adam_xported

2015 was seld-ordained to be a year of exploration and inspiration in order to fulfil an undying curiosity about the world and its varient spatial and cultural constituents. In order to burrow myself into a vast landscape of intrigue, I decide to pursue a temporary career in education which involved teaching English to elementary school students' and adults in grouped and individual classes. Verbal and graphic presentation skills, as well as various approaches to leadership and discipline were harnessed in order to fulfill the following outcomes:

 

• Conceptualisation and creation of daily lesson plans for multi-level ESL classes for students in Grades 3-6, as well as for adults.

• Conducting small group and individual classroom activities based on differentiated learning needs.

• Preparing specialized lesson activities, media and presentations encompassing a range of skill-building activities.

• Employed kinesthetic, visual and auditory approaches to make lessons interesting and interactive. These include: cognitive mapping, creative writing, comic books, drama performances, music and lyrical studies, movie making, and other creative and artistic methods of encouraging the use of the spoken language.

 

 

With a keen and motivated interest and education in architecture, I continually aimed to cultivate a strong sense of spatial awareness -as a tool for understanding- within my learners'. Using creativity and imagination as direct drivers for verbal and written communication in the English language.

 

I proceeded to formulate a 5 week architectural curriculum which introduced children to the study of architecture and the built environment, encompassing art and its technique, social studies, language arts, history of the built environnment,  spatial science and math. It also included notions om sustainability principles, in an effort to make children more aware and conscious of their impact on the built and unbuilt environments. The lessons were aimed to engage children’s bodies, minds, and imaginations to explore how
buildings and cities are designed and built.

 

In considering how to create functional, safe and appealing environments, children developed skills of observation, reasoning and critical thinking. These tools were aimed to develop within them an appreciation and respect for the built environment. The lessons combined individual and group activities which involved listening and problem solving tasks focussed on architectural history and building elements which were tested through the use of numerous computer based / group games and powerpoint presentations. It also involved creative and artistic explorations whereby students' -after having done critical analysis and research- had the freedom to develop their envisioned living spaces and cities through typical architectural explanatory devices such as floor plans, model building, drawing and painting, as well as other forms of decoration.

 

The images below illustrate a few of the creative outcomes of the 5 week architecture curriculum.