Not only does the design process require higher level thinking skills through interdisciplinarity, but design products must function or perform for people in the real world. Design education closes the gap between thinking and doing, while at the same time increasing the connections between schools and society. Communities and students benefit when the design process becomes a part of curriculum, when architectural programming needs are expressed in terms of student needs, and when students are involved in facilities planning and design. The Scope of this Article To provide discussion of the above issues, this article first will review an integrated model for addressing school design and curriculum, the School Zone design process. It will survey several recent innovative projects or case studies which show how implementing change at the school and community level works and what is happening right now in the areas of planning, design and school initiatives.
Students learn from the context of the built, natural and cultural environment.
Children learn by constructing their own knowledge through a variety of learning processes across body, mind and spirit. Designing is a creative problem-solving process involving teamwork and collaboration. Understanding integrated systems thinking and the Principles of Ecology is essential for all learners in today s world. Following the case studies, this article examines four key issues or patterns extrapolated from the studies to show how involving children in the design process, both as a pedagogical model for learning and in the actual design of their own schools, has implications for the role schools play in the community. Patterns for reform using design criteria from multiple sources are outlined so that communities may take action to build and evaluate programs that synthesize community and educational needs.