HISTORY & IMPACT

The Institute for Applied Tinkering’s mission is to develop, practice, and share educational methods that challenge and support all children to engage deeply in their learning via real interests and real tools. IAT's impact comes from working directly with kids and educators to develop, practice, and demonstrate the efficacy of an alternative path in education, primarily through the Brightworks and Tinkering School programs

Established in 2008, IAT is moving out of the "wild startup years" (as stated by its Board Chair in the 2022 Annual Report) and becoming a more mature, confident, and capable organization. With a new building to house activities, a new Mars Mission STEM project, and increasing workshops and training sessions for educators across the globe, IAT is elevating its mission with an expanded vision for societal impact.

Brightworks is a progressive, engagement driven K-12 school that fosters students’ growth through authentic project-based learning experiences that grow agency, selfadvocacy, and a love of learning Founded in 2011, this school reimagines education, meeting students’ needs in a flexible, mixed-age environment that breaks the conventional walls between school and the community outside the classroom Brightworks offer a broad-spectrum learning environment designed to encourage creative capacity, tenacity, and citizenship

Using the Brightworks arc as a framework for deeply engaged learning, children develop the ability to find wonder and delight in the exploration of any topic Students practice working together to turn ideas into reality, and to learn how to communicate what they have done and why – all in the context of a diverse community of collaborators, families, volunteers, and supporters

Founded in 2005 by Gever Tulley, Tinkering School believes that kids are more capable than they know, and to prove it, we give them real tools to solve real problems By learning through doing, we strive to make mistakes and learn from them, collaborate and make friends, and try harder than usual We also believe that adults can learn, and we work hard to help them learn how to make more space for kids, and to explore and build with them With wood, with metal, with cardboard, and sometimes with paint, Tinkerers work with one another, as well as our unique staff, to team-design and team-create amazing projects