Design As A Catalyst For Learning

Design as a Catalyst for Learning

This book presents findings of a 1993 study of how design in the curriculum helps students achieve national educational objectives. It also explores opportunities for expanding the role design can play in students' academic lives. Results of the 1993 study reveal how the use of design experiences in classrooms provides teachers and students with a learning construct for the next century. The book summarizes descriptive research that makes qualitative statements regarding current classroom practice and identifies effective models for using design in classrooms. The research tapped three primary sources of data: (1) a review of the literature; (2) a national qualitative survey of teachers; and (3) site visits to 10 schools. Also, the researchers conducted qualitative interviews with principals, curriculum coordinators, other school or district administrators, teachers, teachers' aides, students, and parents. The six chapters include: (1) "Learning Through Design"; (2) "Lifelong Learning"; (3) "A Strategy for Excellent Teaching"; (4) "Design in the Curriculum"; (5) "Opportunities and Challenges for Schools"; and (6) "Conclusions and Recommendations." Three appendices, a bibliography, and information about the authors, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development conclude the document. (EH)

Design in Educational Technology

​This book is the result of a research symposium sponsored by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology [AECT]. The fifteen chapters were developed by leaders in the field and represent the most updated and cutting edge methodology in the areas of instructional design and instructional technology. The broad concepts of design, design thinking, the design process, and the design studio, are identified and they form the framework of the book. This book advocates the conscious adoption of a mindset of design thinking, such as that evident in a range of divergent professions including business, government, and medicine. At its core is a focus on “planning, inventing, making, and doing.” (Cross, 1982), all of which are of value to the field of educational technology. Additionally, the book endeavors to develop a deep understanding of the design process in the reader. It is a critical skill, often drawing from other traditional design fields. An examination of the design process as practiced, of new models for design, and of ways to connect theory to the development of educational products are all fully explored with the goal of providing guidance for emerging instructional designers and deepening the practice of more advanced practitioners. Finally, as a large number of leading schools of instructional design have adopted the studio form of education for their professional programs, we include this emerging topic in the book as a practical and focused guide for readers at all levels.

Design As a Catalyst for Learning