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Designing Better Learning: People-Centered Design in K-12 Schools

Designing Better Learning: People-Centered Design in K-12 Schools

School Principals don’t have it easy. The hundreds of students in your care rely on you and your workforce to prepare them for life in the real world, and you’re under an immense amount of pressure to shape them into the leaders of the future. Improving learning outcomes is crucial, but it’s only half the story.  

 

True education success lies in creating a CULTURE where everyone feels valued, included, safe to contribute, and brave enough to challenge the status quo, all in a world plagued by unpredictability and disruption at every turn. 

That’s where people-centered design comes in, a problem-solving tactic that puts your people at the heart of the learning and development (L&D) process. From developing curriculum to shaping your school’s unique culture, human-centric design is about taking the time to understand exactly what your students and educators need, and designing your learning & engagement processes from there. 

Dr. Prabhjot Singh once said that we spend so much of our time designing the bridge, but not enough time thinking about the people who will be crossing it. This is the essence of people-centered design, especially in education – the bridge needs to be built with their needs in mind.

To help learners thrive, human-centered designers typically ask three key questions: 

1: Why aren’t learners engaged? 

2: What problems do we need to solve? 

3: How can we meet the needs of the learners we’re solving these problems for? 

Why People-Centered Design? 

Human-centric design is the best way to turn bored students into engaged and enthusiastic learners. That’s why your people must be a key part of the curriculum- and culture-development process. Education design that keeps people at the core helps you:

Create learning material and EXPERIENCES that meet students where they are

Leverage the ancient power of storytelling to humanize L&D

Stop wasting money, time, and resources on wasteful guesswork

Create a learning & engagement framework that staff can learn and improve upon with time

Use learners’ unique challenges to inform learning & engagement experiences

Use data to understand what’s working (and what’s not) and make relevant changes

Help students learn more effectively and retain knowledge with more ease

Fuel pupils’ curiosity and make learning FUN, without making it distracting

Cater to their unique motivations, challenges, and learning styles

Encourage learners to give their best and avoid boredom and burn-out

Tap into students’ untapped academic, emotional, and social potential

Bring the authenticity of human interaction into the educational arena

Reimagine Learning & Engagement at School

Create Empowering Education Experiences With Jonlieu 

When it comes to education, placing humans at the heart of all you do makes all the difference. While many other approaches focus on objectives and milestones, we focus on the experience to help learners thrive beyond the classroom. To learn how Jonlieu can help you bring people-centered design into your school or nonprofit to start improving learning outcomes, start a conversation with our team today.