BLC17

Do you believe we can redesign our schools to meet the needs of the 21st-century and beyond? At Drexel University for the past seven years, students in our EdD program, who are practicing educators at all levels, are exploring this question.

Participants in this presentation will: view student video examples, interact with the tools of systems and Theory U, explore how design thinking enhances creativity, and what we are learning from our students in creating generative conversations within communities necessary for rethinking the design of pre-K through adult education.

Learn and see how students begin the design thinking process, by exploring trends in social media, medicine, world economics, nanotechnology, environmental sustainability, and automation. Coupled to these trends, they explore the categories of “self-to-nature”, “self-to-others”, ""self-to-technology,"" and “self-to-self” as a way to think about the present realities on this planet and their relationship to the educational needs of the future. Understanding “the source” of their own attention is the key coping skill for the 21st-century.

All participants will receive a copy of the Design Handbook our students use as they begin the 10-week design studio. This handout has activities that participants can utilize within their own programs and organization.