Pillar 4: A Bold Tomorrow

Above: Senior School students in the Centre for Discovery

It’s All by Design

BY MARK BOGHEN, WRITER

ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS AT LCC IN RECENT YEARS HAS BEEN TUCKED AWAY IN TWO ROOMS AT THE BACK OF THE WEBSTER LEARNING ACTIVITY CENTRE. SMALL GROUPS OF STUDENTS WHO EXPRESSED INTEREST WERE INITIATED INTO THE FERTILE WORLD OF THE DESIGN PROCESS, DREAMING UP IDEAS FOR PRODUCING PHYSICAL, TANGIBLE “THINGS” AND THEN MASTERING THE TOOLS — SOMETIMES CUTTING EDGE, SOMETIMES CENTURIES-OLD — TO BRING THEM TO LIFE. WORKING IN A CROWDED FAB LAB AND A SINGLE DESIGN CLASSROOM, INSPIRATION BECAME REALITY.

With the introduction of the new Centre for Discovery, that program is about to get a whole lot bigger.

While studies in design are often a feature of IB schools worldwide, the way that LCC is integrating it into the curriculum is a stand-out. From about 60 students a year, the program is expanding to more than 300, becoming a core part of grades 7 and 8, and about half of grade 10. Advanced design classes will be on offer for the oldest grades, along with a panoply of co-curricular activities and Junior School projects. Most of the first floor of the Webster building, including what used to be the LCC Store, has been taken over by this exciting activity, featuring three design classrooms and three well-stocked fabrication studios.

WE SEE THE KIDS GROW A LOT IN THESE ROOMS.

The shift from book learning to planning and executing concrete, three-dimensional projects often injects a massive dose of excitement and enthusiasm into the lives of students who have become accustomed to the daily patterns of education in the classroom. They learn not only how to use tools, but how to learn how to use tools, a renewable resource for life. As design and Fab Lab coordinator Alec Mathewson ’95 puts it, “this kind of creativity is about solving complex problems. Trial and error, failing and starting over, happy accidents, all reinforce key character concepts.”

The very word “tool” may need to be revisited in this context: screwdrivers, scissors and saws, yes, but also sewing machines, five 3D printers, CNC (computer numerical control) machines, tiny microcontrollers and electronic components, laser cutters and much more. And the types of materials to work with are vast: bolts, screws and dowels; textiles, papers and cardboard; every kind of gear and cog. Even Lego pieces from countless old model sets are repurposed in so many ways, underscoring the idea that nothing need be wasted.

The possibilities are endless. Already students have produced an array of projects, ranging from the simple (stickers, T-shirts) to the complex and demanding (guitars, hyper-modern fashion, Rube Goldberg machines.) One project challenged older students to imagine the ways in which a simple shipping container could be used to create sustainable housing under various conditions. They designed and then produced an impressive range of architectural maquettes.

Kym Barfoot is both a design instructor and experienced classroom science teacher. “I can attest to the fact that this approach can really change the way science students approach labs…rather than trying to guess what the ‘expected right answer’ is, they begin to feel the true experimental element of the lab. We see the kids grow a lot in these rooms.”

Brimming with innovation, expression and creation, the Centre for Discovery promises countless paths to expanded minds and greater skills. Young minds will be wrestling with some truly critical thinking about how we design our world. And in the near future? Sustainable bioplastics, hydroponics, artificial intelligence, robotics — this is definitely not the LCC of yesteryear.