Origin Story
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.
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).
Beyond Dayton
Hundreds of educators on five continents have experienced a DiG, being reawakened as learners and experimenting with the framework in their classrooms.
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.
To support these efforts, a 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 creative problem solvers that the world needs.