Buying Bags of Kaleidoscopes: reflecting on how far ideas in teaching can travel

Today, Oliver concluded his series of six workshops as part of the Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) Masters program in Cambridge. In this final session, participants reviewed the material covered over the last five sessions, spread out over two years, and set objectives for their continued professional growth.

The series of six lectures aimed to integrate collaborative design skills into the Masters program, focusing on both creativity and collaboration.

Throughout the first five lectures, Oliver introduced various models familiar to Constructivist audiences, including the Kalideascope, the Five Elements of the Brief, skills for listening, and techniques for managing conflict. The advanced level of the program allowed for in-depth exploration of these concepts during extended discussion sessions.

The final session aimed to consolidate the course content. Given the program’s two-year span, it was insightful to see which concepts resonated with participants and how they applied these principles in their professional lives. Constructivist’s philosophy emphasises learning by mapping new knowledge to existing understanding, making it fascinating to see this process in action. We then carried out a final exercise in which participants supported each other in defining goals for their ongoing professional development.

“I was really happy to hear how people have picked up and adopted many of these principles back in their workplace. One participant even said they had bought a load of kaleidoscopes for their team. It is amazing how far some of these ideas travel,”

Oliver Broadbent

We are looking forward to meeting the next cohort that begins the programme in September 2024.