Abstract:

Multicultural Education is generally referred to as any form of education incorporating different cultural backgrounds. Cultural diversity is the key term. Architectural education is inherently multidisciplinary and celebrates cultural diversity. In many cases, culture is defined in the broadest possible sense, covering nationality, language, religion, class, gender etc. Its main objective is to remove barriers for educational opportunities and promote success for students from different cultural backgrounds. In this way, multicultural education aims to improve the learning of all students. It requires a careful selection of learning content, student cultures, critical analysis and resource allocation.

This paper is about an international workshop held in Barcelona, June 2016, between UPC/ETSAB (Universitat Politecnica de Catalonia/Escola Tecnica Superior D’Arquitecture de Barcelona) and BAU/FA&D (Bahcesehir University/Faculty of Architecture & Design). The title of the workshop was “Urban Tissue”. Thirty students from both faculties worked in joint groups and were asked to create a stop motion video as the end product of the workshop. The objective of the workshop was providing a best learning experience within a multicultural student population, in a multicultural environment, in a short period of time.

Growing popularity of videos for education proved to be right in the case of Summer Workshop 2016 of ETSAB and BAU. Videos helped to create student engagement and facilitate learning. Thinking and reflecting on buildings and places they visited, students had a chance of experimenting lived space by using all their senses, through their sketches and mixed images that made up their stop motion videos. It was a challenge because the conditions were not the best because majority of the workshop students met for the first time. Multicultural collaboration was the key. For architectural design students, a central concept is the increasing international networking. Design is becoming an ever more sociable and cultural process. The imperative to collaborate extends beyond the domain of cultural or national but working in multicultural design teams.

Keywords:

Barcelona, multicultural education, workshop, stop motion video.