Designing Schools: Learning Systems that Cultivate Thinking in the Age of AI (Human Learning by Design™)

In an era when artificial intelligence can generate essays, solve equations, and summarize information in seconds, schools face a profound question: What should students learn when answers are abundant? In Designing Schools: Learning Systems That Cultivate Thinking in the Age of AI, Dr. LaShae Lee argues that artificial intelligence is not simply a technological change - it is astress test for educational systems. AI exposes a truth long recognized in the learning sciences: polished performance does not always equal understanding. For decades, many schools have operated on a delivery model of education - focusing on coverage of standards, completion of assignments, and the production of correct answers. In an AI-rich world, this model becomes increasingly fragile. If machines can generate answers instantly, the purpose of schooling cannot remain the efficient transmission of information. Instead, the future of education lies in designing learning environments that cultivate human capabilities AI cannot replicate: judgment, reasoning, transfer, ethical decision-making, and adaptive expertise. Designing Schools provides a comprehensive framework for district leaders, instructional coaches, and educators seeking to redesign learning systems around these human capabilities. Drawing on research from cognitive science, learning theory, and educational leadership, Lee introduces a five-layer model for school redesign: Instructional Design – Structuring learning experiences that require explanation, productive struggle, and transfer of knowledge across contexts. Professional Expertise – Developing adaptive expertise among educators so teaching evolves from delivering content to designing cognitive experiences. Ethical AI Integration – Establishing governance structures that ensure technology supports human reasoning rather than replacing it. System Alignment – Aligning curriculum, assessment, grading, and accountability around the same intellectual priorities. Leadership Implementation – Building district structures that sustain redesign through disciplined improvement cycles. Across twelve chapters, Lee challenges leaders to rethink fundamental assumptions about learning. What if the goal of school were not simply correct answers, but the formation of thinkers capable of navigating ambiguity? What if curriculum began with human capabilities rather than content coverage? And what if instructional systems were engineered to cultivate reasoning, revision, and intellectual courage? Rather than offering abstract theory alone, the book provides practical leadership tools to guide system transformation, including instructional coherence audits, AI-resilient task design checklists, cognitive load mapping protocols, adaptive expertise observation rubrics, and a 90-day district redesign cycle that helps leadership teams move from philosophy to action. At its core, Designing Schools reframes the central work of education. Teaching is not simply the transmission of knowledge. It is the intentional design of learning environments where thinking becomes visible and judgment develops over time. Artificial intelligence may accelerate information. But it cannot replace the human capacities that education must cultivate. The schools that thrive in the coming decades will not be those that move content fastest. They will be those that design systems where reasoning, curiosity, and intellectual independence can flourish. Designing Schools is a guide for leaders ready to build those systems.
ASIN: 1972397044
VSKU: BVV.1972397044.VG
Condition: Very Good
Author/Artist:Lee, Dr. LaShae|Lee, Christine
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Book has little sign of wear or use