Leadways Lab
Where Innovation Meets Community Impact
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Leadways Lab is an innovative interdisciplinary course at Leadways School that bridges science, technology, and ethics through authentic problem-solving experiences. Students engage in project-based learning and design thinking to address real community challenges, developing both technical expertise and ethical understanding along the way.​
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What is Leadways Lab?
Leadways Lab is a dynamic learning environment where students work collaboratively to explore the intersections of engineering, environmental science, and artificial intelligence. Rather than learning these disciplines in isolation, students discover how they interconnect through hands-on projects that solve authentic problems facing our community and world.
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Core Elements of Leadways Lab
The Leadways Lab experience is built upon these foundational elements:
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Interdisciplinary Learning: Students explore how science, technology, mathematics, ethics, and communication work together in solving complex problems. This integrated approach reflects real-world challenges that rarely fit into neat subject-area categories.
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Project-Based Learning (PBL): Students tackle extended projects that involve inquiry, innovation, and presentation. These projects require critical thinking, collaboration, and effective communication while producing tangible solutions to authentic problems.
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Design Thinking Process: Students learn and apply the design thinking methodology: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. This human-centered approach ensures solutions address actual user needs and community concerns.
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Ethical Considerations: Throughout their work, students examine the ethical implications of technological solutions, considering questions of equity, accessibility, sustainability, and social impact.
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Learning Outcomes
Students who participate in Leadways Lab develop:
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Technical Skills: Programming, engineering principles, data analysis, and scientific research methods
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Design Thinking Abilities: Human-centered problem-solving, prototyping, and iterative improvement
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Collaboration Capabilities: Team communication, task management, and interdependent work
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Ethical Reasoning: Consideration of equity, accessibility, and social impact in solution design
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Presentation Expertise: Communication of complex ideas to diverse audiences
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Resilience and Adaptability: Persistence through challenges and openness to feedback
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