Our design and engineering continuum curriculum is integrated into IB units of inquiry and starts with our youngest learners in preschool. As students discover the tools and materials available to them in our Makerspaces, they are able to create artifacts of their learning in all of their classes.

 

As students shape projects of their own imagining, they focus on problem-solving through the IB’s design cycle, which includes inquiry and analysis, idea development, creation and prototyping, and evaluation.

Design thinking begins with empathy, asking students to inquire about the needs, experiences, and challenges of others. At Dwight, students tap into the design thinking process as they devise innovative solutions to practical problems across disciplines, ranging from digital game development and product design to robotics, programming, and architecture.

Students who want to take their projects beyond our Makerspaces — or launch new ones — can dive into Spark Tank, our incubator. This signature Dwight program draws heavily on the IB design cycle, teaching students entrepreneurial, innovation, and leadership skills beyond the classroom. To find out more, watch the videos below.

MAKERSPACES FOR ALL

Wonder Lab
Students in grades 1-5 have access to Wonder Lab, where they create, invent, and engineer with both digital and analog tools. Projects include 3D laser-cut postcuts, woodworking hybrid animals, 3D modeling and printing, ancient architecture, book binding, and stop motion animation.

Invention Studio
The Invention Studio is where grade 6-8 students will engage in the design cycle and engineering process using 3D printers, sewing and embroidery machines, woodworking tools, a vinyl cutter, large format laser cutters, and a 1:1 robotics library. The Studio will also provide an environment for the introduction to MYP Design as students work on projects related to their IB units, such as creative coding and game design, sound engineering, assistive technologies, IoT (Internet of Things), machine learning, and engineering.

Spark Lab
Spark Lab is our makerspace designed for students in grades 9-12. Students have access to 3D printing and additive manufacturing machines, vinyl and laser cutters, a robotics library, woodworking tools, and consumables that allow students to produce both low - and high-fidelity prototypes. Students will have the chance to explore their passions in a creative and innovative way. The Spark Lab will support learning in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) when students learn how to analyze design problems, develop feasible solutions, and test models and prototypes. The Spark Lab will also support learning in the IB Diploma Programme (DP), when students are guided through topics like these:

    • Human factors and ergonomics
    • Resource management and sustainable production
    • Modeling
    • Raw material to final product
    • Innovation and design
    • Classic design
    • User-centered design (UCD)
    • Sustainability
    • Innovation and markets
    • Commercial production

SPARKING CURIOSITY AND PROBLEM-SOLVING THROUGH THE IB

With inquiry-based learning as the cornerstone of the curriculum, the IB educational journey at Dwight empowers students to go wherever their curiosity leads them, become risk takers, and develop design and entrepreneurial skills to solve problems and embrace change with confidence.

These skills include brainstorming, collaborating, and innovating. When coupled with traits such as flexibility, resourcefulness, and resilience, which we nurture within and beyond the classroom, students develop an entrepreneurial mindset. This preparation is invaluable for graduates as they forge their own paths in life and step successfully into the jobs of the future.