Edu­ca­ting for the fu­ture: Pa­trick Flynn's ar­chi­tec­ture pe­da­go­gi­cal ap­proach

En français : Éduquer pour l'avenir: la pédagogie architecturale selon Patrick Flynn

Patrick Flynn played a key role in organizing the Pedagogy Awards 2024. In this interview, he highlights the importance of educating students to think critically and creatively, while also emphasizing the central role of educators in this process. He shares in this three-question interview his vision of expanding the impact of the awards through initiatives like "Teaching the Teachers," which promotes peer-to-peer learning and pedagogical innovation across Europe. The goal is to adopt new teaching methodologies and encourage more collaborative pedagogical practices, ensuring that architecture schools stay aligned with contemporary challenges.

You played a key role in preparing the Pedagogy Awards. How could the judging process be improved to better reflect the diversity of the submitted pedagogical projects?

The judging brought together a range of different voices from across the world not only in Europe but the States and the Southern hemisphere. These range of voices brought a diversity of opinions and expertise to the adjudication process. We will be expanding even further the number of locations for the judges of the next iteration of this award.

As Head of Teaching and Learning in the University and part of the Education Academy in the EAAE, what aspects of pedagogy did you aim to highlight this year?

Our emphasis was on our Principles & Practices of Architectural Education.^[1] As educators we are future focussed where we are educating for future society and future profession needs. We are looking to highlight pedagogy where students were taught to develop critical judgement and a teaching that fosters creativity and curiosity. 

This requires insight in both architectural as well as pedagogical practice.

How do you evaluate the impact of the EAAE Pedagogy Awards on architectural education in Europe? What feedback have you received from winners or participants on how the award has influenced their pedagogical practice?

We will be inviting the four finalists and winner to present their approaches at our next conference in 2025 with this question in mind. This will give participants the opportunity to take a fresh look at their work process and highlight how their teaching has evolved since the awards were presented. We are also currently developing a “Teaching the Teachers”^[2] initiative which develops peer to peer learning further. It will bring staff from across Europe together to share their teaching experiences and provide methods to develop pedagogical practice further. We will be working with our colleagues from the ACE (Architects' Council of Europe) again to develop the award further.

Patrick Flynn - Head of Teaching & Learning in the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment TU Dublin & Council member EAAE. He is the co-editor and contributor of the book Rethinking The Crit : New Pedagogies in Design Education (Routledge NY & London, 2023).

Notes

1. Principes et Pratiques de l'Éducation Architecturale (Français) / Principles & Practices of Architectural Education (English)
    

2. "Teaching the Teachers" is a program focused on the professional development and continuous training of educators. It promotes peer exchange and the sharing of best teaching practices. This program improves the quality of education by strengthening teachers' skills, with a direct impact on student learning. It is particularly relevant for disciplines such as architecture, where interdisciplinarity and pedagogical innovation are essential.

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