design thinking
EdTech
How User Design Can Impact Engagement and Learning for K-12 Students
By: Danielle Reid. Daniel shares how user interface (UI) design and, more broadly, user experience (UX) design – can be the deciding factor for the level of impact an education application or platform has on a student, particularly in the K-12 market.
Smart Lists
Getting Started with High School Redesign
Thinking about high school redesign? We've assembled a great reading list to get you started.
EdTech
STEM Projects in Active Learning Spaces at Samueli Academy
“If they know we care, they respond,” said Anthony Saba, Executive Director at Samueli Academy in Santa Ana. He’s learned that “You can’t have good academics without a strong culture.” A culture of trust, respect, and hard work is evident in every classroom at Samueli Academy.
Early Learning
Reggio Emilia: The Future of Learning Has Roots in the Past
By: Beth Holland. Numerous current initiatives focus on creating personalized learner experiences through modern trends such as high-quality project-based learning (HQPBL) and design thinking. However, this pursuit to deliver learning that fuels each whole child has its roots in the Reggio Emilia Approach that Loris Malaguzzi first envisioned in the 1940s.
Place Based Education
Design Thinking, City as Classroom, Museum as Homebase
Tom recently visited the Grand Rapids Public Museum School that's rooted in design thinking and place-based education. Here's a look at the school and how they're using their XQ Super School grant to extend their vision for high-quality, community as a classroom learning opportunities for more students.
EdTech
70 Elementary & Middle Schools Worth Visiting
We believe school visits are the best form of professional learning. Based on a couple thousand school visits, and with help from colleagues and readers, we’ve compiled this list of elementary and middle schools that can give educators a better sense of what’s possible.
Future of Work
On Breaking Convention
We owe it to the next generation to get them ready--both for how to cope with all the convention breaking but also a framework for how & when they should break convention.
Leadership
Why High School Students Deserve Extended Challenges
To contribute now and in the future, young people deserve extended challenges--long projects that take on tough problems. Tom shares design principals and best practices for engaging students in meaningful extended challenges.
Future of Learning
Design-Focused University–The Best Thing Since French Fries (Which Are Also Belgian)
A recent trip to Europe took Tom to Howest, a University that’s known for their approach to learning and research and close collaboration with industry and the social sector. Learn how Howest and MyMachine are making design thinking as common in Belgian schools as Frites are on dinner tables
Future of Learning
What’s Up With All the Design-Focused Schools?
Is the focus on design in schools a fad, a trend or something else? In this episode of the podcast, Tom and Emily explore the rise in popularity of design-focused schools.