Mimetic Teaching Strategy in Design Education: Relationship Between Students Learning Style and Creativity

Abstract

This research explores the connection between changes in students' learning styles and the components of creativity in a design studio setting that utilizes mimetic teaching strategies. The study assumes that the change in learning styles is related to the level of creativity exhibited in the design process and final product. The theoretical framework of this study, which focuses on the learning strategy of 13 students taking the second-year architectural design project course in the architecture department throughout the semester, is formed by Rhodes' 4Ps (Person, Press, Process, and Product). Accordingly, the skill of reasoning (person) by Sloman and Pahl & Beitz (associative-variant / hybrid-adaptable / metaphorical-original); resource utilization in the design process (press) by Casakin, Akalın and Özkan & Akalın (within domains –hybrid- between domains); design process (process) by Rittel (linear/non-linear) and the created product (product) by Gentner and Markman and Welling (application-analogy-combination-abstraction) were analyzed based on the theoretical framework. The study found that students who experienced different learning styles throughout the semester utilized a non-linear design process to reach the original design, using metaphorical reasoning. On the other hand, students who used associative reasoning with a linear process struggled to analyze abstract and undefined design problems, resulting in variations of already solved designs. To overcome this, learners should be guided to find examples that promote metaphorical reasoning, activate their connection to the context, and encourage alternative thinking. Encouraging the use of metaphorical reasoning as a tool for creative restructuring and reinterpretation facilitates the development of original and adaptable designs.