Paper delivered at Cumulus Conference: Design Culture(s) Sapienza University of Rome, Faculty of Architecture and School of Industrial Design
Title of paper: Thinking with Card: Curriculum-Led Making Activities Integrated with Distance Learning
Abstract | This paper describes the integration of creative making activities into existing curriculum components primarily for Chinese (Middle School) students (approx. age 7–14). The strategy is built on an understanding and experience that while such activities are crucial to the development of design and spatial ability, their presence is generally undervalued and marginalised in favour of higher status subjects. In developing learning tools that reinforce more traditional subject areas, (particularly STEM), the project aims for a greater acceptance of design-led and making activities. The provision of a free (bilingual) online repository of these activities has made them highly suited for use during the Covid-19 pandemic and corresponding increase in distance learning and home-schooling. Early user tests indicate good acceptance of the concept, and recent government policy announcements may improve acceptance further. The design of new models has been built into a standard course for undergraduate design students.
Design Culture(s), Cumulus Conference Proceedings Roma 2021, Volume #2
Edited by: Loredana Di Lucchio, Lorenzo Imbesi, Angela Giambattista, Viktor Malakuczi ISBN 978–952-64–9004‑5
Full text available below.
