Providing students with opportunities to build, and test and revise ideas, can help them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In this article, the authors describe how core measurement and geometry concepts were embedded within a "Model It!" task. They replicate an industry-based, interdisciplinary problem, but only…

Parent participation in the construction of a playground is related here. Four criteria were considered in the process: exercise, social interaction, safety and durability, and availability of materials and labor. (DS)

This booklet, the first of a projected series related to the development of methodologies and techniques for environments planning and design, examines three approaches that are currently being used to identify, analyze, and evaluate the natural and man-made resources that comprise the physical environment. One approach by G. Angus Hills uses a…

Realizing that school sites can play an important role in enhancing the educational process, guidelines dealing with the development of a school site for environmental education purposes are presented. First, the roles of this site for environmental studies are explained as: (1) an ecology laboratory, (2) an environmental management laboratory,…

This guidebook provides an empirically-based set of planning and design guidelines for the construction of winter play facilities for Canadian youth residing in locations where outdoor play in winter is curtailed for approximately 4 months of the year. Information used in developing the guidelines was derived from field observations, a literature…

The booklet provides information for the design and evaluation of a barrier free outdoor environment for handicapped individuals. Section 1 discusses the scope of the study, defines terms, cites pertinent laws and legislation, describes cost/benefit factors, and surveys population statistics. Section 2 considers recommended design details in the…

An international congress was devoted to a contemporary examination of the existing relation between building costs and building quality and of possible ways of influencing this relation positively. Key-note papers by members of CIB and of other international organizations discussed the following topics--(1) human requirements of buildings, (2)…

The new faculty club at Pennsylvania State University designed by Venturi and Rauch, is praised for its siting, but criticized for the institutional colors of the interior and lack of accommodation to human needs. (MLF)

Increasing need for vocational education under the impetus of federal aid is generating a demand for vocational teaching facilities. Factors to be considered in planning these facilities inclued--(1) site development, (2) program needs, (3) administrative considerations, (4) environmental controls. (5) mechanical systems, and (6) area and space…

This report deals primarily with the design of an integrated free play environment for both able-bodied and disabled children. First, the different types of handicaps (and their debilitating effects) which affect children, and the different mobility aids which are used by these children are discussed. Then, a number of guidelines concerning…

Dangers and difficulties are indicated in the use of standard school plans furnished by the state architect rather than individual design solutions developed for a specific situation. Criticism is raised of several state departments of education which continue to prepare and recommend standard school plans. Areas of difficulty include--(1)…

Even though the mechanisms for policy input are limited, there exists a need for a link between the theoretical, the empirical, and the applied. This study proposed a viable mechanism for meeting the challenge of accountability for both the social scientist and the architect. A process model was developed by a sociologist and an architect which…

Designed to be a working guideline for educators developing academic specifications and user requirements for the K-6 schools in metropolitan Toronto, this report has three major divisions. Part 1 contains material on the aims and objectives of education, the teaching-learning process, curriculum, and current educational trends. Part 2 relates the…

The Central Park Project, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, illustrates the importance of participation in the design process and the impact of school sites on children as well as on the surrounding neighborhood. (Author/MLF)

This report details the activities of a project which sought to use group processes for educating people about their environment. The approach was interdisciplinary and emphasis was placed on the decision-making processes. Wide cross-sections of participants were organized into task forces. Training sessions, tours, and experiments were conducted…