Part 3: City Builders
Objectives: Students will learn about scale, grid, site and model
building concepts by using a kit of parts. Concepts of responsible and
sensitive responses to place and surrounding (climate, trees, rivers,
hills etc.) will be introduced.
How: Students develop their ideas about scale (as introduced in Part
1) and grid as a tool to plan and layout cities (or design homes, offices
etc.). Students will discuss appropriate responses to the site (rivers,
lakes, hills, rocks, trees etc.). Educator should clearly establish rules
for what they can and cannot do (cut down trees, bridge over rivers
etc.). Using a cardboard base, students draw a grid (using rulers and
pencils) and build a city using all the pieces in the kit of parts, and
following the established rules.
This 3 part module builds on students observation skills and
understanding of concepts such as navigation, scale, direction,
mapping relationships between objects, importance of symbols and
organization of information, representing 3D real world on 2D paper or
vice versa and all the while keeping in mind the framework that
establishes limitations and boundaries on the process or method. It
develops competencies such as their capacity for change (flexibility
and adaption), open mindedness (dealing with unexpected ideas and
new ways of thinking) and perseverance (working through challenges
and application of knowledge gained from failures).
Aparna Datey’s passion lies in teaching and fostering creativity
and critical thinking amongst children, youth and college
students to succeed in any career. Datey has taught design
studios to architecture, building construction and industrial
design students at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta,
GA and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
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