Page 22 - School Planning & Management, March 2019

FACILITIES AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES
Student Innovation Challenge. The Student Innovation Challenge (SIC) was first introduced by DLR Group in Nashville at the 2015 NSBA conference. The SIC blends applied learning, collaboration, and teamwork, and is a learning exhibit that gives conference attendees a front row seat experience with modern pedagogy. It is a real-life, active learning exercise where students work alongside pro- fessionals and conventioneers to solve global and local problems. Since 2015, DLR Group has hosted 19 competitions in 14 states. Pictures in this article are from the 2017 and 2018 Texas Association of School Administrators/Texas Association of School Boards (TASA/TASB) Conventions in Austin, Texas.
her own thinking or training as an educator, and trusts her learners with choices to drive engagement. Through the SIC, we’re offering conference attendees an in-depth look into the power of student-centered learning. Our goal is that this experience will spark new conversations in attendees’ home districts, and ultimately encourage a shift towards more authentic learning.
Describe the curriculum model
used for the SIC.
MD: The curriculum model is a collabora- tive, hands-on framework called Challenge Based Learning, which is based on three action steps:
1. Engage: Students use essential
questioning to develop a personal and actionable challenge, such as a real- world problem that can be solved in their school or community.
2. Investigate: Students develop con- ceptualized learning experiences and conduct rigorous, content- and concept- based research to create a foundation for the solutions they research.
3. Act: Students explore their solutions in authentic settings, receive feedback, and learn from their successes and failures.
What do you personally observe during the SIC?
JM: The challenge is electric! The student, educator, and industry expert energy is high as everyone collaborates together to solve the problem. The element of competi- tion also drives teams to push their out- of-the-box thinking, thoughtfully disrupt the status quo with their solutions, and fail forward throughout the design cycle.
MD: Students are having fun. By collaborat- ing with students from other districts, as well as conference attendees, they experi- ence real-time learning. Our ultimate goal is for students to be responsible for their own learning and to recognize they can use the natural resources around them when they return to their home districts.
their solutions during a conference session to hundreds of conference goers.
We recently sat down with DLR Group Principal Taryn Kinney (TK), and DLR Group Senior Associate Marilyn Denison, Ed.D. (MD), to discuss the SIC and how it elevates learning. We also talked with Dr. Jenny McGown (JM), deputy superinten- dent at Klein Independent School District (ISD) in Texas, and Kathleen Plott (KP), in- structional officer of Advanced Academics for the Department of College and Career Pathways at Klein ISD, to learn more about
how their experience at the SIC in 2017 prompted additional innovative learning activities within their district.
Why did DLR Group initiate the SIC?
TK: DLR Group design teams often have the opportunity to see amazing, student-driven learning; however, we typically see this type of learning in isolated pockets, and not to the scale of an entire school district, city, or state. It is often initiated by a passionate teacher or school leader who challenges the status quo, takes a risk, invests the time to transition
22 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MARCH 2019
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