Tell Them I Built This: Transforming Schools, Communities, and Lives With Design-Based Education

Abstract

'Tell Them I Built This' dramatically shows how creativity, critical thinking, citizenship, and dirt-under-your-fingernails construction can radically transform both high school education and the local community where the students live. This is the story of Studio H, the design/build program that author Emily Pilloton and her partner Matthew Miller launched in rural North Carolina. Through the eyes of her students, Pilloton tells the story of the group’s hopes, failures, triumphs, and the power of design-driven education. According to Pilloton, we can dramatically revamp vocational education and build the change we wish to see in the world. And she should know: ultimately her students were given the key to the city by their mayor for initiating, designing, and building three public chicken coops and a 2000-square-foot public farmer’s market structure. In 'Tell Them I Built This', Pilloton offers tools for building change in communities, tips for turning a vision into meaningful work, and clear and inspiring directions on how to get it done.