Defying the Average:”Influencing Student Potential”

I love using principalaim to highlight an educational perspective that I share or that I am wrestling with. Today’s “Read This Now!” features an insightful post which essentially questions how we design optimal learning environments for all children. More and more, educators are incorporating the art of design into their thinking when it comes to how the classroom works as well as using design to determine how to place content into the curriculum. Harvard faculty member, L. Todd Rose provides yet another way to think about education and design. His idea that design should help us “create learning environments that take into account the individual needs and potential of every child” is necessary if we intend to truly create an educational system that meets the needs of every children in every school.

Rose’s talk is unconventional (his analogy begins with the cockpit design of a fighter plane); however, please hang in there because his premise is all about creating the best designs (ones that go beyond the average) for students and schools. Ultimately, Rose’s talk helps to once again put the argument for student-centered learning front and center where it belongs. tlb