Maureen Carroll | Where Empathy and Learning Meet | Design Literacy International Network event

Maureen Carroll kick started the 2023 Engage with Ideas talks. Her talk titled Where Empathy and Learning Meet explored a question: What does empathy look like in design-driven classrooms?

Maureen discussed strategies educators might use to create student-centered classrooms that embody a sense of belonging, honors students’ life experiences, and reframes relationship building. Specifically, she will frame her discussion around the challenge of co-constructed learning in the 21st century.

Constructivist teaching is based on the belief that learning occurs as learners are actively involved in a process of meaning and knowledge construction rather than passively receiving information. Learners are the makers of meaning and knowledge. Our classrooms must reflect the mutuality of teaching and learning with empathy at its core. Learning from and with people and contexts is not simply a step that we reference in the design process; instead, it permeates the work of a designer. It requires deliberate practice, as we must intentionally seek opportunities to deeply connect with people in meaningful ways. What does learning from and with others look like in a design-driven, learner-centered classroom?  It begins and ends with empathy.

Event recording in ENGLISH: