The Learning Lab

Thieu Besselink started The Learning Lab to find out a way of making education more relevant to our lives and the world around us and to rethink the structure and function of curricula in the face of a radically unpredictable world.
Education is often neglecting our full potential as humans, doing a poor job at building our resilience for society, and taking little responsibility for shaping a world in which we want to live. Social philosopher and education innovator Thieu Besselink started The Learning Lab to find out a way of making education more relevant to our lives and the world around us, to bring back a sense of beauty and aliveness while thoroughly rethinking the structure and function of curricula in the face of a radically unpredictable world. He will share some of his experimental learning designs and explore the necessity for an emergent and experimental curriculum. 

Social philosopher Thieu Besselink is the founder of The Learning Lab, a laboratory for leadership learning and social innovation. Last year, he received the young European Leonard Award for Learning for his thought on leadership and "far-reaching pioneering work as an innovator, philosopher and adviser, who combines academic fundamental research with practical implementation in a rather diverse context." Besselink is philosophy and concept designer at the Dutch School (De Nederlandse School) and works as a developer, educational researcher and teacher at the Utrecht School of Governance.