Architecture isn't just for architects anymore! Fallingwater Teacher Residencies help teachers use architecture to spark creative thinking in any subject area, while addressing various learning styles and multiple intelligences. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater serves as the classroom in which Teacher Residents study the lessons of Wright's organic architecture; they then apply them in the hands-on workshops and studios that follow.
Residencies use an activity-based inquiry approach with an emphasis on problem solving. Focusing on Fallingwater with an interdisciplinary eye, Teacher Residents use the process of discovery as a fresh model for stimulating student directed learning. Beyond an invigorating look at design education, the Residency provides an opportunity to examine how we can respond to nature in design while simultaneously being conscious of issues of green design and sustainability in order to support and conserve the environment.
Residency Features
- Up-close, personal study and experience of Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's masterwork
- Using design to explore the interrelationships between buildings and the natural environment
- Investigation and application of Wright's principles of organic architecture
- Exploring Pittsburgh's “bests:” notable historic and contemporary architecture
- Walk Around the Block – using your community to discuss design issues
- Creating interdisciplinary, problem-based learning activities
- Using the inquiry approach
- Continuing Professional Education (Act 48) credits for teachers in Pennsylvania districts
Tuition and Dates
Comments From Past
Teacher Residents
“It's an opportunity to experience a relationship with a building.”
— Peter Vietgen, Ontario
“….a total immersion into Fallingwater….”
— Linda Danges, Pennsylvania
"I can't thank you enough for what the residency has done for my teaching strategies."
— Peter Tucker, Illinois
“I now have a better understanding of how architecture education can be utilized to enhance instruction and learning. The interdisciplinary inclusion is now a consistent consideration for me.”
— Ron Frenzen, Michigan
“I now recognize and appreciate another side of architecture that I have not known how to teach.”
— H.R. Reynolds, Vermont
“Architecture education is important because it addresses multiple ways to perceive and proceed in developing skills, and teaching people about the relationship of self to others, environment, and a spiritual core.”
— Katie Wolf, California
- Tuition: $650
- Dates: August 3 - 10
Facilities
Teacher residents room dormitory-style at High Meadow, a country house located on the Bear Run Nature Reserve, a short distance from Fallingwater. The highlands setting with unsurpassed views of nearby Laurel Ridge will recharge your creativity and your spirit. We hold classes at the adjacent open-air studio, and also on-site at Fallingwater. This is a casual and natural learning experience, where daily activities can inspire great things! The group prepares most meals, with help from Fallingwater's café, which features delicious, fresh, and healthy cooking. If you're looking for even more natural inspiration, the nature reserve has over 20 miles of hiking trails in the Bear Run watershed.
Eligibility
You must be a practicing teacher (any subject, any grade level) to apply. We select Teacher Residents based on your stated interest, qualifications, and your ability to take the Residency into the classroom. We limit enrollment to 12 teachers.
To Apply
Please write a statement of your interest in the Residency program. Your statement must include the following:
- Your name, address, phone, email address
- Name of school, school address, phone number
- Subject(s) and grade(s) you teach
- What your past experience with architecture has been
- What you hope to gain from the Residency experience
- How you can extend the experience into the classroom
- Attach a one-page resume
Mail to:
Jennifer Hiebert
Education Assistant
Fallingwater
PO Box R
Mill Run PA 15464
To be contacted about future Residencies, or to be put on our mailing list, please contact Education Assistant, Jennifer Hiebert, at jhiebert@paconserve.org.