ArtCenter College of Design has received a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in support of educational courses and mentoring for local K-12 grade level teachers to incorporate design into learning and dynamically engage students. In partnership with the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) and the Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF), ArtCenter will provide courses exploring a wide range of design strategies to 18 ArtCenter Design Fellows beginning in Fall of 2022 and continue through 2023.
“This recognition from the NEA is a tremendous endorsement of the power of design in our society and how lessons incorporating design have the potential to open new learning pathways for children as well as expand their minds when it comes to making career choices,” said Paula Goodman, Director of K-12 Programs at ArtCenter College of Design ArtCenter Extension (ACX).
As ArtCenter Design Fellows, the 18 Pasadena Unified teachers will take ArtCenter Extension’s 10-week Design 360º course. A comprehensive overview of the professional design field, Design 360º will introduce the teachers to a variety of design disciplines, from spacial experience design to transportation, and features hands-on exercises for participants to expand their knowledge and skillset. Additionally, ArtCenter Design Fellows will meet one on one with ArtCenter faculty to develop lesson plans and innovative curriculum initiatives. Teachers will then implement these lesson plans in their classrooms and work with ArtCenter faculty to refine them as needed.
ArtCenter has a long history of sharing design theory and practice with educators. For more than 18 years, the College offered the Summer Institute in Design-Based Learning to train K-12 educators how to integrate design thinking into their curricula. The ArtCenter Design Fellows NEA grant project is a natural expansion of the program to serve the K-12 educational community.
