“Doing Begins Learning” Modules
Created to support the implementation of Design-Based Learning across subjects and grade levels, the modules walk users through foundational concepts, common questions, and step-by-step strategies for bringing the methodology to
AFT Share My Lesson: From Intuition to Innovation: Doreen Gehry Nelson and the Origins of Design-Based Learning
Read Doreen's latest blog for AFT's Share My Lesson
SXSW EDU 2025
Doreen Gehry Nelson joined education leaders for a dynamic discussion on the future of education.
DBL in Action: 4th Grade Online Engagement with Backwards Thinking™
How DBL kept students engaged during online learning in the pandemic
SXSW 2023
Doreen Gehry Nelson was joined by her brother, Frank Gehry, for a keynote discussion on DBL.
Starter City of the Future Guidebook
The Design-Based Learning Project created a Starter City Guidebook to show teachers how to build a city in their classroom, one of the cornerstones of the Design-Based Learning Project. This K-12
Backwards Thinking Explained
What is Backwards Thinking? K–12 classroom teachers learning the Design-Based Learning methodology find that using Backwards Thinking™ doesn’t require a whole new series of lessons or a new curriculum. All
The Curriculum Integration Chart
Origins Early in the evolution of the fabrication of Long-Range Planning Boards— before the Red Cups —as a first step toward, Doreen had teachers complete two-dimensional Curriculum Integration Charts (one
Activity #3 Three-Dimensional Symbolic Object as a Book Report
Design-Based Learning ACTIVITY #3 Never-Before-Seen Three-Dimensional Symbolic Object as a Book Report Identifying and Summarizing the Main Idea(s) of a Book ©Doreen Nelson Students learn to identify the main idea(s)
Activity #2 Sneaking Up on Creativity
Design-Based Learning ACTIVITY #2 Sneaking Up on Creativity A Physical Object Becomes a Never-Before-Seen Creature (Metaphoric and symbolic thinking comes alive through an inanimate object) ©Doreen Nelson Never-Before-Seen Creature: Pretending