In the initial stage of learning the history of design, it is easy to get caught up in an endless struggle with trivial knowledge in the face of a complex and extensive historical content. This situation often leads us to a state of confusion where we see the trees but not the forest. Even with a lot of time and effort, we can still feel vague about the context of design history. We may only remember some specific works and artists, but it is difficult to closely connect these knowledge with the development of the times. As a result, these knowledge points become difficult to remember and easy to forget.
When we are faced with a large, complex, and multifaceted field of knowledge, it is especially important to take a holistic view. This means that we need to build a "holistic mind" that is able to look at the knowledge of the parts as a whole, and to be able to quickly relate the knowledge of the parts to the whole. Therefore, the organization of frameworks has become crucial in the study of design history. It is the main tool for us to sort out the development of design history and build a holistic knowledge framework. Through effective framing, we can better understand and remember the content of design history, so that we can express our opinions more comprehensively and accurately in subsequent writing.
The importance of framing for learning the history of design
The first task of using the framework learning method to deepen the history of design is to fully grasp the development framework and context of the entire historical theory. On this basis, we can further focus on smaller, more specific knowledge points, and gradually build a knowledge pyramid. The pyramid is based on a macroscopic framework that gradually extends upwards to cover every microscopic detail. This learning method not only helps us avoid the fragmentation of knowledge, but also prompts us to jump out of shallow thinking and go deep into the essence of design history.
So, what can a well-curated framework of design history do for us?
Sort out the context of knowledge
At the stage of initial review and preliminary study of the course content, the process of building the framework is essentially a detailed organization of the knowledge context. When we finish the course, we go to sort out the framework, and this process also plays a role in reviewing and deepening again. The process of extracting the core knowledge points from the long articles in the book and effectively connecting these knowledge points not only helps us to master the knowledge systematically, but also exercises our ability to refine and integrate knowledge. Through continuous refinement and concatenation, we can have a deeper understanding of the internal connection and logical relationship of knowledge, so as to better apply it to practical learning and work.
Establish a holistic knowledge system
The purpose of the series of knowledge points mentioned above is to construct a complete knowledge system or discipline overview. Doing so allows us to better take a macro perspective and get down to the bottom of the details when we learn. When we have a holistic grasp of knowledge and a deep understanding of details, it is easier to get rid of the limitations of "low-dimensional thinking" when we encounter difficult problems. This learning method allows us to analyze problems more comprehensively and improve our problem-solving skills.
Help with follow-up learning review
In the end, the knowledge framework becomes a powerful "assistant" for subsequent review of knowledge. It's like after the summer vacation, we start to enter the intensive phase of learning, but the basics still need to be reviewed regularly. At this time, we can rely on the knowledge framework built in the early stage to recall and review. The framework is comprehensive and concise, so it's easy to see what you're sure of and what you're just scratching the surface. In this way, we can quickly locate the content that needs to be reviewed and go directly to the book or course to deepen the learning. It can be said that in the later review review, the knowledge framework is undoubtedly one of the most powerful "tools".
How to organize the framework and how to make a practical framework
Framing and design history learning
Many beginners often face the challenge of how to allocate their time wisely when they are exposed to new learning tasks, especially when dealing with the task of watching a lecture and organizing the framework task, and often feel lost and confused. This situation can lead to them spending too much time looking at lectures and organizing frameworks, but the efficiency is not ideal, making the process of learning and organizing long and painful. So, when we get our hands on books and courses on the history of design, how do we effectively frame them?
First of all, to understand a discipline in depth, we first need to clarify the basic scope and content of the discipline. For example, for the study of design history, most students will come into contact with books such as "World Modern Design History", "History of Chinese Arts and Crafts", and "Introduction to Design". After getting these books, we can start with the table of contents of the book, because the table of contents is usually a concise summary of the content of the book. Through the table of contents, we can understand that these books cover the development of Chinese and Western art historiography, the evolution from primitive to modern design, and the division of design history into periods. In this way, we can grasp the scope and content of the exam from a macro perspective.
Secondly, when we have a preliminary understanding of the overall scope of knowledge, we can further divide the internal development of design history. According to the catalogue of books, we can find that the history of Chinese and foreign design is usually divided into chapters based on the development of the times. Therefore, when constructing the framework, we can refer to the division of books, take the development of the period as the main line, and gradually sort out and establish the knowledge system.
Next, we can start the chapter study and lesson**. In the first round of the course, it is recommended that students make marks and notes in the book while reading. After reading the course, the framework is organized against the book. In this way, the process of organizing the framework is not only to sort out the knowledge, but also to review and deepen the knowledge again.
Of course, the learning process described above is not fixed, and each student can adjust it according to their actual situation and preferences. It is important to make it clear that the purpose of the framework is to better organize knowledge and establish a holistic knowledge framework. Therefore, in terms of methodology, we can flexibly adjust it according to our actual situation.
What is a "utility framework"?
There are many different learning methods in themselves, but the most important thing in organizing learning materials is practicality. The practical framework here refers to the framework that can play a role in sorting out and improving efficiency in knowledge integration and later review.
So the must-haves for a good framework are:
First, the organization of the framework needs to be clear and concise enough. The text should be concise and powerful, and the main characteristics of the knowledge points can be accurately outlined through key words. Therefore, the collation framework is actually a simplification and refinement of the content of the book, which is closely related to our ability to refine and generalize. In doing so, we should avoid simple excerpts from large passages of text from the original text.
Second, a good framework should focus on both integrity and detail. From a macro point of view, it should be a complete body of knowledge; And from a microscopic point of view, each detail should be able to relate to other parts to form a unified whole. When constructing the framework of design history, we should combine the summary of each chapter to deeply understand the background of each period, and then ** the characteristics of the artist and the work. It's like a pyramid, with an overall overview at the top and detailed support at the bottom, forming a hierarchical and logical structure.
Third, the construction of the framework also needs to consider the logical relationship between horizontal and vertical. The history of design not only follows a timeline, but also changes in its development and style in different periods and categories. Therefore, we should have an in-depth understanding of the history of design in different periods and different categories, recognize their development and stylistic turns, and be able to analyze the reasons for them. In this way, our framework can reflect more comprehensively and deeply the evolution of design history.