To DESIGN-L list/All...
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 00:02:11 -0500 (EST)
From: John Belt <belt@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: Rob Wright <wright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Studio Teaching
Re: Studio Teaching/Well Yea But...
Hello Rob, I do not know of much in the way of books on the
topic of teaching design studio work. If you compile a list of books or
information such as articles i would appreciate it if you would share
the information with me. I will scan my library and see if i can find
anything special to share with you.
If you ever get to the Oswego, New York area i would really like
to have a good conversation on the topic with you. i am located across
Lake Ontario from Kingston on opposite shore, just north of Syracuse.
Could put you up if you travel this way.
Personally,,,I feel that "design" as i use it most often in the
field is as a verb---(to me) more than a noun and i try to not use
design (as a person, place or thing) in talking with students. To me
design is (thinking) and one can't teach (thinking) --- we can teach
about thinking/designing --- thinking, well if it is deep thinking,
emergenitive thinking, then it is new and not in the history books.
We perhaps can teach how to design detail if the problem and solutions
are to be done as they have been done in the past, right out of the
history books of any design effort in any field. My spin on it is
to teach as little as possible and to try to find problems that fit
the content area, educational objectives (by my contractual obligation),
the students personal agenda/personally relevant (if they have one beyond
a degree), one that is environmentally benign and on the side of Livingry
NOT Weaponry. If one / or the student & faculty can come to common
ground on a great or even good problem by careful consideration of
the physical problem (artifact) constraints and the metaphysical problem
(educational objectives) then the problem becomes the education medium
and the faculty member (non-teacher) is more a facilitator and team
player. Beat up on the problem---not each other. Of course it is
very possible to teach certain design communication skills and these
can be addressed while formulating, researching and ideating on the
problem at task. The student must of course understand and care deeply
about the task/problem/solution and understand the mutually set
educational objectives--and these must be discussed carefully and
agreed on to be valid for both and set in relatively priority status.
The problem must be worthy of the time and effort for both student
and assistant to the student (less Assistant Professor). Finding a
solution that does not work is not failure if something of value was
learned and good conclusions can be mutually understood. The student
must be part of the evaluative process also and probing group critiques
are the best education tools in the process if done with high integrity.
Planet Earth did not come with an instruction book and Leonardo said,
"Man is the model of Earth"....nor do we have the instructions book.
Personally i feel there is more to learn (so guide how to learn)
than we already know in order (to teach), mystery educates. Studio
work, any work is best born of engaged passion pulling us on more than
someone probing us on with a pole. More can be done with Tension, pound
for pound than Compression--yet Tension and Compression always and only
co-exist. The extraordinary example of Tensegrity is a beautiful example
of co-existing structural beauty of Synergetic thinking.
In case you were wondering were i am coming from well,...
i got this way by studying Richard Buckminster Fuller,
George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright, Marshall
McLuhan, Eero Saarinen, Louise Nevelson, Saul & Elaine Bass, Noguchi,
Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers, Krishnamurti, E.F. Schumacher, ludwig(lc)
MIES van der Rohe, Malcolm Wells, Paul McCready, Thomas Jefferson,
Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Leadbelly, Professor Henry Rowland Byrd
"Longhair", Robert Snyder, Hermann Zapf, Pentagram, Loren Pope,
The Shakers/all, The Calders'/all three, Victor Papanek, Jim Hennessey,
Marjorie Elliot Bevlin, The Hardy Boys, Chief Seattle, Black Elk, A.S.
Neil/Summerhill, Shoji Sadao, Ken Snellson, Leonardo
and John Dewey...to name a few.
don't let the custodians put the chairs in rows and columns,
pick up your blocks and marbles, share what you can--physical and
metaphysical, step out of your circle, care deeply...and be sure to
unlearn coloring inside the lines---UNlearning is harder than learning.
i gotta go now,
jb
ps ---- Dr. Annie Smith (Dean Smith) of Sheridan College near you
might know of something of value on the topic.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
John Belt, Design Faculty Phone: (Office)315-341-2868
Department of Technology (Studio)315-341-2867
SUNY Oswego Fax: 315-341-3363
Oswego, NY 13126
---------------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, 6 Mar 1998, Rob Wright wrote:
> I have been asked by a collegue at the Ontario Institute of Studies in
> Education if anyone knows of studies, books or researchers involved in
> understanding the petagogy of studio teaching in Design. I am aware of
> "stuff" on design thinking, creative process, and of Shoen's work on
> Reflective Practice but am pitifully ignorant of any critical works on
> the models or effectiveness of studio teaching.
>
> Any leads anyone out there has would be greatly appreciated.
>
> --
> _Professor_Robert_M._Wright_______________________
> Chair; Program in Landscape Architecture
> School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
> University of Toronto
> 230 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T-1R2
> phone (416) 978-6788 - fax (416) 971-2094
> email: wright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> __________________________________________________
>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 00:02:11 -0500 (EST)
From: John Belt <belt@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: Rob Wright <wright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Studio Teaching
Re: Studio Teaching/Well Yea But...
Hello Rob, I do not know of much in the way of books on the
topic of teaching design studio work. If you compile a list of books or
information such as articles i would appreciate it if you would share
the information with me. I will scan my library and see if i can find
anything special to share with you.
If you ever get to the Oswego, New York area i would really like
to have a good conversation on the topic with you. i am located across
Lake Ontario from Kingston on opposite shore, just north of Syracuse.
Could put you up if you travel this way.
Personally,,,I feel that "design" as i use it most often in the
field is as a verb---(to me) more than a noun and i try to not use
design (as a person, place or thing) in talking with students. To me
design is (thinking) and one can't teach (thinking) --- we can teach
about thinking/designing --- thinking, well if it is deep thinking,
emergenitive thinking, then it is new and not in the history books.
We perhaps can teach how to design detail if the problem and solutions
are to be done as they have been done in the past, right out of the
history books of any design effort in any field. My spin on it is
to teach as little as possible and to try to find problems that fit
the content area, educational objectives (by my contractual obligation),
the students personal agenda/personally relevant (if they have one beyond
a degree), one that is environmentally benign and on the side of Livingry
NOT Weaponry. If one / or the student & faculty can come to common
ground on a great or even good problem by careful consideration of
the physical problem (artifact) constraints and the metaphysical problem
(educational objectives) then the problem becomes the education medium
and the faculty member (non-teacher) is more a facilitator and team
player. Beat up on the problem---not each other. Of course it is
very possible to teach certain design communication skills and these
can be addressed while formulating, researching and ideating on the
problem at task. The student must of course understand and care deeply
about the task/problem/solution and understand the mutually set
educational objectives--and these must be discussed carefully and
agreed on to be valid for both and set in relatively priority status.
The problem must be worthy of the time and effort for both student
and assistant to the student (less Assistant Professor). Finding a
solution that does not work is not failure if something of value was
learned and good conclusions can be mutually understood. The student
must be part of the evaluative process also and probing group critiques
are the best education tools in the process if done with high integrity.
Planet Earth did not come with an instruction book and Leonardo said,
"Man is the model of Earth"....nor do we have the instructions book.
Personally i feel there is more to learn (so guide how to learn)
than we already know in order (to teach), mystery educates. Studio
work, any work is best born of engaged passion pulling us on more than
someone probing us on with a pole. More can be done with Tension, pound
for pound than Compression--yet Tension and Compression always and only
co-exist. The extraordinary example of Tensegrity is a beautiful example
of co-existing structural beauty of Synergetic thinking.
In case you were wondering were i am coming from well,...
i got this way by studying Richard Buckminster Fuller,
George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright, Marshall
McLuhan, Eero Saarinen, Louise Nevelson, Saul & Elaine Bass, Noguchi,
Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers, Krishnamurti, E.F. Schumacher, ludwig(lc)
MIES van der Rohe, Malcolm Wells, Paul McCready, Thomas Jefferson,
Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Leadbelly, Professor Henry Rowland Byrd
"Longhair", Robert Snyder, Hermann Zapf, Pentagram, Loren Pope,
The Shakers/all, The Calders'/all three, Victor Papanek, Jim Hennessey,
Marjorie Elliot Bevlin, The Hardy Boys, Chief Seattle, Black Elk, A.S.
Neil/Summerhill, Shoji Sadao, Ken Snellson, Leonardo
and John Dewey...to name a few.
don't let the custodians put the chairs in rows and columns,
pick up your blocks and marbles, share what you can--physical and
metaphysical, step out of your circle, care deeply...and be sure to
unlearn coloring inside the lines---UNlearning is harder than learning.
i gotta go now,
jb
ps ---- Dr. Annie Smith (Dean Smith) of Sheridan College near you
might know of something of value on the topic.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
John Belt, Design Faculty Phone: (Office)315-341-2868
Department of Technology (Studio)315-341-2867
SUNY Oswego Fax: 315-341-3363
Oswego, NY 13126
---------------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, 6 Mar 1998, Rob Wright wrote:
> I have been asked by a collegue at the Ontario Institute of Studies in
> Education if anyone knows of studies, books or researchers involved in
> understanding the petagogy of studio teaching in Design. I am aware of
> "stuff" on design thinking, creative process, and of Shoen's work on
> Reflective Practice but am pitifully ignorant of any critical works on
> the models or effectiveness of studio teaching.
>
> Any leads anyone out there has would be greatly appreciated.
>
> --
> _Professor_Robert_M._Wright_______________________
> Chair; Program in Landscape Architecture
> School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
> University of Toronto
> 230 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T-1R2
> phone (416) 978-6788 - fax (416) 971-2094
> email: wright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> __________________________________________________
>