Originally inspired by a collaborative project between grade three teacher Kathleen Schartz and designer Todd Falkowsky in the fall of 2002, Designers in the Classroom became a fully realized education program at the Design Exchange in 2003.
This successful educational program aims to show students the connection between art and design, while raising awareness and understanding of design and how it is an essential part of our everyday lives. The program also strives to inspire students to pursue careers in the creative and artistic fields, as well as engage practicing designers in their communities by providing them an opportunity to give back in a new way.
Each participating designer leads the students through the program with the assistance of the classroom teacher and the Design Exchange. They prepare a project plan that fully integrates design and the design process with current art curriculum. After preliminary discussions and meetings with the classroom teacher, the program runs over the course of eight weeks, during which the designer visits the class for approximately twenty hours of total teaching time. During the visits, the designer takes on the bulk of the teaching responsibilities and introduces the students to the work of design.
During the program, students learn about form and function, as well as the general principles of design. Each designer provides a context by presenting examples in art and design history as well as contemporary art and design works, and leads their students through a project. Each project follows the design process and includes the development of a portfolio of preliminary sketches and drawings leading to a final prototype.
The culmination of this program is an exhibition of the student-produced work at the Design Exchange each spring. This exhibition also highlights the designers through a profile and photo of the work currently being produced in their practice. The exhibition is a great opportunity for all of the students and their families to see the work on display.
For more information on how to be a participating designer or class, please contact Katie Weber at :
Contact:
Katie [at] dx.org
(416) 216-2138.
Supported by:
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