Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
iJADE Conference 2025: Ecologies, Bristol, İngiltere, 6 - 08 Kasım 2025, ss.31-32, (Özet Bildiri)
This study investigates the ecologies of design education
through a participatory design project with preschool children in a third-year
industrial design studio. Focused on designing interactive play spaces, the
project allowed design students to explore real-life ecologies while children
actively participated as co-creators and primary users of the play
environments. Recognizing preschool children as a distinct user group with
unique abilities and communication modes, the project unfolded in three stages,
bridging the children’s ecology and the studio ecology. First, students visited
the preschool to engage with the children, observe their social and play
ecology, and build initial connections. Second, they returned with open-ended
participation kits to enable the children to express their interests, imagine
new scenarios, and co-create play spaces. Third, after prototyping, children
were invited to the university to experience their contributions, play with the
outcomes, and explore the university as a new ecology. The project also offered
valuable learning for students, connecting their studio ecology with the
preschool classroom and providing insights into pedagogy, learning environment,
and social interaction. Overall, this study shows how ecological thinking in
design education can support diversity, mutual learning, and inclusive creative
practices, linking children’s imaginative practices with students’ reflective
learning to generate richer, sustainable experiences.