TEACHING PEDAGOGY
Design Education through a critical pedagogy
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In his monumental book, Designing Social Systems in a Changing World, Bela Banathy eloquently opens by citing numerous pages dedicated to the idyllic definition of Design. With each depiction postulated by contemporary power brokers, those who assume and consider themselves the authority of all knowledge regarding “Design,” Banathy’s aim becomes relatively simple: it is not easy to define Design. Nor is there one true definition accepted into our social fabric. Design, in essence, is complicated and elusive, as it exists in all things. Moreover, as Banathy and others expose, the interpretation of Design is far beyond products, solutions, opportunities and problems, process and practice. Such insights pose new questions for those of us in design education teaching graphic and visual communication design.
What then do we teach?
Of course, we have teaching standards that come from professional associations and accrediting bodies, needs, and demands within the business and marketplace of Design, and now due to its elusive nature, Design in almost every divergent discipline offered in higher education are guideposts to help us. However, I believe that teaching Design is something so much more complicated than various steps and phases. Nevertheless, this complication poses new unknown opportunities and ways of “Being and Doing” that bring us closer to recognizing what it means to be human. The following account is my ever-evolving critical design pedagogy; it stands as an articulation harnessing the intrinsic drive behind the why, what, and how I teach and define Design.
Critical Awareness
My critical research lens naturally informs my teaching practice. As someone interested in the power of systems and how oppression forms, I teach from a place that brings students into a deep awareness of themselves and how they stand concerning the world in front of them. Much of this philosophy comes from the written influence of Paulo Friere, Bell Hooks, and Ira Shor. In my teaching through a critical design pedagogy, I aim to provide students the power to express and operate as agents of good and change. When students become critically aware, they begin to understand at the root level where they can operate as designers and where substance exists in tandem with global needs. Teaching this way forms a deep insight into the student and their worldview and demands more of them; this is design responsibility.
As a fundamental posture to design responsibility, teaching a way of “Being and Doing” through a critical approach gives students new thinking and empathetic understanding. To do this well, I engage the studio as a multileveled experience, teaching for all conditions of learning styles (Auditory, Visual/Spatial, Verbal, Logical, Physical, Social, and Solitary). Through these styles, I practice “teach to the student,” which places each student uniquely upon their own learning path, which easily connects to a mentorship approach. As I walk alongside my students, I push them to far-reach goals they never imagined. All design projects, no matter the course level and or content, are world-facing, people-facing, and are rooted in complexities that will prepare the designer for future success.
Positionality
But success in teaching design lives not only in great design solutions shown in projects and case studies but also comes from a deep understanding of who and what we are. Positionality helps us recognize where we come from; our associations, upbringing, narrative, and view of Truth and Belief form an identity in how we connect and operate within the world as designers. Accordingly, I use intentionally designed tools in all design studios to help students remain aware of their evolving positionality and identity. This practice helps students see beyond the project, connect with the Why behind the work, and champion their motivations. As students advance, their Why innately becomes nuanced and pronounced, giving them mature articulation for how they distinguish themselves among the vastness of others biting at the bit.
Teaching our Why inside various design projects promotes centering and awareness of self; as we look for future design leaders, this is crucial. Our students will one day lead and facilitate in various outlets; to motivate a future designed for radical change, they need to have the opportunity to embrace the path they have first walked. I teach from this framework in all levels of graphic design learning and show that our positionality is constantly evolving and becoming; without such awareness, how can we design for the world at large?
Safe Space Authority and Agency
I teach Design in a studio context that shares a safe space for learning through Being and Doing. Each group of students works together to create class norms, rules, and expectations along with the various prompts I bring to the table. We co-create a mandate for how we plan to learn and grow together. To develop a safe space means trust must be earned and received from both parties. I give students various opportunities to meet with me in groups and one-on-one to discuss personal progress and goals to consider. These meetings form feedback mechanisms to improve the unique learning process. I believe the studio should become a sacred place where students know they have authority and agency to learn as individuals with voices and ownership. I foster this way of being by breaking down the barriers that lead to fear of failure; this often directs students to ask more extensive and more intriguing–exploratory questions. We take appropriate risks that deepen the learning quality and establish grounded personal accountability in this posture; this leads to student growth and maturity.
Emancipation and Empowerment
If established correctly, students utilize their agency and authority in learning Design as a way to empower not just themselves but others. When students have ownership of their learning, they free themselves from bonds chained by years of oppressive learning practices and social narratives often plagued with lies. This real emancipation changes the view of the student.
I teach collaborative and co-creative skills that embrace Human-Centered Design and Design Thinking approaches in my design courses. Learning these skills alongside various design content helps students find freedom in the process. In addition, I connect students to community-wide needs and partners worthy of collaboration. These soft skills help our design students learn facilitation and leadership abilities and instill a deep sense of pride and responsibility. As students engage outside of the classroom, they empower others to learn and experience Design in ways that are often unavailable. Lastly, much of my student’s informed learning is by methodologies that focus on circular design practices, reversal design, and emancipatory design practices.
Doing Good
Today’s design students hold great power, equipped with creative skills and researchable knowledge. Nevertheless, when we teach holistically and mentor the students to recognize that their abilities and talents have a place in doing good, it opens a discourse about ethical and moral value settings. The complexity of the world demands designers to become more just and honest. I help students understand these modes of intention by learning how to design for equality and humanity. Much of the focus on projects in my studios is central to issues about systemic social concerns. We tackle challenging problems that are multilayered, dense, and often ambiguous. I lead students through avenues where we utilize Design for healing and reconciliation and connect to individuals frequently uninvited and forgotten within the design equation.
Never before has there been such a need to see designers operate at levels that meet vast degrees of needs and demands. Designers for tomorrow must be able to see Design as a mechanism for global good. We must address issues concerning race, environment, education, health and well-being, and politics as these social systems make up our human way of life, both good and bad. As a design educator, my primary purpose is to mentor tomorrow’s designers who are able and willing to conceive designed outcomes that can lead us into global healing.
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Teaching design is a finessed balance between focused skill and human inquiry. It takes relationship building, trust forming, and deep listening. It also demands a clear picture of where things are heading. It requires patience and calm, and constant learning. It begs for details and insights and exposes ways of seeing that challenge the status quo. It takes opening the head, revealing the heart, and employing the hands to co-create alongside a world of extraordinary minds.