Teachers and staff of Sto-Rox are ready for a new story – not of what we don’t have, but what we are actively creating together, against all odds

“There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment.” – Loris Malaguzzi, Founder of the Reggio Emilia approach

Engineer-like thinking is deeply beneficial when it comes to civic and community engagement—and, on the flip side, social consciousness can do a world of good for the engineering field.

For centuries, libraries functioned as unique archives of written information and stories. Now, that information is available on many portable devices, but libraries are not obsolete. Far from it.

Before consumers even had the opportunity to purchase the digital eyewear, Google announced in January it would pull Google Glass off the market. The company isn’t completely shattering Glass, but rather it’s putting an end to the “Explorer” program, which allowed curious developers to try out the product for $1,500. Google insists this is hardly the company’s last foray into wearable technology, but the original Glass has fielded overwhelming criticism since it was launched to the elite crowd in 2012. Glass’s (at least temporary) demise is a cautionary tale for technologists. In another light, it’s a ringing endorsement of design thinking.

In a “Shark-Tank” meets “Project-Runway”–style presentation, a team of students from South Fayette High School recently presented its bus safety app to professional designers from MAYA Design.

The digital era has opened a world of opportunities to help educators network with peers—to compare practices, share resources, and drive innovation. By applying design thinking to challenges, we learn to define problems, understand needs and constraints, brainstorm innovative solutions, and seek and incorporate feedback about our ideas in order to continually make them better.

Finnish schools are some of the highest-performing in the world. Their success is often attributed to rigorous teacher training, respect of the teaching profession, and an education system focused on reducing inequality. Yet there’s another, often overlooked, aspect of the Finnish success: classroom design. The Finn’s take the learning environment seriously, and they’re revolutionizing the school day as a result. A local Pittsburgh principal got a first-hand look.

How educators are using “design thinking” to help kids develop key critical thinking and problem solving skills.