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What is Human Ingenuity?
According to Webster’s dictionary, ingenious means skilled in inventing or thinking out new ideas; curious or clever in design. In Human Ingenuity students develop creative thinking while developing innovative products. Original works are created as a means of expression and students develop cultural understanding and global awareness. Students also contribute to project teams to learn the importance of teamwork, communication, and collaboration in manufacturing and how to work successfully as a team.
What do we do in Human Ingenuity class?
 Students learn how to work with different materials such as metal, wood, and plastic. They begin to understand the design process as they make decisions which include who the product is designed for, how the product will work, what the product will be made of, and how the product should be made. During the design process students develop research skills, planning skills, and evaluation skills.
The Design Process
Mindmapping—getting everything in your head out onto paper to see your project, problems and possible solutions. This includes drawing pictures of a product, flowcharts, and written words. During this stages students are encouraged to think freely and are allowed to draw and write without restrictions.
Product analysis—is a very important part of design. During this step, students look critically at a product and see how it looks and why it works the way it does. This develops the skill of evaluation and is useful in many aspects of life such as choosing items to buy and deciding ways of travel. Students will look at existing products and make notes on the appearance, shape, purpose, and size. By learning from an existing product, students will develop skills which help avoid mistakes and ensure the success of their new products.
Market research—finding out what people like through surveys, interviews, or other research techniques. Asking individuals to create mood boards is another technique. This involves asking people to collect images, pictures, sketches, postcards and posters from books and magazines that they like. These pieces of information help to get a feel for what sort of style appeals to individuals which helps in creating a successful design such as interior themes for homes and offices.
Design brief—describes a problem or desire. This is an overview of what a product should include. This information can begin with a client who has a specific need which includes a purpose. The design brief will include specifications that need to be meet such as that uses the product, how the product will be used, what is the duration of the product, and what happens after the products useful life is over.
Planning production—Production planning involves teamwork. The team meets together and makes decisions as to who will complete which task. They also create a timeline.
Production and evaluation—Asking questions such as: How successful has the team been during the design and making of the product? Did you save time working as a team? How could this process be used in industry? What would you do differently? Would you make any changes to the overall design? Would you change the assembly process? Why did you make the decisions you did about the behaviors and construction of the product? Did you modify any of your ideas during the project?
Reflection
Students learn how to set targets by reflecting on their strengths and weaknesses. By thinking hard and recording strengths and weaknesses honestly, students will be able to see where they need to focus efforts in the future. Setting targets based on self information is a great way to improve attainment levels.
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