Design in Mind - by Miriam Beloglovsky & Michelle Grant-Groves (Paperback)

About the Book

Design in Mind refocuses education to embrace a new vision grounded on equity, equality, and inclusion.

Book Synopsis

Design in Mind outlines a framework for a design thinking process that helps educators tackle complex challenges in their educational ecosystems step by step to quickly find fresh ideas and solutions. It invites readers to simultaneously think like educators and designers while centering inquiry, equity, equality and inclusion, supporting creative tension, and encouraging collaborative innovation.

Review Quotes

"Design in Mind is the users' guide for a new and better future." --Jim Knight, senior partner, Instructional Coaching Group

"Through the intersection of design thinking and adaptive leadership, this powerful framework represents a breakthrough moment in early childhood educational reform. The idea of 'digging beneath the surface' as the initial step of the change process is where professional inquiry begins and seeking to solve problems for which there are no apparent solutions is where the adaptive leadership process begins. We should celebrate this game-changing educational innovation!" --Maurice Sykes, author of Doing the Right Thing for Children: Eight Qualities of Leadership

"As an educator in the field of design, I truly understand the lasting benefits of the Design in Mind process. Through guided steps and contextual examples, the authors clearly demonstrate how facing any dilemma from this solution-driven framework embraces multiple perspectives and gives rise to actionable change." --Diane M. Spahn, director of education, Kodo Kids

About the Author

Miriam Beloglovsky is a professor of early childhood education at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. She is a keynote speaker and presents numerous workshops on child development, loose parts, play, and early learning. She has also led community building and leadership training for nonprofit organizations and community agencies. She is co-author of the award-winning Loose Parts series.

Michelle Grant-Groves is the executive director of the I3 Institute: Inquiry, Intention and Innovation, a design and education consulting firm dedicated to bridging early care and education systems, Birth-3rd Grade, and beyond. She is also the executive director for the Center of Gravity, a STEM-based early childhood education lab school for the Institute. Michelle's life work is anchored in advancing racial equity and inclusion and sees inquiry as a core lever for community transformation. She has 20+ years of experience in the field of education, having served as a teacher, school-site and district administrator, worthy-wage advocate, author, designer, college instructor, facilitator, and presenter.