Designing Schools

Both personal and professional development can be improved through social media. There are many tools that can be used to share stories, ideas, and build relationships.   Social media is the perfect medium for boosting creativity and encouraging innovation since it is not restricted by any physical or geographic boundaries. It's a powerful platform for those with innovative ideas to express their...

In the digital age, it’s important to teach students how to use technology as a tool in order to learn and not be left behind. When applied in tandem with design thinking, we can start to teach students how to solve problems in a new and innovative way. Jon Corippo co-founded and developed a series of instructional lesson frames called EduProtocols that are designed to engage students in learning...

The four pillars of leadership and social influence are:   1. Building trust 2. Encouraging creativity 3. Recognizing accomplishments 4. Inspiring a collective vision.   In order to be a successful leader and have social influence, one must be able to demonstrate these qualities. For example, someone who is creative can come up with new ideas that will help those around them grow; someone who has...

The best way to get learners to see the space in between as an opportunity is to create a culture of innovation. This can be done through leadership and design thinking. When it comes to innovation, leaders should be able to take a step back and see the big picture, whereas design thinkers should be able to understand the needs of the student and create solutions that are both innovative and pract...

The future of schools is changing. The current education system is in need of change more than ever. Schools should focus on what students want to learn, and not what teachers want to teach them. Students should have the opportunity to explore their interests and passions in a safe environment.   The nation's schools are under more pressure than ever to educate kids for an information-rich, high-t...

In both Virginia and Pennsylvania, Shane Hotchkiss has over 23 years of combined educational and managerial experience. He's worked as a fourth grade teacher, an elementary reading specialist, an elementary assistant principal, an elementary principal, and an assistant superintendent. Dr. Hotchkiss has also taught at Wilkes University, Cabrini College, and Wilson College as an adjunct professor.  ...

A good superintendent should have a deep understanding of the district’s needs and be able to build relationships with parents, teachers, students and other stakeholders. They should also be able to lead design thinking in order to develop innovative solutions for problems in the education system. Some duties of the superintendent include directing planning and scheduling, budgeting, student asses...

The capacity to personalize the interaction with remote learners is critical in all kinds of distance education. It is important for teachers to understand that it's not about them, but about the learners. They need to focus on designing an engaging learning experience for their students.   You want to generate great online videos, but you also want to make your online discussion boards more inter...

One of the most crucial parts of leadership is relationships. You must be able to build a connection with those around you and earn their trust in order to be an effective leader. Frameworks that facilitate effective conversations build solid relationships, and in turn, everyone can better solve issues, improve decision-making, and promote trust and safety in any environment.    Relationships also...

Leadership is not something that you are born with. It is something that needs to be taught and nurtured. Leaders are made, they don't just happen. Leadership is a skill that needs to be practiced and learned.   The first step to becoming a leader is learning how to think like one. This means understanding what leadership really means and how it can be applied in different situations. Leadership s...

How can we move away from a one-size-fits-all paradigm and toward one in which learners have the agency to design their own learning experiences? Today I visit the Davis School District to meet Robert Kinghorn and Amy Thompson.   Amy has been a teacher for the past 18 years. Amy was formally recognised as a "Exemplary Teacher" in the Salt Lake City School District based on student progress and com...

This week on the show I’m taking you to Georgia Tech. From diversity, to innovation to academic excellence it’s one of the top ranking universities with a vision to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition . Today I’m speaking with Wayne Li and Michael Flanigan about how they use design thinking to carry out the vision of the university.  In this episode we discuss: W...

Part one of my conversation with Adam and Larissa, co-founders of MakeTeamWork, discusses why a culture of trust and psychological safety is critical for creating successful teams. A talk regarding masculine and feminine cultures was one of the most intriguing aspects of our chat.   In a feminine society, the emphasis is on the quality of life and the people. While in a male society, competitivene...

Trust is the most important factor in culture activation. It’s the cornerstone of education, and it’s what makes people want to do something. It’s how you get people to take that one step. Trust is the foundation if anything else is to thrive.   Larissa and Adam co-founded MakeTeamWork.com, a global company specialising in team development, culture change, and visual collaboration. MakeTeamWork, f...

In This Episode We Discuss: The challenges that arise when you don't take ownership of telling your story How leadership and social influence help build trust, encourage creativity, recognize accomplishments, and inspire a collective vision How leaders can nurture and grow talent within an organization How districts can leverage brand ambassador programs How different departments from construction...

In this episode we discuss: How Jerry uses his weekly Friday meetings with his leadership team of over 180 people How creating a culture of vulnerability influenced the conversations that were taking place at the different sites across the district Significant inflection points, both personal and professional, that have shaped Jerry into he leader he is today

In This Episode We Discuss: How Jerry defines innovation The framework Jerry uses to develop strategic foresight How being vulnerable led to deep and meaningful relationships with his leadership team The strategies Jerry uses to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world How he overcomes the fear of being vulnerable in public spaces, such as social media platforms Connect with Jerry on Twitter, Lin...

Today's episode is a reminder of how much potential today's young people have to create, collaborate and design solutions to areas they are interested in.  In this episode we discuss: The mindset and skills Seth believes young people need to have to thrive in today's world How he uncovered a need for creating LinkJoin The value of LinkedIn as a platform for young people Strategies for how students...

You may have noticed that people kind of say the same thing over and over. They have one message with different versions for different audiences, and that consistency is a big part of their influence. But being consistent on social media doesn’t have to mean coming up with brand new content every day. It could mean showing up consistently with repurposed content or going deeper into old content. I...

Just about everyone believes that the way we do education needs to change. We know the why, so I’m focusing on the how. In this episode, I talk about two different frameworks that can help educators get through the first step.    Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your st...

“The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed.“ This quote by William Gibson resonates with me so much. Most of the time when we talk about the future, we talk about things that are going to happen. But if you look around the world you may find that these things are already happening. There is so much opportunity in the world today but how do we empower others to fully take a...

The struggle never ends. You solve one problem, just to find a different one later one. But finding the right problem is a huge part of finding the right solution. So no matter what struggle I’m facing, I always remember that cultures of innovation begin with a culture of empathy. And I combat it by focusing on people’s fears and motivations. In this episode, I talk about this concept further. I a...

If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you probably know that it started off as an extension of my dissertation, which was a deep dive into the work of Design39Campus. Design39Campus is a collaborative community focused on changing the way we do school. In this episode, I talk about how this idea started and why I chose podcasting as my medium.   Click here for the full episode! To c...

In this follow-up episode, Luke tells us where the idea for his curriculum came from. He also talks about his three steps to solving a problem: 1. Finding the problem, 2. Solving the problem, and 3. Creating a prototype.   Click here for the full episode! To complement the summer series I’ve created a free guide for you to master how to develop the clarity and confidence to showcase your strengths...

We can’t teach students how to solve every problem. We just can’t. We don’t even know what the major problems in the future will be. So instead, we need to teach students methods to solve problems by breaking them down! That is why today’s guest Luke Harris created the Design Engineering Curriculum for Young Adults, to help students learn empathy and other skills in a greater worldly context.    C...