Creative Educational Design: AERO 2017

Showing off their colourful EduModel Canvases! First row (L to R): Aaron, Camilo, Liam and Reddy; Second Row: Anna, Rosamund, Chris, Brenna, Roy, Ellen and Courtney.

This past weekend I facilitated my first educational design workshop (!) with inspiring participants at AERO 2017 (Alternative Educators Resource Organization), in New York. The workshop centred around a design framework I've been fleshing out since 2015, called the Education Model Canvas (more in this post).

In short, the EduModel Canvas is intended to help educators:

• articulate program ideas using a connected process, regardless of stage of (re-)design or implementation;
• share program philosophies, goals, contexts, and key details with other designers and educators, using common parameters;
• reflect on educational models and identify areas of strength and challenge.

I didn't know what to expect as I moved from presenting the tool to people actually using it. I was both curious and nervous!

As it turned out, I had an enthusiastic group of 18 participants from 5 countries, who set the tone by sharing their work and interests. Areas of expertise included: working with young refugees in Lebanon, designing empowering programs for black youth in D.C., mental health programming for youth in Bermuda, environmental sustainability in Colombia, a community resource centre for homeschoolers in L.A., play-based learning for children in Singapore, and self-directed learning across schools in the US. (I know, WOW!)

Here was some of the feedback on what participants found useful:

"Thinking through key components of my model; having time to discuss this with others."

"The entire model! Having clear areas to focus on for shaping or reshaping an alternative model. Helping to see the tension between areas and talking through it with others. This was soooo helpful!"

"The liberating mix between a noble cause and pragmatic efficiency; mainly the latter."

​For the third year in a row for me, the AERO conference has been a great platform to connect and ideate with unconventional educators, parents, leaders and learners. The conference attracts participants who share in a vision of more relevant educational programs, who are working to create critical change.

I am grateful to Jerry Mintz, Wylie Kuhn, Peter Berg, and others who make these conferences possible, and to all the collaborators who continue to support it. Excited to keep building and sharing as this work grows!