| The concepts in this statement are defined below: | |
 What is design based education?
Education focused on creative thinking, effective communication and productive behavior that successfully realizes outcomes appropriate to well considered goals in actual circumstances. |
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| What is an integrated learning experience?
A learning experience that considers many subjects in a shared context, invokes many points of view, and calls on different forms of thought, expression and action. |
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| What is a project based learning experience?
One which puts purposeful activity regarding a specific situation at the center of the learning experience. |
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| What is self motivated learning?
Personally motivated acquisition of knowledge needed to realize goals that are recognized, formulated or accepted as those of the individual learner. |
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| What is process oriented knowledge?
An aspect, view, skill or digest of experience that has practical utility. |
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| What is an integrated curriculum?
One that carries a unified model of communication, practice and assessment across all projects, subjects and years. |
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Process Oriented Knowledge
Education should relate knowledge in any form or subject area to how it was, is, or might be used.
Process oriented knowledge should be at the foundation of Education because it makes knowledge more memorable, accessible and usable, is fundamental to science, technology, art, communication and government, and is the key to effectiveness and competence in daily life.
Design Projects provide the means through which practical knowledge can be gained from experience and related to process in memorable ways. A project always has a context and involves specific circumstances that are addressed over time.
CURRICULUM RELATED SUGGESTIONS FOR SCHOOLS:
Design should be integral to all learning experiences, not a separate subject in the curriculum.
Schools should provide knowledge as it is needed to help students understand what they are trying to accomplish. Students should be encouraged, empowered and supported to achieve goals that they recognize and seek.
The curriculum should be project rather than subject based and emphasizes information gathering and the application of knowledge to solve actual problems in real contexts.
All teachers should be familiar with a project based approach to subject material and the creative role of the practical arts in enriching learning experiences across the curriculum.
The faculty of every school should include teachers particularly knowledgeable in the strategies, practices and technologies that support design thinking.
Schools should have places dedicated to making things in each classroom, and full scale "creation spaces" in public areas at the heart of the school.
Every school should have a way to distribute and redistribute scientific, electronic media, and technology equipment to support needs as they arise in project based learning.
Every school hould have a "discovery place" that supports voluntary learning initiatives in and out of the classroom by both teachers and students acting individually or in groups.