I'm an educator, I mean designer, I mean...

I had the chance to attend CompostModern this past weekend. It is a conference for designers by designers.

As an educator, I was not exactly sure what to expect. I initially felt as though I would be the odd man out. I mean, I was no where near as fashionable as 99% of the attendees and at no point have I or will I pretend to be an artist. Just ask my old students, I was the master of the stick figure.

That being said, I do consider myself a designer. In my mind all educators are. The bonds that unite "designers" and "educators" are far deeper than you would expect.

Both are asked to solve problems. Both deal with clients who don't necessarily like their ideas. Both must find ways to sell their ideas and, if they are good, will use images to do so.

Far too often, I see teachers simply consider themselves to be content experts and get caught up in data and numbers. Rather than focusing purely on statistics, let us, as "educators", think as designers:

• How can you use a story to solve your problem? (i.e. help your students learn)


• How can you visualize the learning process?


• How can you ensure that you stay true to your vision (i.e. the content) while meeting your client (i.e. the student) where they are as well?

What really hit me while at CompostModern, a conference on sustainability and design, was the fact that so many designers want to make a difference. Many of those designers want to help or be educators. This became obvious when I offered an unconference session on education and design and it was attended by over 30 people. As educators, we cannot ignore this. We must look to designers for help as we have a lot to learn on how as Dan Meyer put it, "sell a product the consumer doesn't want to buy".

The power of design, story, and imagery have changed the world. Images and story have helped shape our culture. In an age of abundance and information overload it is becoming every more apparent that what we as educators need to do is think more like designers.

It doesn't matter how many gadgets or gizmos you throw at a classroom, they will not make a difference unless the story behind the material is compelling, unless the process is visual, and unless you engage your students differently.

So I ask you, from one educator to another, to think about the following:

• Are you presenting your students with a clear and relevant problem?


• Is the material clear and telling a story?


• Is your approach visual?

If you are answering yes to all three, then you are more of a designer than you think. If you did not answer yes to the questions, then think about how you could change reconstruct your approach.

What we teach must take design into consideration. The days of just buying a shoe are over. Consumers want a story (TOMS) they can believe in. Education is no different. Designers are itching to make a difference. If you are not comfortable with this transition, reach out to someone who can help.

In short, designers can be educators and educators can be designers.

Photo credit: Active Free