Learn to practice, practice to learn

OK here is a tentative starting point:

Context: Individual or team learning in design education

Problem: How to help design students acquire both the theoretical and practical knowledge that they need in their future careers?

Forces: Students need to learn theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of design and also practical implementation and skills development. Some design students are biased towards practical learning and find theoretical work difficult to understand. For theoretical learning to take place an openess is required, but this is not always present. Some students focus all their energy into their practical work and do not ground it in theory.

Solution: Develop theoretical and practical understanding in parallel. Set project work with clear stages that requires the application of theoretical knowledge to practical situations. Ask students to reflect on the ways in which they have married these two elements of their learning

Summary: Develop learning of different kinds in parallel. Use projects and reflection as a way to bring these together.

Georgina Holden
4:21pm 27 January 2010

Interesting, I think a part of the problem is grounded in fact that students learn theory to do successful future practical projects (that ground in theory). The theory is explicit in the learning environment, but it becomes quite implicit in future projects.

Many alternative questions come into my mind, while none is perfect, one would be:

Problem: How to help design students acquire theoretical knowledge that they need in their future careers?

Solution: Integrate theoretical notions in project work in the learning environment. Make theoretical notions explicit in a developing project.

Consequence: In future projects students will have made the connection between theory and practice. They will use theory more implicitly.

nicole schadewitz
10:32am 28 January 2010 (Edited 11:03am 28 January 2010)

This is an interesting problem and one which I can identify with as being both a design student and a design practitioner.  How designers / students improve their practice is quite complex.  Designers are affected by a variety of influences that surround them and one of these is design theory. Other factors include the current trends, their history or design background, their design skills; even their preferences and personality can have an impact.  

I agree...the use of theory within design practice can be both implicit and explicit.  Sometimes design students can unaware they are being influenced and some can make a concerted effort to practice according to a certain theory. Design students also need to be 'open' to theory at the right time.  The element of timing is quite important, which is something we discussed.  Being open to theory 'at the right time’ within their design practice.  Design students can be working on a project and not make a connection to a certain theory, yet later on within that project that theory it could be useful.  So, a ‘connection’ is needed at the ‘right time’ in order for a ‘change’ in practice to occur.   Is this another pattern?

Jennefer Hart
11:56am 28 January 2010 (Edited 12:43pm 28 January 2010)

Its great you bring back the discussion point of 'the right time to make connections'. In U101, the right time to make connection is in the TMA. More particularly in the compendium template that maps out the student's design process over 4 weeks. Each week is tied to a particular design phase, i.e. exploration, concept, proposal, and evaluation. And to a certain degree each phase also refers to a piece of theory. After each week, the students are asked to reflect on this particular week and phase of process. A great comment from an external evaluator was that in this reflection the link to the theory that has been introduced should be made more explicit. We all thought that was a very valuable comment. Interestingly, the connection between theory and practice is not made very explicit in the teaching elements, but in the project work!

nicole schadewitz
12:43pm 28 January 2010

BTW: I tried uploading the diagram in the embedded content area and it will not display.  I think Georgy you have also added something as well...probally the same diagram!!

Jennefer Hart
12:49pm 28 January 2010

What format was the diagram? JPEG seems to work ok.

Will Pollard
2:16pm 30 January 2010

Ahah...I have managed to upload the diagram using Flickr...

Jennefer Hart
7:08pm 31 January 2010