Last year I lived right beside the Ontario College of Art and Design , also known as OCAD (http://www.ocad.ca/). The building instantly caught my eye, I thought it was very unique, and had never seen a building like it before. I loved the concept that the building was “held up” by crayons. One day I ventured closer, and went to sit under it. It was not until then that I noticed the black and white patterns of the building. Previous to getting up and close to the building my attention was drawn in by the crayons, but once I recognized the wonderful patterns it became the main focus of the building.
My inspiration for this blog was built on the interest of this building. Often when the world would become a stressful place and I needed some relaxation I would walk through Grange Park, and end up sitting underneath the building. Often I would lay back and just stare at the building from underneath. The best time of day to view this building in my opinion is at night. The dark of the sky in contrast to the building is beautiful. When friends have come to visit me in Toronto and we have been in the area this is a building I will go out of my way to show my friends.
And here is a picture of the building the way I like to view it;
*Keep in mind these are pictures taken with a Blackberry so the quality is not too great!
Future Implications
In terms of implications for the future, I strongly feel that my experience with this building can be translated to children. It took a while for me to look past my first impressions of the building and find my true appreciation for the building. In terms of children this experience can show children that there is not one way to look at something. For example me laying under the building is not necessarily what most people would do. Children are constantly full of surprises, and they are not always going to approach situations how we expect them. The way children approach and appreciate different experiences may not be the way they are expected, and it may deviate from the intentions of the teacher. This experience however should be respected, and by doing so it shows a child-centred curriculum.
Pattern:
The definition of pattern according to Schirrmacher and Fox is “a mark or design that is repeated in some recurring sequence” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 367).
From a young age in math we are taught that everything is a pattern, and that even no pattern is a pattern. There are things however that fit the prototype of a pattern better than others. This building is a pattern, but it takes one a while to sit and figure out. From first glance it seems random, but after spending a great deal of time looking there is a pattern.
References
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for
young children (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.
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