2014 DESIGN-ED Conference Wrap-Up

Image of the Lecture Hall at the 2014 Design-Ed Conference

Submitted by AAO Member Robin Vande Zande

On June 28 and 29, 2014, the DESIGN-ED coalition hosted its second conference on K-12 design education. The theme was “Integration Through Design” with presentations and workshops geared towards informing attendees about activities that are effective in the classroom, as well as looking toward the future where design is an integral part of every student’s education.

Special guests included Edward Clapp, from Harvard’s Project Zero; Saliyah Cruz, from Philadelphia’s Learning in New Contexts school, and Skype guests Dr. John Steers, the former General Secretary of the UK National Society for Education in Art and Design; Richard Green, Chief Executive of the UK Design and Technology Association; and Emily Campbell, founder-director of the Creative Education Academies Trust, UK Midlands.

Representatives from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Young Audiences, the National Building Museum, and CHAD, plus many other educators from school settings, conducted workshops. Poster presentations were conducted by a variety of classroom teachers, who demonstrated how they integrate design into their lessons and activities.

DESIGN-ED already has next year’s conference plans underway, with a joint partnership between the Design Research Society (DRS) and CUMULUS. This will be the first time that DRS/CUMULUS brings their biannual conference to North America. Robin Vande Zande will serve as chair of the conference, with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as the local host organization. The event is planned for June 28-30, 2015, and promises to be the largest international gathering of PK-16 design educators to date.

Founded in 2012, The DESIGN-ED coalition advocates, educates, and facilitates teaching and learning through design-based methods.

Image courtesy of Collective Indwell

Posted by Robin.VandeZande on July 13, 2014 - 10:29pm