Traditional thinking can’t solve the world’s biggest problems
The UnSchool teaches the Disruptive Design Method, which emerges from three foundational pillars: Systems Thinking, Sustainability, and Disruptive Design.
What is…
Systems Thinking?
Systems thinking skills prevent short-sighted solutions. Learn about systems dynamics, feedback loops, mental models that underpin systems, cognitive biases, systems maps and so much more!
What is…
Sustainability?
Creating a future that works better for us all demands we center sustainability. Learn life cycle thinking, ecological footprint methods, impact assessment, greenwashing prevention and more.
What is…
Disruptive Design?
Design is the most potent influence on our lives. Gain a three-dimensional framework for problem-solving that helps you develop interventions that are effective, thoughtful, and sustainable.
Meet Leyla
UnSchool Founder, UNEP Champion of the Earth, and LinkedIn Changemaker Dr. Leyla Acaroglu is an award-winning designer, sustainability provocateur and social scientist. She developed the Disruptive Design Method and created The UnSchool to help people learn how to design a sustainable, circular and regenerative future.
30,000+ Global learners have chosen the UnSchool to learn how to make change
Community-driven learning
“The DDM pedagogy focuses on the use of creativity to disrupt the status quo. It emphasizes experience-based, community-driven learning, active participation and collaboration that fosters agency and challenges traditional, rigid educational structures.”
Ushi Araújo
Truly eye-opening
“The practical insights I gained from The UnSchool have stayed with me, and I’ve already started using these approaches to drive positive change in my design work. It’s been inspiring and truly eye-opening!”
Gizem Eren
Agents of change
“The UnSchool provides people with the tools to appreciate this complexity, starting from the problems and getting to the solution. Also, it fosters a mindset that make people feel like they can really be agents of change.”
Martina Dei
Learning opportunities for every level, designed with making change in mind
All our courses can be taken without prerequisites and are accessible to learners at every stage of their journey.
Intro courses
Perfect for students, youth, or anyone getting started on their change-making path, our short intro classes and handbooks are designed to give you solid foundations to build from and are priced on a sliding scale to support financial accessibility.
Full Length Courses
If you already have existing knowledge but want to expand your creative problem-solving capacity and practices, these intermediate courses and sprints will activate your agency and expand your change-making capacity.
Certification Programs
Have you already studied or worked in a creative change-making capacity and are ready to take it to the next level? Amazing! Get to a mastery level efficiently and get certified as a Practitioner, UnMasters or Educator in the Disruptive Design Method.
Looking for some guidance? Take a 3min quiz to get a course suggestion
Answer a few questions about your top interests, time availability and experience, and we’ll suggest a course in 3 quick minutes. From systems thinking to the circular economy, a few hours or a few months—there’s something for everyone. If you need financial support, we accept equity access scholarship applications on a rolling basis.
Featured Courses
From single classes to certification tracks, we got you covered when it comes to systems thinking, sustainability, creative disruption and making positive change.
Circular Economy 6 Week Sprint
Take our 30 Day Systems Thinking Sprint to advance your knowledge of systems approaches to complex problem solving, learn...
Disruptive Design Method 12-Part Masterclass
This program pack includes the entire Disruptive Design Methodology, with 12 knowledge courses and handbook series.
Intro to Systems Mapping
This 5-part course will prepare you to reframe sustainability, think critically about where and how impacts occur, to see...
Frequently asked questions
While we do have a Youth Collection for ages 12-18, the majority of our classes are geared toward adult learners who are interested in making positive social and environmental change.
All course content has been personally developed by our Founder, Leyla Acaroglu, and Creative Director, Emma Segal.
It depends! Some can be done in 20 minutes and others take several months. If you have a short amount of time, then start with an intro course; if you want to dive deeeeeep, then consider an all-access pass or certification track.
Yes and yes. Equity access is very important to us. Check out our free courses here and learn about our scholarship program here.
Sometimes, but it’s rarer these days. We do run Live Online programs. The best way to stay in the know about these opportunities is to subscribe to our newsletter, Interconnected. A bimonthly email, here we share hand-curated content providing a pathway to action along with updates on any new in person or live online programs in your region.
Yes, once you get certified as a Disruptive Design Method Educator!
We’ve trained 30k people online
Since its creation, The UnSchool has run immersive fellowships and workshops in 15 countries, trained 30,000+ people online, and written 6 handbooks (plus one cookbook!). We have been commissioned to build curriculums for countries and communities, restored a farm whilst experimenting with a brain spa concept, and created a comprehensive library of free change-making resources, books, and toolkits.
Still have questions?
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Send us a message or book a call with a real human