Saturday, 27 July 2024Collaboration with Gippsland Tech- A Clean Energy Initiative Matthew Wong (5J)
“Be creative!” This short but powerful phrase was echoed in the CAL Room on 4/F on 3rd May, the time when 25 science-minded students gathered to attend a briefing session organized by Gippsland High School and the Ministry of Education (Melbourne) in preparation for the International Clean Energy Challenge in September. The briefing brought today Shung Tak’s STEM team with that of Australia’s. In the briefing, our guest speaker and leader of the project, Mr Daniel Farrant, repeatedly emphasized the idea of “Design Thinking”, which consists of five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. To help us better understand this essential concept, a hands-on experience was organized.
All participants were asked to design a toy for a wizard to play with and a protection tool for a fairy. After sharing among the groups, the students being recognized with the best design in their respective groups were asked to present their designs. Students were able to utilize their creativity to brainstorm their designs, and there was no shortage of humour as students got really creative with their ideas. It was a different kind of class, noisy, controlled, and lots of laughter! Without a doubt, the “Design Thinking” concept was the biggest takeaway from the briefing. In this world, there are loads of problems related to renewable energy sources, which is another focus of this competition, that are yet to be solved. The key to tackle them is not just simply reciting what we have learnt from textbooks — instead, it is of utmost importance to inject lots of creativity into our process of finding solutions. Another key lesson is that there is there are always no right or wrong answers, with every single thought having a place and value.
What makes this go one step further is we — our actions to take it one step further, taking the time and effort to shape our ideas systematically using the “Design Thinking” process. As we move forward in this new endeavour, all participating students would forge ahead looking for new insights into problem-solving. With commitment, perseverance and a willing heart, all Shungtakians would work together to get well prepared for the competition which takes place Iin September. Bring it on!