OTESSA’25 Keynote: Seeking design questions: Finding and framing

What does this keynote say about the type of learning experiences we need?

Hokanson’s keynote presentation draws on his research in design thinking and creativity studies to explore how we can and must reframe learning. He emphasizes the critical importance of “problem finding” and “problem framing” as foundational elements in the design of learning experiences. Rather than focusing on students solving pre-defined challenges, Hokanson argues that learners must engage in identifying and defining the problem itself—what Getzels termed “the problem of the problem.” Hokanson positions the discovery and reframing of problems as a creative and intellectual act that is not bound by recipes or rigid steps, but instead relies on the learner’s values, curiosity, and insight. This exploratory process transforms learning into a dynamic investigation, where questions are as important—if not more so—than answers.

Why is it important?

The significance of this orientation lies in its challenge to traditional instructional paradigms that prioritize predetermined answers and efficient delivery of known content. In contrast, the learning experience design approach advocated here fosters creativity, originality, and deeper cognitive engagement. Hokanson highlights how learners benefit from opportunities to frame their own questions, reimagine challenges, and engage with ambiguity. This reframing process is not merely academic; it affects how learners understand the world, build agency, and generate novel solutions. For instance, classroom exercises that encourage students to interpret a prompt like “eat something different” through varied meanings build fluency, flexibility, and originality—core components of creativity as measured by tools like the Torrance Tests. Such practices cultivate habits of thinking that extend far beyond academic settings.

What are the implications for education?

Hokanson’s research implies a fundamental shift in the architecture of educational experiences. Educators should move away from linear, answer-driven models and instead create learning environments where ambiguity is welcomed and inquiry is prioritized. Educational tasks should be framed not just to solve problems, but to provoke the discovery of new problems. This requires a pedagogy that supports iteration, experimentation, and reframing—where students learn through the process of developing questions, framing and reframing the problem to be solved from multiple perspectives, ideatingand exploring the feasibility of possible solutions. This type of learning fosters creativity, cognitive flexibility, conceptual thinking and dealing with ambiguity over content knowledge. Ultimately, the goal is to design learning experiences that mirror the complexity and uncertainty of the real world, equipping learners with the creative confidence to navigate it.

The bottom line

Education must fundamentally reimagine its purpose from preparing students to solve known problems to developing their capacity to discover and frame the problems that don’t yet exist but will define their futures. Hokanson’s research provides both the theoretical foundation and empirical evidence that this transformation is not only possible but essential for developing the creative and adaptive capabilities humans need in an uncertain world.

Key takeaways from the keynote

1. Problem formulation is paramount because how problems are initially conceptualized significantly impact solution quality.
2. Generating higher-order questions is pedagogically more valuable than teaching towards the right answer.
3. Iterative design practices such as the co-evolution of problems and solutions are central to active learning methods.
4. Framing and reframing perspectives are design practices that take learning to deeper levels and lead to new conceptual understanding.
5. Engaging the unknown as part of learning is imperative for learners to become skillful at navigating ambiguity and uncertainty.
6. The development learners’ creativity is directly linked to learners’ cognitive flexibility – the ability to reframe a subject and arrive at different kind of responses.
7. Teaching reframing can measurably improve creative thinking capabilities, particularly in flexibility scores.

reDesignED applies these important takeaways to the fullest extent possible.