ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the work back and forth between the pedagogical challenge of the big idea and the design concept of the centre. It deals with discussing a teaching challenge in its context and explores a similar challenge in the world of architecture or design, following that with some of the solutions that architects and designers. The chapter analyses the discussion back to education, making applications of the design solutions to the world of classrooms. Educators at all levels, from Kindergarten through university, have devised ways to meet the challenge of helping students to understand the point, to find the centre. Centuries before the phrases made their appearance in the educational lexicon, artists and designers were already discussing centres. Like poster designers, educators must ruthlessly eliminate distracting details and adornments. The background should reinforce rather than detract from the centre.
