Playful Learning by Design in Kenya

Abstract

Design projects can function as a carrier for learning a subset of 21st century skills – but how does that play out in a rural community in Kenya that is unfamiliar with this approach to design education, and in a culture and context that the developers of such design education are not familiar with? This chapter recounts the development of a workshop programme that aims to teach design-related skills to primary school aged children in the non-formal context of a community centre in rural Kenya. As a collaboration between a Dutch academic design school and a local Kenyan non-profit organisation, the project required rethinking design education for a different cultural and economic context. This impacted the educational approach, including learning goals and design goals, didactics, educator support, and communication channels. Travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic enforced a remote development process, which created space for increased agency of the participating children and facilitator. The resulting workshop instruction guide scaffolds the local facilitators’ design (education) knowledge and supports playful group learning processes.