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Five work packages
The engine in the
TRANSark
-project is five work packages that will explore the potential of already initiated activities
related to the rethinking of pedagogical and architectural practice. The presentation of the work packages (WPs) and
their special areas of investigation constitute the main content of this booklet. WPs 1–4 are practice-based fields of
investigation directly connected to learning arenas either at or supported by the faculty. WP 5 will study the praxis of
the other work packages and discuss the findings in the theoretical pedagogical framework of transformative learning
and threshold concepts. Thus, a feedback system between praxis and theory will be crucial in developing quality and
pedagogical creativity.
Transformative learning
To become an architect, with the challenges and responsibilities that face us as professionals and citizens of a shared
globe at the start of the 21 century, is not merely a question of passing exams; it also involves the way we see our sur-
roundings and how they are related to society. Instrumental learning is the traditional way of adapting knowledge and
skills within a given set of cultural values and material possibilities, and is to some extent still valid in higher education.
However, to develop mental flexibility, personal responsibility, and open-ended creativity in responding to a global situa-
tion in flux and crisis requires learning experiences on a different level. Transformative learning presents a perspective on
education that is challenging for the learner, the teacher, and the educational institution. It deals with substantial change:
Transformative learning involves experiencing a deep, structural shift in the basic premises of thought, feelings, and
actions. It is a shift of consciousness that dramatically and irreversibly alters our way of being in the world.
(Edmund O’Sullivan)
TRANSark
’s task is to explore this perspective of learning on a practical and theoretical level, based on the framework
of a renewed perspective on architectural education.
Activities
In the coming years
TRANSark
will build experience and knowledge through practical and theoretical research, write
and publish articles, arrange conferences, establish networks, and participate in educational fora concerning the evolving
field of transformative learning in higher education. Please contact us if you would like to know more or to become part
of this venture (http://www.ntnu.edu/transark).