Educational activity ideas for the next academic year

The end of the school year is not yet synonymous with teachers' holidays. If you are a teacher, and you are looking for new educational activities for the 2018-2019 academic year, take note of the most outstanding activities for schools at the Museu del Disseny.

Learning with the new exhibition of graphic design

With the new workshop “Pensar amb els ulls i mirar amb el cervell. Les eines del dissenyador gràfic” (Thinking with the eyes and looking with the mind. The tools of a graphic designer) ESO (compulsory secondary education), Baccalaureate and Vocational Training students will have to observe all the graphic elements that surround them (signs, signals, etc.) and analyse some of the works from the exhibition “Dissenyes o treballes? La nova comunicació visual 1980 – 2003” (Do you work or design? The new visual communication 1980 – 2003) to discover the processes and tools required to face the challenge of good graphic design.

Visiting the same exhibition, for Primary students we offer the visit-workshop “L’abecé del disseny gràfic. Color tipografia i composició” (The alphabet of graphic design. Colour typography and composition), in which they will have to analyse the works of the exhibition and other images around them to discover and experiment with the basic elements of graphic design: composition, colour and typography.

Three activities that our experts recommend for you

In the workshop “I per què no? Objectes, necessitats i fantasia” (And why not? Objects, needs and fantasy), your students will use the Design Thinking methodology (fashionable among designers), which requires them to empathise with the reality of the users, to devise, make a prototype and test it.

Can we be responsible consumers? To do so, we need to know how to "read" the objects that surround us. And that is what is considered by  “Llegir l’objecte. Res no és perquè sí” (Reading the object. Nothing is just because), in which the students will learn what characteristics good design must have.

Finally, “Petits monstres vestits: ampliar, reduir, allargar, perfilar i destapar” (Little dressed monsters: enlarge, reduce, lengthen, outline and reveal) is an experiential activity for children, who can become aware of their bodies by trying on different clothes and seeing how they change their silhouettes.

Other proposals for primary school students

Based on the exhibition “Dressing the body. Silhouettes and fashion 1550 -2015”, in the “Siluetes (im)possibles. Cinc accions que transformen el cos” (Silhouettes (im)possible. Five actions that transform the body) activity, primary students must identify the effects that clothes have had on the body throughout history and will experience how the manipulation of different materials can transform their own silhouette.

With “Històries extraordinàries. De què ens parlen els objectes?” (Extraordinary Stories. What do the objects say about us?) the goal is to answer questions such as "What were they used for? "or" What are they made from?" about items from the collection of decorative and author-centred arts. Students are also invited to relate the pieces seen to everyday objects in their surroundings and explain them through a story or an artistic creation.

More activities for ESO, Baccalaureate and Vocational Training students

Also based on the exhibition “Dressing the body”, the visit-workshop “Com vestim el cos? La moda com a construcció social” (How do we dress the body? Fashion as a social construct) includes a performative visit to the exhibition, a workshop to interest students in how fashion creates tastes and aesthetics based on references from contemporary art, and a debate on the ethical, historical and moral codes linked to fashion.

Regarding the activity related to the collection of decorative and author-centred arts, students are encouraged to discover that objects are original sources of information which allow them to approach issues such as commerce, consumer society or colonialism. In addition, the workshop “Objectes extraordindaris. Objectes que parlen de comerç, colonialisme, societat de consum...” (Extraordinary objects. Objects that speak of trade, colonialism, consumer society, etc. ) also looks at the link with contemporary issues such as exploitation, homogenisation and globalisation.

Casa Bloc teaching guide for ESO and vocational training students

Every Saturday at 11 am, the Museu del Disseny organises guided visits to the Casa Bloc Museum-Apartment, which is open to everyone, although school groups must arrange a time and a day for the visits. If you are a teacher and would like to make the most of this educational experience, remember that we have made available an educational guide with activities that can be subsequently carried out in class.