K–12 School Groups

Design K12 Design in the Classroom brings design workshops to your school beginning this fall!

Whether you teach social studies or math or even language arts, our hands-on exercises in teamwork and brainstorming will equip your students with new tools to take on challenges in any subject. Design in the Classroom is free. Our visit is about 45 minutes. All K-12 teachers in NYC are eligible. Workshop materials are provided including teaching materials and resources to use before and after the visit.

Design in the Classroom Teacher Resource Packets are organized according to workshop topic. Currently the topic is “What is Design” (PDF). All participating teachers can use the packet to both prepare for their classroom visit and connect design to their curriculum.

Also, the packet provides Pre-Visit Resources including a playlist of great videos on design and education. These videos are accessible on YouTube and provided here for those educators with YouTube restrictions.

Ready, Set, Design
This quick group activity introduces design thinking. Working in small groups, participants think with their hands to get innovative ideas flowing.

What is Design?
Bill Moggridge, Director of Cooper-Hewitt, addresses K-12 teachers with an overview of the different fields of design while explaining the benefits and applications of design thinking in schools.

How and Why Things Work
Ellen Lupton, Curator of Contemporary Design at Cooper-Hewitt explores objects from the past and present, demonstrating how good design can solve everyday problems.

Learning By Design
Design educator Meredith Davis describes design-based education and provides examples of how it can be used in the classroom to meet local and state standards. She also presents evidence from various studies to prove the success of design-based education in meeting education goals and engaging students.