Effective teaching strategies in architectural education 'Adventure learning' - learning through experience & fun (Reflections on the modules-world history of architecture & design)

Abstract

Individuals perceive and process information in very different ways. Therefore learning/teaching methods always differ from one person to another. There are large variety of different learning/teaching methods and selected few are; 'Observational learning', 'Collaborative learning' and 'Multiple intelligences'. 'Adventure learning', which js most popularly used in Architectural education, demonstrates all the learning methods mentioned above. Adventure Learning is to create activities that provide students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative learning environment. It is not just a game. The facilitator need to guide students in the activity in order to gain experiences to achieve the academic objectives. It is believed that actions are easiest to remember and the learning can be best done through experience and fun. Further this method can convert passive learners in to active learners. One researcher named William Glasser(1999) has said that, 'most people learn 80% of what they use and do in real life'. Therefore the objective of this paper is to show the importance of using innovative teaching methods with few examples from author's experiences in teaching the subject module, world history of architecture & design fof B.Arch./B.Des. degree level one, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Key words: Active learning, Passive learning, Unconventional teaching methods, Adventure learning, Effective teaching methods, Peer learning, University of Moratuwa