If there's one thing that we know for sure, it's that the future belongs to those who can design it. And at Shanghai American School, we're preparing our students to do just that. Our Design Technology program is more than just a class; it's a way of thinking that sets our students up for success in all areas of life.
如果说有什么是可以确定的话，那就是未来属于能够对其进行设计的人才的。在上海美国学校，我们正在帮助学生们做好这方面的准备。SAS的设计与技术项目不仅仅是一门课程，它还是一种思维方式，能够助力学生们在生活的各个方面取得成功。
We're not just teaching our students how to use tools like 3D printers (even though they’re super cool!); we're teaching them how to approach the world with a problem-solving mindset. Think of our students as Eagle superheroes, but instead of capes, they wear safety goggles and wield power tools.
我们不仅会教授学生们如何使用3D打印机等工具（它们非常炫酷），还会教导他们如何以解决问题的心态来面对世界。你可以把我们的学生们想象成出自SAS的超级英雄，但他们没有身披披风，而是头戴护目镜，手拿电动工具。 
Discovering the Joy of Design Tech
发现设计与技术的乐趣
Starting from Grade 6 in middle school, all SAS students can take one full semester of Design Tech, which exposes them to the major steps of the design process and allows them to learn the different skills involved in design thinking. They also develop hands-on skills including fabrication, computer-aided design, computer science, and robotics.
从六年级开始，SAS的所有学生都可以修读一整个学期的设计与技术课程，这门课程能够让他们了解设计过程中的主要步骤，学习设计思维涉及的不同技能。他们还能掌握动手实践技能，包括制造技术、计算机辅助设计、计算机科学和机器人学。
“From the beginning, it’s all about exposure to the multiple avenues of design tech,” says Puxi Campus’ Design Tech teacher Scott Hatt. “We allow students to explore a variety of topics and encourage them to engage in hands-on projects to foster active problem-solving.”
浦西校区设计与技术课老师Scott Hatt表示：“从一开始，这门课程就是要让学生们接触设计与技术的多个方面。我们允许学生们探索各种主题，鼓励他们动手参与到项目中去，从而培养他们积极解决问题的能力。”
Choose Your Own Adventure
选择自己的冒险
With the vast array of choices, from vex robotics and mobile phone app design in middle school to advanced electrical mechanical design projects with light and sound in high school, our students have the freedom to explore their interests and tailor their learning experience to their own unique goals.
设计与技术课程提供了很多选择，从初中阶段的vex机器人和手机应用程序设计，到高中阶段的高级光声机电设计项目，我们的学生们可以自由探索他们的兴趣爱好，根据各自的学习目标定制自己的学习体验。
The program is supported by state-of-the-art facilities, including dedicated, college-level maker spaces at both campuses, so students can bring their wildest ideas to life. Think of it as a ‘choose your own adventure’ book, but instead of an adventure, in which you get to choose your own programming language and design specialty.
课程配备了最先进的设施，包括两个校区都配备的大学级别的专用创客空间，让学生们能够将他们最疯狂的想法变成现实。这就像《选择自己的冒险》这套书一样，只不过学生们选择的不是冒险，而是自己的编程语言和设计专业。
A New Way of Thinking
全新的思维方式
Of course, at SAS, Design Tech is always about more than students learning how to use tools. As Troy Harkin, Head of Middle School Design Tech and Visual Arts (and High School Design Tech course teacher) at Pudong Campus, explains, "Everything they do serves a bigger purpose – from serving the needs of others and finding solutions for their local community to potentially solving issues that affect us all.”
当然，在SAS，设计与技术一直以来都不仅仅是为了让学生们学习如何使用工具。正如浦东校区初中部设计技术与视觉艺术负责人（兼高中部设计技术课程老师）Troy Harkin所解释的那样，“他们所做的一切都是为了更宏大的目标——从满足他人的需求，为当地社区找到解决方案，到解决影响我们每个人的问题。”
Plus, we encourage students to take risks and try new things, even if it means “failing” a few times along the way. It’s this focus on learning new ways of thinking that sets our Design Tech program apart.
此外，我们鼓励学生们勇于冒险，尝试新鲜事物，即使在此过程中“失败”几次也没关系。正是这种对学习全新思维方式的重视让我们的设计与技术课程与众不同。
From an early age, our students learn that nothing is impossible; they can just go back to the drawing board and recalibrate. It's a way of thinking centered around ideation and iteration, teaching students to be comfortable with trying and learning from the results. You're not just jumping to a solution; you're empathizing with the problem. Each of these empathy exercises causes you to reexamine the problem itself and come up with different solutions.
从很小的时候，我们的学生们就学到了没有什么是不可能的；他们可以回到绘图板上重新校准。这是一种以构思和迭代为中心的思维方式，教导学生们勇于尝试并从结果中学习。学生们不是草草找到解决方案，而是对问题感同身受。每一次移情练习都能让学生们对问题本身进行重新审视，找到不同的解决方案。
Empowered to Make Changes
助力学生们有所作为
“By the time they finish Middle School, they feel the empowerment to go forth and make things happen,” adds Troy. “I often have High Schoolers come back and find me because they have an idea in their head, and they see something they can do to better the school, for example. Because of their learning journey, their mindset changes to know they can tackle any problems that come towards them.”
Troy补充道：“读完初中后，他们会感觉自己有能力更进一步，有所作为。经常有高中部的学生们回来找我，因为他们有了好想法。例如，他们发现自己可以做些事情来让学校变得更好。他们的思维因自己的学习经历发生了改变，让他们知道自己可以解决出现的任何问题。”
At SAS, we're not just making things; we're making a difference. And Design Tech is a key part of that.
在SAS，我们不仅制造东西，我们还会做出改变。设计与技术则是这一切的关键所在。