Working directly with educators, we design projects and programs that are relevant, rigorous, and rooted in real world problem solving; we use these as models of promising practice.
Whether it's to develop an activity that incorporates games for civic participation or a project that engages students in identifying a problem on their campus, the approach of the Third Space Collaborative is to treat educators as instructional designers and problem solvers. By doing so, educators engage in learning by doing and experiencing, the same processes we believe should be fundamental for all students.
OUR SERVICES FOCUS ON the following areas:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Learning by doing and constructing concrete connections to the classroom are at the heart of how the Third Space Collaborative approaches professional development. We understand and appreciate the complex process that teachers undergo as they try to integrate new approaches like design thinking, making & tinkering, or game design into their practice; these pragmatic considerations are embedded into the entire professional development experience.
CURRICULUM DESIGN
The Third Space Collaborative specializes in designing frameworks, projects, and activities that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Creating learning experiences that are both engaging and rigorous are at the heart of the curricula.
PROGRAM DESIGN
Working with experts and educators from museums, foundations, and community-based organizations, the Third Space Collaborative develops in and out of school programs for students that promote civic participation and real world problem solving. Participants become ethnographers, tinkerers, designers, and doers as they engage in deepening and applying their learning.