• Built Environment Education: A Curriculum Paradigm by Paul Langdon Department of Curriculum and Instruction Faculty of Education McGilI University, Montreal • April, 1996 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Partial FulfUlment of the Requirements of the Degree of PhD © . Paul l.angdon, 1996 i Nalional Llbrary Bibliothèque nationale .+. 01 Canada du Canada AcqUiSillons and Direction des acquIsitions et Bibliographie Services Branch des services bibliographiques 395 Welhngton Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa.Ontano Qnawa (Onlano) K1AON4 K1AON4 The author has granted an L'auteur a accordé une licence irrevocable non-exclusive licence irrévocable et non exclusive allowing the National Library of permettant à la Bibliothèque Canada to reproduce, loan, nationale du Canada de distribute or sell copies of reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou his/her thesis by any means and vendre des copies de sa thèse in any form or format, making de quelque manière et sous this thesis available to interested quelque forme que ce soit pour persons. mettre des exemplaires de cette thèse à la disposition des personnes intéressées. The author retains ownership of L'auteur conserve la propriété du the copyright in his/her thesis. droit d'auteur qui protège sa Neither the thesis nor substantial thèse. Ni la thèse ni des extraits extracts from it may be printed or substantiels de celle·ci ne otherwise reproduced without doivent être imprimés ou his/her permission. autrement reproduits sans son autorisation. ISBN 0-612-19738-7 Canada • Acknowledgments 1wouId Iike ta thank Dr. David Dillon for his assistance and guidance during this project. His enthusiasm and sincerity were of great support and comfort. 1would also like ta thank Professor David Farley of the department of Urban Planning for his involvement in greatly broadening my horizons in this area and to Dr. Boyd White for his thoughtful suggestions and insightful comments especially in the area of art education. 1have greatly appreciated the man)' efforts and vigourous support of Dr. Claudia Mitchell. 1would also like to acknowledge the assistance 1received from Dr. • John Wolforth, Christine Stocek and Jeanette Ritchie. And finally, to Ruth for her immeasurable contribution and to joel for his patience and unflagging encouragement, wlthout which 1 could not have accompllshed thls thesis. •- Il I\bstraet • The expansion of Built Emoîronment Education into art programs is a rclati\oel)' recent phenomenon but yer)' timel)'. The need to de\Oelop in students an understanding of their Ii\oing emoironment is urgent as the)' inherit a world that is experiencing the depletion of ils resources and erosion of its ecological balance. There is a fundam~ntal need for more comprehensi\oe curriculum planning in built enyironment education. The goal of This research is to de\Oelop a curriculum paradigm that can he used to create curriculum plans and instructional designs for built environment education as part of the art c1ass in secondaI)° schools. The built emoironment content of This curriculum paradigm is based on the active investigation of the students' internaI world with ail its different perceptions and )jyed experience and how This affects their understanding of the greater built environment. Through a more intense investigation of the greater built environment. the • students wiII then analyze the effect that This environment has on their own perceptions and living habits. By developing a more conscious understanding of the built environment. the students wiII be better equipped to make informed decisions on how ta hetter adapt to or change their environment. A guiding principle for the curriculum paradigm was to ensure that the introduction ofa new subject area. such as built environment education. into art education curriculum involved processes ofcreativity and discovery along with self-reflective and participatory action for both the teacher and students. To he E:ffective. the content material must not only be accessible through the traditional modes ofacademic literature research but also made valid through observation. reflection and interaction with the particular built environment of the teacher and students themselves. • Hi Vigilance and active participation in the process of urban change are vital. These changes can onl)' be effective and enduring if we • acknowledge the capacity of the buiIt em"ironment to enrich our Iiws as private and communal beings. One of the essential goals of this curriculum paradigm is to capture the excitement and potential that the built environment offers as a pervasi\"e agent for understanding and celebrating our constructed past. present and future. • • iv • Sommaire L'introduction des Etudes en em"ironnement construit (ou "bâti") dans les programmes d'Art est un événement relativement récent mais particulierement opportun. En effet la nécessité de développer chez les étudiants une compréhension de leur milieu de vie est d'autant plus grande qu'ils sont face à un avenir où la planète voit ses ressources s'épuiser et son équilibre écologique se détériorer. Il existe un besoin fondamental pour un programme d'études en environnement construit plus complet. L'objet de cette recherche est de développer un paradigme curriculaire susceptible d'être utilisé pour creer des contenus de cours et des méthodologies pour cet enseignement conçu comme faisant partie du programme d'art des écoles secondaires. Le contenu du programme d'études en environnement construit est • fondé sur une e;xploration du monde intérieur de l'élève, avec ses différentes perceptions et son expérience vécue, et comment cela affecte sa compréhension de l'environnement construit plus large. Apres avoir examiné plus en profondeur le concept d'environnement construit global, les élèves pourront analyser l'impact de ce dernier sur leurs propres perceptions et sur leurs habitudes de vie. En développant une conscience plus affinée de l'environnement construit, ils seront mieux en mesure de prendre des décisions informées sur la meilleure facon de s'adapter à l'environnement ou de le modifier. Un des principes directeurs pour l'élaboration de ce paradigme cuTriculalre était de s'assurer que l'introduction d'une mati~re d'étude nouvelle dans le programme d'éducation en art- ici les Etudes en environnement construit- impliquait des processus de créativité et dedécouverte en même temps qu'une activité de réflexion personnelle et de participation de la part de l'élève comme v du professeur. La matière à étudier doit répondre à deux critères pour étre pleinement efficace: elle doit être accessible dans la • littérature sm'ante pertinente. et elle doit également être validée par !'obser;ation. la réflexion et l'interaction a\'ec l'enviro:1I1ement construit propre au professeur et aux élè\'es. Il est essentiel de faire preuve de vigilance et de prendre une part actÏ\'e dans les processus de changement urbain. Ces changements ne pourront être valables et durables que dans la mesure où nous reconnaîtrons ia capacité de l'environnement construit à enrichir notre être. dans sa vie privée comme dans sa vie communautaire. Un des objectifs essentiels de ce paradigme curriculaire est de faire saisir le formidable potentiel de l'environnement construit à nous faire mieux comprendre et célébrer notre passé. notre présent. et notre avenir construits. • • vi • Table of Contents As:.knowledgment. Ü Abstract III Sc>I11I11aire \ .. Table ofContents. \·ü Chapter One: Introduction Orientation to the Thesis 1 Introduction 6 Field ofArt Education 8 BuHt Environment Education 13 • The Curiculum Paradigm 1ï l.ooking Al1ea.d 19 Chapter Two: The Built Environment lntroduction. 21 Inherent Mea.nings. 24 Reading Our Built Environment 30 Perfonnance and User Engagement 47 Agents ofChange. 60 • vii • Chapter Three: The Context of the Research and the Re\"iew of Literature The Field of Curriculum Planning ï8 Psychology and Humanism 86 Holistic Interpretation 90 Creativity and Problem SOlving 95 Heuristics 104 Instruments ofSocial Change. 1Il Critical Pedagog)· 115 Hurnan JO)· 128 Curriculum t.lodeI. 129 Art Education 133 Bullt En\'ironment Education 146 Reflective Practice 157 Gender Representation 161 • SummaI")· 164 Chapter Four: The World We Live In: Space. Place and Belonging lntroouction 1iD Unit 1: What's Important to Me?.. 179 Unit 2: What's Important ta Us? 18ï Unit 3:What Makes That Place Unique? 195 Un,if 4: What Does It Tell Us? 200 Unit 5: Where Do We Get Together? 206 Unit 16:' HO\\' Dœs Il Get There7 21 ï Unit 7: What's Done For Safety and Security? 223 Unit 8: Do AlI the Parts Make a Whole? 229 Unit 9: Who Does What? How? and Where? 235 Unit 10: Wh.at Can We OO? 242 viii Chapter Five: Conclusion • Goals and Ex-pe<:tations 246 Reflections 249 Implications _ 251 Conclusion 252 Bibliograph)· 253 • ix • Prologue: Orientation This thesis is bath a research and a development project and has as its goal the creation of a unique and comprehensive curriculum model for built environment education for art education classes. The thesis is a curriculum paradigm. It represents the entire process of creation of a feasible and workable curriculum model for built environment education within art education. The cUiTiculum model for built environment education is the fusion ofa selection of rich and complex ideas and practices of architecture and the built em'ironment together with a specific and accessible curriculum approacn'for art students and teachers. When the opportunity arose to "Tite This thesis, the seeds of the project were already weIl planted and 1!mew immediately that 1 wanted it ta he a contrtbution to built environment education. 1 wanted it to he a contrtbution that was bath practical and useful and, also. one that benefited from my unique position of worlting in aIl • three concerned areas, those of the built environment, curriculum development and art education. My particular combination ofacademic training and professional experience began with studies in Art Education and Fine Arts that led ta an J\1A and an MFA This was followed by eighteen years of teaching painting and photography in the fine arts department and drawing and design in the architecture technology department of CEGEP Vanier.