What Is This?
Basics
Today In Class is theory translated into tools for teachers, businesses, designers, students, and everyone.
Recorded live from the classroom with designer, researcher, and professor Troy Campbell.
Today In Class is theory translated into tools for teachers, businesses, designers, students, and everyone.
Recorded live from the classroom with designer, researcher, and professor Troy Campbell.
Format
Today In Class videos briefly illustrate general concepts in the context of a classroom. Most of the time the concept is illustrated by an activity the students participate in. Thus, the videos both teach a concept and how to teach that concept. The videos are put together into “mini-lessons” which are usually three or four videos around a common theme. The website also has other resources beyond the videos.
Today In Class videos briefly illustrate general concepts in the context of a classroom. Most of the time the concept is illustrated by an activity the students participate in. Thus, the videos both teach a concept and how to teach that concept. The videos are put together into “mini-lessons” which are usually three or four videos around a common theme. The website also has other resources beyond the videos.
Topics
Professor Troy Campbell focuses on general interest topics, so all videos should be relevant to almost all audiences. Topics include experience design, education, psychology, communication, creativity, career, and social issues. See "where to start" for specific suggestions for you.
Professor Troy Campbell focuses on general interest topics, so all videos should be relevant to almost all audiences. Topics include experience design, education, psychology, communication, creativity, career, and social issues. See "where to start" for specific suggestions for you.
The Principles
Today Principle
Every moment of learning is precious, so we should always leave the classroom filled with excitement saying to their friends, “Today in class we . . .” |
Toolbox Principle
I am here to offer lots of options and ideas, not here to tell you what to do. Take what you need, when you need it, and make your class, business, and life awesome. |
Apply Principle
Let us learn things, but let us most importantly be able to apply what we learn. Knowing is for doing. |
The Origin Story
When I went from being a lab-only research academic to becoming a professional designer and teacher, I ran into the same problem: there was a lot of theory out there, but there were no toolboxes. The theory I had always loved was not enough for me when it came actually building and figuring out things.
When I began designing experiences for Disney Imagineering, there wasn’t a big list of example applications of theories from my field I could use to draw inspiration from. This was so unlike my background in film, theater, and comedy where there are so many examples and Pinterest boards of very specific things to constantly draw from.
When I began designing my classes, there weren’t lots of examples of the most things I needed, especially for small things like how to just start a class. I needed a bunch of little principles not big ones.
So like you probably feel sometimes, I felt like a superhero without a utility belt. I had the raw skill and enthusiasm, but I had no tools to help me plan or adapt. I just thought that by the time I got to Disney, Netflix, or Duke, there would be a list of how to use these theories lying around on an Imagineer’s or professor’s desk. Nope.
I did well in the classroom and in the design labs, but I knew I could be far better. And I felt bad, because I knew so much potential of the precious days we had in class and design sessions was not being met.
So, I did what any nerdy academic would do, I made a long term plan to learn how to be a better designer and teacher.
I stopped just asking designers about their “theories” and asked for examples of applied concepts. I stopped just asking teachers about their “pedagogy” and asked about specific class activities and moments, and then debated how those could be adapted to different classes.
Then, with a combination of my experimental and my improv-art-theater backgrounds I just started testing all this stuff out from the lab, to the field, to the classroom, to executive trainings, to, and especially to, guest lectures where I could really try anything.
I found so many cool things. There was legitimately “a science of cool,” but no one had figured out how to really teach or apply it. There's a huge world of improv learning activities, and I discovered them all when a professional Improv group recruited me to help them to teach the science of inclusion to the biggest companies in the world. There are deep sciences of stories and identity but no one had fused them, so I put them together in an idea that has become one my most popular lectures and most used concepts by businesses, a theory that I call “Disney Destiny.”
And after enough development, Today In Class was born, an informal video series of all the tools I had always wanted when I started.
This series is aimed not to get YouTube views but simply to help the truly best teachers, designers, and curious people. It is a video series that lacks the traditional headlines like “this radically changes everything” or “only an evil teacher doesn’t flip the classroom” to more of “this a slightly better way of thinking" or "here's something you already know just with a twist." The audience for this is small, but if you are reading this far you probably are part of that audience. And as part of that audience, you know how few things there are out there for us.
They say, “create the things you wish existed.” Today In Class is a thing I wish existed over a decade ago when I first walked into Disney Imagineering and lectured my first class. I’ve learned so much making it, I hope it can be a resource to you.
I am Professor Troy Campbell and this is Today In Class.
When I began designing experiences for Disney Imagineering, there wasn’t a big list of example applications of theories from my field I could use to draw inspiration from. This was so unlike my background in film, theater, and comedy where there are so many examples and Pinterest boards of very specific things to constantly draw from.
When I began designing my classes, there weren’t lots of examples of the most things I needed, especially for small things like how to just start a class. I needed a bunch of little principles not big ones.
So like you probably feel sometimes, I felt like a superhero without a utility belt. I had the raw skill and enthusiasm, but I had no tools to help me plan or adapt. I just thought that by the time I got to Disney, Netflix, or Duke, there would be a list of how to use these theories lying around on an Imagineer’s or professor’s desk. Nope.
I did well in the classroom and in the design labs, but I knew I could be far better. And I felt bad, because I knew so much potential of the precious days we had in class and design sessions was not being met.
So, I did what any nerdy academic would do, I made a long term plan to learn how to be a better designer and teacher.
I stopped just asking designers about their “theories” and asked for examples of applied concepts. I stopped just asking teachers about their “pedagogy” and asked about specific class activities and moments, and then debated how those could be adapted to different classes.
Then, with a combination of my experimental and my improv-art-theater backgrounds I just started testing all this stuff out from the lab, to the field, to the classroom, to executive trainings, to, and especially to, guest lectures where I could really try anything.
I found so many cool things. There was legitimately “a science of cool,” but no one had figured out how to really teach or apply it. There's a huge world of improv learning activities, and I discovered them all when a professional Improv group recruited me to help them to teach the science of inclusion to the biggest companies in the world. There are deep sciences of stories and identity but no one had fused them, so I put them together in an idea that has become one my most popular lectures and most used concepts by businesses, a theory that I call “Disney Destiny.”
And after enough development, Today In Class was born, an informal video series of all the tools I had always wanted when I started.
This series is aimed not to get YouTube views but simply to help the truly best teachers, designers, and curious people. It is a video series that lacks the traditional headlines like “this radically changes everything” or “only an evil teacher doesn’t flip the classroom” to more of “this a slightly better way of thinking" or "here's something you already know just with a twist." The audience for this is small, but if you are reading this far you probably are part of that audience. And as part of that audience, you know how few things there are out there for us.
They say, “create the things you wish existed.” Today In Class is a thing I wish existed over a decade ago when I first walked into Disney Imagineering and lectured my first class. I’ve learned so much making it, I hope it can be a resource to you.
I am Professor Troy Campbell and this is Today In Class.