A short story about how we engaged students in their own education and

what would be coming after...

Rosie Parnell, Mark Auvray, Sam Brown, Sarah Ernst, Daniel Hall, Jon Millard

School of Architecture

Overview 20 mins5x5x5x5 carousel

• What is my education for?

• What is the relationship of education to practice?

• Why does my education take the form that it does?

• Does it have to be that way?

• What is learning and how can it be more effectively supported?

Reflections on ...Education

Inspiration• Critical pedagogy

(education as a contested process)

• Participatory action research

(engaging participants, increasing voice, facilitating social action / change)

PAR

Seeks to enable people to:• re-establish power and control in their own lives

The means by which data are co-generated and interpretations debated are a key part of the change process – 2 way learning

Map: Reflections on Architectural Education

TheoryTexts - reading

PracticeY1 teaching practice

ReflectionReflective journals

& discussion

Action ResearchInnovation

Implement own idea

EssaySynthesis

of experiences

The Learning OutcomesBy the end of the module you should be able to demonstrate

the following:

- an ability to reflect on the nature of architectural learning and teaching through a critical self appraisal of your own experience

- an awareness of the interrelationship between architectural education and the profession

- an understanding of the issues involved in tutoring and reviewing design project work

- an ability to participate in and run group tutorials/reviews- an ability to engage constructively in a diverse range of

design approaches- an awareness of the alternatives that exist to the

conventional ‘crit’

Critical thinkers

Autonomous learners

Reflective/Reflexive practitioners

Postgraduate students

– different UG experiences

– different work experiences

Reflection, discussion, exchange,

collaborative working

‘I found [the module] probably the most rewarding component of my various years here – the relaxed and discursive format only helped this in creating an atmosphere for serious debate without any real pressure of assessment hanging over it.’

Map of the module

TheoryTexts - reading

PracticeY1 teaching practice

ReflectionReflective journals

& discussion

Action ResearchInnovation

Implement own idea

EssaySynthesis

of experiences

Learning from Experiences

Learning is a process of active engagement with experience. Itis what people do when they want to make sense of the world.It may involve the development or deepening of skills,knowledge, understanding, awareness, values, ideas andfeelings, or an increase in the capacity to reflect. Effectivelearning leads to change, development and the desire to learnmore.

Resource definition adapted from Campaign for Learning

Empty vessel

• Transmission mode

…an empty vessel to fill with knowledge

Is this appropriate in some contexts?

Constructivist/constructionist

• Constructing knowledge and understanding

• Co-creation of knowledge

• Valuing existing knowledge

Architecture studio

• Learning by doing

• Experiential learning

• IBL – inquiry-based learning

• Project-based

Theory seminars Facilitating critically reflective learning: excavating the role of the design tutor in architectural education

Dumbing us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling.

The Pink Book

Knowledge Skills and Arrogance: educating for collaborative practice.

Learner autonomy and teacher autonomy: Synthesising an agenda.

Pedagogy of the oppressed.

Discussion themes• Own experiences of education & learning• Alignment: objectives/methods/assessment• Power relationships• Responsibility for learning• Education and Practice/workplace• Curriculum• Theory and practice

‘The seminar discussion groups were excellent, informal and offered me the most I’ve ever learnt in …tutorials due to their active learning nature’

‘It was a real insight to discuss the theory, understand its application and all within the context of text and discussion. A bit like discovering the Matrix!’

Map of the module

TheoryTexts - reading

PracticeY1 teaching practice

ReflectionReflective journals

& discussion

Action ResearchInnovation

Implement own idea

EssaySynthesis

of experiences

Peer Assisted Learning

• Reflection sessions

• Tutorial

• Design review

• Workshop facilitation

Benefits

Help to:

• adjust/settle into university

• understand course material

• understand expectations of the course

• find reassurance

(Capstick, 2004)

Discussion groups

• build confidence in expressing a view

• help validate individual and peer experience

• develop reflective and critical thinking

• help students take responsibility for learning

• develop critical awareness of the context of architectural education

(Parnell, 2001)

Hi

…I think that the older tutors forget just how little we know when we arrive at university.

…It would be good to have more practical advice from people that have been through it because as a 1st year (and even now in my 2nd) I genuinely didn’t [sic] have a clue what Iwas supposed to be doing.

…thanks for listening and helping!!

Map of the module

TheoryTexts - reading

PracticeY1 teaching practice

ReflectionReflective journals

& discussion

Action ResearchInnovation

Implement own idea

EssaySynthesis

of experiences

Action research:

Used by practitioners

• …to investigate own work/practice

• …to create own theories of practice

• …ideally to inform policy as well as own practice

Theory

• Not only an abstract body of knowledge ‘out there’

• Located within your own practice

• Your knowledge and expertise = your theory/ies of practice

• Practice informs theory and theory informs practice – they are always transforming

What to investigate?

• Starting point is often tension when values are denied in practice

• …or personally held values and those of the organisation or ‘system’

Who takes part?

• Research participants

• Collaborative colleagues

• Critical friends, validators and advisers

• Interested observers

Sources of data, but not objects of study – qus about what you do

‘I’s or ‘we’ – organisational learning

A sympathetic person offering critical feedback

colleagues, tutors, HoD etc. who provide comment when asked. Provide them with progress reports (e.g. staff meetings, noticeboard etc.)

Reflection

• Make sense later

• Recordings

• Writing a journal– What have I done?– What have I learned?– What is the significance of my learning?

Innovation as...

• A space to take risks

• A positive means of raising awareness and involving others in debate

• A collaborative endeavour

Examples/themes of innovations• Peer/student-led learning (year out resource)

• Feedback and assessment

• Learning from other disciplines

• Team working, collaboration etc.

• Self-appraisal & judgement

• Power relationships, agenda-setting

• Communication

• Autonomy

• Risk

• Visual Literacy

Map of the module

TheoryTexts - reading

PracticeY1 teaching practice

ReflectionReflective journals

& discussion

Action ResearchInnovation

Implement own idea

EssaySynthesis

of experiences

• Formatted in a journal style

• Peer mark (30%)

• Final submission (70%)

Developing PG teachingCollaborative approaches?• Supporting L&T initiatives• Providing a forum for proposing & initiating change

• Playing an active role

• Not as consumers, but activists/researchers/collaborators

• Peer ‘teaching’

• Peer feedback

• Peer assessment

Development for the workplace

• Consciousness

• Critical skills

• Reflection skills

• Skills for enquiry/research

• Collaboration

• Empathy

• Strategic thinking

Carousel

• Peer-assisted learning

• Students as critics

• Self-appraisal

• Working with cognate disciplines/professions

• 5 x 5 x 5 x 5

• Round-up