Thinking about an educational practice and how it could be innovated

The practice I would like to innovate is the course of ‘Architectural hand-drawing’ in a technological institute of higher education in interior design. My role is this context is that of the instructor, who engages students with the learning of the tools and techniques of architectural hand-drawing.

At the level of the social order, my practice is mostly influenced by the stereotype that the students of interior design should be talented in hand-drawing. Consequently, national examinations in hand-drawing are held annually in order to select those students that ‘merit’ to study architecture and interior design. Therefore the subject is perceived as ‘abstract’, as ‘innate’ knowledge that can distinguish the cognitive or artistic elites and as an individual skill that can be assessed in an objective way. Inevitably, this social belief results in an unfair ‘selection system’ that excludes many students from interior design studies such as students with specific disabilities (e.g. hand tremor), students from lower economical classes, students that use diverse expressive mediums (e.g. computer), etc.

At the institutional level, the course of architectural hand-drawing is compulsory, prerequisite and taught during the first year of studies. More specifically, the course is only a small part of a four-year study program that leads to a professional qualification (BA in interior design). A number of regulations and institutional policies determine several features of the course. 

The course of Architectural drawing is only a small part of a four-year study program that leads to a professional qualification

At the level of the ongoing practice, the subject is taught like a ‘workshop’ while the students work individually on each project. My role as an instructor is to design and provide students with several learning activities, to help them with the use of the tools, to answer to their queries, to discuss about several theoretical issues and to assess their work.

Identification of several problematic issues in my practice

The way teachers act in classroom depends upon their views about learning and the opposite: their observations and interpretations from practice influence their theoretical views. 

Problematic Issue-01: The selected learning activities are not culturally

authentic

Some students raised concerns that the practice of architectural hand-drawing is an obsolete technique and not useful in the current professional practice. A girl described how differently applied ‘architectural drawing’ in a real life problem than in an institutional activity.

Theoretical insights:  Sometimes, knowledge that is produced in daily life is considered ordinary and mundane, while ‘abstract” knowledge that is transmitted in institutions is considered valuable. However, this theoretical view divides learning process into the processes of ‘knowledge creation’ and ‘knowledge application’. Literacy in any domain is not worth much, if one knows nothing about the social practices of which the literacy is part. Furthermore, the isolation of learning activities from real life, distances students from authentic practice, limits their potential to understand the instrumental nature of the subject as a tool that has generalisable use and reduces knowledge to a mere technical skill.

In relation to the assessment practices, a correlation between the grading system and the professional expertise cannot be simple assumed since any individual can be extremely competent in tests and school performance but flag on the job because of the differences between school requirements and authentic professional practice. 

Self-criticism on this problematic issue:

In relation to my practice, I’ve realized that the majority of the learning activities that were typically designed by me in order to support students’ learning were ‘abstract’ and isolated from real-life problems and authentic professional practice. For example, a learning activity was asking students to work on a fictional project without considering any real-life constraints.

Consequently, I’ve realized that the isolation from authentic designers’ practices constraints the development of student’s identity as peripheral members of the community of interior designers. 

Problematic Issue-02: Students have a low degree of collaboration,

participation in group activities and interaction with each other.

One student commented that because he/she works individually, sometimes he/she can’t follow the rest of the group, while another student commented that a single instructor is not enough in order to support all the students.

Theoretical insights: 

Sociocultural perspective understands learning as a process of negotiating meaning socially, as a process of becoming member of a certain community and as a process of ‘taking part’ and ‘being a part’ of a greater whole. Mind is considered non-local and situated between individual in social actions.

Furthermore, the activities that encourage collaboration and participation in shared enterprises, allow students to enable intesubjectivity, to experience mutuality and to shape their identity by getting and giving feedback to their peers.

Self-criticism on this problematic issue:

In relation to my practice, I’ve realized that as an instructor I tend to promote individual working, constraining social/group activities. Consequently, the degree of participation in shared activities is low and students miss the opportunity to negotiate their meaning socially, to learn from their peers, to interact with each other, etc.

I’ve also realized that my practice is teacher-centric while even the arrangement of the furniture promotes individual working and knowledge transmission.

Inevitably, the assessment practices correspond to the symbol processing view of mind assessing exclusively what is stored in the individual’s head and failing to notice those meaning that are negotiated socially.

A sketch of my classroom. 

Problematic Issue-03: Learning does not embrace student’s funds of knowledge and does not support multiple learning trajectories

Two students described how their previous background in photography and painting helped them with their learning in architectural drawing. 

Theoritical Insights. According to Wenger, participation in a community shapes both the participants and the community, while this transformative ability of the participants is an important aspect of their learning. Each participant has a different background and diverse experiences due to multiple memberships in several communities. Those different histories and funds of knowledge could be exploited in order multiple learning trajectories to be allowed and hybrid pedagogical spaces to be created.

Theoretical insights: 

Self-criticism on this problematic issue:

In relation to my practice, I’ve realized that the majority of the learning activities were strict and inflexible, predetermining a unique learning trajectory. Both the ‘question’ and the ‘solution’ were prefixed, constraining students to negotiate the ‘theme’ of the project, to follow a different direction, to investigate new ways of knowing or to conclude to a different solution.

Therefore, the students were perceived as ‘uniform learners’ that needed to follow specific instructions and not as ‘problem solvers’ and ‘decision makers’ that could use their personal funds of knowledge in order to find a solution by themselves. Inevitably, the assessment practices, were attempting to assess students according to a unique solution and a unique learning path, and consequently were failing to notice any differences between learners.  

The learning trajectory had always a predetermined solution

Problematic Issue-04: Learning does not support multiple professional identities

One student foregrounded the artistic identity of the successful professional designer while two students the necessity to learn digital drawing.

Theoretical insights:

The development of a professional identity is far more complex that a linear trajectory and the kind of choices given to students play a key role in producing among graduates a professional identity. The identity of each student cannot be expected to be the same as it is related to several parameters like student’s personal interests and the available opportunities of the community.

Self-criticism on this problematic issue:

In relation to my practice, I’ve discovered that during the last years, the professional practice of the interior designer has undergone several changes, especially in relation to CAD (Computer Aided Design) technology. Nevertheless, I’ve refused to adopt these changes and to support multiple professional identities, probably because such changes could threat my identity as a subject expert.

Problematic Issue-05: Many aspects of the course are old-fashioned 

Seven students argued that the practice of architectural hand-drawing is an obsolete technique and not useful in the current professional practice. Three students highlighted the developments of the computers and the impressive outcomes of digital technology.

Theoretical insights:

If learners are to experience interest and motivation, the ends for learning have to be of value to them. However, the value of the cultural tools can change historically because of changes in the needs of the societies or socio-political pressures. For example, music education must be inspired by youth culture and other niche cultures; yet, the control of the teaching is remaining to people who have been trained in older tools. 

Self-criticism on this problematic issue:

In relation to my practice, I’ve realized that several tools and techniques of the ‘architectural drawing’ course are considered by the students outmoded and not useful to the requirements of the contemporary professional practice.

I’ve also understood that having a tool to perform an activity changes the nature of that activity and consequently a change in the ‘reification’ will change the nature of ‘participation’ and the process of meaning negotiation. Therefore, a possible opening of the course to new practices and tools, like the web, the digital drawing, the 3d modeling, etc would enrich students’ learning experiences and could motivate their interest for learning. 

Self-reflection on the process of identifying problematic issues in my practice.

Several extract, taken from the interview, were as used as evidences in the current article and for the identification of several problematic issues in my practice. Yet, I must assume that several problematic areas could not be detected by me, since as a participant (fully-emerged in my practice) I’ve probably considered many things as taken-for-granted ways. Consequently, I must continue investigating my practice and foregrounding students’ voices, by exploring and applying diverse research techniques, such as interviews, discussions, questionnaires, field notes, etc.