Blog Post Four: The big picture  

I was most interested in the aims of education, examined in workshop three, as this is something I have not thought about on a fundamental level. The combination of activities revealed some overarching themes, which were led in some sense given that the words were chosen for us, but nevertheless acted as good catalysts for helping with definitions. The less expected of these included ideas around equality on a societal scale, fostering ‘cross cultural understanding’ and ‘leveraging diversity’. 

I enjoyed the mediation between the macro topic of education and the granular analysis of existing frameworks we currently find ourselves working within. It feels like the first step in interrogating these things. I have frustrations with marking practices which Addison examines in great detail in ‘Doubting learning outcomes in higher education context’ (Addison, 2014). I was hoping this ‘doubting’ would lead to a viable alternative model, but the Vygotsky and cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) alternatives seems to hinge on large societal changes that include very different ways of measuring what good education looks like (Addison, 2014). I find myself oscillating between utopian ideas of entirely inclusive practices, open ended exploration, shredded up assessment forms and having to reconcile this with the realities of equipping (all) students with the many specific vocational skills needed for the workplace as demanded by the machine industrial. Ironically, I think the way spatial design tailor’s assessment outcomes for the purposes of architecture and squeezes projects into these key criteria, do include the main hallmarks of a good architectural project, only that the packaging and resulting systems could be at odds with creating a fulfilled learner. I feel that outcome-based learning, especially in the now student-as-consumer paradigm is increasingly unhelpful as it seems like yet another transaction. Never before have I wanted to such an extent, to journey with students into a forest to build a cabin. For people to come together to make something that is enjoyed in the making and enjoyed in the use of it, the learning of which, allowed to sink into the essential parts of us.

References

• Addison, N., 2014. Volume 3 ed. Doubting learning outcomes in higher education context: from performativity towards emergence and negotiation: International journal of art and design education.