Educated by Design. Michael Cohen

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      Praise for

      EDUCATED BY DESIGN

      “Rabbi Michael Cohen is passionate—passionate about teaching, about education, about creativity, and about sharing his passions with others. This book is his gift to you, filled with his lessons on how to design meaningful educational experiences that unleash students’ creativity.”

       —Tina Seelig,

      professor of the Practice, Stanford School of Engineering, author of Creativity Rules

      “In Educated by Design: Designing the Space to Experiment, Explore, and Extract Your Creative Potential, Michael Cohen expertly blends anecdotal examples, practical advice, and big ideas about how teachers and students unlock their creative potential and share what they create with the world. A perfect book for those looking for a balanced dose of inspiration and a roadmap brimming with easy-to-try ideas.”

       —Adam Bellow,

      cofounder, Breakout EDU

      “Michael Cohen provides a bold vision for how educators can transform education by thinking like designers. This book will inspire you and challenge you as you innovate in your own practice.”

       —John Spencer,

      professor and coauthor of Empower and Launch

      “Teaching is a craft. Creativity helps it shine. All of us have creative capacities, and they can have a profound influence on student learning. In Educated by Design, Michael Cohen helps you find your creative teaching soul. If you’ve already found it, this book helps you refine it with practical ideas, activities for growth, and the inspiration to keep improving. Your students will notice the difference, and you’ll notice the difference in your students’ learning.”

       —Matt Miller,

      author, speaker, and blogger, Ditch That Textbook, and 10+ year veteran teacher

      “As someone who believes creativity is essential to all content areas, I find Cohen’s book to be a breath of fresh air. It reminds us of the importance of creative freedom and creative confidence. Creativity is a mindset and something we can all achieve. Packed with the theoretical (why creativity matters) to the practical (a toolkit of ideas for incorporating creativity into your teaching), Educated by Design can benefit teachers of all grade levels and content areas. All classrooms today should have a deliberate focus on fostering creativity. Whether you are just getting started or a creativity pro, Cohen offers many ways for you to help all students develop their own creative mindset.”

       —Alice Keeler,

      teacher, EdTech blogger

      “I have seen Michael speak several times and have had the honour of talking with him. Educated by Design feels like a continuation of those conversations. You’ll feel Michael’s passion for learning and appreciate the clear connections he makes between the why of creativity and how to make it happen. It’s an easy, valuable read that encourages readers to create their own solutions.”

       —George Couros,

      innovative teaching, learning, and leading consultant and author of The Innovator’s Mindset

      “Moving from a culture of consumption to one of creation and design is one of the most important steps educators can take to transform the learning experience, not just in their classrooms, but for themselves as professionals. In Educated by Design, The Tech Rabbi dispels many myths about creativity and design while providing practical ways to bring learning to life in your classroom. As Cohen shares, ‘creativity is a mindset, not an art set,’ so let this book help you design a recipe for disruption in your areas of influence!”

       —Thomas C. Murray,

      director of innovation, Future Ready Schools, Washington, D.C.

      “Michael Cohen is someone who inspires me daily, and in his book, Educated by Design, he will inspire all educators. This is not just a book but a launchpad for creativity that is sure to put all readers in a creative mindset. Practical and inspirational, this vibrant thought-provoking text demystifies the creative process. This is a must-read for anyone looking to ignite a culture of creativity in their school.”

       —Laura Fleming,

      educator and bestselling author of Worlds of Making and The Kickstart Guide to Making Great Makerspaces

      “Unfortunately, many of our students have been socialized out of their own creativity. Defeated by school environments that strongly emphasize compliance, they have sacrificed their creative natures on the altars of higher GPAs, better test scores, and discipline avoidance. This book shows us how to reignite the inner spark that resides in every one of our children and prepare them for a present and future world that rewards divergence, not convergence. It’s an introduction to the key concepts of design thinking and creativity, complete with numerous concrete classroom examples of these principles in practice. It’s also a call to action that will shift your mindset as an educator. Michael is an incredible designer of learning experiences for children. He can help you be one too.”

       —Dr. Scott McLeod,

      associate professor of educational leadership and founding director, CASTLE, University of Colorado Denver

      “The Tech Rabbi always brings the truth! This book exemplifies his unique insights in education, creativity and design and is beyond the ‘here are some tech tools’ that other books sometimes offer. I love how Michael brings bold honesty to the world of education. He takes deep dives into the use of technology in schools, how failure can be a process for learning and different strategies for inspiring creativity. This book is a powerful tool for any educator or leader trying to reinvigorate and reimagine learning in school.”

       —Carl Hooker,

      director of innovation and digital learning

      “Michael Cohen is committed to empowering educators to develop a creative mindset. Educated By Design provides readers with the stories and experiences that have framed Cohen’s perspective as both an educator and designer. Cohen provides questions to push your thinking on creativity in education and beyond.”

       —Monica Burns, Ed.D.,

      founder of ClassTechTips.com, author of Tasks Before Apps

      “Michael does an incredible job of disrupting and challenging mindsets with regards to creativity, design, and education. Creativity is not limited to the arts, and as he says, it is the spark, the catalyst, and the drive to view problems in new, unexpected ways. This book is a must-read for every educator looking to develop critical thinking, design thinking, and problem solving skills with students. What are you doing to design a recipe for disruption?”

       —Brian Aspinall,

      educator, author, coder, maker

Educated by Design

       Educated by Design

      © 2018 by Michael Cohen

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing by the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. For information regarding permission, contact the publisher at [email protected].

      This book is available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for use as premiums, promotions, fundraisers, or for educational use. For inquiries and details, contact the publisher at [email protected].

      Published by Dave Burgess Consulting,