About Us
Thriving in tension is at the heart of what we do. Tension isn't an obstacle to innovation. It's the gateway. The creative friction between opposing ideas sparks new possibilities, but only when we explore it instead of rushing to resolve it. For over 15 years, I-Think has drawn on research, both from academic literature and our own action research, to teach young people and professionals how to navigate tension with skill and confidence.
We started this work with a simple belief: that young people are capable of navigating tension and solving complex, real-world problems. Because of teachers across Canada, we now know the answer is yes.
The work started in one classroom, then in another classroom, and next year another classroom, and then with a cohort of teachers. We saw students wrestling with real-world challenges, students developing skills for critical thinking and collaboration, and students who were driven to make their school and communities better. Could every student, in every classroom, engage in meaningful problem-solving and develop the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly complex world?
We’ve learned through constant testing, experimentation and iteration. Together, we've developed hundreds of lesson plans, challenges, resources, and learning experiences that have sparked thousands of student innovations and moments of deep thinking.
A wildflower garden doesn't grow because someone plants every bloom. It grows because seeds spread, adapt, and take root in unexpected places.
That's what is happening at I-Think. I-Think planted the first seeds. Teachers and educators carried the ideas further than we ever could, adapting them to their classrooms, schools, and communities. Along the way, they planted new seeds of their own.
In 2026, we start a new chapter. Not because the work is finished - far from it. We see signals that the education system is changing, and our role is no longer to cultivate every corner of the garden. It’s to help it continue to flourish. We are now turning to each and every one of you to keep planting seeds. We are offering our resources, activities and Professional Development for free.
Educators and leaders have been the driving innovators of Integrative Thinking and real-world problem solving, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of students had the learning experiences they deserve. Continue to use and share these resources. It is the way more seeds will be planted.
Learn About
Integrative Thinking →
Learn about navigating tensions with the methodology that underlies our work and access our professional development series.
Access Resources →
Check out the Social Media Card Game and Well-Being Mini Kit that require no Integrative Thinking background, and our curriculum-connected Challenge Kit units for K - 12 classrooms. Units explore AfroFuturism, Artificial Intelligence, Joy of Movement with Ophea, (Re)Building Community, Remembrance Day and Well-Being.
Change is Possible
For over 15 years the I-Think community changed classrooms, schools and school boards. Read stories of change.
(coming soon!)
Our History
Integrative Thinking was created by former Dean of the Rotman School of Management Roger Martin. He began teaching the methodology to MBA students and executives from around the world. The history of I-Think began as a question: Could students younger than MBAs solve real-world problems with Integrative Thinking? The answers are the series of interventions we’ve designed and scaled to make better learning for everyone.
Can I-Think work for the most underserved students?
When Manon Gardner, former Associate Director of the Toronto DSB, asked Roger Martin this, he answered: “Together we’ll make it possible.” That vision took shape with I-Think and two TDSB teachers reimagining the grade 12 Business Leadership course (BOH 4M). For the past 13 years and counting, students have stepped outside the classroom to consult for organizations like Metrolinx, North York Harvest Food Bank, University of Toronto and Parks Canada. This partnership has created real-world impact, shaping both student lives and the communities they serve.
Over 150,000 number of students have consulted to over 400 organizations.
Launched 2011 | Grade 12 Business Leadership
Launched 2013 | Real-World Problem Solving Institute
Launched 2014 | Innovation Creativity Entrepreneurship at Scale
Can I-Think be used in K-12, not just high school business?
At the turn of the 21st century, we set out to reimagine how education could evolve to meet the changing needs of society. When school boards partnered with organizations like I-Think, innovation spread quickly. With I-Think, Grade 1 students solved classroom challenges, while older students addressed graffiti, lateness, and watershed issues. Essays, science labs, and community-building were reimagined, showing that Integrative Thinking can spark critical and creative learning at every grade level. The Ministry of Education named us as a pedagogical leader.
Watch the video series: Innovations in Thinking and Learning ➔
Can I-Think scale?
I-Think created the Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) framework used in the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program in Ontario, Canada. ICE was added to the SHSM program to strengthen students’ futures with the tools and mindsets necessary for future economic prosperity. This framework, mirroring Business Design, guides students through distinct phases of innovation: Empathy & Needs Finding, Ideation & Prototyping, and Strategy & Testing. The ICE experience supports students in shifting their mindsets on their abilities, and gaining a deeper understanding of careers in their chosen sectors.
Every year over 50,000 students across Ontario have an ICE experience.
Launched 2015 | Integrative Thinking for Leaders
As teachers embraced new ways of teaching, their Principals and Vice-Principals grew curious and wanted to join in. Soon, the ripple effect reached Superintendents and Directors of Education, who saw the potential for change at a system level. To meet this demand, I-Think created leader-specific programs that mirrored Rotman’s globally recognized Executive offerings, tailored to the realities of education. Along the way, leaders strengthened their strategic thinking, ability to collaborate with the community, and guide their teams through complexity with confidence.
Over 2,000 leaders have navigated tensions to strategically improve their schools.
Can we make real-world problem solving possible in every classroom for every student?
Teachers struggled to reach out to community partners to bring real-world challenges into the classroom. Our solution was Challenge Kits: professional learning paired with pre-framed tensions from community partners, curriculum-connected resources and a detailed Facilitator’s Notebook. The first kits launched with Crosswalk Company and Peacebuilders, and by 2021 we expanded to include Friendship in Action, Ontario SPCA, Ophea, and others. Since then, partners like TRCA and School Mental Health Ontario have joined in, using the Challenge Kits as an opportunity for community engagement. Today, our series explores topics such as Afrofuturism, Artificial Intelligence, Remembrance Day, and Well-Being.
Over 25,500 number of students have learned to navigate tensions with a Challenge Kit.
Launched 2018 | Challenge Kits for K - 12
Launched 2025 | I-Think Different Card Game
What would this look like with no professional development?
The Waterloo Catholic DSB asked I-Think this question. Six weeks later, the I-Think Different About Card Game went to print. High school students shaped content through a Student Leadership Day, where they learned about social media and completed a Pro-Pro. Their reflections and Pro-Pro, informed the content of the game and Empathy Cards. Our team designed gameplay by playing games and aligning that with the ethos of Integrative Thinking! In May and June 2025, every grade 7 and 8 student in WCDSB played the game and in October 2025 WCDSB hosted a family game night.
In our first prototype, over 3,000 students have played the game.
Launched 2026 | Mini Kit
The Mini Kit Resource is a classroom activity to help students learn the skills and mindsets of real-world problem solving and Integrative Thinking. Through a guided process based in Integrative Thinking, students reflect on their own experiences, utilize facts, step into different perspectives, identify benefits, and build recommendations to solve a real-world problem.
In spring 2026, over 100 classrooms piloted the Mini Kit.
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