活的第6年。2016年,来苏州探亲旅游的他,被 “迷人而充满挑战” 的中国留下,从此他决定在这里工作和生活。他说:“我去过中国很多的地方,结识了许多当地以及来自于不同国家的新朋友。我在苏州找到了第二故乡。

 

有趣的人,在哪里都可以找到有趣的生活。来更多了解一下Patrick吧!

 

 你在闲暇时间都喜欢做什么?

平时,我喜欢听音乐、玩音乐,写歌。可以演奏诸多乐器,包含吉他、鼓,低音吉他等。对我来说,保持积极的状态很重要,所以我尽可能多做户外运动,打羽毛球、网球、高尔夫等。其他时间,我也喜欢看电影,玩棋盘游戏,和志同道合的朋友做一些有意义的事儿。

 

如果你可以在音乐剧、电影或书中扮演角色,你想扮演哪个角色?为什么?

我想成为《阿甘正传》里的阿甘。他有丰富多彩的生活和经历,在他的生命里,他遇到了有影响力的人,毫不费力地获得了财富和成功,并给周围的人带来了幸福。他并不是有意识地在做这一切,他只是专注于生活的核心——家庭、朋友和爱。

 

02  “很幸运能在OCAC这所IB学校教设计”

 

Patrick说,他喜欢解决问题,喜欢画一些很酷的作品,因此在大学选择了 “产品设计” 专业。而 “设计老师” 这个角色则可以将他对 “设计” 的热爱与对 “教学” 的热情结合起来,成为他最好的职业选择。

 

谈谈你在海归的教学和工作?

这里的工作具有挑战性,也让我学到了很多,获得了很多新的经验和理解。OCAC给了我一个机会来教授我喜欢的东西,与我的学生分享我对设计的热爱。很高兴有我自己的工作室来构建产品,并在IB框架内自由构建设计课程。IB设计课与标准设计方法密切相关,所以我很幸运能在IB学校教设计。

 

你如何丰富学生的学习体验?

我努力与所有学生建立沟通,尽可能从他们的角度理解生活。这有助于我为他们提供更好的设计项目。我努力在我的课堂上建立师生之间的信任,并在课堂上创建更好的学习文化。我也经常思考教学和班级管理的方法,最近我使用了IB设计周期以及设计思维导图来提升班级的学习环境。

 

 

 

03 “我惊讶于学生的创造力”

 

那么,为什么在MYP课程中,设计是一门必修课?学生能从中学到什么?这些刚刚升到初中、从来没有接触过设计的学生,表现又怎样呢?来听听Patrick老师怎么说。

 

为什么学生需要学习设计?

设计给学生提供了一个平台,让他们能够练习所学的技能,锻炼创造性解决问题的能力,做高质量的调研,提升时间管理和沟通意识。完成一件成功的设计作品需要运用到上述所有的技能。除此之外,学生可以通过使用机器和工具将自己的想法变成现实。我想,学生应该都很享受这个收获的过程。

学生在您课堂的表现如何?

学生的经验和兴趣点真的各不相同,因此课堂表现也是多样的。设计课作为一门独特的MYP课程,大多数学生以前并没有学习过它,所以课程本身是具有挑战性的。

 

平时的课堂里,我惊讶于学生在设计项目中的创造力,但我的重点是让学生首先学习最基本的技能,这是能够创造出好产品的基石,过程虽然缓慢,但是我已经看到了许多学生取得了进步,变得更加自信,能够更深入地理解概念,我非常期待他们今年的作品。

 

 

 

04 “在你成功之前,假装你已经成功”

 

最后,Patrick老师给了学生们一些中肯的建议:保持自信,管理好时间,做能够给自己、给他人带来幸福感的事情……希望这些建议能给同学们带来一些启发。

 

对于学习设计,你对学生有何建议?

首先,要有自信,我们都是从零开始的,哪怕我们并不完美,英语中有句俗语:“在你成功之前先假装你已经成功”,而这句话在设计领域来说尤为适用。

第二,集中精力管理时间,如果经常拖延,在做大型项目时你会倍感压力。有计划地完成学年项目会带来很多好处,比如能够尽早发现问题、解决问题,从而更好地完成设计作品。在项目周期结束时,你会获得更大的成就感。

 

 

你对学生的未来发展有什么建议?

深入思考那些让你感兴趣的事情,能够给你带来满足感和幸福感(或给你生活中重要的人带来幸福感)的事情,并付诸行动。在这个科技、社交媒体和互联网齐头并进的新时代,我们很容易浪费时间在无意义的事情上。但请记住,时间是宝贵的、有限的,请合理安排、使用你的时间。注意劳逸结合,平衡兴趣与学习,保持充足的睡眠,匀出时间陪伴你的家人和朋友。

 

 

看完以上介绍,你是否也和我们一样,更加期待看到学生们的设计作品了呢?

 

 

Design is a subject that most students have not taken before grade 6. In MYP, middle school students get a chance to experience a new subject that is challenging but also rewarding. Although the subject utilizes subject knowledge from other subjects such as art, mathematics, science and English, these skills are being used in a way most students have not done before. Design focuses on problem solving, creativity, innovation and communication through the practice of project-based learning. Project- based learning means that students are working on a small number of large projects throughout the year rather than many smaller tasks. Doing tasks in this way requires students to practice time management, organization, goal setting and planning. These skills are at the core of design learning and are important transitional skills for many areas of life.

 

 

An IB design project is broken into four criteria.

 

 

1. Research and Analysis- Students identify a problem and begin to collect information to help solve this problem in a way that best suits the needs of a target audience.

 

2. Developing Ideas- Students use the researched information to begin creating solutions, this stage will usually involve drawings to visually communicate their ideas.

 

3. Creating the Solution- Students will choose their best solution and create a physical or digital product, following a plan and set of standards/requirements they set for themselves.

 

4. Evaluating- Now that students have a product to test, they begin to evaluate how successful their design is at solving the identified problem. Based on the results of their testing, they can identify what changes need to be made to the current design, or how they can reiterate an improved version.

 

 

 

Over the course of these criteria steps, students will have learned and practiced research and ICT skills, ideation sketching, technical drawing and rendering skills, physical model making with a variety of materials and machinery/tools and documentation of the entire process.

 

As we are constantly surrounded by design in our everyday lives, so it is a subject we can all connect with. Although design is a subject that students only have access to for a short period of their school lives, it is a memorable one that gives them a chance to take away tangible products they can keep and use at home, and skills they can use for life.

 

“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail” – Dr. Edwin Land

 

 

Personal Related

 

Please introduce yourself briefly.

 

I am Patrick from Adelaide, South Australia. I lived in Adelaide my entire life with my four brothers, mum, and dad, before moving to Suzhou.

 

I studied a Bachelor of Industrial Design at the University of South Australia for four years and have worked in many different occupations since I was 15, including swimming instruction, sales, hospitality, media + design, photography and music.

 

What would you like to do at your leisure time?

In my leisure time I like to listen to and play music and write my own songs. I play guitar, drums, bass guitar and sing. It’s important for me to keep active, so I play badminton, tennis, golf and do outdoor activities as much as I can. I really enjoy indoor activities like watching good movies, playing board games and talking to my friends about common interests.

Do you have any experience or insight to share for living in Suzhou and China?

I’ve lived in Suzhou for six years, initially coming here in 2016 to visit family and see more of the world. I ended up finding China a fascinating and challenging place, so decided I would live and work here. I have seen many different parts of China now and met many new friends, both foreigners and locals. I feel I have found a second home and a second family in Suzhou

If you could be in any musical or movie or a book character, what would it be? Why?

I would be Forest Gump. He lives a colorful life filled with many different experiences, meets influential people, effortlessly achieves wealth, fame and success, and brings happiness to all around him. He does all of this while blissfully ignorant and only focused on the core things in life that really matter to him, family, friends, and love.

 

Career Related

 

What made you to become a Design Teacher?

I studied Product Design in university because I loved to problem solve, draw cool products and thought being designer would be a fun job. When I came to China I focused on teaching and found a passion for it. When the opportunity of joining these two areas of my life together came, it was an easy decision.

How do students perform in your class?

The experience level, interests and abilities of my students are really varied and so is the content of design projects. So, student performance is also varied. Design is a unique MYP subject in that most students have no previous learning experiences of it, making it a challenging subject. Sometimes I am amazed at what students can create in their design projects but my focus is to give students the basic skills to create the best possible products they can make. This is a slow process, but I see so many of the students I taught last year have progressed in confidence and understanding and look forward to seeing what they will make this year.

How is your teaching and working experience so far at OCAC?

It has been challenging and informative. I have learned a lot and gained a lot of new experience/understanding.OCAC has given me a chance to teach something I love and hopefully share that love of design with my students. It’s nice to have my own workshop to build products and have freedom with building the design course within the IB framework. IB design is very closely connected to the standard design approach, so I am lucky to teach design at an IB school.

 

 

Teaching and Learning Focused

 

Why do you think it is important for students to learn design?

Design gives students an opportunity to practice skills that don’t often practice and do it in an active and interesting way. Creative problem solving, innovating, reiterating, quality researching, time management and consistent communication are all areas students struggle with and this is a sign that they don’t practice these skills enough. Design creates situations where all these skills are necessary for success.

 

Aside from this, it’s a class where students can use machinery to physically make an idea that started in their heads. I think all students enjoy this part of the process a lot.

 

 

What approaches have you used to enrich the learning experience of the students? Why?

I have tried hard to create a personal connection with all my students and understand life from their perspectives whenever possible. This helps me to create better projects for them, build a sense community and trust within my classroom and create a better learning culture in lessons.

 

I am often thinking of experimental approaches to teaching and class management and recently have used the IB Design cycle/design thinking to improve the learning environment of my class groups.

 

 

Do you have any advice for the OCAC middle school students in design?

The first thing is to have self-belief, even if it feels like a lie. We all start at somewhere and it’s okay to not be perfect at something straight away. We have a saying in English, “fake it till you make it”, and this saying goes extra for creative fields. The second is to focus on managing time, big projects will only ever feel overwhelming if work is left to the last minute. Slowly going through the process leads to many benefits such as finding problems early so that you can get help with them or not feeling guilty and overwhelmed. This leads to a more enjoyable process, a better product result and a greater sense of achievement at the end of the project.

 

What advice do you have for OCAC students for their future development?

Reflect deeply on the things that interest you and bring you fulfillment and happiness (and happiness to the important people in your life), and go to those things.

 

In this new age of technology, social media, and the internet, it is so easy to waste time. Remember that time is valuable and limited, think carefully about how you choose to use it. Create balanced routines in your life that gives time for study, time for your interests, time for your family and friends and time for SLEEP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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为了更好地满足海外归国就业人才子女接受中西融合教育的需求,在苏州工业园区管委会的大力支持下,中锐教育集团与中新集团合作创办了苏州工业园区海归人才子女学校(简称:OCAC-Suzhou)。这是首家为海归人才子女、华裔华侨子女以及有意愿接受国际教育的中国学生而特别打造的学校。

 

OCAC-Suzhou提供从幼儿园到高中十五年一贯制的中英文双语教育。以中国国家课程为纲领,以国际文凭IB课程为结构,以融合创新课程为特色,培养主动进取、全面发展的终身学习者。学校致力于开发学生创造、创新、创艺的潜质,使他们将来能与各国青年合作解决21世纪的世界性问题。

 

学校地址:苏州工业园区兆佳巷18号

更多资讯,

请访问学校官网 www.ocac-suzhou.com

联系邮箱:info@ocac-suzhou.com

学校总机:0512-6500 1600