What Pedagogy Means in Landscape Architecture at SALA

Pedagogy is how we teach and how we learn. In landscape architecture, it’s about the ideas, methods, and values that shape how students explore design. It’s not just about passing on facts or skills but about creating a space where students can connect ideas, try things out, and see how design decisions affect people, places, and ecosystems.

The word comes from ancient Greek and literally means “to guide a child,” but at SALA, it means guiding students as they learn to think critically, work with communities, and respond to real-world challenges. A good learning environment blends culture, creativity, and collaboration so students can build on what they already know while pushing their thinking further.

Within the field of landscape architecture, several pedagogical approaches can guide design studios, seminars, and fieldwork:

Social Pedagogy – Learning is framed as a tool for strengthening community wellbeing and environmental stewardship. For example, students might work with local residents to address the ecological and social impacts of urban heat islands.

Constructivist Pedagogy – Knowledge emerges through active engagement and making, rather than passive observation. A design studio applying this method might have students build a site model from recycled materials to explore grading and drainage, rather than simply studying diagrams.

Critical Pedagogy – Students analyze design issues through a lens of equity, power, and justice, questioning dominant narratives in urban development and environmental policy. For instance, they might examine how green space access and canopy cover differs across socio-economic groups in Vancouver.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy – Teaching acknowledges and incorporates the diverse cultural and ecological perspectives of learners. This could include integrating Indigenous knowledge systems and plant management practices into planting design coursework.

The Socratic Method – Learning occurs through dialogue, questioning, and collaborative inquiry. In a planning and management course, this might mean prompting students with questions about how novel ecosystems might be ecologically beneficial or harmful.

In UBC SALA’s landscape architecture program, pedagogy is about transferring technical skills and cultivating designers who are critical thinkers, community collaborators, and stewards of ecological and cultural systems.