UNITING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING & DESIGN THINKING FOR LIMITLESS CREATIVITY

I received an exciting invitation from my colleague Jennifer Osbourne to facilitate a Design Thinking workshop for the "Quest" program.

Quest is a unique, yearlong initiative where high school students step away from traditional coursework to pursue interdisciplinary projects with professional clients. It involves internships, fieldwork, and rigorous research guided by the Quest team: Jennifer, Mare Stewart, and Tom Flanagan.

For me, this was the ideal scenario to demonstrate the synergy between two specific methodologies. Project-Based Learning (PBL) acts as the vehicle educators use to create authentic, real-world contexts. Design Thinking is the engine students use to navigate those challenges creatively.

During the day-long workshop, students moved through the design phases—conducting empathy interviews, brainstorming, and building prototypes. We focused heavily on iteration, using Pixar’s "Plussing" technique to refine ideas.

The outcomes were grounded in reality. One team designed a holistic education framework for elementary students. Another consulted for an organization to identify gaps in resource allocation. A third developed a campaign for Quezon City to mobilize the community toward sustainable tech solutions by fusing tradition with social media.

I am incredibly grateful to the Quest team for this opportunity and to Shaun Kirkwood for his assistance and valuable feedback.