VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY

Abstract

In a rapidly evolving educational context, this paper presents the implementation of Bernice McCarthy’s 4MAT model as a structured framework for renewing social science education in the field of built environments. Confronted with the persistent challenge of engaging architecture and urban planning students in theoretical courses, this approach offers an integrative pedagogical alternative that addresses contemporary issues such as audience diversification and digital transformation. Our methodology is based on a comprehensive pedagogical cycle organized around four key phases: immersion in the student experience through active methods (world café, brainstorming), multimodal conceptual transmission supported by digital tools, practical application through field investigations, and creative transposition of knowledge. This systematic progression operationalizes an inclusive pedagogy capable of adapting to diverse learner profiles. The analysis of results demonstrates a significant transformation in learning dynamics, with improved integration of theoretical knowledge into project-related challenges, increased student engagement, and the development of essential transversal skills. Student work reflects an enhanced ability to mobilize socio-spatial concepts in the analysis and design of built environments, particularly regarding sustainability and resilience. Thus, the 4MAT model positions itself as a meta-pedagogy capable of integrating various innovations while ensuring overall coherence in the learning process. This approach provides a reproducible framework for rethinking theoretical education in built environment disciplines, actively contributing to debates on pedagogical evolution in the face of contemporary transformations.
Keywords: Educational innovation, 4MAT model,Built environments, Interdisciplinarity, Active learning, Professional identity