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The University of New Mexico

NEWS RELEASE



Contact: Carolyn Gonzales 277-5920
cgonzal@unm.edu

Nov. 5, 2007

UNM Service Learning Course Uses Architecture Studio as Education Model

The University of New Mexico course Architecture and Children, taught by Anne Taylor, UNM Regents Professor in the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, is a service learning course where architecture students take visual and interdisciplinary processes they know well and go into schools and museums to teach architecture and design to children.

Two UNM students, Amy Dukert and Beate Ortley, are teaching Thursday, Nov. 15, at 12:30 p.m. at Oñate Elementary School under the supervision of teacher David Dallas. The students are working with children to design a garden. Dukert is a landscape architecture graduate student.

Another UNM student, Noe Quiñonez, is teaching Architecture and Design in Spanish on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 8 a.m. at Rio Grande High School.

“These university students are like visual pied pipers. They can draw concepts from physics, math and social studies to explain concepts to children. They also provide an applied, hands on way of learning not offered in many schools,” Taylor said.

“UNM architecture students are a welcome sight to young students who stand up and cheer when they walk into the classroom,” Taylor added.

Taylor’s program is a form of environmental education using built, natural and cultural environments to give young students visual tools in two and three dimensions to solve real life problems creatively using math, science, technology and other subjects.

The design studio is a form of professional education, traditional in schools of architecture where students take on a design project under the supervision of a master designer. Its setting is the loft-like studio space where 12 to 20 students arrange their drawing tables, papers, books, pictures, drawings and models.

The design studio format is successful because:

• the studio population is small and workable
• students are responsible for their own learning The studio model revolutionizes learning, giving the power to student and prizing individuality.
• learning is based on creative problem solving
• learning is hands on and a real life education
• architecture and design integrate thinking from math, science, history and art
For more information, contact Anne Taylor at 277-1199.

The following schedule demonstrates when the UNM students will be in the schools and available for the media to come and observe and/or cover.

Tuesday, Nov. 6 10 a.m. Ernie Pyle Middle School B. Laws, X. Nuno-Whelan
  12:25 p.m. Albuquerque High F. Barraca, R. Motaldo
Wednesday, Nov. 7 10:15 a.m. Calvary L. Begay
Tuesday, Nov. 13 TBD Wash. Mid. School M. Paz
Wednesday, Nov. 14 1:15 p.m. Zia Elementary School J. White, C. Hulebak

Thursday, Nov. 15

12:30 p.m. Oñate Elementary School A. Dukert, B. Orley
Tuesday, Nov. 27 10 a.m. Los Ranchos School L. Mondragon, V. Garcia
  12:20 p.m. Taft Middle School D. Fischman
Thursday, Nov. 29 2:30 p.m. Mission Elementary D. Fisher, S. Patterson
Tuesday, Dec. 4 8 a.m. Rio Grande H.S. N. Quiñonez
  12:45 p.m. Zia Pueblo Elementary Juliet Pino
To be scheduled Explora Museum    

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