Changing Education Paradigms

Here is a brilliant illustration that suggests some of the reasons why today’s public education in America is failing.

(Source: youtube.com)

The Power of Conversation

via The Interaction Institute for Social Change

Here Jack Ricchiuto, talks about building community and collaboration through conversatoin, and he mentions the “shadow conversations” that keep us from success.

Ricchiuto names the following four conversations with power:

• Dream Space Conversation – this is the possibility conversation, and many of us are familiar with vision exercises.  He says it is a conversation that takes us 20 years out, one generation.  He reminds us that the depth of our vision correlates with the depth of our passion, and he invites us to create spaces that facilitate the alignment of our dreams

• Small Acts Conversation – I find this one to be a great corollary to the dream space conversation because it gets us talking about what we can do.  Given where we want to go, what is it that we can do right now?  I also like it because it gets us out of the trap of big plans, the fantasy games that we play when we try to project every step into an uncertain future.  This conversation gets us started, it allows for the early prototype.

• Gifts Conversation – This one is the asset based conversation, the conversation that finds out what it is that each one of us brings to the table, what is it that we already have in our hands and how is it that we put it to work for our dreams?

• Invitation Conversation – This is where we look around, we appreciate who we are and what we have and we decide who else to invite, who are the people that might want to be a part of this dream?

“Curiosities, Rick Valicenti

+ the 21st Century Thirst

is work from the past decade curated to underscore the collaborative balance and value between the professional commission and the personal research.

An opening reception for the exhibition, beginning with a lecture by Valicenti, will be presented on Friday, February 12 from 7 to 9 pm. In association with our exhibition, the department of theatre and dance’s FAU Dance Ensemble will premiere a work on February 5–7 that Rick Valicenti is collaborating on with graduate students in dance and visual arts.”

Thanks for the heads up from the Daily Heller

Bruce Mau on Design

“Now that we can do anything, what will we do?”

Here, Daily Heller talks about Project M’s newest collaborative effort bringing designers and local farmers together in Falls Village, Conn.

In attempting to find the best way to document the progress of my thesis research, I decided that what may be more appropriate (and useful) is a forum that is open for ALL to discuss this shift in design thinking.

This could be a place to discuss new methodologies, better ways to collaborate, more effective research practices, current societal problems that need to be addressed, new projects, innovative materials…maybe we could talk about who this is all for, where this could go, and what this could all mean.

IDENTITAT by: Jonas Loh and Steffen Fiedler

I have so many questions I’d like to discuss…

Is this shift in design and design thinking just about the challenge?

Are we designers looking for ways to make our fields more dignified, more meaningful?

Are we trying to dig out a secure place in today’s economy?

Has the word spread that caring is the new black?

Since we oftentimes abusively work ourselves into oblivion, are we looking for a greater purpose to devote our endurance?

What is it that has caused us to start to notice our fellow neighbor in this way?

As a discipline, why are we just now starting to see the possibilities?

Why this push now?

If we saw the possibilities before, why didn’t we act?

Are we really starting to see how Design can positively impact society?

What will it take to move ideas forward?

As those newest to the field, what is our expected role?

Can there be a balance of commercial work and social work?

Are we more open to come together in the name of solution?

How can we best continue and contribute to this progress?

I am passionate about Design, and I wholeheartedly believe in Designers as problem solvers. I believe that Design can positively impact society, but what is the next step?