Learning Design

This topic covers topics from school and system design to the science of learning.

Leadership

Trust & Transformation: Why Local Intermediaries Are the Key to Education’s Future

Nov 5, 2025

Understand how education intermediaries connect communities to opportunities and drive localized systemic change effectively.

Learning Design

Charting a New Course for Education with Foresight

Tom Vander Ark, Mason Pashia

Oct 14, 2025

Exploring KnowledgeWorks' latest forecast with Katherine Prince—foresight strategies, AI, climate, and the evolving future of education.

Learning Design

Designing Learning Models that Put People First

Guest Author

Sep 22, 2025

Technology in education should enhance relationships and agency, not replace them. Teachers and meaningful connections drive deeper learning.

Bamboo and thatched open-air pavilion at Green School Bali, surrounded by tropical banana leaves and palm trees

Learning Design

Learning Conducive to Life: A Radical Approach at the Biomimicry for Regenerative Design Lab at Green Schools Bali

Guest Author

Jul 22, 2025

BiRD Lab at Green School Bali fosters systems change by learning from nature, using a 4S approach to create sustainable, regenerative designs.

Students arranged in a large circle in a modern library space, holding papers during a collaborative discussion session.

Equity & Access

Reimagining School Starts with Reclaiming Time

Guest Author

Jul 11, 2025

Exploring innovative time structures in schools to enhance personalized, competency-based learning and support teacher collaboration.

Announcement graphic for The Public Microschool Playbook, Spring 2025, by Getting Smart, Learner-Centered Collaborative, and Transcend.

Learning Design

The Public Microschool Playbook: A New Actionable Guide for System Leaders

Getting Smart Staff

May 14, 2025

Announcing the public microschool playbook: a comprehensive guide to launching and sustaining publicly-funded microschools.

Student at laptop reviewing documents side-by-side, papers nearby, working through research at a bright desk

EdTech

Copying and Pasting Your Way to Critical Thinking

David Ross

Apr 21, 2025

Explore how copy-paste can transform learning, enhancing critical thinking and writing skills in the digital age.

Illustrated urban green space with people gardening, walking, and tending plants amid city skyscrapers and a glowing idea bulb.

Learning Design

How can we reimagine where learning happens? Designing schools as community hubs within a personalized ecosystem

Rebecca Midles, Tom Vander Ark, Nate McClennen

Apr 17, 2025

Exploring schools as community hubs, integrating real-world and digital resources for a personalized learning ecosystem.

Illustrated smart city skyline with wireless signals, satellites, and communication icons connecting urban infrastructure

Competency-Based Education

The Transcript Trap: Why Our Students Need Credentials, Not Just Grades

Rebecca Midles, Nate McClennen

Apr 9, 2025

Our education system should prioritize credentials over grades to better prepare students for a dynamic workforce.

A young student in a red shirt runs joyfully across a turf field while peers cheer from the sidelines outdoors.

Learning Design

Breaking the Math Mold: How Self-Directed Learners Are Becoming Math Masters

Guest Author

Mar 20, 2025

Exploring how self-directed learning fosters math mastery through relevance, resourcefulness, and persistence at The Forest School.

	Beginning	Piloting	Implementing
From Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery	BeginningFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Beginning	PilotingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Piloting	ImplementingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Implementing
From One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning	BeginningFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Implementing
From Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry	BeginningFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Beginning	PilotingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Piloting	ImplementingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Implementing
From Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning	BeginningFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Implementing
From Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities	BeginningFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Beginning	PilotingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Piloting	ImplementingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Implementing
From Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment	BeginningFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Beginning	PilotingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Piloting	ImplementingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Implementing
From Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets	BeginningFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Beginning	PilotingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Piloting	ImplementingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Implementing

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Learning Design