Architects, Educators Unite to Advance K-12 Education

Summary: The Architecture + Design Education Network (A+DEN) will host its first national conference for design educators October 27-28 in Chicago. The conference aims to bring leaders and practitioners of architecture, design, and education together to identify and explore ideas that advance K-12 design education. Formed in 2005 by the American Architectural Foundation and the Chicago Architecture Foundation, A+DEN is working to build a national network of design educators and resources to expand and enhance design education in classrooms across the country.

“At this inaugural A+DEN conference, we hope to identify new ideas, help connect experts and practitioners from around the country, and elevate awareness of design education,” says Kristine Ang Go, A+DEN’s network coordinator.

Keynote speakers include:

• Meredith Davis, College of Design, North Carolina State University
• Fred Dust, IDEO San Francisco, lead designer of the Stanford Center for Innovations in Learning
• Anna Slafer, director of education and programming, the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

Other presenting organizations include the American Architectural Foundation, Architecture Centre Network, Architecture Explorations from Carnegie Mellon University, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Learning by Design, Midlands Architecture + the Designed Environment, National Building Museum, and Next, an Internet-based design education program.

Connecting design with other subjects
The conference builds the network created by the AAF and the Chicago Architecture Foundation last fall. It offers a resource to schools with existing programs as well as those who wish to start programs, with the goal of advancing architecture curricula aimed at teaching youth about the built environment, while also supporting student learning in a range of subjects, such as English, math, science, and social studies.

“What we have discovered is that the curriculums from these programs complement the study of a range of subjects, including English, science, math, and social studies,” notes AAF Senior Adviser Jeanne F. Butler in the August 2006 edition of the AIAJ. “For example, one of the AAF’s Accent on Architecture grantees, the Washington Architectural Foundation, has a program called Exploring Architecture with Kids, which teaches vocabulary words, shapes, and history. The program offers a broad range of components, from classroom drawing and learning sessions on architecture to building rowhouses out of shoe boxes to tours of different neighborhoods.”

The A+DEN Conference 2006 is sponsored by Target, proponents of the philosophy that great design should be affordable by all. For more information or to register, visit the conference Web site.