I am Stella Taucer Job, a second-year student teacher candidate at uOttawa, with a degree in Interior Design. I have had the wonderful opportunity to teach a complete unit on Interior Design to three of Ms. Ionta’s Grade 10 Art classes wherein students were challenged to create their idea of a dream room, in a dream location. Throughout this unit students touched on all aspects of the design process: getting to know their client’s needs, understanding location design, detailing the representation of their designs through floor plans, and rendering perspectives. 

As part of their research, students explored design careers in the fields of Architecture, Graphic Design, Fashion Design and Industrial Design. They learned how to design for a ‘client’, rather than themselves, using the creative design process. Students were encouraged to consider many factors involved in design, including challenges, such as working to a client budget and  having to make difficult choices about whether to go ahead with the indoor pool, or the indoor games room! Students researched their chosen location’s climate and considered how the sun path of the location impacted major aspects of their design choices, such as window size and  location, as well as sustainable sourcing building materials. Students were introduced and encouraged to explore a variety of technology programs and apps at each step of their design. Below are few examples of their work to date.

I was very impressed with the enthusiasm students showed to further explore online design programs. This engagement  had a direct impact on the quality, detail and accuracy of their rendered floor plans. I look forward to completing a second teaching block in the third term. In the meantime, I will continue to join Ashbury students in art class every Wednesday and look forward to continuing to inspire them to learn through creative exploration.