How building, prototyping, and problem-solving became core to a Culver City classroom
Quick Answer for Busy Parents
The Willows Community School integrates Maker education and design thinking directly into its thematic, experiential curriculum, alongside technology and the arts. Rather than treating hands-on building and prototyping as a separate elective, Willows weaves these skills into daily classroom life, giving students regular, structured opportunities to build, test, and revise their own ideas as part of core coursework.
Building Into the Curriculum, Not Bolted On
Many schools offer a Maker space as a standalone elective or after-school option. Willows describes its approach differently: Maker education and design thinking are integrated into the curriculum itself, alongside experiential learning and thematic instruction, technology, and the arts. That distinction matters because it means hands-on building and problem-solving show up across a student’s regular coursework, not confined to a single weekly period in a separate space.
Why Integration Matters
Weaving Maker education into core academic subjects, rather than isolating it in a dedicated elective, lets students apply hands-on building and design skills directly to whatever they’re studying, reinforcing academic content through physical, tangible work rather than treating the two as separate tracks.
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What Design Thinking Actually Asks of Students
Design thinking is a structured problem-solving process, typically involving understanding a problem, generating ideas, building a prototype, and testing and refining the result. Applying this process regularly gives students practice with a genuinely different kind of academic work than traditional worksheets or tests: one where the first attempt is expected to be imperfect, and revision based on real feedback is part of the process itself, not a sign of failure.
| Element | Traditional Assignment | Design Thinking Approach |
| Starting Point | A defined question with one correct answer | An open-ended problem to understand and define |
| Process | Complete and submit | Prototype, test, and revise |
| View of Mistakes | Something to avoid | An expected, useful part of the process |
| Output | A single final answer | A tested, improved solution |
Why Pair Maker Education With the Arts
Willows integrates Maker education alongside the arts, not as competing priorities but as complementary approaches to creative problem-solving. Both disciplines ask students to generate original ideas and bring them into physical or visual form, whether that’s a working prototype or a piece of artwork, reinforcing similar creative instincts through different mediums.
A Shared Creative Foundation
Students who regularly move between artistic expression and technical building develop a broader creative toolkit than those exposed to only one discipline, since each medium demands slightly different problem-solving instincts that reinforce each other over time.
Let Cardinal Education Guide Your Admissions Journey
The bottom line for families considering The Willows Community School is clear: Maker education, design thinking, technology, and the arts are integrated directly into the core curriculum, rather than treated as standalone electives. Determining whether a hands-on, design-focused environment is the right fit for your child requires thoughtful evaluation. Cardinal Education supports families throughout the entire admissions process—providing expert guidance, helping you evaluate school models and ask targeted questions on tours, and ensuring you make confident, tailored educational decisions for your child.
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