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During this course, Project Zero researchers from the Agency by Design (AbD) initiative will partner with practitioners from schools in Oakland, CA, to facilitate a an exploration of why it’s critical for young people to think like makers/designers and how to develop the kinds of skills and capacities required to do this work. Participants will engage in hands-on activities designed in particular to examine systems thinking, including visual mapping exercises, user perspective-taking, and the noticing of dynamics of whole systems and object relationships within systems. Facilitators will also contextualize the work within contemporary cultural movements (e.g., a shift from a consumer to producer mentality) and discuss the role that curriculum and learning environments can play in supporting maker/design thinking. For the past two years, the AbD team has been exploring the intersection of the maker movement, design thinking and contemporary theories of learning. At the core of AbD’s work is the idea that cultivating a sensitivity to the made dimension of objects, ideas, and systems can help young people better position themselves to thrive in a global, complex and designed world.
Intended Audience: General