Academic Teaching Portfolio

ACADEMIC TEACHING

Tania Torrado

02.

Philosophy of Education

3. 03.

Effectiveness in Teaching Practice: Learning-centered Teaching.

1. Inclusive Student Learning Experience

2. Using Data/Information to Inform Teaching.

AboutPortfolio

Interior architecture teaching practices documentation to cultivate meaningful, engaging, and inclusive learning environments for the new generation of architects and designers.

AboutMe

Tania Torrado is a visionary leader, interior designer, and educator who aims to redefine design boundaries. Her teaching philosophy focuses on innovation and holistic development, stressing that education should nurture creativity and empathy, not just technical skills. With extensive experience in leadership positions and an unrelenting passion for improving human experiences through design, Tania has created an interdisciplinary design teaching philosophy that sets her apart. Her teaching approach is an amalgam of artistry and empathy, where design principles are interwoven with a strong emphasis on well-being.

Philosophyof Education

Effectivenessin TeachingPractice:

Effectivenessin TeachingPractice:

Promotingstudentlearningthroughinstructionaldesign.

CurriculumRe-Design

LearningBeyondtheClassrooms:FieldTrips

MeaningfulLearningExperiences

StudentsEngagement

Curriculmwasredesigntomeetthe AccorInternational Cmpetition

Students:DalinAbubakerandEmilyBorja

Studio collaboration with Prof. Katie Rothfield and Prof. Sheherazade Licul. The curriculum was adapted to meet an Accor international hospitality competition that aims to create the hospitality of the future. The students were exposed to numerous hospitality learning experiences to enrich their knowledge.

Challenge: Create a lobby without a traditional reception desk, integrate technology, art, and the elegance of the French culture, and celebrate the local culture.

Re-Design Curriculum S T U D E N T W O R K

Interdisciplinary Schools Collaboration

S T U D E N T W O R K

Festivalofthe TreesDesign Excellence awardedproject

Students:

CarolinaGonzalez

SabrinaGarcia

These students' projects depict two formative students' progress and significant design evolution. Formative students enter a three-year track for the Master of Interior Architecture with no design background. I had the fortune of teaching them their first design studio and later having them in the hospitality class. The students distinguished themselves among full-length design students with four years of design formation. I am optimistic that having formed their design character and their student’s unique design abilities has brought them to this point.

Formative Student’sprogress S T U D E N T W O R K

Festivalofthe TreesDesign Excellence

awardedproject

CourseDesignOutcomes:

Sustainable Design

Experience Design

Adaptive Reuse

G3Hospitality Project

CarolinaGonzalez,Student

Tania has been an invaluable mentor to me, contributing significantly to my growth as a designer during my Master's program journey. Her insights and guidance have played a crucial role in shaping my development. I am truly grateful for her unwavering support and dedication. I know that I can always rely on her to offer constructive criticism that pushes my projects to new heights. Her input ensures that I continually strive for excellence and achieve the best possible outcomes.

BarDesign

S T U D E N T W O R K

LearningBeyond theClassrooms

Research reveals that field trips can boost grades, decrease absences, bolster engagement, and expand students' horizons to any subject. In every class, I ensure that field trips are accommodated to broaden students' knowledge by giving them a real-life perception of interior architecture.

These are some examples of the field trips I have organized for the students and the learning objectives.

FrostScienceMuseum:applications of sustainable practices in interior architecture.

KlawRestaurantand

F I E L D T R I P S

BiltmoreHotel: “Experience Design” for hospitality venues.

GlobalFurnitureShowroom:new technology and sustainability of commercial furniture for the workplace.

Meaningful Learning Experiences

Workshops are perfect for fostering innovation. They are a collaborative and interactive learning experience that encourages active participation, practical application, and skill development. When possible, I reinforce lecture concepts with workshops. These are some examples of workshops or additional learning activities that I created in the past.

SustainabilityReview

The final review turned into a talent display. Students review technical knowledge in groups, turning their learnings into sketches, poems, and songs.

BlindfoldedDesigner

The ‘blind-folded’ designer experiment is inspired by “Reaching Out in the Mind’s Space” (Athavankar et al, 2008) in which studies on blindfolded designers/architects have thrown light on their amazing abilities to create a virtual model in their mind’s eye.

WO R K S H O P S

Effectivenessin TeachingPractice:

Learningexperienceincludesclassroomclimate,curriculum design,teachingstrategies,andotherpractices.

Inclusivelearningexperiences

Supportingdiversity,equity,andinclusioninthe classroomandbeyond.

03.2

InclusiveLearning Experiences

Mindfulness

Supporting the success of all students is vital to effective teaching. I ensure to provide a safe and inclusive classroom climate for all through mindfulness practices that encourage self-reflection and communication. By practicing mindfulness students become more informed, more sensitive, and more conscious about ethnic, racial, and gender issues. These are some examples of practices that I have adopted in my teaching modality.

Journaling

Students have companion journal practices that are used for class reflections as well as personal creative process documentation.

FeelingWheel

I N C L U S I V I T

A practice to normalize feelings in the Studio. In every class students “pin up” their feelings and open up at will to talk about their emotions. This practice allows me to see where students are at so I can support them. Also, it creates empathy among the students.

Effectivenessin TeachingPractice:

Datacollectiontoinforminstructionaldecisions.

Evidence-Based CourseImprove

Studentworkshapes-curriculum:instructional designbasedonevidence,studentwork,and discussions.

03.3

C

SpringBreakWelcomeBackWorkshop

Mid-CourseReview

A simple but powerful class review for accountability and assessing teaching modality.

FunMemorySketch:Icebreaker and conversation starter

1. GoalSettingMeasurementCheck:Students measure their progress in setting their goals based on an initial class intake survey.

2. SustainabilityLearningCheck:Self-visual evaluation of the class progress.

3. RecalibrateAssessment. Based on previous responses, students create a game plan to meet their semester goals.

5.

4. Whatifexercise?Students give open feedback about their favorite learning modalities and ideas to enhance the class.

ThankYou

“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.