This article is an overview of the Architecture and Design class for freshmen. Below teachers, Mr. Geringer and Mr. Rodriguez talk about what the class will be like for incoming freshmen and what to expect.
Who are you?
My name is Ira Geringer, and I am one of the freshmen architecture & design teachers at WHSAD. After a long career as a professional in the graphic design industry, I became a CTE teacher and aim to develop the design skills and creative thinking process of all of our students.
My name is Abraham Rodriguez. I am a career and technical educator with a strong passion for design, technology, and sustainability. Through computer-aided design and work-based learning, I facilitate students’ learning experiences to foster collaboration, design thinking, and environmental stewardship. I seek to develop instructional and digital learning design skills to support the study of sustainable urban systems and their advanced technology integration.
What’s the Curriculum like? (Pre-Quarantine and Post-Quarantine).
We begin with teaching the fundamental building blocks of design: Elements and principles.
We also teach perspective drawing, observational drawing, architects and architecture research presentations, model making, and computer assisted design (CAD).
What are students doing online and how does it differ from when we were in person?
If we were doing in-person teaching, we would be working with various art and design making materials, to develop design skills that each student should have. We would also be utilizing laptop computers to teach AutoCad and various other design & architecture programs.
Now, we rely on students creating their art in sketchbooks, taking snapshots of them and applying them to Google Slides and a whiteboard called Miro. The Miro environment allows students to collaborate, add their own art or art from the internet, videos and website articles. We also like Miro because it allows students to create statements and comment on the work of other students using sticky notes and comment cards.
What projects do you have and what programs do you use in class?
- The first semester is hands-on sketching and developing drawing skills
- Elements of art – perspective drawing – observational drawing – evolution of a design
- Model making – with wood sticks, balsa wood, chipboard
- FloorPlanner, TinkerCAD
What programs do you generally offer for freshman students?
- Makerspace studio
- Opportunities to submit to Pratt Young Scholars
- WHSAD Art Club
We work with a non-profit organization called Powerhouse. They find opportunities to bring on student interns and arrange workshops for students interested in areas like woodworking, textiles (including screen printing), ceramics.
Examples of student artwork:
