Half way point
A lot hours have gone by and it seems like I am making headway with the students.
In general, if I were to summarize what competencies I taught them, they would be limited, but important ones:
Sketching
Diagramming
SketchUp (thinking in model)
How to cut chipboard
and most importantly, scale usage. Thinking with an architectural scale.
I decided it would be a good idea to give the students a status update on how they are performing in my class. Though grades mean nothing as it isn't for credit, I am supposed to keep tabs on who is in need of improvement and who is stellar. So I am going to give them a slip of paper with participation and quality of work summaries tomorrow. When I hand them out, I am going to speak to them for a good 2-3 minutes about what I think of their work so far. I am doing this because when I was in studio, I was not so much a fan of getting my grade as I was trying to figure out why I got it. Obviously this isn't like studio in the strictest sense, but I figured it was only fair.
I wanted to give the students an outlet for feedback on my performance as well. Call me new aged, but I think it is good for me to get the reinforcement when I need it and the constructive critique to reassess the material I am covering. Frankly, as seen on these feedback forms, some students find the class much harder than others. Some find it more boring than others. But on the whole, they seem to like how I teach, which is refreshing because I am trying it out. But the shallow thing is they like me for the wrong reason. They think I am funny.
But the key is to get them to come in, sit down, and listen. There will be no examinations, at least, unless I want to hand out a pop quiz. The gist of this class is an overall exposure to content I think may be less obvious to cover over the year. I got the job because I told them in the interview it isn't about random facts and vocabulary as much as it is about how to think.
The main question I come back to in this class is why was it designed this way, could it be better, and how? In essence, that is the bare bones of design. To be able to look at something with a qualitative analysis. This isn't something people learn everyday. It is a new way of looking at things.
That being said, the students dislike SSR, Sustained Silent Reading. This is mandated by the coordinator -- a 30 min reading session in the beginning. I was told I was either to provide reading or have students make selections of their own for reading. Because I think it isn't good to have students reading any old thing, I focus on newspapers that may have words they don't know. This reinforces what English they should know in order to get by in the world and also is relevant to architecture. But they hate the 'boring articles.' I will try to make these articles more interesting...but I found myself over the past weeks taking far too much time researching articles.
Long term assignment issues are obvious and not presenting much promise. The coordinator gave me a tall order when she said she needed designs for a shed as well as an office area desk/shelf. Each student had very unique solutions, but I am not aware of how to have all students actively doing work when only one concept is selected. There is nothing more disheartening than doing hack work for a design that isn't even your own...
On the whole, the three weeks has gone very quickly. I hope it sort of slows down, because I am enjoying myself. The students and I have gotten into a good rhythm.
More later.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
First Week Summary and Reflection
Getting passed my nervous stomach and logistical worries, the first week can be summed up in a sentence. Teaching for 6 hours a day, everyday, is taxing. It is taxing because I am a one man show, having to figure out what worksheets I need, what presentations, what lesson plans to employ. The issue is I am writing or winging it as I go along forward.
Typically last week I was feeling stressed even as I left the school at 3.30 because I knew I needed to sleep at 10, which after traffic, gives me about 5 hours of whatever time. Now that is no different from most working folks, but I needed to get my act together as I was stringing along. This weekend, as I write this entry, I need to plan out the whole week at the very least. That way I don't feel a nervousness that just never passes.
So the first day was a throw away day -- 3 hours was an orientation of all classes together. I gave them a syllabus, went over an icebreaker called 'There is a Building on Your Back.'
I find that when I do not have every second coordinated, I not only lose my focus, but the class does.
As for the students, well, they are high schoolers. They are complainers at times, but for the most part they are not disruptive and stay on task. The class has a flux still, so I am unsure who will be in the class for the long run.
The major assignment that I gave was getting them familiar with the design process....having a client (the program coordinator) come in and discuss her wishes for a storage unit and desk for the school's greenhouse. I needed to explain communication is key for architects, showed them how to field measure, and then asked them to draw the building to scale. Scale is universally seen as a difficult thing to teach, but with some of their previous exposure, it appears I may have pushed them to become that much more comfortable.
I also introduced sketchup to them.
In addition, I went into the theory of right side/left side of the brain. Even going as far as to cplaim semiotics in a way with pictures of chairs. Explaining form and function.
They are receptive to illustrations/images.
I was given the directive to begin the day with silent reading. I give them reading assignments out of the book or from articles related to dc architecture.
Typically last week I was feeling stressed even as I left the school at 3.30 because I knew I needed to sleep at 10, which after traffic, gives me about 5 hours of whatever time. Now that is no different from most working folks, but I needed to get my act together as I was stringing along. This weekend, as I write this entry, I need to plan out the whole week at the very least. That way I don't feel a nervousness that just never passes.
So the first day was a throw away day -- 3 hours was an orientation of all classes together. I gave them a syllabus, went over an icebreaker called 'There is a Building on Your Back.'
I find that when I do not have every second coordinated, I not only lose my focus, but the class does.
As for the students, well, they are high schoolers. They are complainers at times, but for the most part they are not disruptive and stay on task. The class has a flux still, so I am unsure who will be in the class for the long run.
The major assignment that I gave was getting them familiar with the design process....having a client (the program coordinator) come in and discuss her wishes for a storage unit and desk for the school's greenhouse. I needed to explain communication is key for architects, showed them how to field measure, and then asked them to draw the building to scale. Scale is universally seen as a difficult thing to teach, but with some of their previous exposure, it appears I may have pushed them to become that much more comfortable.
I also introduced sketchup to them.
In addition, I went into the theory of right side/left side of the brain. Even going as far as to cplaim semiotics in a way with pictures of chairs. Explaining form and function.
They are receptive to illustrations/images.
I was given the directive to begin the day with silent reading. I give them reading assignments out of the book or from articles related to dc architecture.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Preparations for "Introduction to Architecture"
It was not long after finalizing my paperwork I took to worrying about my preparedness for teaching a class of 20 high school students. All my experience up to this point was either voluntary for younger students or as a teaching assistant. But in an odd paradox, I seemed to be the only one worried about how I was going to conduct class.
Besides a 5 hour 'preparation' session at the school, I found myself rushing to look through all available resources, needing to prepare and arrange the classroom set-up, and of course getting briefed on matters that applied to the general conduct of the 6 weeks I would be teaching.
I did hand in an outline.
(attached)
The outline is devoid of many details, and sort of open ended, but it captures a lot of my wishes for this class.
See I was given a mixture of architectural education virgins and some seasoned students that had a year with the architectural faculty on staff during the regular school year. Despite trying to discover the wealth of material covered, I realized that it would be impossible for me not to overlap if I were to take a more by the book approach.
I know like the previous teacher I should employ the all-mighty author Francis Ching's Form | Space | Order, who goes into all the rudiments of design theory and representation as it relates to space. But that is precisely what aforementioned faculty did. SO how do keep it fresh for all that come in. Scrap Ching for the first few days and take a close to home approach. In my teaching philosophy for architectural education I cover three points: confidence building, making all material relevant, and discussion of core theory instead of potentially obsolete or exhaustive details in methods.
(see attached)
I have 6 hours a day with my students to expose them to a wealth of perspective (not that kind where you need a horizon line, harhar). I want to show them that design is about knowing what you want, knowing what works, and having that fuel a better presentation and graphic method. I think too often the other way is the procedure...go through all the minutia of section, plans, elevation without even getting these high schoolers excited about design in the first place.
Obviously I have been taught at some point. Just as my mission statement said, I want to expose these students to ideas they may not have been exposed to before. I hate to say it, but any student with enough drive can learn how to draw appropriately and know what a t-square is...it is much harder outside of a classroom to get to the basis of what makes design work. That is what makes architects passionate. That is what I wish to strike in the hearts of my students, by helping them discover there own love for spatial design and learning how to look at the world around them to continue learning even while not in the class.
Besides a 5 hour 'preparation' session at the school, I found myself rushing to look through all available resources, needing to prepare and arrange the classroom set-up, and of course getting briefed on matters that applied to the general conduct of the 6 weeks I would be teaching.
I did hand in an outline.
(attached)
The outline is devoid of many details, and sort of open ended, but it captures a lot of my wishes for this class.
See I was given a mixture of architectural education virgins and some seasoned students that had a year with the architectural faculty on staff during the regular school year. Despite trying to discover the wealth of material covered, I realized that it would be impossible for me not to overlap if I were to take a more by the book approach.
I know like the previous teacher I should employ the all-mighty author Francis Ching's Form | Space | Order, who goes into all the rudiments of design theory and representation as it relates to space. But that is precisely what aforementioned faculty did. SO how do keep it fresh for all that come in. Scrap Ching for the first few days and take a close to home approach. In my teaching philosophy for architectural education I cover three points: confidence building, making all material relevant, and discussion of core theory instead of potentially obsolete or exhaustive details in methods.
(see attached)
I have 6 hours a day with my students to expose them to a wealth of perspective (not that kind where you need a horizon line, harhar). I want to show them that design is about knowing what you want, knowing what works, and having that fuel a better presentation and graphic method. I think too often the other way is the procedure...go through all the minutia of section, plans, elevation without even getting these high schoolers excited about design in the first place.
Obviously I have been taught at some point. Just as my mission statement said, I want to expose these students to ideas they may not have been exposed to before. I hate to say it, but any student with enough drive can learn how to draw appropriately and know what a t-square is...it is much harder outside of a classroom to get to the basis of what makes design work. That is what makes architects passionate. That is what I wish to strike in the hearts of my students, by helping them discover there own love for spatial design and learning how to look at the world around them to continue learning even while not in the class.
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