Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
New Developments in Education and Social Sciences, Doç. Dr. Mehmet Dalkılıç, Editör, Gece Kitaplığı Yayınevi, Ankara, ss.349-362, 2020
A topical issue of modern society is a search for effective ways of
personality’s upbringing capable of self-determination and self-realization in
the culture world. Principles of this individuality are laid in childhood where
important prerequisites are created for children to show interest in matters of
genuine artistic and historical significance.
It ought to be noted that the pre-school period is the time when children
begin enhancing cognitive activity. This age is characterized by children’s
behavior as follows: curiosity; striving for something new; searching for new
impressions; yearning for experiment and observations. Contributing to the
development of cognitive interests are brilliant, substantial objects and
occurrences (Krylova, 2002).
With a view of exploring peculiarities of children’s interest in architecture
within the framework of summer school under Department of Architecture,
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of Eskisehir Osmangazi University a
weekly course was held titled «Baking biscuits, cognizing architecture»
attended by children aged 5 to 8 years. The courses revealed that children
showed interest in architecture in the form of their preparedness to ask
questions about separate architectural objects, their attempts to draw,
compose and shape dough in the course of baking.
It should be noted that architecture as science caused emotional response
and urged a child to show interest in emotional, cognitive, creative and
communicative activities.
The courses included 3 stages of activity: motivation, information and
transformation.
The summer weekly courses revealed a positive dynamic of interest in
architecture among children aged 5 to 8 years. In particular, children began
showing ever growing and profound interest in architectural facilities, various
types of creative activity on the basis of individually significant views on
cultural-historical peculiarity of architecture. Also, the courses indicated that
interest in architecture is a factor promoting a personal education. courses program explored the development of cognitive interests by means
of:
- animated and brisk teaching;
- motivation for long-term intellectual and cognitive activity;
-formation of personality’s preparedness for further education.
It is vivid, substantial objects and occurrences and insight into
architecture that make children uncover the world of culture. Note that
architecture is a major component of culture. When it comes to children,
architecture comes out as a means of generating artistic taste among children,
solicitous attitude to environment and developing creative milestones among
senior pupils.
Figure 1-2: Work of children in the classroom. Theme – Architecture
It should be appreciated that architecture is a means providing wider
opportunities for children’s upbringing and development. Granting this,
cognitive interest is shaped in terms of joining architectural masterpieces.
When acquainting with architecture, a feeling of the beautiful is formed in a
child, and the latter begins caring for architectural heritage (Molosova, 2001).
It should be added that children’s insight into architecture developed not
only their interest but also enabled children to enhance cognitive activity,
shape views on forms of objects and upbring aesthetic feelings.
To develop and promote a cognitive interest there were used various
forms and methods, cognitive conversations and presentations on different
architecture styles and their distinctive features. Upon completion of each
presentation’s theme and discussions, there were held exhibitions of
children’s drawings and hand-made articles.
It must be acknowledged that the most effective proved to be a method of
modeling in various kinds of activity, for instance, in playing, designing,
drawing, baking, etc. This enabled a child to get acquainted with architecture
and keep up interest in it. Note that modeling enabled children to get acquainted with various
diminishing copies of architectural objects and learn to work independently,
create personal projects and thus imagine themselves as architects.