Designing in a studio environment - notes and reactions

Four characteristics of a studio education:

1. Studio space itself
Work spaces, work surfaces - not organized towards a lecture setting. Can be difficult to hold a discussion or lecture in this space. Space is available to students 24/7 - each student owns his own space.
In contrast to the trend - difficult to identify and secure a space. These aren't open to any other class or instruction.
More time is required - a 3 credit hour class requires 6 hours in studio classes a week.

2. Students move through in a tight, small cohort
Programs are expensive to host and provide. Group size of undergraduates is more similar to a large graduate program.

3. The way that assignments/projects are designed
Sometimes projects take all semester. Other classes are seen as supportive of the studio project.

4. Precedent
Constant exposure to the work of other designers (professionals, other students)

Pedagogy - what the teachers are doing day-to-day
From a student's perspective, the studio is much bigger than the classtime they see with the teacher. The culture permeates their lives.
The actual scheduled time the teacher has control of:
Lectures, demonstrations, discussions are short - typically about 10 minutes.
Students are at work most of the time
"The students can work at home. Why should we give up instructional time?"
Because the opportunity to interact with peers and teachers while they work is crucial.
Critiques

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My thoughts about my studio education:
My undergrad experience in studio education - fine arts and graphic design - were invaluable to me. I had always assumed that the instructional model was inherent in the pedagogical approach to fine arts, and hadn't thought about it applying to other disciplines.
I remember one of my graphic design courses - a 5-credit class that consisted of 9 hours in-class every week. I would sit down to work on a project, and I would work... something that I wasn't used to doing in other classes. And I never minded the 3 hours at a time, because they were 3 hours that I was using, and they would fly by.

In response to Kennon's concerns about public critiques, I think I would have to disagree with her concerns. She brings up the tendency for critiques to become adversarial and uncomfortable to students. I thought that critiques were a vital part of my education - they taught me the difference between formal critique/emphasis on improvement and contention. We tend to coddle students, to teach them that their self-worth and their work is synonymous. No wonder first-time art students may have a hard time with their first critique. But it's important for them to learn that the two are not synonymous, otherwise there won't be an opportunity for them to improve.

One of my graphic design professors addressed this once. Some students were feeling resentful when someone else's project got more attention and acclaim than theirs. Our professor told us: "Sometimes you'll be tempted to feel resentful because your project isn't inferior. Don't let that energy make you bitter - transform it into a desire to improve. Channel it into wanting to improve the flaws in your own project and do everything you can to get it to the level that you see others working at."