IN-PERSON New Schools of Thought

Abstract

This paper investigates two key questions: What is the benefit of using disciplinary design processes to interrogate existing design education models and invent new ones? What role and agency should students have in this process of pedagogical experimentation? As Professors of Architecture, it has been our experience that design pedagogy is stifled by entrenched hierarchical structures rooted in historic modes of teaching and learning, symptoms that increasingly fail to reflect the needs of today’s students. As a professional degree, typically taught by practitioners and researchers not trained in education, pedagogical innovation in this field is slow. In response, this paper discusses the outcomes of an experimental architecture design studio that sought to answer the aforementioned questions. Students and instructors were challenged to critically reflect on their educational experiences and practices and collaborate in a co-creative studio built around a co-authored course syllabus and student-led assignments. We studied and analyzed the history of architectural education, deployed diagramming to identify holes and critiques of its current state, and used disciplinary design techniques to develop experimental assignments that engaged our critiques. Reflecting on the studio’s results reveals the power of design thinking to generate new and creative educational approaches. These approaches reframe traditional hierarchies between students and instructors and generate multiplicities more reflective of the student body. We believe the implications of this research can potentially transcend design fields and produce broader insights for education.