Symposium to focus on design thinking

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Oct. 21, 2016) A speaker from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, will keynote the 2016 Susan Greiser Price Arts and Learning Symposium at California Lutheran University.

Michelle Cheng, professional development manager with the New York City museum, will speak at the free event, “Design Thinking: A Universe of Potential.” The symposium will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in Lundring Events Center on the Thousand Oaks campus.

Design thinking is a process for solving problems and discovering new opportunities. It allows for collaboration, critical thinking and creative problem-solving, making it a powerful tool for educating everyone from preschoolers to college students. Because design crosses many curricular boundaries, this symposium has direct application for the teaching of art, science, entrepreneurship and other disciplines. It is geared toward college students, faculty members, teachers, school administrators, artists and arts educators. 

All of the sessions will include interactive experiences in design thinking that connect art with diverse content areas. Participants will be able to view a student art exhibit focused on the topic during lunch.

Cheng will discuss how Cooper Hewitt uses design thinking in its educational programming as a vehicle for interdisciplinary learning, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) disciplines and 21^st-century skills.

In addition to overseeing programs for K-12 educators, Cheng leads the Smithsonian Design Institute, an innovative weeklong summer program for teachers. She previously served as director of education at the New Haven Museum in Connecticut and worked at the Providence Preservation Society and Newport Restoration Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in art history and comparative literature from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in teaching + learning in art + design from Rhode Island School of Design. 

Refreshments will be served.

Cal Lutheran’s Graduate School of Education Center for Innovative Learning and Artists and Speakers Committee are sponsoring the event. The annual symposium is designed to build partnerships between educators and community members to strengthen arts access from kindergarten to the university level. 

Reservations are required. To register, go to CalLutheran.edu/symposium.

For more information, contact Maureen Lorimer at mlorimer@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3836.