Urbanisation is a social phenomenon that is experienced in many cities all over the world. In Johannesburg, millions of people migrate into the city daily with hope for a better life, improved living conditions, work opportunities, sufficient public resources and facilities. The city is under pressure to provide adequate public resources to cope with the high influx of people moving into the city. As a result many resources and facilities, especially in the education sector, have experienced a decline in the quality of education and appropriate spaces for learning in the city. In trying to respond to the inclining population of the city, urban schools have been established in the Johannesburg. Urban schools are faced with many challenges such as: over-crowding, inadequate spaces for teaching and learning, lack of spaces for extracurricular activities and recreation, thus resulting in most learners performing poorly in their schooling careers. In most cases urban schools occupy old office buildings, which were not designed for the purpose of nurturing a young mind through education and recreation. These buildings serve as part of the problem with education and educating in the city. These buildings offer poor light quality, ventilation, and inadequate spaces critical for a well-functioning school and engaging with inquisitive young minds. The 21st century also presents a lot of opportunities and challenges for public education. The current South African public education system is still based on the early 19th century educational model, which was conceived and designed for the success of colonisation. Fix the next sentence about today... Though, the OBE system was recently introduced, but that has hasn’t had a great impact on the built environment of schools as it mainly continued using the old schools. Through re-conceptualising spatial environments that evoke the students’ engagement, enthusiasm and performance, the urban public school has the potential to make education more appealing and exciting to Johannesburg urban youth.

M.Tech. (Architectural Technology) / The inner city space is a living and working locale for diverse population groups. The central business district provides job opportunities for a multitude of skilled and unskilled workers who either live in the city or who commute from outlying areas and suburbs. In other words, it serves many purposes for many people. Yet it is rarely acknowledged as an appropriate space for young children. Reality, however, shows that children should and are accommodated within the inner city. They are part of the families that engage with the city on a daily basis. The research question addressed by this study mainly concerns how the architecture should respond to a situation which acknowledges the presence of children in the inner city in a way that is not only safe and secure but also draws on the unique learning experiences that the city offers. In this respect there are endless possibilities for discovery and sensory exploration. The city is a sensory cornucopia, of sorts. The challenge is therefore to create a relationship between the pre-school and the city that is symbiotic. Because life is the generator of the city, children add another layer to its intriguing complexities. In return, the city provides exciting educational experiences which "have the potential to ensure that memories are made and remembered. An urban preschool is not typified by the way it mirrors the urban context or incorporates it thematically, but by the way it engages and becomes part of its pattern language. Existing boundaries which are often restrictive and prescriptive are deconstructed and reconstructed, and, in doing so, the identity and the conventional stereotype of the urban preschool is redefined. The challenge that this study purports to address is to create a balance between two realms: the preschool as a place of ultimate safety and the public realm as a place of ultimate freedom. It takes into consideration how these issues have been addressed locally and overseas from the point of educational principles and, specifically, how the architecture supports and incorporates these principals within the urban context. Such an exploration of factors that typify an urban preschool (as opposed to the more familiar suburban model) will culminate in the development of a preschool that is completely context specific, especially with regard to the sensory references in the city.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1991. / Odd-number pages numbered; even number pages blank. Pages 170 and 171 blank. / Includes bibliographical references. / The intent of this work was to explore an additive working method as a way to generate building form. It was initiated without any preconceived ideas about the project's final outcome. Instead, it focused on observations, associations, and attitudes of existing experiences and information. Working from the position that "one perception must immediately and directly lead to a further perception," a decisions were made. The design of an elementary school was the vehicle for the process. / by Mark Daley. / M.S.

O presente trabalho propõe uma investigação sobre as origens do ensino de design, no âmbito de bacharelado na cidade de São Paulo, tomandose como referências: documentação primária dos cursos (grades curriculares, ementas das disciplinas, projetos pedagógicos, trabalhos acadêmicos), bibliografia específica, contextos históricos e depoimentos dos personagens que participaram de suas histórias. Desse modo, objetiva-se buscar conhecer os princípios do ensino paulistano do design com foco na formação profissional / acadêmica oferecida e verificar possíveis relações entre as primeiras Instituições que implantaram disciplinas ou cursos de desenho industrial (design de produto e design gráfico) com a finalidade de identificar uma possível (ou mais) matriz conceitual do ensino regular de design. A partir de uma abordagem qualitativa pretende-se resgatar a história da implementação do ensino paulistano de design e a contribuição dos que fizeram parte da abertura e desenvolvimento desse ensino nos primeiros anos da formação acadêmica em nível superior. As informações recebidas dos participantes nas montagens dos cursos e as obtidas paralelamente dos registros ainda existentes na academia, objetiva possibilitar melhor compreensão sobre o perfil profissional que se pretendia no cenário paulistano da época. Com isso, esta pesquisa pretende contribuir com os estudos e reflexões sobre as elaborações atuais e futuras dos cursos e de planos educacionais no campo do design por meio de um resgate de suas origens. / This work presents a research into the origins of the teaching of design at college in São Paulo City having as a reference: basic course documents (curricula, amendments, pedagogic projects, academic works), especial bibliographies , historical context and the talks of the people engaged in those facts. This way one aims to the very beginning of the design teaching in São Paulo with focus on the professional and academic background off ered and on verifying the probable relations among the early Institutes that implemented disciplines or courses of industrial design (product and graphic design ) searching in order to identify a possible matrix of concepts of the regular teaching of design. From a qualitative approach the work intends to rescue the setting up of the teaching of design in São Paulo and the contribution of those who took part of the birth and development of this teaching in the early years of the academic formation at university level. The knowledge acquired from the contributors in the assembling of the courses and that one simultaneously obtained from records still existing at the academy has as a target to make possible a better understanding over professional skills desired in São Paulo scenario at the time. Thus, this work intends to contribute to the researches and thoughts over the elaboration of present and future courses and to the educational planning in the field of design through the rescue of its origins.

O presente trabalho propõe uma investigação sobre as origens do ensino de design, no âmbito de bacharelado na cidade de São Paulo, tomandose como referências: documentação primária dos cursos (grades curriculares, ementas das disciplinas, projetos pedagógicos, trabalhos acadêmicos), bibliografia específica, contextos históricos e depoimentos dos personagens que participaram de suas histórias. Desse modo, objetiva-se buscar conhecer os princípios do ensino paulistano do design com foco na formação profissional / acadêmica oferecida e verificar possíveis relações entre as primeiras Instituições que implantaram disciplinas ou cursos de desenho industrial (design de produto e design gráfico) com a finalidade de identificar uma possível (ou mais) matriz conceitual do ensino regular de design. A partir de uma abordagem qualitativa pretende-se resgatar a história da implementação do ensino paulistano de design e a contribuição dos que fizeram parte da abertura e desenvolvimento desse ensino nos primeiros anos da formação acadêmica em nível superior. As informações recebidas dos participantes nas montagens dos cursos e as obtidas paralelamente dos registros ainda existentes na academia, objetiva possibilitar melhor compreensão sobre o perfil profissional que se pretendia no cenário paulistano da época. Com isso, esta pesquisa pretende contribuir com os estudos e reflexões sobre as elaborações atuais e futuras dos cursos e de planos educacionais no campo do design por meio de um resgate de suas origens. / This work presents a research into the origins of the teaching of design at college in São Paulo City having as a reference: basic course documents (curricula, amendments, pedagogic projects, academic works), especial bibliographies , historical context and the talks of the people engaged in those facts. This way one aims to the very beginning of the design teaching in São Paulo with focus on the professional and academic background off ered and on verifying the probable relations among the early Institutes that implemented disciplines or courses of industrial design (product and graphic design ) searching in order to identify a possible matrix of concepts of the regular teaching of design. From a qualitative approach the work intends to rescue the setting up of the teaching of design in São Paulo and the contribution of those who took part of the birth and development of this teaching in the early years of the academic formation at university level. The knowledge acquired from the contributors in the assembling of the courses and that one simultaneously obtained from records still existing at the academy has as a target to make possible a better understanding over professional skills desired in São Paulo scenario at the time. Thus, this work intends to contribute to the researches and thoughts over the elaboration of present and future courses and to the educational planning in the field of design through the rescue of its origins.

The need for new and innovative alternatives to traditional high schools has never been greater. Never designed to graduate all students on time, traditional high schools and their high dropout rates have remained unchanged for the last 30 years. Improving secondary schooling for all young people is a worthwhile social and educational objective. Many school leaders want to create alternative high schools but may lack the knowledge of what to do, nor may they have a comprehensive design process to follow. The research question explored in this dissertation is: What do leaders in education need to know to design innovative alternatives to traditional high schools? This dissertation studied four aspects or assumptions that school leaders should understand when designing alternatives to traditional high schools: (a) consider all of the elements of successful alternative high schools, (b) start over conceptually when designing a new alternative high school, (c) use regional accreditation standards as a framework for design, and (d) begin design with the end in mind for program evaluation. Research literature topics of alternative education, organizational leadership, school accreditation standards, and program evaluation were reviewed. The research conducted was theoretically and practically grounded in Bridges and Hallinger's (1995) Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Borg and Gall's (1989) Research and Development (R&D) Cycle. The product of the research conducted in the R&D cycle was a process for designing alternative high schools. Qualitative and quantitative data collected from school leaders and designers during field tests was analyzed to improve a prototype of an alternative high school design process. An effective process that is ready for dissemination was the result of this research. A larger implication of the application of this process will be the improvement of high school experiences for all students through the creation of new designs for innovative forms of secondary schooling.