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S2.6.1 Learning for a New World: Innovative Design-Build Enrichment for Creatively Gifted and All Learners
Saint Joseph Design-Build Studio (“the Studio”) is a program that enriches K-8 academic content through design-build projects. The Studio has been in practice since September 2017 at Saint Joseph Parish School. The concept was originated by a designer who is also a parent and business owner. As a parent, he envisioned a space where students could design and build things, and in so doing, develop many valuable skills and habits for their futures, including design-thinking, creative problem-solving, engineering, presentation, collaboration, grit, risk-taking, tool-use, safety, and most importantly, rigorous creativity.
A classroom in the school was transformed into a studio with work tables, white boards, soft seating, a technology cart, and a modern interior style. A Studio Coordinator (educator) was employed to develop educational, standards-aligned curriculum activating academic content through the design-build process of researching, designing, prototyping, building, and presenting ideas. School administration worked with teachers to create opportunities for students to spend time learning in the Studio during school. A team of professional designers and builders began supporting Studio projects in the school. Through the collaboration of school and community, the Saint Joseph Design-Build Studio has created an innovative approach for students to learn and engage in the world.
The Studio brings creative opportunities to build confidence in children of all abilities, personalities and learning styles. Perfectionists who struggle with finding novel ideas learn how to brainstorm and think out-of-the-box. Underachieving gifted students who avoid working hard, easily become engaged in effort and discovery. Creatively gifted students, who typically complain about boredom, discover design as a route to enjoying learning in their unique styles. Design tempts fearful children into learning to compete and teaches “too” competitive children to collaborate. Students who struggle with behavior and concentration problems find new confidence and attention when they engage in meaningful design. Students learn to be producers rather than consumers of technology and are enriched by the multisensory experience of making things.
The five presenters of our symposium include the school principal and assistant principal; the parent/business owner and designer who conceptualized the Studio and creatively guide its development; and a psychologist who specializes in gifted and creativity and has been an advisor of the Studio since its inception. Together, we will present the challenges of implementing design curriculum in partnership, the strategies we’ve developed to overcome these challenges, and the exciting effects we’ve observed in students and school in the process.