Current research is pushing schools to adopt more student-centered approaches to the classroom experience, and educators-librarians and classroom teachers alike-are being challenged to revise their curricula and instruction to be student-centered, personalized, and differentiated.

This book empowers librarians, teachers, and administrators to be empathic problem-solvers and decision-makers. By reframing the challenges that members of a learning community face as opportunities to better meet teaching and learning needs, readers will find that adoption of a mindset focused on users-namely, design thinking-elevates and creates opportunities for innovating pedagogy. Moreover, it can enhance school culture as well as build channels of communication among various stakeholders in schools and districts.

When educators of any subject or discipline apply design thinking skills to their curriculum implementation, authentic student-centered learning experiences become the core of the learning experience. The case studies shared in this book provide examples of student-centered approaches being used in elementary, middle, and high schools, so that readers have many models on which to base their work and from which to build confidence in shifting their pedagogy to keep the student at the center of teaching and learning decisions.

Explanations of design thinking models, how they work, and how they apply to teaching and learning

Opportunities to practice empathizing with learning community stakeholders and designing to meet those stakeholders’ needs

Models for writing curricula, units, and lesson plans that are student-centered by design

Resources for implementing project-based learning experiences with students

Reproducible graphics and organizers for instructional use