Designed inGenuity (DIG) is a learning framework for the creative mind.
It emerged from a five-year experiment in Dayton, Oregon that was called The Dayton Experiment where a school district reimagined the learning experience based on the culture found in many high-growth, innovation-based companies.
From this experiment, The Dayton Practice was developed that used fast, iterative learning cycles that helped students find _purpose_ and _meaning_ and exponentially accelerate the rate of their learning.
While traditional education focuses on _product_, the Learning Cycles of the DIG framework focuses on _process_ recognizing that, when the intention of the learning has been defined, the product will emerge – one that will often surprise and surpass expectations.
In this learning journey, the DiG framework provides a glimpse into the way digital natives, perhaps, are Thinking Differently from previous generations.
Rather than converge on an output, for example, a paper or exam, in this process a different model is used. This includes the divergent thinking required to 'emphasise' and 'ideate'. This is one of the most powerful aspects of the DiG framework – that it incorporates both types of thinking. It's a more 'human centered' approach and takes into account the importance of Rhythm, Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose, and Safety.
The DiG journey begins with a Common Ground, a place of convergence for the learning pod. Each learner then is commissioned to embark on a journey that is divergent in nature. Their discovery is brought back with others at the end of the sprint in a demo day, where the pod learns from each other creating a new convergence of shared understanding. And then the learning process begins anew.
In this model, then, not only is both convergent and divergent thinking embraced, but also the role of both passive and active learning. For this reason, we think of this emergent pedagogy as _integrated learning_, where thinking and learning are integrated – as well as curriculum areas and experiences – in order to achieve rich, deep learning that unleashes the Creative Genius of our students.
With this understanding in mind, we are beginning to appreciate that there is a rhythm of learning that might be developed when DiGs are incorporated into conventional curriculum-based learning environments.
In these classroom environments, direct instruction can be used to help establish a shared knowledge base – a 'scaffolding' – for the learning which then leads into a DiG adventure where that knowledge is made alive and meaningful for students through their curiosity and creativity – meaning that increases their engagement and agency.
What I have found remarkable is how quickly Psychological Safety is established within the pod. People become vulnerable with each other in the sharing about themselves and what they are learning. Often one act of disclosure by a member of the pod will encourage others to share more deeply this demonstration of being in the experience together is a powerful contributor to fast learning.
Next: Accepted and Respected
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