Dear Sven,
I find the old English adage, "Keep It Simple, Stupid" often comes in handy here.
Space syntax is a complex and subtle discipline with many hard-to-grasp elements. Architecture students aren't always the brightest bulbs when it comes to verbal reasoning, either (no offense to the architects among us).
So the more direct and experiential you can make it, the greater your chances of success.
Bill's "city walks" through the centre of London were a great example. They were often the highlight of the AAS learning experience, in my opinion. They demonstrated just about everything that you needed to know to understand the basics of space syntax in a 2 hour walk, using live, direct and visual examples.
If you can get the basics, then the rest will follow for those most interested. I learned the hard way that my passion for sharing the full story of space syntax doesn't always mean other people want to know about it, which meant the learning was sometimes sub-par.
Granted, these were Americans we're talking about here, so there could be a cultural bias towards clear communication and straight, to-the-point learning styles. But with most students steeped in TV culture and internet speeds of thought, I find that attitude more and more prevalent around the world.
In any case, hope this helps and good luck!
Best regards,
Noah
-----Original Message-----
From: Sven Schneider <[log in to unmask]>
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Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 08:36:03
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Subject: Tipps & Experiences from Teaching Space Syntax
Dear All,
I am currently preparing a seminar for architecture students on computational methods for analysing architectural and urban environments. The aim is to provide the students with a set of tools with which they are able to "decode" space in order to adress an individual research question.
So, i'am interested in the following:
What are your experiences in teaching space syntax methods to architecture students?
Do you have some tipps e.g. how to establish the link between abstract measures and real world experience?
Is there some online teaching material available (i think of small examples based on which it is easy to discuss certain phenomena)?
What are common research questions which students can address in the format of a seminar (due to limited time and "scientific-non-experience" of the students)?
Best regards & Thanks in advance,
Sven
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dipl. ing. sven schneider - research assistant
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bauhaus-university weimar -- faculty of architecture
chair computer science in architecture (prof. dr. donath)
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