Something magical happened in Jenni Shilhanek’s 7th grade classroom in Dayton, Oregon. Learning came alive; engaging all of her students in ways that surprised everyone.
With the help of a parent, she was experimenting with a new learning practice modeled on the Agile framework developed in the software industry to support deeper learning and faster innovation. This experiment became known as the “Dayton Practice” and inspired the writing of the book, The Dayton Experiment.
This book tells the story of a software executive, Thompson Morrison, who partnered with the principal of Jenni’s school, Jami Fluke, to reimagine learning using the Agile mindset that has become essential for innovative organizations.
Together, they set an intention to unleash the creative genius of each and every student in this small rural school.
And it happened, beyond anyone's expectations.
After a small group of principals experienced this practice of experimenting and learning in fast iterative cycles, Thompson and Jenni set about to distill it into a learning framework that could be introduced to other schools. They called this Agile-based learning framework Designed inGenuity (DiG).
Our Story
Over the last three years, hundreds of educators around the world have experienced a DiG, being reawakened as learners and experimenting with the framework in their classrooms.
The story of one such school, in Queensland, Australia, has been has been shared in the book The Joyful Sandbox.
Today, guided by Kavita Tanna, co-founder of Catalyst Learning Labs, the DiG framework is being introduced and supported in classrooms around the world. Using this framework, students are finding individual meaning and collective purpose for their learning, increasing academic achievement and helping them build the confidence to be the change-makers the world so desperately needs.
The impact of the DiG is now being felt in schools in America, Australia, England, China and Ethiopia as school leadership, teachers and students are being guided toward reimagining the purpose of schools as places of creative learning.
To support these efforts, a small group of committed individuals gathered in Westerville, Ohio to launch Catalyst Learning Labs. This non-profit is dedicated to promoting the cultural transformation of education by preparing students to be the empowered problem solvers that the world needs.