Makerspaces have become ubiquitous in schools, with the well intentioned goal of fostering a mindset of creativity and innovation in students through design and making. As laudable and positive as these initiatives are, in most cases the emphasis on design as a process is overshadowing that the foundations of creativity and innovation need to be anchored in lifelong learning.
The Design Learning process adds to the design paradigm by means of supporting the creativity and innovation process through curriculum instances that explicitly foster the development of skills for enquiry and lifelong learning.
Participants will experience the Design Learning process, as a way to explore how design and learning can be successfully integrated in the classroom setting. This tech intensive BYOD presentation also immerses participants in a pedagogical setting that embodies many of the drivers of the new learning paradigm, thus allowing them also to reflect on the effectiveness and possibilities of a 21st Century learning environment.
At the workshop, participants engage in an abbreviated solution of a real-life design problem through the Design Learning protocol. All activities will be recorded on an online multiuser blog, so that participants can later refer to it, both as a reference set of materials to take to their own schools or districts, and also serving as a platform for a professional learning community where workshop attendees can continue an ongoing dialogue and learning process.