1. School of Architecture
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 mins
5x5x5x5 carousel

2. Reflections on ...Education
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?

3. Inspiration Critical pedagogy (education as a contested process)
Participatory action research
(engaging participants, increasing voice, facilitating social action / change)
realising consciousness, taking action against oppressive structures, making connections between own experience and social contexts)

4. 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

5. Map: Reflections on Architectural Education
Theory
Texts - reading
Action Research
Innovation
Implement own idea
Reflection
Reflective journals
& discussion
Practice
Y1 teaching practice
Essay
Synthesis
of experiences

6. The Learning Outcomes
By 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’

7. Reflective/Reflexive practitioners
Critical thinkers
Autonomous learners
Reflective/Reflexive practitioners

8. Postgraduate students – different UG experiences
– different work experiences
Reflection, discussion, exchange,
collaborative working

9. ‘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.’

10. Map of the module Theory Texts - reading Action Research Innovation
Implement own idea
Reflection
Reflective journals
& discussion
Practice
Y1 teaching practice
Essay
Synthesis
of experiences

11. Learning from Experiences
Learning is a process of active engagement with experience. It
is 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 and
feelings, or an increase in the capacity to reflect. Effective
learning leads to change, development and the desire to learn
more.
Resource definition adapted from Campaign for Learning
Stereotype game

12. Empty vessel Transmission mode …an empty vessel to fill with knowledge
Is this appropriate in some contexts?

13. Constructivist/constructionist
Constructing knowledge and understanding
Co-creation of knowledge
Valuing existing knowledge

14. Architecture studio Learning by doing Experiential learning
IBL – inquiry-based learning
Project-based

15. Theory seminars
Facilitating critically reflective learning: excavating the role of the design tutor in architectural education
Pedagogy of the oppressed.
Dumbing us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling.
Knowledge Skills and Arrogance: educating for collaborative practice.
The Pink Book
Learner autonomy and teacher autonomy: Synthesising an agenda.

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

17. ‘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!’

18. Map of the module Theory Texts - reading Action Research Innovation
Implement own idea
Reflection
Reflective journals
& discussion
Practice
Y1 teaching practice
Essay
Synthesis
of experiences

19. Peer Assisted Learning
Reflection sessions
Tutorial
Design review
Workshop facilitation

20. Benefits Help to: adjust/settle into university
understand course material
understand expectations of the course
find reassurance
(Capstick, 2004)

21. 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)

22. 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!!

23. Map of the module Theory Texts - reading Action Research Innovation
Implement own idea
Reflection
Reflective journals
& discussion
Practice
Y1 teaching practice
Essay
Synthesis
of experiences

24. Action research:

25. Used by practitioners
…to investigate own work/practice
…to create own theories of practice
…ideally to inform policy as well as own practice

26. 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

27. 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’

28. 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.)

29. Reflection Make sense later Recordings Writing a journal
What have I done?
What have I learned?
What is the significance of my learning?

30. Innovation as... A space to take risks
A positive means of raising awareness and involving others in debate
A collaborative endeavour

31. 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

32. Map of the module Theory Texts - reading Action Research Innovation
Implement own idea
Reflection
Reflective journals
& discussion
Practice
Y1 teaching practice
Essay
Synthesis
of experiences

33. Formatted in a journal style
Peer mark (30%)
Final submission (70%)

34. Developing PG teaching
Collaborative 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

35. Development for the workplace
Consciousness
Critical skills
Reflection skills
Skills for enquiry/research
Collaboration
Empathy
Strategic thinking

36. Carousel Peer-assisted learning Students as critics Self-appraisal
Working with cognate disciplines/professions
5 x 5 x 5 x 5
Round-up