The Design Studio beyond Donald Schön´s Traditional Approach

Resumen

Abstract

Architecture education was not theorized on until Donald Schön’s contributions in the 1980s. Since then, his pedagogical ideas have dominated professional training. However, the model has come under severe criticism in the last decade, especially for presenting the student as a passive observer instead of as an active learner. This study delves into styles of learning as a way to understand the individual traits that influence learning in our students. It also presents an action research that leads to a didactic where students transit autonomously through the design process. These didactics, that include the body (kinesthetics), directed at students who prefer active and sensory styles of learning, have been a good doorway into the concepts and language that make up an architect. Additionally, the trend that showed difficulties in the design studio performance of the active group has been reversed.