Art, design and environment: A programme for teacher education

This account of a programme for PGCE Art/Design students at University Coll ege Bretton Hall, Wakefield (UK) describes an attempt in initial teacher tr aining to develop a course of study which links art, design, environment an d education. It seeks to develop a range of perceptions of the built enviro nment, including those of the artist, the critic and the designer. The idea s and methods of working developed on this programmer support students' wor k in schools. The paper explains the rationale and describes the intensive workshop programme, which includes streetwork, studio sessions and critique . It reports on students' research and their work in schools. Issues includ e the place of built environment studies in the Art/Design curriculum, the use of the environment as an educational resource and learning methods and teaching strategies. It comments on the satisfactions and frustrations of d eveloping such a programme in initial teacher education. It presents the wo rk at Bretton Hall as a case study in a wider range of work currently being developed by students, tutors and teachers involved in other courses. They have come together through the 'Site Specific Project' to create a researc h network to support curriculum innovation and teachers' professional devel opment.