5A2_0297_ Enabling 21st Century Skills for Textile Education by Integrating Design Thinking in Elementary Schools

Creativity, problem-solving skills and the ability for collaborative work are considered key competences for facing the challenges of the 21st century. Children are born with an inherent creativity that decreases throughout their school careers. A research team of designers and educators investigates whether the implementation of Design Thinking (DT) in textile education in German elementary schools is a suitable method to preserve children’s creativity. Initial surveys with teachers and pilot studies in elementary schools showed high motivation and open-mindedness towards DT in classroom. The challenge will be to develop suitable teaching modules for elementary schools of the federal state Baden-Württemberg.