Brian Pickerd

About Brian Pickerd

Over the years of experience in learning and development, I\'ve had the privilege of partnering with stakeholders spanning the spectrum from private industry to non-profit, higher education to secondary education, one-on-one to large groups to support impactful learning initiatives. My approach, informed by Human-Centered Design and Design Thinking as well as research and experience-based pedagogy and androgogy, focuses on deeply understanding learner needs to collaboratively develop and facilitate engaging and effective training, professional development, and learning experiences across modalities. I am continually learning and striving to create instruction and training that are not only sound but also relevant and applicable, fostering continuous growth for individuals of all backgrounds. Keywords: Human-Centered Design, Design Thinking, Training, Skills Development, Life-Applicable Learning, E-Learning, Professional Development, Instructional Design, Subject Matter Expert (SME) Collaboration, Research-Driven Instruction, Adult Learning Principles.

Experience

1. Design & Innovation Instructor

   Rockford Public Schools

   Aug 2022 — Present

   Daily life presents us with so many fascinating challenges (small and large), and in order to approach the future successfully, our current students need to develop skills, tools, and processes to engage these challenges and creatively work toward solutions.With the help of creativity and innovation experts, I have started a program for high school students to guide them in learning the principles of Human-Centered Design and Design Thinking and to explore the application of those principles in a variety of life situations. During the 20••••23 schoolyear, we ran our Design & Innovation I pilots while laying the foundation for Design & Innovation II. This year, we test-drove that level II class and welcomed the creators of Lore, a Table Top Role-play Game, as our first real-world client.

Education

• Université Laval

  Certificat, French Language and Literature

  1993 — 1993

• Aquinas College

  Master's Degree, Education with focus on Applied Linguistics

  1991 — 1995

• Universität Salzburg

  Focus in Language Studies, Languages and International Studies

• Western Michigan University

  Psychology

Skills

• Curriculum Development
• Curriculum Design
• Classroom
• Lesson Planning
• Tutoring
• Educational Travel Creation
• Writing
• Foreign Languages
• French
• Esl
• Educational Leadership
• Differentiated Instruction
• Educational Technology
• Classroom Management
• Public Speaking
• Higher Education
• Research
• Teaching
• Instructional Design
• Professional Development