Welcome to
my portfolio
As a professional, I want to bridge the gap between design and education.
Professional Identity
I am a designer specialized in education. Not only am I active as an educational designer, but I am also partly in the educational field as a high school teacher Onderzoek & Ontwerpen (R&D). My progressive view on education is balanced by the reality in front of the classroom, giving me a realistic image of possibilities.
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My way of working is usually exploratory where I am guided by new insights and perspectives from stakeholders. With this explorative nature of designing, it is necessary to embrace the complexity of the educational landscape and take a helicopter view every now and then. Because of the diverse group of stakeholders within the educational field, I choose to master a wide range of design methodologies and approaches so that I can move flexibly through design processes, adapting them to do full justice to stakeholders. As an expert by experience and with my knowledge in educational science, my social skills flourish and enable me to level and relate well to stakeholders such as teachers and students. I take my positive attitude and enthusiasm with me in participatory design methods such as co-creation, because I believe that together we can inspire each other, combine perspectives and create new insights. Drawing from courses in communication, future thinking, and leadership, I use active listening and creative techniques such as Speculative Design to spark curiosity and foster dialogue. I am aware that I have to prevent myself from getting carried away by stakeholders' enthusiasm. Extensive exploratory research using different business canvasses help me to stay focused by understanding the complete context of the project. Together with educational science literature, these business canvasses enable me to connect and let new innovative ideas land into the field of education.
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I envision a career path where I spend part-time in front of the classroom and part-time as a designer working on educational innovation. First of all, within a project team, I see myself as a strategic designer who can take on a leading role to get a progressive vision to a concrete concept by stimulating collaboration. I enjoy working on eye-opening projects that spark discussion, mainly focussed on curriculum design, teaching approaches and student ownership. Other than that, I want to position myself as an innovative expert and guide of transitions within schools and education in general by empowering and connecting people.
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Vision
Design can play a role in reshaping practices by fostering the co-development of new approaches within alternative paradigms, achieved through changing shared beliefs, values, models and exemplars. The Design for Transforming Practices approach highlights the embracement of complexity and the importance of co-response-ability [1]. I believe that the collective dedication of educators, policymakers, and designers is essential to challenge current systems and drive positive change in the future of education.
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Possibilities and challenges in education are rapidly coming and going. Think about the growing focus on soft skills, many new technologies to assist learning and the increased pressure due to teacher shortage. Furthermore, many promising trends, like microlearning and alternative assessments, are entering the field. I believe that these constantly changing possibilities within education require flexibility, resilience and an open, opportunity-focused mindset. Design can stimulate the educational community to embrace new perspectives and empower them during transitions.
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As a professional, I feel like my responsibilities extend beyond only design; I am a pioneer at Studio Tast by exploring and sharing new perspectives on learning. Designing from embodied learning [2], provoking curiosity with intuitive forms, tangibility or playful elements, triggers people to explore and learn in their own multisensory way. I see myself as part of a collective effort to advance lifelong learning, striving to make education accessible to everyone while encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing across the educational community.
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[1] Trotto, A., Hummels, C. C. M., Levy, P. D., Peeters, J. P. A., van der Veen, R., Yoo, D., Johansson, M., Johansson, M., Smith, M. L., & van der Zwan, S. (2021). Designing for Transforming Practices: Maps and Journeys. Technische Universiteit Eindhoven.
[2] Skulmowski, A., & Rey, G. D. (2018). Embodied learning: introducing a taxonomy based on bodily engagement and task integration. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 3, 1-10.