The phrase "schools should mirror the real world" often elicits mixed reactions. Anyone with experience in educational environments knows that schools are a microcosm of the 'real world,' with their own set of complex, real-world challenges.
Nevertheless, there's a significant need to forge stronger, more authentic connections between classroom learning and life beyond school walls. We can start with the traditional classroom setup, with its rigid rows of desks within an 800-square-foot room, which is a stark contrast to spaces kids encounter outside of school settings. Beyond school, no one really works or learns in spaces that are similar to those found in schools.
Add into the mix the traditional teacher-directed learning experience based on a static curriculum, where students assume passive roles and have limited ownership of their own learning. I’m generalizing here, but in my work, that’s what I still see.
So it’s really not hard to understand the disconnect that students have with their school experience.
Historically, educational systems have pursued authenticity by exploring various teaching methods. Interdisciplinary learning, challenge-based learning, and project-based learning are among the strategies that have attempted to bridge this gap. These methods strive to provide a more engaging and relevant context for learning, although, in my view, they haven't fully achieved the desired level of authenticity. The quest for a more authentic, inspiring, and relevant educational experience is ongoing.
There's potential in reimagining how we can bring authentic contexts into the classroom in a meaningful way. This process might involve re-configuring physical classroom spaces, integrating technology in transformative ways, or fostering stronger partnerships between schools and local communities. But most importantly - it also means rethinking how students engage in meaningful learning and how they partner with teachers to co-design the day-to-day experience of the classroom.
You have to wonder if schools will ever be able to make the shifts required to promote a deep level of authentic learning. The culture of education is so ingrained with bell schedules, traditional roles and expectations, and with doing school that any significant change is challenging. However, there are schools that are seeking to provide a different experience, one based on connection to the community, learning based on design principles, student ownership of the learning experience, and the opportunity to engage in significant and relevant work. Check out the Grand Rapids Museum School (motto: Be Curious), Crosstown High in Memphis (motto: Rethink High School), and Waukee APEX (Aspiring Professional Experience) in Waukee, Iowa, to see three examples of schools getting it right.
In my book, The Design Thinking Classroom, I make a case for re-imagining the classroom learning experience by applying a design pedagogy. I do believe applying design to teaching and learning represents a unique opportunity to build truly authentic learning experiences and engage kids in real work where they can make a difference.
Content - Connecting to Authenticity
When I work with teachers on this topic, the first question I ask them is to identify the authentic connections inherent in the content they teach. If they can’t, or these connections aren't readily apparent, or if they aren’t present at all, then there has to be a different question asked. I recognize that it is possible that a specific content focus can serve other educational purposes. I haven’t done a geometry proof since I was a high school sophomore, but that process certainly helped me develop problem-solving skills. But authenticity and relevance begin by identifying these connections and using them to build learning experiences that matter and have an impact.
A rich classroom experience extends beyond developing content mastery; it's vital but shouldn’t be the sole focus.
Process and Product
Design provides ample opportunities for students to engage in a process that can be used in the same way that working design professionals work. Throughout a learning experience based on design, there are multiple ways to engage people, work collaboratively, and develop a meaningful product that represents value to students. While educational discussions and keynote speakers may occasionally downplay the importance of product creation, it's an undeniable part of the "real world" where building and producing tangible outcomes is mission-critical.
Life-long learning?
Being a life-long learner means more than understanding content. Learning for a lifetime is dependent upon developing the skills and dispositions of a learner and being able to apply them in unique situations. I believe that the most impactful learning occurs when students are placed into authentic contexts and are asked to use the learning skills and dispositions they possess to make sense of what’s in front of them. A design-based learning experience is rich in opportunities to place students in these authentic situations.
Like my other two posts of this series, I’ve been focused on describing ways to build a classroom culture that supports a design-based experience. There are foundational aspects of design that can contribute to that culture and inquiry methodologies that are likewise supportive. Focusing on authenticity is a third, and all three together can set the stage for a more advanced application of design thinking to shift what kids experience and what they know and can do. Everything I have written about in this series can exist without using a design-based pedagogy, as described in my book, but imagine what you could create if you created a supportive design culture that was amplified by using the design thinking process to engage students with their world.
You can learn more about the attributes of the design thinking process in my book, The Design Thinking Classroom.