The DKDK Project Goes to College!

Twenty-four years ago, CITYterm started experimenting with how early elementary school might be synthesized with college to create an educational experience that adolescents would actually be eager to engage in and would trigger an intrinsic motivation for learning. To that end, we mined (and stole) liberally from Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Waldorf and the Bank Street School of Education. 

The other major place we looked for engagement and intrinsic motivation was in the (tragically named) world of "extra" or "co-curriculars." My own expertise was in the world of athletics, but I soon found that theater, music, debate, outdoor education, service learning and countless other areas would yield great ideas for deciphering the mystery of engagement and motivation.

Why couldn't high school classrooms look more like those arenas?  Could you make a student's learning experience become integrated and overcome the fragmented world they inhabit that is partially responsible for generating the crippling levels of anxiety that students feel today? What we found was that they could, but you had to be extraordinarily precise in the skills and psycho-emotional dispositions you had students practice. And you had to be very flexible and adaptive in the way you used time and space. In other words, where and how does learning take place? And what makes it transformative?

Well, colleges have been experimenting with these ideas for a number of years now. For example, Ken Bain and his colleagues (that includes us!) at The Best Teachers Institute spend time designing what they call "Supercourses" that facilitate deep learning. 

While the DKDK Project has already been working with elementary, middle and highs schools to design and implement this kind of learning, we are exceptionally pleased to be partnering with a number of offices, centers and museums at the University of Chicago to share what we have learned in the college setting with teachers of every age group.

The DKDK Project goes to College in April 2020!

The DKDK Project, in partnership with The University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement, Stevanovich Institute for the Formation of Knowledge, the Center for Teaching and the Smart Museum, is thrilled to announce the

Learning Beyond the Classroom Workshop

We invite educators from secondary, post-secondary and community-based settings to join us in Chicago for a two-day workshop focused on transformational teaching practices.

What participants can expect

Designed in collaboration with the University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement, this workshop is an interactive seminar that asks participants to experience the benefit of deep learning, including place-based and experience-based pedagogical practices. Through hands-on sessions and seminar-style discussion, participants will explore ways to make the content of their course memorable, transferable and transformational for students. Participants in this workshop will experience model lessons which have been developed over several decades, as well as strategies for incorporating “guests” and other “experts” into classes as a way to deepen inquiry and engagement. This workshop will feature local community members connected to the Office of Civic Engagement and organizations working in Chicago. 

Registration

The workshop will begin on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 1050 East 59th Street, 3rd Floor  (9:00 am to 5:00 pm CST) and will conclude on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 (9:00 am to 3:00 pm CST) at 5737 South University Avenue.

The cost of the workshop is $750. This fee includes breakfast and lunch each day, as well as all instructional materials and activities associated with the workshop. Housing and transportation are not included. CPDU offered for public school teachers.

Apply via this google form. We will reach out to confirm your registration and share additional details. For more information, contact Erica Chapman at ericachapman@dkdkproject.org.

Download more information about this workshop here.