Educator and Community Programs

The Museum’s award-winning, nationally recognized education programs encourage students and teachers to see themselves as designers in their own right as they engage in the design process through active observation, discussion, strategies for visual communication, and critique. Design enthusiasts—professionals and non-professionals alike—are served through lectures, conferences, concerts, symposia, design studio visits, New York City walking tours, regional day trips, and workshops.

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Cooper-Hewitt Design Institute

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is accepting applications for participation in its week-long Cooper-Hewitt Design Institute, April 6-10, 2009. The training will take place in Atlanta, GA and is only eligible for Atlanta area K-12 public school teachers.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, in partnership with the Global Health Odyssey Museum, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is pleased to present the Cooper-Hewitt Design Institute (CHDI), an intensive, process-based program that will train K-12 teachers to use design-based learning in their classrooms. The CHDI will explore the ideas presented in the upcoming exhibition (February 17-May 29, 2009) at Atlanta’s Global Health Odyssey Museum, Design for the Other 90%, featuring the work of designers attempting to improve the lives of people living in poverty or recovering from natural disasters.

Participants at the CHDI will use public health, shelter, water, education, energy, and transportation as examples to learn ways to promote innovation, critical thinking, visual literacy, and problem solving across the curriculum; work with advisors – to develop action plans, lessons, and strategies for classroom implementation and assessment; and experience how design thinking and design process can enhance the teaching of mathematics, science, and history, as well as art and literature. Workshop leaders contribute hands-on design experiences that help attendees better understand the design process, materials, and evaluation. CHDI advisors provide a constant backdrop to the experience by attending all sessions and leading discussion sessions with the educators each afternoon that offer an opportunity to reflect on ways to bring what they have learned back to the classroom.

The Summer Design Institute is made possible by The Lemelson Foundation.

Education programs at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum are made possible in part by The Edith and Frances Mulhall Achilles Memorial Fund and the Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation.

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Eligibility

• Open to Atlanta area K-12 public school teachers
• Open to all subject areas (i.e. language arts, science, social studies, math etc.)
• Preference is given to teachers with at least one other partner colleague applicant from the same school (up to four teachers per school can be accepted)

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Application Procedures

Application Materials

• Application
• 1 page letter indicating interest in CHDI. (Please include answers to the following questions)
  1. What is your interest in design as problem solving or project-based learning?
  2. Why do you think design-based learning would be beneficial to your class?
  3. Have you utilized design-based or project based learning in your classroom? If so, how?
• 2 sample lesson plans or 1 unit plan (these do not have to be design-based)
• Signed letter of support from your principal

Application Deadline
All materials must be postmarked or faxed by February 23, 2009
We will not accept any materials postmarked or faxed after the deadline.

Mail application to:
Design Institute 2009
Education Department
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
2 East 91st Street, New York, NY 10128

Or

Fax attention to:
Design Institute
Fax: 212-849-8328

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Q. What are the determining factors for acceptance?
• A. Determination of participation in the Design Institute is made by group review.
  1. Sample lesson or unit plan
  2. Interest in integrating invention and design into curriculum
  3. Diversity of location and school profile
  4. Diversity of subject matter
  5. Preference is given to teachers with at least one other partner colleague applicant from the same school (up to four teachers per school can be accepted).

• Q. In exchange for participation what will CHNDM provide?
• A.
  1. A stipend in the amount of $1,000 will be paid to each participating teacher after the submission and approval of all the items below:
     • Participation and attendance in all training/planning activities (April 6-10, 2009)
     • The completion of two design-based lesson plans written to national standards in partnership with Cooper-Hewitt due by late summer 2009
     • Participation in our online conversation board
  2. Training by CHNDM staff, materials and resources toward project development and classroom implementation
  3. Ongoing assistance and guidance in lesson plan and classroom development
  4. Lunch daily during the training week
  5. All supplies/materials needed for the training week

• Q. What are accepted participants agreeing to commit to?
• A.
  1. Attend the entire week-long Design Institute sessions, April 6-10, 2009 from 8:30 – 4:00 p.m. (Friday, April 10 8:30-2:30 p.m.)
  2. Create two lesson plans linked to national standards that integrate design-based learning content into their classrooms. Lesson are due Summer 2009
  3. Implement design-based activities in the classroom during the 2009-2010 school year
  4. Participate in data collection ,evaluation and in school audio/video documentation as needed
  5. Contribute comments, at least 10, by the end of summer 2009 on the Cooper-Hewitt Web site discussion board
• B. Participating teachers also agree that CHNDM shall retain the right to publish and distribute all work created for this project, including compilation texts and the project’s online database. In addition, the participants agree to grant the right for CHNDM to use and authorize others to use your name, likeness, and biographical material as educational resources and for program publicity and institutional promotional purposes.

• Q. Do I have to be a design/art teacher in order to apply?
• A. No, the Cooper-Hewitt welcomes applicants from diverse teaching backgrounds and subject areas. The CHDI focuses on design as problem solving and how that can be applied to your subject area.

• Q. Where will the training take place?
• A. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will be hosting this training week at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA.

• Q. When will I be notified?
• A. CHNDM notification of acceptance by March 4, 2009.

• Q. If I have questions who should I contact?
• A. Email digak@si.edu