Education is the vehicle by which we collectively decide what kind of citizens–and citizenry–do we need and want. But who designs education, and how? This course, adapted from the popular Dartmouth undergraduate course "Design and Education", is ideal for high school students interested in education’s role in shaping a flourishing, equitable society. There will be supplemental readings and discussion, but this course primarily cycles through action and reflection, thus modeling a form of teaching and learning that is engaged and both personalized and communal. We’ll explore the future of education through two projects and investigations: 

• Project #1 - Teach as You. How might we design a lesson for 2031? 
• Project #2 - Schools of the Future. How might we design the school of 2031? 

To help us do this, the course will begin with a crash course in Design Thinking, an interdisciplinary, human-centered methodology for addressing complex issues, such as those in education, as well as many other innovative fields. We’ll explore how design thinking methods are used to create lessons and curricula aligned with learning objectives, student needs, and societal outcomes; and how design thinking might help us improve education systems more broadly.