Teacher CPD: Exploring Architecture
Dance City, Newcastle
September 2007
Northern Architecture recently held a CPD session for teachers aimed at encouraging the development of architecture-based activities in North East schools. The session, which was held at Dance City, introduced teachers from Key Stages 1 – 4 to the many facets of architecture and began to suggest how the built environment could support and enhance their pupils’ learning.
The day began with an inspiring presentation by Tim Bailey of Xsite Architecture, which examined how architecture has developed over time and how it might continue to change to meet our future needs and aspirations. Following that, a series of case studies demonstrated how buildings and spaces had already begun to inspire many creative and education professionals, and practical workshops allowed teachers to try out some new techniques.The practical sessions - drawing, photography or poetry - saw teachers working with professional artists to explore Dance City and experiment with ideas they could take back to the classroom. Teachers had the opportunity to see the potential of the built environment as a starting point for a creative project and were introduced to a number of practical methods to overcome some of the challenges pupils might face when beginning an exploration into architecture themselves.
Teachers were really excited by the potential to use architecture as a means to develop creativity and thinking skills, and saw the built environment as a subject that can remain relevant to their pupils outside of a school setting, in turn contributing towards pupils’ ability to become thoughtful and responsible citizens.
The handouts for the three workshops and a summary of the teachers’ initial ideas for using architecture to support teaching and learning can be downloaded below.
Adobe Acrobat PDF | 44 KB
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Adobe Acrobat PDF | 133 KB
Adobe Acrobat PDF | 50 KB
