The Game Changer Challenge has been designed to introduce a culture of change around the way curriculum is taught in the classroom and to encourage the interdisciplinary application of subject content to real-world problems and the development of general capabilities in students.

Whether you are new to design thinking concepts or are a seasoned veteran, participating in this challenge will provide opportunities to gain valuable insights and confidence to apply design thinking in your classroom.

Design thinking and the curriculum

Design thinking is a tool that teachers can add to their toolkit to develop future-focused skills and learning across the curriculum – in particular, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, empathy and the interdisciplinary application of knowledge to solve complex real-world problems.

Design thinking in our schools

Schools use different elements of design thinking in the classroom, whether implicitly or explicitly. It's a creative way to get to the answer to a problem, and to understand how you learn.

Design thinking is often used in the school planning process. It allows schools to empathise with students, teachers and the community to understand their needs, putting the student at the centre of planning at the school level.

Design thinking also offers a good way to combine quantitative and qualitative data in school plans and profiles. It helps make sense of statistics, giving them a context.

Teaching resource

The design thinking across the curriculum resource can be used across the curriculum, particularly in Years 3-8.

It starts by giving everyone involved in solving a problem a chance to be heard, and goes on to explore defining, ideating, prototyping and testing solutions.

Guided activities include brainstorming, analysis, critical thinking and mind mapping.

A valuable learning opportunity

"The Game Changer Challenge was one of the best experiences so far in high school for me as I got to work with my friends to create an idea that could benefit our community" (Student)

"The experience was challenging yet rewarding for both the students and the teachers. We really admired how the students were determined to learn and apply their understanding of the design thinking process to real world challenges" (Teacher)

"The Game Changer Challenge was an extraordinary opportunity. The experience and knowledge we have obtained, has inspired us to further engage with our community and continue to solve problems through the use of the design thinking process” (Student)