Abstract
Critique is considered to be a central feature of design education, serving as both a structural mechanism that provides regular feedback, and a high stakes assessment tool. This study utilizes informal peer critique as a natural extension of this existing form, engaging the practice community in reflection-in-action due to the natural physical co-location of the studio environment. The purpose of this study is to gain greater understanding of the pedagogical role of informal critique in shaping design thinking and judgment, as seen through the framing of Bourdieu’s habitus. The methodology of this study is informed by a critical theory perspective, and uses a combination of interview, observation, and stimulated recall in the process of data collection. Divergent viewpoints on the role of informal v. formal spaces, objectivity v. subjectivity of critique, and differences between professor and peer feedback are addressed. Additionally, beliefs about critique on the individual and group level are analysed as critical elements of an evolving habitus, supported by or developed in response to the culture inscribed by the pedagogy and design studio. This form of critique reveals tacit design thinking and conceptions of design, and outlines the coconstruction of habitus by individual students and the design pedagogy.
Keywords
Critique, habitus, design studio, peer assessment, reflection
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/learnxdesign.2013.060
Citation
Gray, C.M.(2013) Informal peer critique and the negotiation of habitus in a design studio, in Reitan, J.B., Lloyd, P., Bohemia, E., Nielsen, L.M., Digranes, I., & Lutnæs, E. (eds.), DRS // Cumulus: Design Learning for Tomorrow, 14-17 May, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/learnxdesign.2013.060
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Informal peer critique and the negotiation of habitus in a design studio
Critique is considered to be a central feature of design education, serving as both a structural mechanism that provides regular feedback, and a high stakes assessment tool. This study utilizes informal peer critique as a natural extension of this existing form, engaging the practice community in reflection-in-action due to the natural physical co-location of the studio environment. The purpose of this study is to gain greater understanding of the pedagogical role of informal critique in shaping design thinking and judgment, as seen through the framing of Bourdieu’s habitus. The methodology of this study is informed by a critical theory perspective, and uses a combination of interview, observation, and stimulated recall in the process of data collection. Divergent viewpoints on the role of informal v. formal spaces, objectivity v. subjectivity of critique, and differences between professor and peer feedback are addressed. Additionally, beliefs about critique on the individual and group level are analysed as critical elements of an evolving habitus, supported by or developed in response to the culture inscribed by the pedagogy and design studio. This form of critique reveals tacit design thinking and conceptions of design, and outlines the coconstruction of habitus by individual students and the design pedagogy.