Early thoughts on teaching design
Finishing my first full cycle of teaching since joining Srishti, I've realised that talking about teaching is a lot easier than doing it. Adapting to teach design and technical subjects, in both academic and non-academic settings, has thrown up plenty of challenges. Kolb's experiential learning cycle [1] has helped me look back on those experiences and see where I need to grow. This note is a summary of what I've learned and what I'm still wrestling with.
One experience that stands out is struggling to engage students who started out uninterested. For all my planning, some of them just weren't in the frame of mind to take part. So I started mixing theory with hands-on activities to reach different learning styles. Teaching design principles, for instance, I ran smaller sessions where students applied the ideas in real time, which kept them engaged and let me give feedback on the spot. But sometimes a student can't fully participate because of what else is going on in their life, and that's alright; it can make more sense to find another way to reach them later. I've also experimented with differentiated instruction [2], where you tailor methods, materials, and assessment to the range of students in the room. Matching the level of challenge and support to each student's strengths and situation can lift engagement and make the classroom more inclusive, though it costs more planning and asks you to hold high expectations for everyone while staying on top of how the room is running. I'm not entirely sure what I'll focus on next, though I keep coming back to the idea of starting everyone from a level field.
I've also come to see how much mathematics matters for designers and students who want to build things well. Maths is a framework for abstraction and logic, and it's central to both decoding and designing. To take the edge off students' maths anxiety, I try to keep the space open, somewhere they can explore ideas without fear and ask more questions. Teaching has taught me the value of connecting subjects on purpose, and my principles have grown to include planning and organisation, setting clear expectations, making sure the basics land, easing maths anxiety, and building a solid foundation. Not every student walks in interested, and part of my job is to prepare them and keep them there.
I've also learned to value both structured and unstructured learning, and to look for the balance that lets students experiment and push past the edges. One thing I haven't cracked is meeting individual differences; what works for one student won't for another, and I keep hunting for new ways to reach each of them. Reflecting like this, over and over, is what's helped me adjust how and why I teach. Balancing teaching against research is still an open problem too.
Next, I want to keep trying new methods, lean into connecting subjects, and hold that balance between structure and freedom.
Kolb, David A. Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1984. ↩︎
Tomlinson, Carol A. How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. 2nd ed. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001. ↩︎