DesignLab Miami’s fashion, sewing, design, and technology programs are a great addition to any school but we’ve taken it a step further with our unique and innovative system of Integrated Design Education Augmenting Scholarship or as we like to call it I.D.E.A.S.
The concept behind I.D.E.A.S. is simple. Rather than just offer our sewing and design programs as a “break” from the regular curriculum, we work with the schools math, science, and art faculty and staff to actually integrate design, technology, and fashion lessons into the schools overall educational program. This fusion of elements not only makes learning fun, but also motivates students to dig deeper than ever into the subjects at hand.
To put our I.D.E.A.S. to the test we ran a pilot program in conjunction with Ojus Elementary School in Miami. Their science department was planning to have the students study our precious, fragile Everglades ecosystem. Each of the 48 participating students was asked to research a specific animal that was endangered. They then drew that animal and it’s habitat and with the equipment provided by DesignLab (and it’s educational partner HP), used tablet PCs, large format printers, laser cutters, 3-D printers and more to actually bring the students artwork “to life”!
“I’ve literally NEVER see a program have such an impact on our school” said Ojus Principal Dr. Mildred Mejia. She also noted that not only did the participants grades improve but their attendance was perfect throughout! “Nobody misses school when it’s DesignLab day”!
With it’s complete success at Ojus, DesignLab is planning to increase the number of I.D.E.A.S. programs it offers this year in the hopes of making it a permanent part of the Miami-Dade and eventually all schools curriculum’s!
Want to see more? Click the thumbnail below to see images from the I.D.E.A.S. pilot program at Ojus Elementary School in Miami.
