Telling Future of Learning
Stories: On Sneakers

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The Future of Learning Challenge is a storytelling accelerator that helps ed innovators tell their stories using
sneakers as a canvas.

WHY SNEAKERS:

We are living through one of the largest disruptions to our American education system in its modern history. For young learners, so many of the rituals of school have been upended. And yet, so much is the same. 

What if we imagined a new school system? And what if we put that new vision for learning on a shoe? What if a sneaker could be a storytelling canvas to radically transform the future of learning? 

The education system we have now, by and large, is an industrial education model, made for the 19th century, superimposed on the 21st. It needs a makeover. In partnership with Ninety Nine Products, an innovative sneaker design company focused on “doing good things for good people,” the Reinvention Lab created the Future of Learning Challenge to amplify the voices of people across the country who are acting their way into a radically different education system from the one we currently have. The winning design from the Future of Learning Challenge will mark a concentrated push to spread awareness of the possibilities when we reinvent ourselves to reinvent learning within a community.

Reinventing a sneaker to reinvent learning is one of many catalysts to conversations that can radically transform the future of learning.

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WHAT:

Alongside sneaker brand Ninety Nine Products and its creative agency, AndThem, the Future of Learning Challenge is a design competition and storytelling accelerator that helps future-of-learning leaders tell compelling stories about their work and visions for the future.

FOR WHOM:

Anyone leading radical, future-of-learning work in their communities who could use world-class storytelling support through a fun, engaging accelerator program.


2021-2022
#FutureofLearningChallenge designs:

Winning shoe design 2022: Homeworks Trenton

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2022-2023
#FutureofLearningChallenge designs:

Winning shoe design 2023: COMING SOON

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HOW:

The #FutureOfLearningChallenge has three components:

Design Sessions

Competition

Amplification

Participants go through design sprints with the AndThem and Ninety Nine Products team, learning about marketing, photography, branding, and more along the way.

Participating designs are scored by sneakerheads, educators, young folks, and more - and finalists are chosen, culminating in a winning design that is produced and distributed.

All participants benefit from the amplification of their design and their message about the future of learning - as well as their learning from the design sprints.

WHEN:

Oct-Nov 2022

Nov-June 2023

August 2023

Kick off! Virtual team design and coaching sessions:
• October 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th
• November 2nd and 9th

Community voting + sneaker production.

Winning sneaker release!

Interested in registering a team for the 2022-2023 cycle?

Reach out to let us know your interest for future possible rounds of the #FutureOfLearningChallenge.

Contact Mike Yates.

2022 Finalist Pitch Videos

What do these sneaker designs have to do with the future of learning? Find out by watching these finalist pitch videos.

Use this to search through resources curated from across the Reinvention Lab’s Community

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Sneakers :: The Life School

The LIFE School, an innovative high school in Atlanta, designed a sneaker inspired by a pair of Air Jordans, Adaptive Learning software, passion projects, and the intersection of human interaction with technology. The design made it to the final four in the #FutureofLearningChallenge.

Sneakers :: The Life School

The LIFE School, an innovative high school in Atlanta, designed a sneaker inspired by a pair of Air Jordans, Adaptive Learning software, passion projects, and the intersection of human interaction with technology. The design made it to the final four in the #FutureofLearningChallenge.

Sneakers :: Post Your Power

Inspired by a drive to create a highly personalized future of learning, the Rock by Rock team created a customizable sneaker named #PostYourPower that was voted as one of the top four designs in the #FutureofLearningChallenge. Check out this video to learn more about #PostYourPower.

Sneakers :: Post Your Power

Inspired by a drive to create a highly personalized future of learning, the Rock by Rock team created a customizable sneaker named #PostYourPower that was voted as one of the top four designs in the #FutureofLearningChallenge. Check out this video to learn more about #PostYourPower.

Sneakers :: Pyramids

The Freedom School of Arts and Entrepreneurship (FSAE), an all-boys school in Fort Worth, TX, sneaker named, "Pyramids" was voted as one of the top four designs in the #FutureofLearningChallenge, a shoe design competition hosted by the Reinvention Lab. Check out this video to learn more about Pyramids.

Sneakers :: Pyramids

The Freedom School of Arts and Entrepreneurship (FSAE), an all-boys school in Fort Worth, TX, sneaker named, "Pyramids" was voted as one of the top four designs in the #FutureofLearningChallenge, a shoe design competition hosted by the Reinvention Lab. Check out this video to learn more about Pyramids.

Related Resources

Check out the #FutureOfLearningChallenge in the news and on the web.

Introducing the Final Four!

Reinvention Lab at Teach For America and Ninety Nine Product challenged educators to storytell through sneakers - and here are the mind blowing results!

The Sneakers that may change Education

Future of learning as the concept and sneakers as our canvas. Learn more about the Reinvention Lab and Ninety Nine Products sneaker challenge, the Future of Learning Challenge.

The Future of Democracy, Led by Gen Z

Gen Zers reflecting on American democracy and what the future of learning has to do with the future of democracy (a future they are actively working to shape).
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