Sustainable Turtle House Design Brief (Aztec context) for Gifted and Talented Students.

Download or read book Sustainable Turtle House Design Brief (Aztec context) for Gifted and Talented Students. written by William Van Zyl and published by Five House Publishing. This book was released on 2018-08-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE DESIGN BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE –TURTLE HOUSE DESIGN (WITHIN AN AZTEC CULTURAL CONTEXT) SITUATION You are a turtle living in Mexico (South America) during the age of the Aztec civilisation. You see the Aztecs travelling every day by boat (canoe) transporting vegetables, meat, etc. on their waterways. You and your turtle family live on the banks of the large lake and swim among the Aztecs daily. Remember the Aztecs build their city (Tenochtitlan) on stilts in the water. It is the year 1521... DESIGN BRIEF Design a sustainable turtle house for you and your family. The structure has to house 4 x turtles in total, including your mom and dad (or caregivers). Use bio-mimetic principles to guide you (ask nature how). You have to think like a turtle. Draw on your experiences as a turtle and your research. However, you must design and construct it like a human being. In other words, 'think like a turtle and construct (design) like a human'. FOR TEACHERS: What is behind the lesson/design brief that could benefit students? What are employers looking for in employees in the modern era, which we live in? To access information and knowledge are easy. Everyone can do it with the click of a button. However, the question is "what can you do with what you know"? The answer of the person being interviewed is a very important one. Think about your answer if you are in a typical interview situation. 'What can you do with what you know?' Wagner (2012) identifies seven important areas that could be developed for students, regarding this question. How can we as teachers develop these skills of students? Wagner lists the seven important areas - that could be considered - as follow: Critical thinking and problem-solving (ability to ask the right questions) Collaboration across networks and leading by influence Agility and adaptability. Initiative and entrepreneurship Effective oral and written communication Accessing and analysing information Curiosity and imagination KEYWORDS: AZTEC, turtle, sustainability, architecture, gifted and talented, integrated learning, creativity, innovation, originality, collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, agility, adaptability, initiative, entrepreneurship, verbal communication, written communication, analysing information, accessing information, curiosity and imagination, Design and Visual Communication, biomimetics, Tenochtitlan ESSAY RELATED TO THIS BOOK: *This is a follow up on an ESSAY by W van Zyl, which is about giftedness and talent (secondary school students). This resource includes a practical lesson (design brief) for gifted and talented students. Essay: The Creativity Debate: Talent or Practice – What Matters More? Are schools killing creativity, and what can I do as a high school teacher in New Zealand, to enhance creativity in my own practice as a Design and Visual Communication teacher? The essay is available at https://fivehousepublishing.com/ BOOK DETAILS: 4154 Pages including many images, sketches and video links.