Contenu connexe Similaire à Sharon Dvora Design Research in Education (20) Plus de Sharon Dvora (18) Sharon Dvora Design Research in Education3. Hypothesis/Questions/Goals:2
• A!public!learning!lab!that!cultivates!a!vibrant!community!of!lifelong!learners!can!reinvigorate!a!
neighborhood.!
• How!can!emergent!design!principles!catalyze!social,!economic!and!environmental!well@being!on!
the!local!scale?!
Investigators:22
Sharon!Dvora,!Morgan!O’Hara,!Santigie!Fofana@Dura,!Emma!Conley,!David!Laubental,!Don!Harker!
Description2of2Process:!
• A!project!of!the!!Lab!course—Center!for!Tackling!Complex!Problems.!
• Our!team!generated!a!model!for!a!public!learning!lab!to!be!sited!at!!the!recently!closed!Marshall!
High!School!in!East!Portland.!2
Research2Methods:2
• Our!team!utilized!systems!thinking!processes,!combined!with!research!into!the!local!educational!
system!in!Portland!Public!Schools!to!generate!the!concept!for!the!project.!!
• Community!engagement!through!presentations,!attending!EPAP!meetings,!presenting!to!the!PPS!
administration.!
• A!collaborative!effort!with!ADX!to!present!the!concept!at!the!Good!Ideas!for!Cities!design!
competition,!2012.!!
Nature/Limitations2of2Study:2
While!our!participation!in!the!project!concluded!at!the!end!of!the!term,!the!concept!has!continued!
to!live!on,!and!a!recent!iteration!of!the!project!is!being!considered!by!the!Mayor’s!ofFice!and!the!East!
Portland!Action!Plan!Committee.!We!had!plans!to!do!summer!community!engagement!work!to!
include!the!voices!of!community!members!in!the!process,!but!that!effort!did!not!happen.2
Outcomes:!
• New!visions!for!educational!structures!are!needed!to!build!strong!communities!of!learners!of!all!
ages.!!
• Closing!schools!tears!at!the!fabric!of!neighborhoods!and!communities.!!
5. Hypothesis/Questions/Goals:2
What!is!the!role!of!the!teacher!in!the!learning!process?!
What!is!the!role!of!documentation!in!the!Reggio!approach?!
How!does!the!Reggio!approach!work!in!action?!!
How!does!an!educator!unlearn!their!current!approach!to!teaching!and!relearn!a!new!approach?!!
What!is!the!ideal!role!of!the!mentor!in!an!on@site,!real@time!context?!
What!is!emergent,!reciprocal!learning?!How!do!creative!processes,!shared!dialogue!and!documentation!
provide!fertile!ground!for!teaching!and!learning?!!
Do!pattern!languages!support!the!documentation!and!reFlection!process?!
Investigators:22
Sharon!Dvora!
Participants:2
Lucy!Chaille,!Director/Mentor!at!Children’s!Creative!Center!in!Beaverton,!OR.!Ally,!lead!teacher!and!13!
children!ages!5@8!years.!
Description2of2Process:!
Over!a!period!of!approx.!6!weeks,!I!participated!in!the!morning!sessions!once/week!at!CCC.!I!prompted!an!
ongoing!exploration!of!the!outdoor!playscape!by!asking!the!question!“How!can!we!make!this!place!better?”!
We!mapped!the!outdoor!landscape,!I!documented!the!process!with!photography,!video!footage!and!
capturing!the!children’s!words!in!text.!2
Research2Methods:2
Immersive!experience.!I!had!ongoing!feedback!and!critical!dialogue!with!my!mentor!during!the!entire!
process.!!Integral!to!Lucy’s!teaching!styel,!critical!feedback!is!a!constant,!and!the!exchange!provides!intense,!
fertile!ground!for!learning!a!new!approach.!!
Nature/Limitations2of2Study:2
Improving!teaching!methods!and!learning!new!ways!of!successfully!engaging!with!children!in!a!rich!learning!
process!is!an!ongoing!research!study!into!oneself,!the!learning!environment!and!the!idiosyncratic!nature!and!
gifts!of!each!child.!This!was!an!example!of!a!brief,!well@documented!step!in!the!process!for!me.2
Outcomes:!
• !ReFlecting!on!educational!environments!and!interactions!through!the!lens!of!design!ecology!provides!an!
insightful!approach!for!seeking!patterns!of!relationship!between!people!and!place.!
• Having!a!mentor!provide!feedback!in!real@time!is!invaluable!for!the!learning!process.!
• Documentation!of!the!learning!experience!is!a!valuable!tool!for!both!teacher!and!learner.!
• Learning!new!approaches!in!education!is!a!conscious!process!that!requires!a!willingness!to!‘not!know’!and!
to!step!into!new!territory—highly!recommended!and!very!worthwhile!qualities!to!embrace.!
8. Hypothesis/Questions/Goals:2
What!does!immersive!outdoor!learning!for!young!children!look!and!feel!like?!
How!can!the!Gazebo!philosophy!inform!my!practice!of!teaching?!
How!does!a!design!ecology!perspective!inform!my!experience!of!Gazebo?!
What!is!the!magic!that!is!Gazebo?!What!are!the!components!that!make!this!school/place!magical?!
What!does!it!mean!for!a!school!to!be!an!integral!part!of!its!community?!
Investigators:22
Sharon!Dvora!
Participants:2
Director!January!Handl,!teachers!Miriam!and!Jasmine!and!the!children!and!families!at!Gazebo!Park!School,!
summer!2012.!The!school!is!an!integral!part!of!the!Esalen!Institute!residential!community!and!retreat!center!
in!Big!Sur,!California.!
Description2of2Process:!
I!spent!3!months!as!an!intern!at!the!school,!participating!and!contributing!to!the!activities!of!the!school!Mon@
Fri!9:00!–!3:00.!I!spent!time!observing,!reading!about!the!history!and!philosophy!of!Gazebo,!and!taking!part!
in!the!daily!rituals!and!activities!in!the!park—raking,!gardening,!cleaning,!preparing!food!and!setting!out!
materials!for!play!and!exploration.!2
Research2Methods:2
Taking!an!anthropologist’s!viewpoint,!I!observed!and!documented!the!process!at!Gazebo!and!reFlected!on!
my!observations!through!written!entries!in!my!blog.!It!was!an!immersive!experience,!as!I!lived!on@site!in!the!
school/farm!house!and!participated!in!staff!meetings!and!gestalt!sessions.!
Nature/Limitations2of2Study:2
I!was!not!fully!included!in!all!aspects!of!the!school,!which!placed!me!as!an!outsider!to!many!of!the!
organizational!challenges!that!the!teachers!and!director!were!grappling!with.!!There!was!an!uneasy!tension!
for!me!as!a!full!participant!in!the!system!and!living!together!with!the!director!and!lead!teacher,!but!with!
unclear!limitations!and!boundaries!around!my!role!as!intern.!
Outcomes:!
• Child@centered,!free@range!play!in!a!natural,!outdoor!setting!provides!healthy!conditions!for!social/
emotional/physical!development.!!
• Schools!are!complex!systems!inFluenced!by!history,!community!context!and!management.!
• A!mixed@age!wild!&!alive!learning!environment!provides!an!ideal!setting!for!young!children,!particularly!in!
a!moderate!climate!zone!
• See!my!blog!entries!and!reFlections!on!my!Gazebo!experience:!www.sharondvora.com!