Integrating Design Thinking into STEAM-BCG Education: Practical Lesson Plans to Enhance Problem-Solving Skills
in Middle School Classrooms

Integrating design thinking into STEAM-BCG education is believed to enhance middle school students' problem-solving skills by merging the interdisciplinary learning of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) with Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy, which emphasises environmental responsibility and sustainable resource management. Despite its potential, integrating design thinking into STEAM-BCG faces challenges. Secondary school activities often neglect the explicit use of design thinking for creative problem solving. Empirical research on its effectiveness is limited, and practical resources like lesson plans are scarce. Thus, this paper presents a learning module that exemplifies how to integrate design thinking into STEAM-BCG, which is divided into four main activities: Design Basics, Design Practices, Design Projects, and Design Pitching. Design Basics introduces students to design thinking and BCG concepts through case study discussions, laying a strong foundation of knowledge. Design Practices allow students to apply this knowledge in a guided learning environment, exploring and integrating specific aspects of BCG in solving problems. This progresses to Design Projects, where students select a topic of interest and further develop their solution. Finally, Design Pitching involves students presenting their solution to peers, showcasing their understanding and application of BCG principles and the design thinking process. By embedding sustainability at its core in this structured learning module, students can develop creativity, critical thinking and practical application of knowledge, preparing them to tackle real-world challenges effectively and contribute to a sustainable future.