Construction through critique, the dialogic form of design studio teaching and learning

Abstract

This thesis is situated in design education. It is a study about a dominant form of educational activity--the design studio critique. The design critique is a unique form of educational engagement. The critique is fundamentally a dialogic act that involves, but is not limited to, the one-on-one interaction between a novice and a domain expert. Design 'dialogue' is a complex set of the activities of design culture--a vast array of thoughts, actions, symbols, practices, and products of design. The design studio critique is seen as a shared and constitutive act guiding 'meaning-making' or intentionality in the students' design work. This study examines the relevant literature in design pedagogy, architectural education, education, and language theory through an ethic of social constructivism. This study will be of interest to design students and design educators. It may also be of utility to educational researchers, particularly to those with a focus in situated learning nd cognitive apprenticeship. This thesis concludes that future work on design studio education is required which takes the normative practice of the design studio critique and explicitly shows how the complexity of design concerns are embedded in design dialogue.