Social Innovation Mapping Entrepreneurial Patterns For The Future of Learning - Ashoka - LEGO Foundation - Reimagine Learning - 4.9.2015

ENTREPRENEURIAL
PATTERNS
FOR THE FUTURE
OF LEARNING
SOCIAL
INNOVATION
MAPPING
WORKING PAPER - AUGUST 2014
1
FOREWORD
The following report is an invitation to join Ashoka
and the LEGO Foundation in building a network
to Re-imagine Learning. Based on the work of
leading social-entrepreneurs, the report highlights
eight common innovation patterns utilized across
seventeen countries around the world, and tells
the stories of how these social entrepreneurs are
creating widespread impact through these shared
approaches, even in disparate contexts.
With the launch of the online challenge to Re-

imagine Learning, we then asked every participant
to identify which pattern their work most aligns
with, and posed additional questions to deepen our
understanding of the network and its approaches.
Over 630 idea responded to the challenge,
representing impact in over 70 countries. While
every participant is welcomed as an essential part
of the #Play2Learn network, practitioners helped
in identifying which ideas would gain additional
distinction as either Pacesetters (top 325), Pioneers
(top 30) or Champions (top 10).
The Social Innovation Mapping report has been

updated to include a listing of the ideas that came
across the strongest: the 10 Challenge Champions,
along with the 8 newly-minted Ashoka Fellows (see
page 16 and appendix a). An epilogue includes what
we learned about the #Play2Learn network from
looking at the data across all participants, along with
initial ideas for growing the impact of the network.
All responses, along with interactive data trends are
openly available on changemakers.com/play2learn.
We know, however, that not all solutions and

insights that are critical to transforming learning are
represented here. If you’re designing environments
where kids and adults are learning through play,
whether at home, in a classroom or on a playground,
we want to hear from you: what’s missing from
this innovation mapping and from the Re-imagine
Learning network? What does this report get right,
and what needs to be better understood in order to
change the way the world learns?
Help us map the landscape of innovation in

education and build a global network of parents,
educators, researchers, administrators, and
social entrepreneurs. Connect with us online at
Changemakers.com/play2learn or via e-mail at
rrahman@ashoka.org.
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction Design Principles in Focus

Page 04
1. Everyone an imagineer: Equip Adults
to Drive Change in Learning.
About Ashoka’s Social Page 32
Innovation Mapping 2. A world of possibilities: Actively Design Space
Page 08 & Culture as Essential Elements
for Learning.
Page 35
Patterns In 3. Better together: Create Peer Support Networks

Social Innovation for All Stakeholders in Education.
Page 36
Re-envisioning what is possible: guiding
Design Principles and Barriers tackled 4. Wired for learning: Put Children in Charge.
Page 12 Page 39
Barriers Tackled Epilogue

A. “Whole child” development is undervalued. What We Learned after the Re-
Page 20
imagine Learning Challenge
B. One-size-fits-all fits none: Students Launched
are disengaged and not being prepared for real life. Page 42
Page 23
C. Not enough capacity to re-imagine and restructure

educational settings.
Page 26
D. Lack of structures to facilitate meaningful community

ownership in learning process.
Page 29
APPENDIX A: Index of Social Entrepreneurs Page 48 APPENDIX C: References Page 50
APPENDIX B: 2014 Re-imagining APPENDIX D: Acknowledgements Page 54

Page 49
Learning Challenge Data Analysis
List of Figures
Figure 1: Geographic Figure 2: Ashoka Figure 3: Social Figure 4: Pattern Figure 5: Social Figure 6: Pattern
Spread of Education Fellows’ Selection Innovation Mapping: Recognition Innovation Map: Recognition
& Learning Fellows Criteria 3 Key Components Methodology The Future Methodology 2
Page 05 Page 05 Page 09 Page 11 of Transforming Page 17
Learning
Page 16
1 INTRODUCTION
Consider two striking facts about the world that we live in: first, it is
changing more rapidly1 than ever before, requiring young people to be
equipped with the problem-solving, critical thinking, empathetic2, and
creative skills they need to adapt quickly to changing workplaces and
societies. Second, the average strength of creative thinking among
children is decreasing over time3.Divergent thinking, in particular, is
dropping rapidly after the age of five4. This decline is happening despite
creativity being an essential ingredient5 for ensuring children are prepared
to thrive and lead as the innovators of tomorrow. As education innovation
expert Ken Robinson 6 aptly notes, “we don’t grow into creativity, we grow
out of it. Or rather, we get educated out if it; we are educating people out
of their creative capacities.”
With these issues in mind, the following Social Innovation Mapping

is centered on identifying solutions that tackle the following framing
question:
HOW CAN PLAY

TRANSFORM
LEARNING TO
EMPOWER A
GENERATION
OF CREATIVE
AND ENGAGED
LIFELONG
LEARNERS?
4
Figure 2
SELECTION OF ASHOKA FELLOWS
Thus, this analysis focuses on patterns across social innovations
that: Ashoka is the world’s largest association of
leading social entrepreneurs, with over 3,000
• include play, fun, and creativity as essential ingredients for Fellows worldwide. After reviewing an initial
more engaged learning; solutions analyzed are not necessarily pool of over 10,000 candidates annually,
limited to explicit mentions of “play” but do represent an Ashoka elects approximately 150-200 of
expanded definition of learning through play. the most promising candidates as Ashoka
• focus on transforming learning rather than education only Fellows. In order to be elected a Fellow,
because solutions may stem from a broad range of education each candidate undergoes an extensive
movements and need not be limited to the school day alone. interview process with Ashoka leadership
• empower this generation of children as young people, and global sector experts. Each Ashoka
recognizing the vital importance of not viewing youth as Fellow must meet the following five criteria:
disempowered children, but as people that are capable of
remarkable achievements, no matter how young they are. 1. New Idea:
• are intent on preparing young people as lifelong learners, The work of a Fellow must be genuinely
recognizing that the goal of transforming learning is not only unique, with the potential to cause disruptive
so that children get better grades or are more likely to be systems change.
employed, but also so that young people are equipped with the
skills and experiences needed to thrive and make a difference 2. Social Impact:
throughout their lives. A Fellow’s idea must have clear social impact
on a national, regional, or even global scale.
Using this framing question as a focal point for finding cross-cutting It must address the deep, systemic problems
insights, we sifted through 429 Ashoka Fellows who were identified facing society.
as having a focus on learning and education from 60 countries. Of
these, a further 23 were selected to provide an international, diverse 3. Creativity:
sample of approaches that are dedicated to transforming learning A Fellow must creatively approach a
and utilizing fun, play, and creativity as essential ingredients for situation, devise unique solutions to
engaging children and youth. The sub-set chosen for analysis overcome obstacles, and build networks and
represents a diverse sample of solutions, with impact in more than partnerships for success.
17 countries on five continents, and some solutions being replicated
internationally. 4. Entrepreneurial Quality:
Figure 1 A Fellow must be passionate and dedicated
GEOGRAPHIC SPREAD OF to his work. He or she will not rest until the
EDUCATION & LEARNING FELLOWS
(429) social problem is completely resolved.
5. Ethical Fiber:
A Fellow must act ethically, and have a high
level of integrity and commitment to the
social cause.
Through this five-step process, each

entrepreneur is thoroughly vetted for his or
her character and capability to create systemic
change. The process is long but fruitful. In
fact, many candidates describe the selection
procedure as one of the most difficult but
enlightening experiences of their careers.
Candidates must communicate their ideas,

scrutinize their methods, and reflect on
themselves as individuals. Ashoka then
provides stipends to allow Fellows the
financial flexibility to fully dedicate themselves
to their new ideas.
5
We recognize the creative potential in teachers,
acknowledge and celebrate their uniqueness and
invite them to bring care and empathy into the
learning space. It’s no longer about reading out of
a textbook and asking children to memorize it, but
creating a space of learning through play. When a
child is challenged with something new, within a
space of discovery, then the child is automatically
engaged, having fun and learning.”
Dream A Dream, Vishal Talreja, India
6
7
2
ABOUT THE SOCIAL INNOVATION MAPPING
A CASE FOR HOPE report tells the stories of effective solutions in

order to offer a different way of thinking about
As a network of the world’s leading social systems change—one that values practice
entrepreneurs, Ashoka has intimately over theory and on-the-ground invention over
explored how an entrepreneurial mindset deductive analysis. Thus, the solutions profiled
can unlock solutions to the world’s most in the report point to a case for hope, to a
pressing problems. Across over 75 countries, future that can get better. Ultimately, these
and dozens of sectors, social entrepreneurs pages should be seen as an invitation to re-
in Ashoka’s Fellowship network have been envision what is possible, through the eyes of
undaunted by how complex or unsolvable a entrepreneurs.
problem may appear to be, instead turning
challenges into opportunities. They create INNOVATION
sustainable solutions for the communities
they are rooted within and find creative ways
PATTERN-RECOGNITION
to ensure their impact spreads regionally, and PROCESS:
even globally, to become new, widespread
norms. Ashoka’s Social Innovation Mapping is built
on an analysis of solutions created by Ashoka
Fellows, experts, and thought-leaders to
distill “design principles” for change. The
mapping illuminates how change is happening
by uncovering patterns of what works in the
field and what new solutions deserve further
Ashoka has intimately explored how exploration. For any given pattern-analysis, we
an entrepreneurial mindset can begin by determining a single framing question.
unlock solutions to the world’s most
pressing problems.
Ashoka’s Social Innovation Mapping illustrates

common patterns in how social entrepreneurs The Social Innovation Map should be
are creating widespread change. It centers seen as an invitation: to re-envision
around two types of patterns: Barriers,
what is possible, through the eyes of
or the components of a complex problem
entrepreneurs have chosen to focus on tackling, entrepreneurs.
and Design Principles, or the innovative
approach that is a defining feature of an
entrepreneurs’ work, based upon their decades The question both describes the shift we hope
of iteration on the ground. to see around a given issue in the future,
as well as the goal of the organizations and
Based upon case studies and interviews entrepreneurs whose work we include in the
of solutions that have proven success, the mapping.
Social Innovation Mapping offers an inductive
understanding of how the solutions work Next, we sift through Ashoka’s Fellow database
together in context to affect change. While of more than 3,000 solutions from social
addressing a complex or entrenched social entrepreneurs to select those most applicable
challenge can easily get mired in descriptions of to the field. These innovators go through a
the problems and their numerous causes, this rigorous approval process before their election
8
Figure 3
to the fellowship, which includes a thorough
vetting of their ideas and performance. SOCIAL INNOVATION MAPPING:
3 KEY COMPONENTS FOR
Then, we pare down the set of solutions to UNDERSTANDING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL
those that are the most relevant and innovative, LENSE
focusing on a further 15-30 solutions for case-
studies and interviews. Finally, we cluster them Solutions, and how they
and look for patterns in how the innovators both work in context, form the
define the problem they face, and what they do heart of the Social Innovation
to solve it. These patterns can point to powerful Mapping analysis. They are
ways to reframe a problem, as well as new ways used to identify two types of
of addressing it. Ultimately, this analysis reveals cross-cutting patterns, each
the “a-ha” moment of recognition, in which an representing a unique part
entrepreneur accurately pairs a powerful idea of the field that the social
with a compelling need. entrepreneur has chosen to
focus on: Barriers and Design
Once the analysis is mapped in a grid, the Principles. The solutions
distribution of the solutions becomes apparent, used for analysis are those
showing which strategies are most commonly that have been vetted by the
(and most powerfully) used. Additionally, it can Ashoka Fellowship process to
point to “holes” or areas where there can be be pragmatic, effective, and
unmet potential for a solution to be invented at visionary.
the nexus of need and idea.
Design Principles are clarifying
An analogy illustrates why two main patterns insights that are distilled
form the core of the Social Innovation Mapping: from the work of leading
to unleash the potential of social change, it social entrepreneurs; they
is as important to identify the keys (Design can be incorporated into how
Principles) as it is to clearly see the locks solutions are designed in
(Barriers) which shackle change. It is also vital order to increase their impact.
to explore new combinations that can further Similar to the identification
unlock successful change. of principles in any design
process, these principles apply
more broadly than just a single
tool or organizational strategy.
Barriers are core components

of a problem that, if overcome,
could result in significant
opportunities. These are
not just descriptions of the
To unleash the potential of social problem, nor of its underlying
change, it is as important to identify causes. Instead, they are
the keys (Design Principles) as it moveable, actionable parts
of the problem that the social
is to clearly see the locks (Barriers) entrepreneur has chosen
which shackle change. to tackle.
New Teacher Center, Ellen Moir, Chicago, United States
9
10
THE STRENGTHS OF SOCIAL
INNOVATION MAPPING
• It creates an entrepreneur’s view of the world, by focusing on
common patterns across solutions,. Entrepreneurs—of necessity—
design solutions that address the thorniest aspect of effecting change:
the human interactions in a system. Recommendations based on
entrepreneurial solutions can predict and show ways to circumvent
behavioral barriers to change that are often not addressed in strategies
crafted from a more idealized viewpoint.
• It allows successful solutions to be examined in context with one
another. The mapping shows how ideas relate to one another, as well
as to the core elements of the problem. The result is the emergence
of clear patterns: Which aspects of a problem are going unaddressed?
Are some strategies underutilized? Over utilized? Is there an aspect of
a problem that has yet to be named? Are there holes in the system that
await the design of a new solution?
• It provides the map for deriving a theory of change at a systems
level. The patterns and insights revealed by the mapping allows the
development of an integrated strategy around what mix of solutions
could lead to an overall increase in heat applied to the problem. While
any theory of change is subjective, this contextual mapping allows for
a holistic approach that merely quantifying the success of individual This document begins with an introduction
projects may not provide. to the framing question, which determines
the focus of the analysis. We then describe
• It creates criteria for predicting success. The design principles and
the fundamental system barriers. Next, we
barriers provide a road map for evaluating new projects and for guiding
delineate principles that enable learning
the invention of new ideas.
to be transformed so that young people are
adequately prepared for the future. Finally,
we map innovations onto a grid, followed
by descriptions of the social innovations
that have been studied, together with
excerpts from interviews of the social
entrepreneurs that are driving the solutions.
This mapping is intended to create a more
specific focus on one (of many) elements
that encompass the field of education
and learning. It also provides a baseline
knowledge that will continue to evolve,
building on the solutions that are submitted
Figure 4
on changemakers.com, relating to the 2014
PATTERN-RECOGNITION Re-imagining Learning Challenge.
METHODOLOGY 1
11
3 PATTERNS IN SOCIAL INNOVATION
The following are common patterns that were found across 23 social entrepreneurs’ work spanning over 17
countries (See Appendix A for full list of social entrepreneurs). The two types of patterns featured include
the Barriers which the social entrepreneurs choose to focus on; as well as the design principles they use
to overcome them. While the pattern itself might not be entirely novel, the social entrepreneurs’ focus on
this type of approach, along with the creative ways they have customized their solutions to create impact in
their local context are featured to spark further inspiration.
BARRIERS
Barriers are core components of a problem that, if altered, could allow for true systems
change. Barriers are not underlying causes that merely describe a situation, such as
something as broad as “cultural attitudes”. Instead, they are moveable, actionable, and
specific to the problem. This is because the pattern-mapping is designed to highlight
the key issues social entrepreneurs have chosen to tackle with pragmatic solutions. The
following is a synthesis of the key barriers to emerge from our analysis of leading social
entrepreneurs’ approaches.
BARRIER A. BARRIER B.
WHOLE CHILD DEVELOPMENT IS ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL FITS NONE: STUDENTS

UNDERVALUED ARE DISENGAGED AND NOT BEING
PREPARED FOR REAL LIFE
While the importance of social and emotional
learning (SEL) and healthy habits are widely Students are apathetic because content comes
recognized, focus on the whole child is left across as irrelevant or boring. Increased
behind due to the increased workload or lack testing causes essential life skills to become
of understanding of how it is incorporated into deemphasized and adds pressure that is
the existing curriculum, given other priorities. counterproductive to learning, especially as
Deliberate focus on topics such as emotional testing spreads to younger and younger age
literacy, health, confidence, and teamwork is groups, such as kindergarten students.
seen as a nice-to-have, instead of recognized as Examples of social entrepreneurs tackling
essential for ensuring greater success within the this barrier include:
classroom and beyond, and an artificial wall is
placed between academic learning and citizen * Larry Rosenstock, High Tech High
education. * Eric Dawson, Peace First
Examples of social entrepreneurs tackling
this barrier include:
* Yuhyun Park, Infollution Zero
* Jill Vialet, Playworks
* Heidrun Mayer, PAPAILIO
Center for Inspired Teaching, Aleta Margolis, U.S. Playworks, Jill Vialet, U.S.
12
* Marian Chwastniewski, Creative and
Educational Association ISLAND
BARRIER C.
BARRIER D.
TRAPPED BETWEEN COMPETING
PRESSURES: NOT ENOUGH CAPACITY LACK OF STRUCTURES TO FACILITATE
TO RE-IMAGINE AND RESTRUCTURE MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP
EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS IN LEARNING PROCESS
Teachers are under pressure to deliver Even if classrooms are able to teach all of the
better test results with decreased resources, right things, challenges outside of the school
competing voices about what to test, and day can derail successes inside the classroom.
increased requirements. It is difficult to adjust Community participation is an essential part
to expectations, given ongoing changes at of the learning process to ensure that there
the local, state, and national levels. Even with isn’t a harmful disconnect between what is
access to alternative curricula, teachers lack happening inside of the classroom and what
the capacity they need to innovate, experiment, is happening outside the classroom. However,
and teach outside the existing curricula. the existing mechanisms aren’t flexible enough
Examples of social entrepreneurs tackling to ensure that parents and other adults aren’t
this barrier include: just engaged, but become full co-owners of the
learning process.
* Aleta Margolis, Center for Inspired Teaching Examples of social entrepreneurs tackling
* Scott Hartl, Expeditionary Learning this barrier include:
* Maria Diarra Keita, Institute for Popular

Education
“We focus on changing the mindset

of the adults around the children...
Adults have been taught in a way
that was so plastic, and hard, and
not easy. Now they’re trying to get
that to the children, and learning is
no fun.” - Maria Keita, Institute for
Popular Education
Infollution Zero, Yuhyun Park, South Korea
13
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Design Principles are clarifying insights that
are distilled from the work of leading social
entrepreneurs; they can be incorporated into how
solutions are designed in order to increase their
impact. Similar to the identification of principles in any
design process, these principles apply more broadly
than just a single tool or organizational strategy.
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 1. EVERYONE AN

IMAGINEER!: EQUIP ADULTS TO DRIVE
CHANGE IN LEARNING
The transformation of learning requires teachers

and other adults to not just implement the latest
policies and programs, but to be empowered as
changemakers: formulating their own solutions,
taking action to make them a reality, and
quickly adjusting and iterating along the way.
Social entrepreneurs are crafting new types of
experiences and curricula that help adults drive
change, despite the multiple pressures that have
already been placed on their time and resources.
They help adults rethink their environment and
see new opportunities and resources within it.
Examples of social entrepreneurs modeling this

approach include:
* Vishal Talreja, Dream A Dream
* Terrie Rose, Baby’s Space
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 2. A WORLD OF

POSSIBILITIES: ACTIVELY DESIGN SPACE & “Schools have an invisible
CULTURE AS ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR curriculum, schools have cultures,
LEARNING Boys and Girls Clubs have cultures,
after school programs have cultures
Social entrepreneurs are creating cost-effective
ways to infuse schools with the type of culture
and organizing principles. And we
and design that is required for curiosity, creativity, have to get purposeful about those
and imagination to truly flourish. In the process environments and those values, if
of creating new school-wide norms for language, we’re going to create change.” - Eric
habits, and behavior modeling by adults, they are
also demonstrating how culture and design are not
Dawson, PeaceFirst
just nice-to-haves, but also must-haves in order to
achieve learning outcomes.
Examples of social entrepreneurs modeling this

approach include:
* Mary Gordon , Roots of Empathy
* Kabir Vajpeyi, Vinyas Centre for Architectural
Research and Design
* Victoria (Vicky) Colbert , Fundacion Escuela
Nueva
* Kiran Bir Sethi , Riverside School
14
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 3. BETTER TOGETHER: DESIGN PRINCIPLE 4. WIRED FOR
CREATE PEER SUPPORT NETWORKS FOR LEARNING: PUT CHILDREN IN CHARGE
ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN EDUCATION
Children are born with natural habits of
Social entrepreneurs are creating peer-to- curiosity, risk-taking, and experimentation.
peer networks that enable every stakeholder Although children are expressive, hands-on,
in education to have an active role in shaping and continually synthesizing new ideas and
the education system, including teachers, skills with passion, traditional education can
parents, expecting mothers, and others, often squelch these qualities as children get
enabling them all to transform learning. The older. Recognizing this, social entrepreneurs are
peer-to-peer aspect builds the trust needed providing adults with the tools to know when to
to share the lessons learned, and it creates a get out of the way. They are crafting curricula
social-support structure to overcome complex and culture that make it easy for adults to
challenges that might not fit a particular cultivate children’s voice and agency, and
dimension of a professional development or achieve excellent learning outcomes as a result.
outreach program. Thus, adults hold an essential role in cultivating
the right type of experiences and challenges
Examples of social entrepreneurs modeling while children thrive as drivers of their own
this approach include: learning.
* Ellen Moir, New Teacher Center
* Meinrad Armbruster, Eltern AG (Parenting Examples of social entrepreneurs modeling this
Community) approach include:
* Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, The Birthing Project *Kjartan Eide, Trivelsprogram (Wellbeing
Program)
* Irene Mutumba, Young Entrepreneurs Clubs
Community)
* Kiran Bir Sethi, Riverside School
Eltern AG (Parenting Community), Meinrad Armbruster, Germany
15
SOCIAL INNOVATION MAPPING: THE FUTURE OF LEARNING
The following grid shows how existing solutions address specific components of a challenge within
the field. It can show which strategies are most commonly (and most powerfully) used. Additionally,
it can point to “holes” or areas where there can be unmet potential for a solution to be invented at
the nexus of need and idea. For the purposes of this mapping, entrepreneurs have been categorized
by the predominant design principle they are applying and the barrier they are focused on. By no
means does this suggest that innovators are limited to those principles and barriers; in fact, most
solutions by leading social entrepreneurs do apply several principles to address multiple barriers.
To learn more about hundreds of additional solutions from across the world that joined the call
for ideas in response to the 2014 Re-imagining Learning Challeng, visit www.changemakers.com/
play2learn.
Figure 5
Design Principles
‘Everyone an imagineer!:
Equip adults to drive
change in learning
* Andrew Mangino * Mary Anne Amorim
* Mike McGalliard Ribeiro
* Beatriz Diuk * Kevin Marinacci
* Alison Naftalin
* social entrepreneur listed as an example for more than one pattern

* Mike McGalliard
A world of possibilities:
Actively design space &
* Emrah Kırımsoy
2015 Re-imagine Learning Ashoka Fellows or Champions

culture to be essential
elements for learning * Oliver Percovich
* Thorsten Kiefer * Azize Leygara
* Wannakanok Pohi-
raedaoh
Better together: Create
peer support networks * RawawnAbu Al Failat
for all stakeholders in
education
* Admir Lucas Civic
4. Wired for learning: Put *
children in charge
* Andrew Mangino*
* Guy Etienne
16
Figure 6
PATTERN-RECOGNITION
METHODOLOGY 2
FRAME
QUESTION
RESEARCH
SOLUTIONS
IDENTIFY
PATTERNS
IDENTIFY
IDENTIFY
DESIGN
BARRIERS
PRINCIPLES
CREATE
SOCIAL
INNOVATION
MAPPING
IDENTIFY
OPPORTUNITIES
17
We focus on changing the mindset of
the adults around the children... Adults
have been taught in a way that was so
plastic, and hard, and not easy.
Now they’re trying to get that to the
children, and learning is no fun.”
Maria Keita, Institute for Popular Education
18
BARRIERS
IN FOCUS
19
BARRIER A
“Whole child” development is undervalued.
Essential parts of development get left
behind as children get older such as healthy
habits, executive function, and social and
emotional learning.
INFOLLUTION ZERO
SOUTH KOREA
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Yuhyun Park | izhero.org
As a mother of two, Yuhyun Park was worried about how easy it was
for children to freely access digital media. 8-10 year olds in the U.S.,
for example, spend more than 7.5 hours daily on average engaged with
digital media, which is a longer time than they spend in school or with
family. Park was particularly concerned about how exposure to negative
online content and digital addiction can stunt children’s social, emotional,
and physical development – causing them to spend so much time in the
virtual world that their development of life skills stagnates.
To overcome such information pollution, Park founded “ infollutionZERO”

(iZ). While traditional approaches to digital risk education focus on
instructive methods for adolescents, the organization’s iZ HERO program
prioritizes prevention, rather than intervention within the 6-13 year old
age group. “In Korea, digital media
can start quite young, at
The program provides an integrated multimedia play & learning three years old. ...If you
experience, including a web game, online portal, and comic book in lose the time window of
addition to an interactive digital exhibition. It aims to provide an engaging, ages of six to thirteen
safe, and fun environment for children and their families. In so doing, the to teach digital literacy,
goal is to empower young children with responsible digital citizenship and there can be no turning
character development through participation in a wide range of online back.”
and offline activities.
IMPACT: “Kids have so far been

treated as kids who need
> The iZ HERO Exhibition serves as a learning hub for primary schools to be taught and instead
and is installed in three Korean cities as well as in Singapore. we want to empower
them as heroes who can
make a difference.”
> 90% of children report enjoying the iZ HERO educational exhibition
while a study by the Singaporean National Institute of Education found iZ
to improve attitudes toward cyber-risks.
> iZ is expanding globally through partnerships with the U.S., Korean,

and Canadian governments on a global mobile security campaign, and
expansion of programs in Southeast Asia through UNESCO.
Additional Pattern:
*Wired for Learning: Put Children in Charge (Design Principle 4)
20
BARRIER A
“Whole child” Development is Undervalued.
Essential parts of development get left be-
hind as children get older--such as healthy
emotional learning.
PLAYWORKS
UNITED STATES
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Jill Vialet | playworks.org
In 1996, Jill Vialet noticed that the culture of play in the schools where
she was working California had changed dramatically. Kids were coming
to school without the basic skills needed to get games going, keep games
going, and resolve conflicts. As a result, recess was a time filled with
discipline problems, contributing to a negative school climate which “We’re seeing a
interfered with teaching and learning. growing amount of
demand and recognition
Vialet founded Playworks to maximize the power of play to bring out the from educators that the
best in every kid. By focusing on this time of day that had previously times in the day that are
been so detrimental to the school experience, and consciously norming set aside for kids to play
empathy, teamwork, leadership and inclusion as essential play values, have real value to the
she found that the program was able to have a measurable and dramatic school environment.”
impact on the overall school climate.
Integrating directly into the school day, Playworks builds a culture of

inclusion, respect, and fun starting before the first morning bell. The
direct service model places full-time, trained adults at low-income
schools to provide play and physical activity to students throughout the
day and Playworks training program works nationwide offering technical
“To build schools that
assistance to schools, districts and other youth-serving organizations.
As a result, students come to class feeling safer and ready to learn, work, you need both
administrators cut down on discipline problems, and teachers have formal and informal
more instructional time to focus on the important work of teaching and education fused into
learning. No longer tied to the false tension between physical health and the environment so that
academic achievement, principals and teachers cite Playworks as one of
kids feel safe, included
the most indispensable programs in their schools.
and heard. They need
experiences of choice
IMPACT: and control, the
opportunity to know and
> Playworks will reach 185,000 students through direct services in 23 be known by others, and
cities around the nation in the 2013-14 school year (this includes over to feel like they have a
8,000 4th and 5th grade students trained as Junior Coaches for their
peers), and an additional 300,000 students through training.
voice.”
>89% of staff nationwide7 report an increased ability of students to focus

on class activities, 85% report a decrease in the amount of class time
spent resolving conflicts, and 98% report an increase in the number of
students that are physically active; these effects on the school climate are
also confirmed by independent research8.
Additional Patterns:
*Everyone an Imagineer! Equip Adults to Drive Change in Learning (Design Principle 1)
21
BARRIER A
“Whole child” development is undervalued.
Essential parts of development get left
behind as children get older such as healthy
emotional learning.
PAPILIO
GERMANY
Heidrun Mayer | papilio.de

SOLUTION EXAMPLE:
It is known from research that behavioral problems are the main risk
factors for the development of addiction and violent behavior. These
problems manifest themselves for the first time in kindergarten age
children and become embedded by the age of 8. In order to act against
PAPLIO protects
and empowers
these problems effectively one must act early and encourage healthy children by promoting
development of children in an age appropriate way. That is why Papilio is social-emotional
implemented in kindergartens. competences. It
reduces first instances
Heidrun Mayer co-founded Papilio in order to strengthen children’s of disturbed behavior
social-emotional competences as they are the basis for learning each and therefore protects
and every life skill. With its innovative modules Papilio equips German children from the
kindergarten children with these crucial skills and can thus protect them development of
from addiction and violence later on. The program uses three child- addiction and violence
orientated measures (the “Toys-go-on-holiday-day”, the story “Paula and problems later on.”
the trunk pixies”, and the “Mine-yoursyours-our-game”) to teach children
emotions, communication, and interaction. Papilio works through trainers
and kindergarten teachers to reach both children and their parents. The
program has been validated in a study with more than 700 children, 1,200
parents and 100 kindergarten teachers. Mayer’s vision is to reach an
entire generation of children with Papilio.
IMPACT:
> Papilio has trained 181 trainers13 who trained more than 5500
kindergarten teachers, reaching 111,980 children across Germany so far.
> Papilio is starting to develop its emotional literacy education in crèches
for children under the age of three as well as in elementary schools.
> The new parents’ club (ElternClub) allows parents to improve their
educational competences within a group of other parents and a specially
trained kindergarten teacher. The program uses child-
> Papilio is currently developing a training program for kindergarten orientated measures to
teachers from other European countries in order to prepare them for teach children emotions,
working in German kindergartens. communication, and
interaction. It works
through trainers and
kindergarten teachers to
reach both children and
their parents.”
22
BARRIER B
One-Size-Fits-All Fits None: Students are
Disengaged and Not Being Prepared for
Real Life
PEACE FIRST
UNITED STATES
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Eric Dawson |
peacefirst.org
Determined to reverse cultural norms that overlook the contributions
of young people in creating peace and justice, Eric Dawson co-founded
Peace First to instead create an environment where students feel
empowered to prevent violence and create positive change by applying
their peacemaking skills by starting projects in their communities.
For 22 years, Peace First has used an innovative, project-based

curriculum (now available digitally) that links lessons on literacy, social
studies and critical thinking to social-emotional learning, conflict
resolution, and civic engagement to teach young people peacemaking
skills. Peace First recently launched the national Peace First Prize to
catalyze a youth peacemaking movement by recognizing and investing in
youth social entrepreneurs as role models and spokespersons for peace.
IMPACT:
“ Young people are not objects that we do things

to: we don’t need to protect them, or incarcerate “Every student—from
them. They’re actually powerful agents of change.” the 8th Graders down to
the itty bitty ones—go out
> Peace First has worked in 32 states and 23 countries from school into their neighborhoods,
partnerships in Boston, Los Angeles and New York, to helping the identify a problem and
government of Colombia build its citizenship competency frameworks. actually solve it. We have
Kindergarteners who
> Evaluation partners in universities and the World Bank as well as start recycling programs,
organizational surveys9 have demonstrated that the program reduces 2nd graders who reclaim
incidents of violence and increases long-term, pro-social efficacy of
brownfields, 3rd graders
youth. 92% of teachers report positive social gains in students, including
treating each other with respect in their classroom (65%), calmly who start yoga programs
resolving disagreements with their peers (61%), choosing to walk away for the 8th graders
from a fight or conflict (48%) and standing up or looking out for each who were picking on
other (55%). them; 8th graders
> Peace First’s annual Peace First Prize reached 100 million people who taught workshops
through social media, corporate partners and a network of national for their teachers on
partners such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the Girl Scouts, and sexism. So students
Big Brothers Big Sisters. got to actually go out,
and design projects to
Additional Patterns: make their schools and
*Actively Design Space & Culture as Essential Elements for Learning. (Design Principle 2)
neighborhoods safer.”
*“Whole child” development is undervalued (Barrier A)
23
BARRIER B
One-Size-Fits-All Fits None: Students are
Disengaged and Not Being Prepared for
Real Life
HIGH TECH HIGH

UNITED STATES
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Larry Rosenstock |

hightechhigh.org
Larry Rosenstock founded High Tech High (HTH) to shatter the dichotomy
between technical and liberal arts education and close employment gaps
caused by failings of urban high schools, especially for minority students.
Instead of attending regular classroom lectures, taking tests, and turning in

homework assignments, HTH students spend four years working primarily
on individual and group projects that provide hands-on experiences,
complemented by academic curricula. With this model, HTH students “HTH offers a
prepare for the world of work, while surpassing traditional benchmarks of
academic success. highly stimulating
Thus, HTH synthesizes previously separate reforms - thoughtful use of
educational
technology, mentoring, project-based learning, teams of teachers, and environment
portfolio assessment - into one cohesive model. Developed from a lifetime of
study and research, the HTH model brings the core of best practices to low- that encourages
income neighborhoods to revitalize education among the underserved. students to
In addition to an integrated network of schools spanning grades K-12, HTH immerse
also houses a comprehensive teacher certification program, and a new,
innovative Graduate School of Education, all designed to develop academic,
themselves in
workplace, and citizenship skills for postsecondary success. Renowned in real-world career
its field, HTH has also received accolades from the Harvard Graduate School
of Education and the New Schools Venture Fund. experiences.”
IMPACT:
> HTH comprises 12 schools10 (five high schools, four middle schools, and
three elementary schools) serving 5,200 students, 98% of whom have gone
on to college, 75% to four-year institutions.
>It has 500+ employees, $57 million in real estate holdings and an annual
operating budget of approximately $40 million.
24
25
BARRIER C
Trapped Between Competing Pressures:
Not Enough Capacity to Re-imagine and
Restructure Educational Settings.
Educators face a lack of capacity to
reimagine and restructure educational
settings.
CENTER FOR
INSPIRED TEACHING
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: UNITED STATES
Aleta Margolis |
Center for Inspired Teaching is building a better school experience for students inspiredteaching.org
by training teachers to provide high quality, engaging instruction. Inspired
Teaching’s professional development model allows teachers to rethink their role
in the classroom, moving from information provider to Instigator of Thought®.
Inspired Teaching is committed to ending the practice of “delivering” professional
development to teachers and is working to make teachers full collaborators in
school improvement and reform strategies.
Inspired Teaching‘s theory of change is three-part: to model Inspired Teaching

inquiry-based instructional model at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School; Teachers trained by
to prepare excellent new teachers through the Inspired Teacher Certification the Center for Inspired
Program, a 24-month residency model; and to shift the practice of current teachers Teaching spend 50% less
through district partnerships supporting successful implementation of the Common time disciplining, and
Core State Standards. more time instructing,
coaching, facilitating,
All Inspired Teaching programs are based in best practices in teacher education and and working one-on-
in the belief that each student possesses the ability to think critically, understand one.
information, and solve complex problems. Students of Inspired Teachers aren’t told
what to think, they learn how to think, thereby developing the critical, 21st century
skills needed to succeed in school today and in college and careers tomorrow.
IMPACT:
> Inspired Teaching’s work is primarily focused in Washington, DC where 77% of

students11 qualify for free or reduced price meals and are therefore considered low CIT is building teachers’
income. capacity to facilitate the
independent analysis
> All programs are routinely evaluated through rigorous, evidence-based and reasoning skills
assessment of data collected through surveys, observations, and a wide-range of their students need to
student assessments. thrive in school today
and in colleges and
> As measured by the CLASS™ assessment tool, new teachers trained through the careers tomorrow.
Inspired Teacher Certification Program routinely outscore the national average for
all key instructional and support domains directly tied to student achievement.
> In the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School’s second year of existence,

students showed a 26% gain on the 2013 DC-CAS, the highest growth by a public or
public charter school in DC.
> Over 90% of preschool and preK students at the Demonstration School met or
exceeded all literacy benchmarks; over 91% of preschool and preK students met or
exceeded all math benchmarks.
*Everyone an Imagineer! Equip Adults to Drive Change in Learning (Design
Principle 1)
26
BARRIER C
Educators face a lack of capacity to re-
imagine and restructure educational
settings.
EXPEDITIONARY
LEARNING
Expeditionary Learning (EL) transforms schools by building teachers’ capacity Scott Hartl | elschools.org
to ignite students’ motivation, persistence, and compassion so they become
active contributors to building a better world. Through its open-source
curriculum, teacher-created resources, and professional development,
EL partners with new and veteran teachers in every kind of school setting,
helping them achieve their highest aspirations and strive for a vision of
student success that joins academic achievement, character and high quality
work. The EL model challenges students to think critically and take active
roles in their classrooms and communities, resulting in higher achievement
and engagement.
Expeditionary Learning
Expeditionary Learning schools fuse the power of character, social-emotional is creating curriculum
learning and citizenship to a strong focus on academic achievement. This and providing training
model of learning compels students to struggle with complex texts and to make learning
problems, often beyond what they think they can handle. EL students conduct authentic and engaging,
months-long, cross-curricular explorations of issues where they connect while still being
their own passion to new content and step up their courage as citizens to lead relevant to the college
significant projects for the community beyond the school. career agenda. It
provides a standards
Expeditionary Learning has been recognized for its innovative approach base that is rigorous
to education by the Social Impact Exchange, which named it one of the but not at the expense
leading non-profits bringing the most promising social strategies to scale. of engagement and
It also recently received a federal Investing in Innovation grant to scale its doing work with a real
professional development model to all teachers. purpose.”
IMPACT:
>Expeditionary Learning has a network of more than 160 schools in 33
states, serving over 53,000 students and 4,000 teachers.
>A Mathematica Research Group study12 found that Expeditionary Learning
students accumulate about an extra seven months of learning growth in
reading and 10 months of extra learning growth in math after three years.
>Its Grade 3-8 English Language Arts Common Core curriculum was
recognized by the New York City Department of Education as among “the
highest-quality Common Core-aligned curriculum materials currently Expeditionary Learning
available.” It is being used by more than 1,000 schools across New York State created the reading and
and other schools in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, learning curriculum for
and New Jersey. all of New York state. It
is free and being adopted
>Its curriculum has received the highest ratings from two sources – EquiP at the same rate as
(Educators Evaluating Quality Instructional Products) and the state of curriculum from very
Connecticut. large publishing houses
27
BARRIER C
Educators face a lack of capacity to re-
imagine and restructure educational
settings.
CREATIVE AND
EDUCATIONAL
ASSOCIATION ISLAND
SOLUTION EXAMPLE:
POLAND
Marian Chwastniewski founded the Creative and Educational Association Marian Chwastniewski |
ISLAND to counter formulaic methods of teaching that suppress children’s wyspa.org.pl
natural curiosity through “read and repeat” format, while overcoming the lack
of administrative support for teachers to incorporate innovative methodologies.
ISLAND’s programs target gaps in teacher training by helping teachers believe in
the power of creativity in the classroom.
ISLAND redefines teachers’ role in the classroom by helping them move from
being disciplinarians to supportive guides in discovering students’ interests
and potential. With its local and regional educational centers, ISLAND conducts
workshops and conferences, building a network of teachers eager to educate
in imaginative ways. To further spread new teaching, ISLAND develops training
materials, education centers, and student competitions to encourage creative,
engaged, and open-minded teaching methods for student learning.
Through its trainings, competitions, and support networks, ISLAND builds

a community of teachers who see students’ potential and are dedicated to
cultivating it at school.
ISLAND overcomes disheartened educational

environments, inspiring and empowering
teachers to change their classrooms for the
better.
IMPACT:
> ISLAND has engaged over 5,000 pupils and 400 teachers in its nationwide
programs to push the envelope on teacher training in public education.
>It continues to expand its number of programs by developing experimental

curricula, problem solving competitions, public education counsels, education
centers, teacher networks, professional development programs, and scientific
camps and is planning on spreading its model further within Western Europe.
28
BARRIER D
Lack of Structures to Facilitate Meaningful
Community Ownership in the Learning
Process.
Overcoming challenges to ensure parents
and the broader community are involved as
full co-owners in the learning process.
FUNDACION
ESCUELA NUEVA:
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: VOLVAMOS A LA
GENTE
Vicky founded the Fundacion Nueva Escuela (FEN) to ensure quality
COLOMBIA
education would reach diverse segments of Columbia’s population,
including rural and displaced communities. She converted dysfunctional Victoria Colbert |
rural schools into those that connected with students, taught relevant escuelanueva.org
skills, linked schools to community life, and offered participatory and
self-paced learning to students. The Ministry of Education later made
this model a part of national policy, bringing it to 18,000 rural schools in
Colombia. When faced with political changes, she worked with community
groups like the National Federation of Coffee Producers to ensure rural
schools would continue to receive support.
Vicky has spread the model to low-income urban schools in Colombia and
is now working to reach communities displaced due to political instability.
To do so, FEN is developing a kit with select lessons related to health, the
environment, culture, conflict resolution, sex education, and essential
reading, writing, and math skills. Since there are no teachers and no
I
“ nternal
schools, she plans to transfer this model directly to the community and diagnostics reveal
train young community members, many of whom studied in New Schools that New School
prior to their displacement, as informal educators who can direct the
education of the children. students have
closer relationships
IMPACT: with their parents
and communities,
> With the support of the Ministry of Education and World Bank, the New
School’s rural curriculum was established in 30,000 schools reaching over noticeable by
2.5 million students; UNESCO deemed Colombia’s rural education system a
leader in Latin America14.
families around the
region.”
> The New School model has inspired and guided education reform in
thirteen other countries including Brazil, India, Mexico, and Vietnam.
> It is partnering with USAID and UNICEF to expand to 8,700 displaced

children and 9,200 tutors.
*Better Together: Create Peer Support Networks for All Stakeholders in Education.
(Design Principle 4)
29
BARRIER D
Lack of Structures to Facilitate Meaningful
Community Ownership in the Learning
Process.
Overcoming challenges to ensure parents
and the broader community are involved as
full co-owners in the learning process.
INSTITUTE FOR
POPULAR EDUCATION
MALI
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Maria Diarra Keita
Maria founded the Institute for Popular Education (IPE) with the intention
of changing mindsets about learning - how it can incorporate indigenous
wisdom and language, interactive lessons, and community members as co-
creators in the education process. Her team begins by observing the existing
“We have young
teaching methods, before beginning to engage the community in improving
the education system.
people, from 16 to
25 years old around
IPE hosts community classes under the shade trees of the village and
us, and they have
focuses on what Maria calls “empowering themes,” such as how groups are
been victims of mis-
organized, the family, gender relations and rights. A key part of the gathering
education. We give
includes encouraging adults’ reflection and empathy for what education
them skills because
was like for them, and to find what they would like to change in the current
we know that soon they
system.
will be parents. We try
to help them grow with
The Institute for Popular Education insists that rural adults design the
new ideas of treating
curriculum for children. To better enable this, Maria provides literacy training
kids and how you deal
of young adults as a means to “women a voice, to value the knowledge that
with difficult problems,
these women possess, and so to empower them.”
so they can be prepared
as parents. And those
At the heart of her training program is a process of action research, by
people end up by being
which local knowledge is called forth. This can include learning local
around the school
games, analyzing what type of learning they convey, and systematizing it as
and help parents
a part of the local curricula. Other examples include women writing their
with reading camps,
autobiographies, by tape recording and transcribing parts of the Malian oral
math camps, and gym
tradition.
camps...to help the
teaching to happen in
Maria summarizes her work as a “quest for two things: empowerment
the community.”
through knowledge, and, or appropriate structures to institutionalize our
methods.”
IMPACT:
> The Institute for Popular Education is active in 1001 schools, including
teacher training to deliver more enriched curricula, students achieving better
academic outcomes, and community engagement.
“Sometimes people
want kids to be very
> IPE trains development practitioners (in schools, NGOs and government) in
classic and very formal.
their approach and is working with the Ministry of Education to ensure its best
We think the opposite.
educational practices can spread nationwide.
For what kids really
need - especially
preschool - we have to
make up games that
Additional Patterns: help them think and act
*Everyone an Imagineer! Equip Adults to Drive Change in Learning (Design Principle 1) and practice.”
30
DESIGN
PRINCIPLES
IN FOCUS
31
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 1
Everyone an Imagineer!: Equip Adults to
Drive Change in Learning.
Providing creative learning experiences for
teachers, parents, working professions, and
others that empower them to drive change in
any part of the learning ecosystem.
DREAM A DREAM
INDIA
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Vishal Talreja |
dreamadream.org
Vishal co-founded Dream A Dream to create a world where each individual
is appreciated for who they are, irrespective of their backgrounds. He was
concerned by how young people, especially from vulnerable backgrounds, have
to respond to an increasingly complex world, needing the right abilities and
social and emotional skills to succeed.
At Dream A Dream, 8-18 year olds develop Life Skills through highly
experiential programmes delivered by a team of facilitators and volunteers.
Interventions that keep the child and how a child learns at the center of its
approach include:
1. After school Life Skills programmes for over 50,000 young people using
sports and arts, also engaging over 2,000 volunteers
2. Career enhancing Life Skills modules for over 8,000 youth
3. Transformative Life Skills training for over 500 educators impacting an
“Adults volunteering
additional 50,000 young people
The curriculums are designed to be fun, engaging and experiential, creating with Dream A Dream tell
space for learning moments to happen. In addition, there is emphasis on us, ‘I realize that if there
bringing care and empathy into the learning space by supporting facilitators, are challenges in my
trainers and teachers to recognize their own unique abilities and invest in
community, I don’t need
developing their own life skills.
to go necessarily looking
for someone to solve
IMPACT: them for me, I can solve
them myself.”
>Dream A Dream reaches over 50,000 young people using sports and arts, also
engaging over 2,000 volunteers (see above for more info).
> Established relationships with over 30 partners across 3 states of India to

scale the programme. (see above for more info).
> Developed the Life Skills Assessment Scale (LSAS) as a peer-reviewed scale
to measure improvement in Life Skills amongst disadvantaged children.
> 65% of young people in after-school life skills programme show an

improvement in life skills year-on-year and 90% of teachers15 trained report
understanding children better and being more empathetic towards them.
32
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 1:
BABY’S SPACE -
A PLACE TO GROW
UNITED STATES
SOLUTION EXAMPLE:
Terrie Rose |
Terrie Rose founded Baby Space, a state-of-the art childcare that meets babyspace.org
the emotional health and development needs of babies and young
children exposed to trauma and poverty. Developed with local experts,
Baby’s Space includes interactive spaces, mirrored walls, and cozy
nooks that facilitate multi-sensory learning. In addition to the physical
environment, Baby’s Space provides relationship-based program to
promote healthy attachments between caring adults and children. A part
of the curriculum, for example, helps parents and childcare providers to
“If you talk about
see themselves as superheroes in the lives of young children.
things, it can become
too academic. You have
to bring kinesthetic
To further its impact, Baby’s Space has become a full-service organization
opportunity when
providing child care, a K-3rd elementary school, tutoring, parenting
teaching about early
services and employment for parents and community members.
childhood learning,
because that’s really
where adults live in
terms of their memory
I
“ n all of our approaches we’re really trying to help of what play means
and gives them the
chance to think from
adults see from the child’s point of view.” the child’s point of
view.”
IMPACT:
> Baby’s Space serves the most at-risk American Indian children, with
over 95% of Baby Space’s children passing the kindergarten readiness
test compared to 45% readiness in the school district. Over 85% of
elementary students score at or above grade level in math. And, 100% of
parents16 are engaged in their children’s learning.
> The Baby’s Space model has been adopted by childcare and Head Start
centers located in low-income neighborhoods and on Indian Reservations
across Minnesota. To further spread the model’s principles of emotional
health and learning through exploration and play, Terrie is launching
KinderView, an all-inclusive curriculum for early childhood organizations
serving children ages 6 weeks to 6-years-of-age.
> The science of early relationships and emotional development is

spread through frequent keynote addresses, a TEDxTalk, and Dr. Rose’s
book, “Emotional Readiness: How Early Experience and Mental Health
Lead to School Success.”
* Lack of structures to facilitate meaningful community ownership in learning
process. (Barrier D)
33
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 1
DEPORT-ES PARA
COMPARTIR (DPC)
MÉXICO
SOLUTION EXAMPLE:
Dina Buchbinder |
sports4sharing.org
Deport-es para Compartir’s provides interactive curricula centered
around physical activity, particularly interactive games and simulations
for students rather than only traditional sports. A core part of the model
includes training teachers to understand and enjoy the importance of
play, and how to utilize the curricula for academic outcomes. This model
not only encourages a more active lifestyle for Mexican children, but also
makes learning more fun and increases student retention. It enables the “Inspiration and
students themselves to discover the value of intangible principles like motivation of
empathy, teamwork, fair play, gender equality, and respect. Rather than teachers is essential,
merely reading about world challenges in their textbooks, students are introducing them into
encouraged to create solutions and implement them in their communities the world of play, and
on topics such as poverty, disease, and discrimination training them in an
experiential way where
As an example of how DpC focuses on empowering children, when
they can actually
students graduate from the program they prepare an ambassador session
grasp what it’s like to
for their parents and their teachers in their community, implementing the
translate, for example,
learning games and posing reflective questions to the grownups.
civic values, into
practical
The content covered by DpC revolves around three main topics: The
situations.”
United Nations Millennium Development Goals, healthy lifestyles, and
diversity. DpC is determined to reach all types of rural and urban school
settings in DpC’s network, including public and private schools, as well as
indigenous shelters in the most marginalized communities.
IMPACT:
> Deport-es para Compartir’s has reached 110,000 children17, 150,000
parents, and 4,000 teachers from 26 states of Mexicoengaged in their
children’s learning.
> In an internal survey, 95 percent of teachers said that DpC had

improved classroom behavior, 86 percent said that the program had
instilled healthy habits among their students, another 86 percent said the
program had reduced bullying.
“In order to reach
children, to truly
*One-size-fits-all fits none: Students are disengaged and not being prepared for reach children, we
real life. (Barrier B) work with the actors
that are the closest to
children also, meaning
the parents and the
teachers.”
34
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 2
A World of Possibilities: Actively Design
Space and Culture as Essential Elements
for Learning.
Creating cost-effective methods that infuse a
school with habits, language, and materials
needed for learning through play ecosystem.
VINYAS CENTRE FOR

ARCHITECTURAL
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: RESEARCH AND
DESIGN
Kabir Vajpeyi and his team founded Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) to improve INDIA
the quality of education by transforming the one common element in all
rural schools – even the poorest—the physical infrastructure. Its Building as Kabir Vajpeyi
Learning Aid (BaLA) idea uses school spaces, including classrooms, steps,
and the natural environment, to create affordable learning settings that can
be actively used with learning resources, with or without teacher presence: a
window security grill to help students conceptualize fractions, a range of angles
marked under a door to explain basic geometry, and ceiling fans painted with
color wheels to understand rotational symmetry. By creating individualized “Often the building
indoor and outdoor spaces of learning, BaLA’s 150 three-dimensional spaces needs repair in a band
optimize existing resources to aid child development.
of 1.5 meter high zone
A key part of the strategy includes optimization of existing infrastructure and from the ground -
building participation and ownership of multidisciplinary teams ranging from floor, wall, door and
local teachers and administrators to designers and engineers. Vajpeyi believes windows, etc. This is
existing infrastructure, policy, and knowledge can be better harmonized to
also the zone where
transform student learning and revolutionize the Indian education system.
maximum interaction
of a child happens
with a building. While
“The moment you have playful settings there is more constructive repairing, if this
engagement…. You don’t have to restrict children for doing this or zone can innovatively
that because they are engaging themselves on their own. A lot of include settings and
activities are now self-directed, so you don’t have to have somebody
looking after each and everything.” resources for child
development and
learning, one is able to
IMPACT:
shift the focus from the
> In partnership with the government’s Education for All program, BaLA dull, ugly, building, to a
impact has been in 19 Indian states and has trained over 9,500 administrators, more playful and child-
engineers, architects, school head masters, teachers, and community friendly environment.”
members.
> In India, it has been implemented across more than 25,000 schools, in varying
quality and slated to reach several times more in future, due to its inclusion in
the National policy.
> BaLA has been proven to increase enrollment, retention, and attendance in
school; teachers also report an increased willingness among children to come to
school and a reduction in vandalism.
*One-size-fits-all fits none: Students are disengaged and not being prepared for
real life. (Barrier B)
* Trapped Between Competing Pressures: Not enough capacity to re-imagine and
restructure educational settings. (Barrier C)
35
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 3
Better Together: Create Peer Support
Networks for All Stakeholders in Education.
Creating peer-to-peer learning and support
for teachers, parents, expecting mothers,
and more that enables them to transform
learning.
NEW TEACHER CENTER

UNITED STATES
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Ellen Moir |
newteachercenter.org
Ellen Moir co-founded the New Teacher Center (NTC) to fill the gap
between existing teacher training and the skills and support needed in
the classroom. She observed how, for example, new teachers are often
given the hardest classrooms, being forced to either “sink or swim” and
to struggle with classroom realities. Combined with limited mentoring
and few advancement opportunities, this mentality fuels high teacher
turnover. Multiple teachers furthers education inequity, disproportionately
affecting underprivileged students and deepening the achievement gap.
NTC establishes a comprehensive induction program for all new teachers

and builds a corps of professional mentors from expert teachers. No
longer left to fend for themselves, new teachers learn through mentoring
from their expert colleagues, developing new skills and passions instead “Parenting sessions
of burning out in a few years time. Simultaneously, expert teachers who will not work unless
may have begun to languish in the classroom are given an alternate they are informal
career move to help them stay engaged in the education system. As such, and participatory and
NTC invigorates all teachers, producing higher student learning and involve peer-to-peer
performance outcomes. learning rather than
lectures from experts.
Parents must feel that
they are in charge
IMPACT: of their lives, must
experience some quick
> Annually, NTC supports over 6,30018 mentors to improve the successes at home,
effectiveness of 26,000 teachers across the country - reaching over 1.5 and must not be made
million students. to feel inadequate or
delinquent.”
> After two years of mentoring support 99% of new teachers report that
mentoring has improved their practice.
> Independent, third-party research19 has shown that teachers who

receive at least two years of mentoring in an NTC program significantly
advance student learning scores in both math and reading.
> NTC is partnering with States and school districts across America to
reach more new teachers and expand its impact. NTC is also a partner of
the Ministry of Education in Singapore. “Hard-to-reach
families are exactly the
families that we need
Additional Patterns: to tailor our efforts
* Trapped Between Competing Pressures: Not enough capacity to re-imagine and towards; it is essential
restructure educational settings. (Barrier C) for breaking the cycle
*Everyone an Imagineer! Equip Adults to Drive Change in Learning (Design Principle 1) of social injustice where
it begins. delinquent.”
36
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 3
for teachers, parents, expecting mothers,
and others that enables them to transform
learning.
ELTERNAG
(PARENTING
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: COMMUNITY)
GERMANY
Meinrad Armbruster founded Eltern AG given concern that children from Meinrad Armbruster |
working class families enter the school system more prone to emotional eltern-ag.de
instability and poor performance due to a higher risk of violence or
parental neglect. Without confident parents willing to ask for help, these
children - almost 2 million – are at risk of falling through the cracks,
generation after generation.
Believing in the importance of parental involvement, Eltern AG

establishes community-based, self-help parenting groups for lower-
class, less educated working class families, particularly for parents with
children ages 0-6. The program moves from basic parenting issues to “Parenting sessions
personal parenting problems, developing a trusted community in which will not work unless
parents can learn, share, and explore. By incorporating doctors, teachers, they are informal
and government officials into its network, as well, Eltern AG facilitates an and participatory and
entire community dedicated to supporting parenting. involve peer-to-peer
learning rather than
lectures from experts.
Parents must feel that
they are in charge
“Hard-to-reach families are exactly the families that we need to of their lives, must
tailor our efforts towards; it is essential for breaking the cycle of experience some quick
social injustice where it begins.” successes at home,
and must not be made
For example, Armbruster’s teams spend weeks getting to know the to feel inadequate or
target neighborhood and locating spots where parents congregate such delinquent.they are in
as soccer matches and supermarkets, and inviting them to participate in charge of their lives,
events with other parents. A five-month parenting program is offered at must experience some
local schools for parents with children under six. Most of the participants quick successes at
are single mothers. It is facilitated by two trained mentors and consists home, and must not be
of twenty weekly sessions, each designed as a stand-alone module to made to feel inadequate
accommodate parents who cannot attend every time. or delinquent.”
IMPACT:
> As of December 2013, 204 mentors from 13 german federal states

have been trained, reaching 2,029 parents with 4,662 children.
> After joining the course, the participants feel more secure in their
children’s education and the children show a improved emotional
development.
> Participating parents feel more comfortable as parents, and their

children show demonstrably fewer learning disabilities and perform better
in school than non-participants.
* Better Together: Create Peer Support Networks for All Stakeholders in Education.
(Barrier D)
37
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 3
for teachers, parents, expecting mothers
and others that enables them to transform
learning.
THE BIRTHING
PROJECT
Kathryn founded the Birthing Project to counteract worrying societal Kathryn Hall-Trujillo |
inequalities such as the fact that African-American babies are more than birthingprojectusa.org
twice as likely to die before the age of 1 than non-Hispanic white babies (OMH,
2009). She recognized that the moment of pregnancy—a time when even
women engaging in the riskiest behaviors may be open to change—is a prime
opportunity to pair the most vulnerable young black women with a decision-
making partner.
To this end, the Birthing Project mobilizes African American women to assume
this partnership role, taking responsibility for the future of an at-risk pregnant
woman and her baby through, at minimum, the baby’s first birthday. Kathryn has
carefully engineered a series of activities to encourage empathy and openness
between sisters.
Together, “SisterFriends” take on the health care monolith and personal

situations, doing whatever it takes—from regular doctor’s visits to planning and
problem solving. This “big sister” role is designed to help a young, pregnant
woman take action towards protecting her baby’s health and future. As a result,
Kathryn’s work gives children the chance to be born to, and to grow up with,
mothers committed to their health and well-being.
“Peer support
In its efforts to support underserved women globally in becoming maternal and groups of expectant
child health leaders in their own communities, the Birthing Project also helps to mothers and volunteer
integrate traditional midwives into their local health care system. SisterFriends gives
children the chance
to be born to, and to
grow up with, mothers
committed to their
“What happens to you when you are pregnant is not as important as health and well-being.”
the condition you were in before you got pregnant. that is what most
strongly impacts your birth outcome.”
IMPACT:
>Since its inception, the Birthing Project has welcomed more than 12,000
babies20 and been replicated in 105 communities in the United States, Canada,
Cuba, Honduras and Malawi.
> Birthing Project babies tend to weigh an average of 7.5 pounds compared to a
6.5-pound average as well as gestation periods of 40 weeks compared to the 38
week-term average.
> Women attend 80% of their prenatal appointments after being matched with
a SisterFriend and 70% of their postpartum appointments, as compared to about
35% and 40%, respectively, in the target population.
* Better Together: Create Peer Support Networks for All Stakeholders in Education.
(Barrier D)
38
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 4
Wired for Learning: Put Children in Charge.
for Learning.
Giving children a voice and cultivating agency
through experiential learning, project-based
learning, and civic engagement.
TRIVSELSPROGRAM
(WELLBEING
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: PROGRAM)
SCANDINAVIA
Kjartan founded TL given concern that the once spirited playground have
become a haven for discord, misconduct, and malaise. By encouraging Kjartan Eide |
young people to engage in physical activity and serve as role models for their trivselsleder.no
classmates, Trivselsprogram (TL) is an activities program that creates recess
systems for active play in elementary and junior high schools. The program
instills regular practice of personal leadership, active play, and teamwork,
enabling children to create a school environment that is free from verbal and
physical bullying, gossip, and ostracism.
As a part of the program, Activity Leaders are elected twice a year by their
fellow students according to how well they model compassionate behavior.
With over 50,000 TL leaders in Norway alone, Activity Leaders receive are
responsible for creating weekly recess plans and acting as facilitators of “TL has tens of
inclusive recess activities. Such program design allows teachers to focus on thousands of student
teaching, while cultivating empathy, inclusion, and leadership among youth. leaders every year
throughout Scandanvia
As the program makes plans to expand into other countries, it also developing who lead play during
a classroom curriculum for playful learning, making it easy for teachers to recess and are elected
teach mathematics, history, and science through outdoors activities, as well by fellow pupils based
as exploring a model that is specifically targeted for kindergartners. on certain values
including being nice,
kind and inclusive
towards all students.”
IMPACT:
> 97% of TL staff note increased physical activity at recess; 69% feel that
student conflict has decreased; and 90% feel that the program is highly
effective.
> Since its founding in 2009, TL has grown to reach over 1,000 schools21
in Scandinavia including 900 schools in Norway, 100 in Sweden, and pilot
programs in Iceland and Denmark.
> It also reaches 400 teachers through an annual conference in Oslo. “For kids, play
> NTC is partnering with States and school districts across America to is actually kids’
reach more new teachers and expand its impact. NTC is also a partner of the first meeting with
Ministry of Education in Singapore.. democracy. During
play kids need to
adjust towards others,
they have to agree on
Additional Patterns: certain rules, they have
*“Whole child” development is undervalued (Barrier A) to develop problem
solving and they have
to interact with other
pupils, other human
beings actually.”
39
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 4

“YOUNG
ENTREPRENEURS
CLUBS”
SOLUTION EXAMPLE: UGANDA
Irene Mutumba founded the Private Education Development Network (PEDN) Irene Mutumba | pedn.org
given concern that universal primary education was straining under outdated
infrastructure, causing students to lack the practical skills to enter the skilled
labor market.
To encourage initiative, creativity, discipline, independent thinking, and self-
management skills needed to be successful, PEDN creates action-oriented,
student-centered youth clubs cultivating entrepreneurship. In both secondary
school Young Entrepreneurs’ Clubs and primary school Alfatoon Clubs, students
discover and develop their talents, youth are groomed to seize opportunities, be
confident, and find their own paths as they mature into competitive and productive
individuals in society. Mentored by volunteers from the business and citizen
sectors, students create and run small business projects that simultaneously
promote a money management culture and children’s rights and responsibilities.
In doing so, PEDN also educates the entire community about children’s potential in “Through
the modern economy. entrepreneurial
teaching, we can
By cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship, PEDN transforms Ugandan society have more flourishing
and facilitates vibrant youth leadership in the business world for generations families and
to come. Its integration into the existing education system, engagement of communities. Young
surrounding business and citizen sectors, and focus on life skills for employment people can be catalysts
all build PEDN’s strong roots in the community. of change within their
own schools, within
their families and
communities, and of
course the country at
“Teachers should be more of facilitators leaving the young large.”
people to take charge - leaving young people in control of the
actual learning by giving them activities such as debate, role play,
group work... where young people actually participate.”
IMPACT:
> PEDN is reaching 503,279 youth22 with 9 programs in over 313 schools.
> PEDN is working with the Head Teachers’ Association, the Curriculum
Development Center, Members of Parliament, Young Entrepreneurs-UK, and
Teaching Kids Business-Canada to weave a “curriculum of entrepreneurship” into
the formal education system nationwide and create supplementary materials that
teachers countrywide can use as part of their education tools.
*“One-size-fits-all fits none: Students are disengaged and not being prepared for
40
DESIGN PRINCIPLE 4
for Learning.
RIVERSIDE SCHOOL
INDIA
Kiran Bir Sethi |
schoolriverside.com
SOLUTION EXAMPLE:
Kiran founded Riverside School as a mainstream option for students

through Grade 12. Riverside’s curriculum gives students the tools and
opportunity to explore and hone their visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic,
musical, interpersonal, naturalist, and intrapersonal intelligence.
Although the classes are unconventional, the students achieve at a high “The whole point
level in competitive exams. of the first years
is about building
The “A Protagonist in Every Child” (aProCh) campaign extends beyond creative confidence-
the school to teach children how to be protagonists in their community. about turning fear
Examples include: Friends of the Children, which partners with into courage, or
businesses, news agencies, and institutes, to open their premises to dependence into
children so that they can explore and appreciate the social infrastructure independence. It’s a
of a city. In another initiative, twenty children along with experts from huge story around that
design institute have begun to create a children’s park in the city. and it comes with the
idea of illumination
Design for Change, a campaign founded by Kiran as a way to spread the of the self...In a way,
principles of the Riverside School, has reached over 35 countries and our learning journey
250,000 children who are designing and implementing solutions in the is: aware, enable,
areas of education, environment, child. empower”
IMPACT:
> The Riverside School has over 374 students24 and was ranked the No.3
Day School in India ( Education World in 2013).
“We aim to see
> The school has franchised to nearby cities and become the model for that shift in mindset
municipal schools in Ahmedabad; nationwide, the Riverside model will between ‘I can’t’ and ‘I
soon be implemented in India’s Army Schools and neighboring Bhutan. can.’
> In national exams (ASSET), students outperform peers by up to 50% in
languages, 60% in math, and 40% in science.
*Actively Design Space & Culture as Essential Elements for Learning. (Design
Principle 2
*“One-size-fits-all fits none: Students are disengaged and not being prepared for
41
4 EPILOGUE
What We Learned from

the Re-imagine Learning
Challenge
Seven Tips for Growing the Network
When we launched the Re-imagine Learning Challenge in spring 2014,
the unexpected happened: for the first time in Ashoka history, Players
(challenge entrants) generated 19 times more peer-to-peer feedback than
our Ashoka review teams had ever had in a single challenge. Players
from around the world exchanged tips on strengths and weaknesses, and
suggested connections in the thousands; with 631 ideas shared across
70 countries, they answered the challenge to Re-imagine Learning with
inspiring gusto.
When the online challenge to Re-imagine Learning launched, we asked

every participant to identify which innovation pattern their work most
closely aligns with. These patterns included:
Design Principles adopted by leading social entrepreneurs:
1. Equip Adults to Drive Change in Learning: Providing creative

learning experiences for teachers, parents, working professions and others
that empowers them to drive change in any part of the learning ecosystem.
2. Actively Designing Space & Culture as Essential Elements for
Learning: Creating cost-effective methods to infuse a school with habits,
language, and materials needed for learning through play.
3. Creating Peer Support Networks for All Stakeholders in Educa-
tion: Creating peer-to-peer learning and support for teachers, parents,
expecting mothers and more that enables them to transform learning.
4. Putting Children in Charge: Giving children a voice and cultivating
agency via experiential learning, project-based learning, and civic engage-
ment.
Barriers tackled by leading social entrepreneurs:
• Whole child development is undervalued: Essential parts of

development get left behind as children get older, such as healthy habits,
executive function, and social and emotional learning.
• One size fits all fits none: Students are disengaged and not being
prepared for “real life.”
• Trapped Between Competing Pressures: Educators face a lack of

capacity to re-imagine and restructure educational settings
• Lack of structures to facilitate meaningful community ownership

in learning process: It is challenging to ensure parents and the broader [Online charts available at
community are involved as full co-owners in the learning process. Changemakers.com/play2learn]
42
In addition to asking entrants to identify which of the patterns most closely
aligned with their theory of change, we also posed questions to deepen our
understanding of the network and its approaches. While every participant
has been welcomed as an essential part of the Re-imagine Learning
network, practitioners identified which ideas would gain additional
distinction as Pacesetters (top 304), Pioneers (top 30) or Champions of
learning through play (top 10).
The following insights draw on Ashoka’s analysis of the Re-imagine

Learning participants, along with the attributes that distinguish the 10
Champions from the other 621 solutions that were submitted. We have
also included recommendations for the broader Re-imagine Learning
network and the power it has to deliver on the future of learning, along with
references to interactive online charts where the data can be more fully
explored.
Visit Changemakers.com/play2learn to view the interactive data part one

“About the 631 Players” (Charts A-L) and part two “What Distinguished
the 10 Champions From the 631 Players” (Charts M-Y). About the Re-imagine Learning
Network
Wide Geographic
Spread
Network Tip No. 1:

Offer Capacity Building and
The Re-imagine Learning Players shared more than 630 ideas representing Engagement Outreach for
impact in over 70 countries. The majority of entries were submitted by Underrepresented Regions
educator-innovators in North America (30%), followed by those in South
America (29%), Europe (16%), Asia (16%), Africa (7%), and Oceania (0.79%). To grow the network, it will be
[online chart a] Although Europe and Africa were represented in the group necessary to offer capacity and
of Pioneers, they were significantly under-represented within the final group evidence building services, and
of 10 Champions of learning through play, which featured innovators from generally expand engagement to
Kenya and Uganda but none from Europe. It’s worth noting that three of the include more projects that intend
10 Champions of learning through play are headquartered in Europe, but to create impact within Europe and
their organizations are making impact abroad. [online chart o]. Africa.
43
Shifting Mindsets and
Attitudes: Common
innovation Patterns Network Tip No. 2:
70 Countries, Hundreds of Common
When asked to choose from a list of design solutions to challenges in Innovative Approaches:
education, the most popular approach selected by Players at almost Spotlight Shared Stories for unlock-
every stage was to Put Children in Charge. Nearly half (more than 44%) of ing change
Players in the Re-imagine Learning Challenge selected ‘Putting Children
in Charge’ as the education solution that best represented their work. The diversity of the Challenge pool
This design solution was twice as popular as other approaches. The only offers an opportunity to showcase
exception was at the final stage—six of the 10 Champions of learning a the broad range of ways Players
through play represented the design principle ‘Equipping Adults to Drive Put Children in Charge. Similarly,
Change in Learning.’ [online chart m] the network is now primed to
articulate the value of Whole Child
When asked to select a barrier, ‘Whole Child Development is Undervalued’ Development nearly anywhere in the
was identified by Players at every stage as the most significant barrier to world. [online chart n]
focus on solving.
Measurement: Importance of
External Studies Network Tip No. 3:
Spread proven evidence and spark
Pioneers and Champions were twice as likely to have had their impact more studies through
measured and evaluated by an “external study”—a third-party, objective research partnerships
assessment of their work. More than 55 percent of the Champions of
learning through play had an external study completed, compared to only External studies detailing the
31 percent of Pacesetters. [online chart q] impact of Challenge Pioneers and
Champions of learning through
play could offer a rich insights
about what may work for the
broader network. Champions of
learning through play and Pioneers
might also be able to recommend
the best way for practitioners to
receive evaluation of impact from
a third party. (This shortfall of
evaluation support is a commonly
cited reason for not being able to
conduct more studies.)
44
Mostly New Projects... Except
for Champions
The Challenge drew a significant number of idea-stage projects or start-up Network Tip No. 4:
projects (48% of all projects); these remained well-represented among the Grow the Network by Unlocking the
304 Pacesetters, with idea-stage or start-up projects representing more Potential of New Ideas
than one-third (36%) of all the Pioneers projects. However, among the 30
Pioneers, there were no idea-stage projects, while 16 percent (5 projects) Given the desire to engage the
are start-ups. Half of the Champions of learning through play were in the full range of stakeholders needed
scaling phase of their work, meeting Challenge criteria for “demonstrated to transform learning, including
impact.” [online chart r] students and parents, it may still
be worth pursuing a specific way
to nurture, recognize, and grow
projects that are in the idea or
start-up phases. While these
early-stage projects are unlikely to
be successful in attracting funding
when judged against projects
that are already scaling proven
impact, they should still have the
opportunity to develop as high-
potential solutions in the long-run.
START-UP PHASE
PIONEERS
• JeepNeed’s Lab in Box
• Tackle
• codeSpark
• EduSpot
• Make it Epic! Middle
School Re-imagined.
[Online charts available at

Changemakers.com/play2learn]
45
Varied Intervention Focus Network Tip No. 5:
Build upon strong ties to schools
Interventions featured in the Re-imagine Learning Challenge covered
almost every category, from childcare and community-based interventions The range of connections held by
to curricular or policy. [online chart w] Players identified with a full range members of the network sends the
of roles related to learning, including teachers, administrators, coaches, strong signal that playful learning
parents, and students. [online chart y] They also engaged with three isn’t accessible only to students at
distinct age groups. It was also promising to see how many Players in the schools of means, nor is it limited
Challenge were affiliated with formal schools (more than 53%, or about to specific age groups; the network
334 projects self-identified with a public or private school), demonstrating already has a presence in schools
how their work is being actively developed within formal learning contexts across the world - both public and
where learning outcomes are a central focus. Furthermore, at every stage, private - that can serve to inspire
more Players associated with public (tuition-free) schools than with private and spread effective approaches,
schools. [online chart x] or strengthen the impact of existing
ones.
It would be worthwhile to design

more specific questions to better
understand those educator-
innovators who are operating
without any affiliation to schools,
or posing a more specific call
for solutions by parents or other
leaders in informal learning
settings.
[Online charts available at

Changemakers.com/play2learn]
46
Diverse Organization
Structure
A large percentage of organizations (43%) identified as having some Network Tip No. 6:
for-profit element, either as as hybrid organizations or as for-profits. On Create a dedicated call for ideas
the other hand, when asked to identify what type of intervention a project for financing solutions
focused on, projects that indicated they were focused on making financing
available for learning initiatives were either underrepresented or not Given the importance of resources
represented at all (fewer than 2%). for being able to create change
within educational systems,
a more targeted call may be
needed to attract interventions
specifically focused on financing.
Alternatively, the hybrid of for-
profit organizations may be a
source of learning for the broader
network on creative ways to ease
access to resources.
Network Tip No. 7:

Share the inspiration of nimble
teams
In terms of organizational size, four

of the 10 Champions of learning
through play are operating with
fewer than 10 employees. This is a
Looking Ahead great sign: more personnel doesn’t
necessarily suggest a greater ability
Ultimately, our goal has been to create and launch a Re-imagine Learning to create change. [online chart v]
Challenge network built on a foundation of transparency. Sharing
Challenge data and its relationship to the Social Innovation Mapping is part
of our “everyone a winner” strategy: Every person in the network has a role
to play and each contributor is needed to achieve deep and lasting change
for the future of learning.
We are also interested in learning and growing collaboratively. We know
that not every solution and insight critical to transforming learning has
been represented in this report, or in the Challenge. If you are designing
environments where kids and adults are learning through play, whether at
home, in a classroom or on a playground, we want to hear from you.
What is missing from this innovation mapping? What does this report get
right? Where does it fall short? What needs to be better understood in
order to change the way the world learns?
Help us continue to map the landscape of innovation in education and

learning and build a global network of parents, educators, researchers,
administrators, and social entrepreneurs dedicated to changing the way the
world learns.
Connect with us online at Changemakers.com/play2learn or via e-mail at

dmatielo@ashoka.org
47
5 APPENDIX
APPENDIX A: 2014 RE-IMAGINING LEARNING

CHALLENGE DATA ANALYSIS
Interactive data visualizations of all entrants to the Budget
Funding sources
2014 Re-imagining Learning global challenge can be found
School type
at the following links:
About the Team:
Part 1: “About the 631 Players” (Charts A-L) - http://www. Role in education
changemakers.com/play2learn/infographic Number of employees
Number of volunteers
Part 2: “What Distinguished the 10 Champions from the 631
Players” (Charts M-Y) - http://www.changemakers.com/ Geography:
play2learn/infographic2 Country
State
The categories that were utilized for the data Continent
visualizations are as follows: Languages spoken
Advanced vs. emerging economy
Innovation Patterns and Approach:
Barriers tackled Quality:
Design principles
Intervention focus All 631 entrants (players)
Approaches to play Top 304 (pacesetters)
Outside impact evaluation study conducted Top 30 (pioneers)
Top 10 among (champions)
About the Organization:
Year founded In particular, the Design Principles and Barriers (innovation
Organization type patterns) that the entrants were summarized for the
Stage entrants to self-select from as follows:
DESIGN PRINCIPLES BARRIERS

• Whole Child Development is Undervalued: Essential
• Equip Adults to Drive Change in Learning: Providing parts of development get left behind as children get
creative learning experiences for teachers, parents, older--such as healthy habits, executive function, and
working professions, and others that empower them to social and emotional learning.
drive change in any part of the learning ecosystem.
• One-Size-Fits-All Fits None: Students are disengaged
• Actively Designing Space and Culture as Essential and not being prepared for real life.
Elements for Learning: Creating cost-effective methods
that infuse a school with habits, language, and materials • Trapped Between Competing Pressures: Educators face
needed for learning through play. a lack of capacity to re-imagine and restructure educa-
tional settings.
• Creating Peer Support Networks for All Stakeholders in
Education: Creating peer-to-peer learning and support • Lack of Structures to Facilitate Meaningful Community
for teachers, parents, expecting mothers, and others Ownership in the Learning Process: It is challenging
that enables them to transform learning. to ensure that parents and the broader community are
involved as full co-owners in the learning process.
• Putting Children in Charge: Giving children a voice and
cultivating agency through experiential learning, proj-
ect-based learning, and civic engagement.
48
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ativity [Video webcast]. Retrieved from 14. Execuela Nueva. Escuela Neuva & 23. Communities that Care. Demon-
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robin- FEN milestones. Retrieved March 31, strated Effectiveness. Retrieved
son_says_schools_kill_creativity 2014 from http://www.escuelanueva. March 31, 2013 from http://www.
org/portal/en/escuela-nueva-model/ gruene-liste-praevention.de/nano.cms/
7. Playworks. (2013) 2013 Annual history.html datenbank/programm/26
Report. Retrieved from http://www.
playworks.org/about/media/annual-re- 15. Dream A Dream. Dream A Dream 24. Riverside School. History. Retrieved
port/2013 Annual Report 2012-2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013 from http://www.
from http://dreamadream.org/wp-con- schoolriverside.com/node.aspx?no-
tent/uploads/2012/06/Dream-A- deId=65&siteID=1
Dream-Annual-Report-2012-13.pdf
49
APPENDIX C: INDEX OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
THE SOCIAL ENTREPRENUERS CHOSEN FOR ANALYSIS.
After the launch of the Re-imagine Learning challenge, over 631 projects also shared their ideas. The resulting Champions and Ashoka Fellows are are also
listed with a STAR.
Admir Lukacevic Aleta Margolis
Organization: Idrott Utan Gränser Organization: Center for

Country: Sweden Inspired Teaching
Page Featured: page 16 Country: United States
Page Featured: page 25
Alison Naftalin Ana Maria de Araújo Mello
Organization: Lively Minds - Organization: Creche

Community-Run Play Centres Carochinha (Fairytale Nursery)
Country: Uganda Country: Brazil
Page Featured: page 16 Page Featured: page 16
Andrew Mangino Azize Leygara
Organization: Dream Directors Organization: ÇAÇA

Country: United States Country: Turkey
Beatriz Diuk Darrel Hammond
Organization: Derecho a Aprender Organization: KaBOOM!

a Leer y a Escribir Country: United States
Country: Argentina Page Featured: page 16
Dina Buchbinder Ellen Moir
Organization: Deportes para Organization: New

Compartir (DpC) Teacher Center
Country: Mexico Country: United States
Eric Dawson Emrah Kırımsoy
Organization: Peace First Organization: Agenda Children

Country: United States Country: Turkey
50
Gabriela Arenas Guy Etienne
Organization: Fundación TAAP Organization: College

Country: Venezuela Catts Pressoir
Page Featured: page 16 Country: Haiti
Heidrun Mayer Irene Mutumba
Organization: PAPILIO Organization: “Young

Country: Germany Entrepreneurs Clubs”
Page Featured: page 28 Country: Uganda
Jill Vialet Kabir Vajpeyi
Organization: Playworks Organization: Vinyas Centre for

Country: United States Architectural Research and Design
Page Featured: page 21 Country: India
Kathryn Hall-Trujillo Kevin Marinacci
Organization: The Birthing Project Organization: Fabretto

Country: United States Children’s Foundation
Page Featured: page 38 Country: Nicaragua
Kiran Bir Sethi Kjartan Eide
Organization: Riverside School Organization: Trivselsprogram

Country: India (Wellbeing Program)
Page Featured: page 41 Country: Norway, Sweden, Iceland
51
Larry Rosenstock Maria Diarra Keita
Organization: High Tech High Organization: Institute for

Country: United States Popular Education
Page Featured: page 23 Country: Mali
Marian Chwastniewski Mike McGalliard
Organization: Stowarzyszenie Tworcze Organization: Global Cardboard

i Edukacyjne WYSPA (Creative and Challenge: Imagination Foundation
Educational Association ISLAND) Country: United States and
Country: Poland activities in 50 countries
Mary Anne Amorim Ribeiro Mary Gordon
Organization: PUPA Early Organization: Roots of Empathy

Childhood Development Country: Canada
Country: Brazil Page Featured: page 16
Molly Barker Meinrad Armbruster
Organization: Girls on the Run Organization: Eltern AG

Country: United States (Parenting Community)
Page Featured: page 16 Country: Germany
Oliver Percovich Rawan Barakat
Organization: Skateistan Organization: Raneen

Country: Afghanistan, Kabul & Country: Jordan
Mazar-e-Sharif Page Featured: page 16
Scott Hartl Terrie Rose
Organization: Expeditionary Organization: Baby’s Space

Learning - A Place to Grow
Country: United States Country: United States
52
Thorsten Kiefer Victoria (Vicky) Colbert
Organization: WASH United (WASH Organization: Fundacion Escuela

= Water, Sanitation and Hgyiene) Nueva: Volvamos a la Gente (New
Country: Kenya School Fund: Back to the People)
Page Featured: page 16 Country: Colombia
Vishal Talreja Wannakanok Pohiraedaoh
Organization: Dream a Dream Organization: Luuk Rieng

Country: India Group (Youth for the Peace)
Page Featured: page 32 Country: Thailand
Yuyhun Park
Organization: Infollution Zero

Country: South Korea, Singapore
53
APPENDIX D: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AUTHORED BY REEM RAHMAN WITH THANKS TO ASHOKA COLLEAGUES
JOCELYN FONG, LAURA WHITE, DANIELLE GOLDSTONE, SALLY
STEPHENSON, SANDRA HINDERLITER, LINDSAY HORIKOSHI, SHILPA
CHANDRAN, DANI MATIELO, TIM SCHEU, MARZENA ZUKOWSKA, THE
ASHOKA VENTURE TEAM, AND THE GENEROSITY OF THE INTERVIEWEES
FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE THINKING THAT PRODUCED THIS
REPORT.
ASHOKA IS GRATEFUL TO THE LEGO FOUNDATION FOR ITS SUPPORT ON THE 2014 RE-
IMAGINING LEARNING GLOBAL CHALLENGE THAT MADE THIS REPORT POSSIBLE.
54

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ENTREPRENEURIAL

With the launch of the online challenge to Re-

The Social Innovation Mapping report has been

We know, however, that not all solutions and

Help us map the landscape of innovation in

Introduction Design Principles in Focus

Patterns In 3. Better together: Create Peer Support Networks

Barriers Tackled Epilogue

C. Not enough capacity to re-imagine and restructure

D. Lack of structures to facilitate meaningful community

APPENDIX A: Index of Social Entrepreneurs Page 48 APPENDIX C: References Page 50

APPENDIX B: 2014 Re-imagining APPENDIX D: Acknowledgements Page 54

With these issues in mind, the following Social Innovation Mapping

HOW CAN PLAY

Through this five-step process, each

Candidates must communicate their ideas,

A CASE FOR HOPE report tells the stories of effective solutions in

Ashoka’s Social Innovation Mapping illustrates

Barriers are core components

New Teacher Center, Ellen Moir, Chicago, United States

WHOLE CHILD DEVELOPMENT IS ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL FITS NONE: STUDENTS

* Maria Diarra Keita, Institute for Popular

“We focus on changing the mindset

Infollution Zero, Yuhyun Park, South Korea

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 1. EVERYONE AN

The transformation of learning requires teachers

Examples of social entrepreneurs modeling this

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 2. A WORLD OF

Examples of social entrepreneurs modeling this

Eltern AG (Parenting Community), Meinrad Armbruster, Germany

* social entrepreneur listed as an example for more than one pattern

2015 Re-imagine Learning Ashoka Fellows or Champions

SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Yuhyun Park | izhero.org

To overcome such information pollution, Park founded “ infollutionZERO”

IMPACT: “Kids have so far been

> iZ is expanding globally through partnerships with the U.S., Korean,

SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Jill Vialet | playworks.org

Integrating directly into the school day, Playworks builds a culture of

>89% of staff nationwide7 report an increased ability of students to focus

Heidrun Mayer | papilio.de

For 22 years, Peace First has used an innovative, project-based

“ Young people are not objects that we do things

HIGH TECH HIGH

SOLUTION EXAMPLE: Larry Rosenstock |

Instead of attending regular classroom lectures, taking tests, and turning in

Inspired Teaching‘s theory of change is three-part: to model Inspired Teaching

> Inspired Teaching’s work is primarily focused in Washington, DC where 77% of

> In the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School’s second year of existence,

Through its trainings, competitions, and support networks, ISLAND builds

ISLAND overcomes disheartened educational

>It continues to expand its number of programs by developing experimental

> It is partnering with USAID and UNICEF to expand to 8,700 displaced

> Established relationships with over 30 partners across 3 states of India to

> 65% of young people in after-school life skills programme show an

> The science of early relationships and emotional development is

> In an internal survey, 95 percent of teachers said that DpC had

VINYAS CENTRE FOR

NEW TEACHER CENTER

NTC establishes a comprehensive induction program for all new teachers

> Independent, third-party research19 has shown that teachers who

Believing in the importance of parental involvement, Eltern AG

> As of December 2013, 204 mentors from 13 german federal states