9. Rethinking Our Learning Spaces with Daniel

After Loris Malaguzzi, the iconic founder and pioneer of the Reggio Children approach, passed away unexpectedly in 1994, Project Zero bridged the gap between two seemingly small organizations that were making big waves in education. As we approach the 25th anniversary of PZ's seminal research project and book, Making Learning Visible, we sit down with Mara Krechevsky and Tiziana Philippini—MLV partners from the start—for a look back at how this groundbreaking collaboration began.

This bonus episode from season 6 of Thinkability might sound like an oxymoron, but as hosts David Perkins and Shari Tishman remind us: Uncertainty is deeply linked to learning, especially just the right amount of productive uncertainty. It's routine in any discipline that claims are up for debate. How we can productively question our assumptions and paradigm shifting points of view, putting ourselves into uncertain situations in order to think or see in fresh ways?

From the way desks are aligned to the imagery on the walls, to the block layouts and color coding of schedules, space literally shapes the student experience and subconsciously maps expectations. Longtime PZ PI Daniel Wilson runs the Designing Learning Places Lab at Project Zero. Explore the qualities of space and place and how they support fundamental states of human development, including agency, belonging, curiosity, and satisfaction, in this clip from Daniel's plenary at the 2026 Project Zero Classroom summer institute.

Howard Gardner and Mary Gray, a senior researcher at Microsoft, explore exploring the transformative impact of AI technology on human intelligence and education. Moderated by PZer and AI Fellow Max Lu, the conversation debates the future of education, the ethical responsibilities of tech companies, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. Questions from the audience address AI's role in therapy, creativity, and the changing nature of genius, while also touching on the challenges of integrating AI into educational settings. 

You've experienced it, too. Those fuzzy, weird, messy feelings that come from using AI. PZ PI Beck Tench and AI Fellow Dan Be Kim from PZ's Center for Digital Thriving have a new, biweekly podcast to unpack these WTF moments...as in, "What's that feeling?" From outsourcing a sacred annual ritual to Claude to feeling seen by a lunch-planning chatbot, join Beck and Dan Be to explore awe, AI ick, the blurry line between navigating and being navigated, and why sitting with discomfort matters more than running from it.

In the family of epistemic emotions (think: curiosity, surprise, and wonder), how does awe stand out? How does this emotion that challenges our understanding of the world also bind us together as a society in positive and negative ways? And how can you get the wellbeing effects of everyday awe—why does it matter? Consider how to grow everyday awe personally and in the classroom, with Next Level Lab Project Director Megan Powell Cuzzolino and PZ PI Shari Tishman.

"No one person is creative." If the idea of participatory creativity is radical to you, then join us for an intriguing slice of this popular plenary from Project Zero Classroom 2026 to learn more! Authors of The Participatory Guide to Creativity, PZ PI Edward Clapp and education consultant Julie Rains discuss how all creativity is relational, the social distribution of an idea, and much, much more.

Why botherism. Para-friending. What language can help you navigate AI? We're live from Project Zero Classroom 2026 with a scintillating slice of this popular workshop with PZ principal investigators Carrie James and Beck Tench of the Center for Digital Thriving. 

When we talk about good thinking, we often point to highly purposeful attitudes and strategies like using thinking routines, taking an inquiry stance, or being actively metacognitive. But good thinking isn’t entirely a matter of strategic mental effort: There are moments when pausing in the midst of effort can be powerful and important. However, such moments pass us by all too easily. In this episode of Thinkability, PZ founding member David Perkins and long-time principal investigator Shari Tishman explore the power and pleasure of pause, with a special focus on the connection between pause and thinking.

What role does the body play in the production of knowledge? Fresh from Project Zero Classroom 2026, PZ's Louisa Penfold of the Art|Play project and Jessica Baynes, a dance performer, choreographer, and educator, discuss curriculum design around playful, joyful learning that centers creative movement. The pair also discusses Louisa's new book, Every Child Is an Artist.