Juxtaposition of architecture and mathematics for elementary school students

Abstract

This paper discusses the Archimath programme, which was designed to develop awareness of the built environment in elementary school students, and to initiate an effort to improve it. Acknowledging the relationship between education and awareness of the environment, the programme was constructed for use with elementary school students selected from fourth to eighth grades, as an integrated mathematics and architecture programme. It includes topics from an introductory course for architecture majors and from the elementary mathematics curriculum. The programme was implemented in several pilot schools in Istanbul and was evaluated in accordance with activity sheets, pre-and postperception tests, and the views and comments of the teachers who carried out the programme. It was revised and reorganized in accordance with this feedback and then implemented again on different groups of students in the selected schools. This paper discusses how the programme was conceived and developed.

The Effect of Experience-Based Tangible User Interface on Cognitive Load in Design Education

“…By reducing cognitive load, learners can easily construct knowledge and meaning from experience, active participation and performing tasks in the context which allow learners to contextualize the process of constructing knowledge instead of being a passive learner (Salomon & Perkins, 1998). With various methods of active participation through TUIs, students get engaged based on his or her specific character, talent and preference; therefore, it is considered a useful method of disseminating information in design studios (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002;Naylor & Keogh, 1999;Rovai, 2004;Soygenis, 2009).…”

“…This experience emerges through performing an epistemic action where learners can manipulate their environment in their mind based on their reflections (prior knowledge) for successful interpretation and acquisition of new knowledge. Contextual association, interaction and active participation allow students to get engaged based on their specific character, talent, and preference; therefore, it is considered a useful method of disseminating information in design studios (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002;Naylor & Keogh, 1999;Rovai, 2004;Soygenis, 2009). Epistemic actions, according to Kirsh and Maglio (1994) are physical actions performed in the environment to make the mental calculation easier (resulting in better spatial cognition and understanding of the environment) and change his or her computational state.…”