Abstract
Growing concerns regarding climate change and diminishing resources have prompted educators to adjust their teaching practices. However, addressing these complex concerns effectively in the classroom remains challenging, especially with regards to accommodating diverse student learning modalities. This analysis proposes Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (GTMI) as a comprehensive model for exploring students’ sustainability skills in the current educational landscape. Through evaluation of the studio course Sustainable Design for Healthy Communities (SDHC) as a case study, this paper outlines the purpose of our study, the methods employed in our course design, and the potential impact our findings could have on the training of teachers interested in developing design pedagogy related to sustainable development. The SDHC project demonstrates the practicality and effectiveness of GTMI in a real-world context. In this project, fashion design students actively engaged with sustainable development in their local community. The course pedagogy, which employed active learning and reflection cycles, was adapted using Gardner’s comprehensive modalities structure, identifying individual needs through ten levels of experiential learning. The researchers used qualitative mixed methods to track the evolution of student outcomes. The findings revealed that students participating in the SDHC project strengthened their sustainability competencies and demonstrated increased pro-environmental behaviors. This study demonstrates a practical application of GTMI through the SDHC project as a case study. It proposes GTMI as a tangible solution to enhance students’ sustainability competencies and foster behavioral change by deliberately focusing on both the teacher and the student’s roles in active learning and evidence-based curriculum.
Presenters
Barbara TrippeerAssistant Professor, Design Department, University of North Texas, Texas, United States Johnnie Stark
Associate Professor of Interior Design, Design Department, University of North Texas, Texas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Sustainability, Education, Learning Theory, Experiential Learning, Pro-Environment Behavior
