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Informal Education: A New Lens on Socially Engaged Design Practices
Author(s) -
Spencer Anna Louise
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of art and design education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.312
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1476-8070
pISSN - 1476-8062
DOI - 10.1111/jade.12267
Subject(s) - sociology , relevance (law) , work (physics) , context (archaeology) , engineering ethics , pedagogy , lens (geology) , action (physics) , intersection (aeronautics) , discipline , informal education , community work , action research , design education , higher education , social science , engineering , political science , geography , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , aerospace engineering , mechanical engineering , art , petroleum engineering , law , visual arts
The disciplinary intersection between community work and design is under‐explored. Despite similarities in both the context and values of the work, there has not been a significant critical comparison of their respective approaches in either theory or practice. This article suggests that informal education offers an alternative lens to consider both disciplines and inform future practice. More specifically, it considers the relevance of informal education principles in design education and design practice that has an explicit social focus. This discussion is drawn from doctoral practitioner action research in Scotland during 2016–18. The fieldwork focused on the different outlooks and approaches to work in community settings from both design and community work perspectives.