Come and learn our proven structure for implementing inquiry and project-based learning activities in your classroom through Design Thinking. Structuring assignments through Design Thinking provides educators the opportunity to create tasks for students that promote self-awareness and ownership over the learning process; thus, increasing their resiliency when facing new or difficult tasks. The iterative nature of design allows for students to reflect through the core competencies, deepening their understanding of their own learning process, while also providing a structure for students to incorporate teacher and peer feedback in meaningful, timely ways. This hands-on, interactive workshop will guide you through activities that will help you utilize Design Thinking in your classroom, providing you with lessons and resources to implement meaningful cross-curricular learning opportunities that support the social emotional needs of your students.
Grades 5-9
Currently, Nadine is the Makerspace teacher, the careers and curriculum implementation lead teacher, and the Aboriginal Perspectives and World Views team leader at Yorkson Creek Middle School in Langley. Nadine has been teaching students in the middle years for over 20 year. As a strong advocate for cross-curricular learning opportunities, Nadine completed her MEd in Leadership and Design Thinking. During her MEd, Nadine completed a case study on how the Design Thinking process creates the opportunity for students to increase their self-awareness and ownership over their learning. She regularly presents at the local and provincial level, and has been presenting for myPita for over 12 years. In addition, Nadine and Jon just returned from presenting at the American Middle Level Educators conference for the second time, this past year, presenting on the Design to SELF framework, which they have created through their collaboration together and Nadine's research.
Jon Fast is currently the Woodworking teacher and Team Lead for Exploration at Yorkson Creek Middle School in Langley, BC. He is also an adjunct professor for the Faculty of Education at UBC and Professor in an Industrial Arts and Applied Design Certification for City University of Seattle (Vancouver). In his over 17 years of teaching, Jon has taught at both secondary and middle school levels, and is passionate about creating engaging opportunities within educational settings for both students and staff. He is a strong advocate for empowering staff to take risks with their learning and seeks out opportunities to collaborate with colleagues to create meaningful school-wide learning opportunities. He has presented at the local and provincial level for the past five years, including presenting many workshops for myPita. In addition, Jon and Nadine just returned from presenting at the American Middle Level Educators conference for the second time, this past year, presenting on the Design to SELF framework, which they have created through their collaboration together, grounding their vision in Nadine's research.