LIN30105 Creative and Critical Thinking Skills Assessment 02 – Taylor’s College

SCHOOL OF PRE-UNIVERSITY STUDIES

Taylor’s College

Foundation in Arts

Foundation in Business

Foundation in Design

Foundation in Engineering

Foundation in Natural and Built Environment  

Prerequisite: None 

Lecturers: Choy Chun Wei, Farid Hamidon, Fawwaz Fuat, Fu Yen Huei, Nurin Abdullah, Paul Nickson Atia, Reyilan Ainaidu, Shazreene Nurjanna, Siaw Siew Yung, Stanley Zhang Zimeng Sufina Abu Bakar

Assessment 02

DEFINE + IDEATE (35% GROUP WORK)

Design For Change: Play & Act of Play – Part 1

Submission on Week 9

Introduction 

 ABSTRACT: Play

Remember when we were kids, we would be building fortress or houses made of stacked pillow cushions, we would pick up a wooden stick or tree branch pretending to start shooting the enemies in a battlefield? We turned empty water bottles or chopstick into drums or drumstick, and we would proudly be riding our horses made from the pillow cushions. You need only a piece of towel or clothe as a cape, you are now a Superman or Batman. Any found items or daily objects around us are turned into toys or repurposed and rethinking into objects of play. The possibilities of ideas in making or creating a play is limitless; quite literally.

Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, and educator best known for the philosophy of education that bears her name, and her writing on scientific pedagogy highlighted in her book, The Absorbent Mind (1949), the importance of play in a child’s development. “Play is the work of the child”, said Montessori. Children are believed to value the processes and the act of play more than the ends.

All play is associated with intense thought activity and rapid intellectual growth. The highest form of research is essentially play. Einstein is quoted as saying, “The desire to arrive finally at logically connected concepts is the emotional basis of a vague play with basic ideas. This combinatory or associative play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought.” (N.V.,Scarfe, Play is Education, Childhood Education, 1962)

play /pleɪ/ engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. toy /tɔɪ/ an object for a child to play with, typically a model or miniature replica of something.

Objectives of the Assignment  

1. Understanding of the theories on the initial stage of critical and creative thinking skills
2. Application of theories on the initial stage of critical and creative thinking skills

Learning Outcomes of the Assignment

1. Analyse information critically from research and observation based on a particular context

Methodology

Table 1

Scenario

As a group of artists/designers/creatives collective, you are assigned to the children’s and youth’s department to design INTERVENTIONS within the Topical Crisis setting (Table 1) that responds towards the idea of ‘play and act of play’.                 

DEFINE

TASK 1 – (Four (4) Pages of Slides)  Gathering Content + Analyse + Questioning 

In a group, students are ASSIGNED to ONE (1) TOPICAL CRISIS. Students must understand and DEFINE their assigned topic while visually expressing their response and exploration.

The outcome shall present critical discussion and the ability to interpret forms of information creatively. Group to present discussions, research and carry out study from PUBLISHED CONTENT(S)* to understand the scope and/or nature of the assigned topic in general.  

*(PUBLISHED CONTENTS of credible and reliable sources – articles, website, news, blogs, campaigns, tabloids, podcast, documentary, statistics, data, etc).  

TOPIC INTRODUCTION: Topic Overview + General Information  (Topical Crisis + Play & Act of Play)

The group to present relevant background information on the assigned Topical Crisis and define how it connects to the concept of Play and Act of Play. Provide a general overview and framing of the issue.

CONTEXT & DEMOGRAPHICS: Location + User Profile

The group to specify the location or context of focus (global, regional, or local) and highlight the user profile of affected children/youth (e.g., age, gender, setting, background, condition). Identify who they are, and how social or cultural context shapes their access to play.

ISSUES: Facts, Statistics, Precedent Study, Gaps

The group to present facts and data from credible sources, including relevant statistics and findings. Share precedent studies or existing interventions that respond to the crisis. Identify gaps or limitations in existing efforts.

LIMITATIONS, RESTRICTIONS & IMPACTS: Barriers + Effects

The group to identify limitations and restrictions that children face within the crisis context (e.g., lack of resources, unsafe environments, cultural stigma, accessibility issues, trauma). Discuss how these barriers restrict opportunities for play. Then highlight the impacts of these restrictions on children’s wellbeing and development, both short- and long-term. 

IDEATE

TASK 2 – (Three (3) Pages of Slides)     

Ideation, Intents, Narratives, and Conclusion  

IDEATE THREE (3) Design Ideas to translate evaluation into intervention intents that address issues identified in Task 1.  

The group to propose design intervention ideas. Present the title of the idea, a short narrative (2–3 sentences) describing what it is and who it is for, accompanied by a visual expression (sketch, drawing, collage, moodboard, or symbolic diagram). The ideation exploration should be a critical discussion that demonstrates critical and creative intents to address different limitation, restriction, or opportunity identified in Task 1.

You are advised to present your findings creatively; to use infographics, diagrammatic approach, more visuals/ pictograms etc. rather than write ups/ report

TASK 3 – (1 page of A2 sized poster in portrait orientation)  Conclusion

The group to conclude and compile their findings from Task 1 and Task 2 into one (1) cohesive visual communication in the form of INFOGRAPHIC POSTER (A2 size – template provided).

The INFOGRAPHIC POSTER should include the following information:

• Title – Topical Crisis and Play + Act of Play
• Selected data/information extracted from Task 1
• Design Intervention Ideas extracted from Task 2
• Conclusion/Call to Action – Key Message: Why Play Matters

Sample of Infographic Poster:

Final documents/slides (Task 1, Task 2, and Task 3) should be in the form of a thematic, unified, coherent, and consistent concept throughout.                 

Assignment Timeline:

Submission Requirements

Students are required to use and submit using the templates provided (9 pages of slide document inclusive cover page + 1 page of A2-sized infographic poster) in a PDF format. Students are required to submit TWO (2) separate files for submission with file naming as:

• 9 pages of slide document: A2_GROUP NO_SEC NO_PROGRAMME_TITLE.pdf
• 1 page of A2-sized infographic poster: A2_GROUP NO_SEC NO_PROGRAMME_TITLE_POSTER.pdf

The submission will be online, and students must comply with the submission requirements on how to submit, where to submit, and what file to submit. Further instructions will be made on MyTimes.

Assessment Criteria

The assessment criteria for this assignment will be based on:

• Evidence of in-depth analysis of content through group findings and discussion and critically interpret different forms of information of the content.
• Evidence of intelligible evaluation and conclusion of group findings and discussion processes towards the content information

Marking Criteria

Marks shall be distributed as follows:

Work will be assessed based on the following assessment criteria:

Suggested References

1. Organ, N. (2024). Data Visualization for People of All Ages. CRC Press.
2. Buzan, T. (2024). Mind Map Mastery: The Complete Guide to Learning and Using the Most Powerful Thinking Tool in the Universe. Jaico Publishing House.
3. Sinha, S. (2023). Think Creative Think Design Thinking. OrangeBooks Publication.
4. McCuen, R.H. (2023). Critical Thinking, Idea Innovation, and Creativity. CRC Press.
5. Cottrell, S. (2023). Critical Thinking Skills: Effective Analysis, Argument and Reflection. Bloomsbury Academic.
6. Sloane, P. (2023). Lateral Thinking for Every Day: Extraordinary Solutions to Ordinary Problems. Kogan Page.

Marking Rubrics

MLO 2 – TGC 2.3

Analyse information critically from research and observation based on a particular context