Chris and all,
I thought Chris' story of the bicycle pump was a good example of the
connection between interests and passion and the desire to learn from that
experience and apply it in teaching design.
His upshot (as I understood it) was a great feeling of pride of
accomplishment in integrating so many important interests, including the
look and feel of the strap, in his pump design, and then the terrific
disappointment of discovering that important (to him) qualities of the
strap design didn't make it through the value-engineering and production
process, causing the outcome to be far less satisfying that he'd hoped for.
To my theory and teacher's ears, I hear these things:
There is the desire to make a better pump, one that does everything from
improve the engineering, to making it so attractive you'd be proud to wear
it on your belt. Theoretically, a broad range of interests and concerns.
Probably also, a clear dissatisfaction with present choices; the challenge
of not just getting some of the interests right expressively, but all of
them; the challenge of not just being successful but also achieving a high
level of overall satisfaction.
For any designer, this is heady stuff.
For the teacher practicing a Batsonian learning 3, setting up a learning
situation where the object is learning about learning, the design teacher is
intentionally setting up a design-learning situation:
1. which brings out and illustrates the design pressure of difference, the
ideal vs. the present, existing vs. "better."
2. motivates by building up the importance, the significance, the need for
the improvement and the personal
satisfaction that comes with achievement.
3. that builds a capacity for evaluating present conditions and setting up a
productive intentional path.
4. that widens the understanding of the interests and concerns involved and
sets up an atmosphere of ideational
generation and formative exploration.
5. that doesn't set the challenges too far beyond the integrative experience
of the students involved so that they
will reap some positive "flow" experiences that their innate high
functioning talents can build on and tap in
future work.
6. and, of course, lots more.
My point was that passion and commitment were more than just basic human
characteristics, but were also integral aspects of designing that an
adequate theory should be able to explain.
I think Chris is right that there is more to explore here.
Best to all,
Jerry
--
Jerry Diethelm
Architect - Landscape Architect
Planning & Urban Design Consultant
Prof. Emeritus of Landscape Architecture
and Community Service € University of Oregon
2652 Agate St., Eugene, OR 97403
€ e-mail: [log in to unmask]
€ web: http://www.uoregon.edu/~diethelm
€ 541-686-0585 home/work 541-346-1441 UO
€ 541-206-2947 work/cell
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