TOOLS, MATERIALS, AND TECHNIQUES USED IN THE 3D REPRESENTATION OF THE IDEAL CITY
Hadrian-Vasile CONȚIU
Babeș-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, ROMANIA,
Email: hadrian.contiu@ubbcluj.ro
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8108-2092
Andreea CONȚIU
„Babeș-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca,Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, ROMANIA,
Email: andreea.contiu@ubbcluj.ro
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5228-287X
ABSTRACT
The present study investigates the tools, materials, and techniques used by students in the 3D representation of the ideal city. It analyzes the effectiveness of this practical approach in fostering creativity, critical thinking, and spatial representation skills. The research also aims to highlight the formative potential of scale-model construction activities as an active, student-centered teaching method, emphasizing that hands-on modeling and construction activities lead to sensory learning, active engagement, and critical thinking. To achieve the research objectives, 79 students aged 16–17 from three 10th-grade classes at the “Al. Papiu Ilarian” National College in Târgu Mureș were involved in a project-based learning activity. The students were divided into groups of four or five and engaged in several stages of the project; this paper focuses in particular on aspects related to the stage of constructing scale models of the ideal city (three-dimensional or 3D representations). The research adopts a qualitative approach with quantitative elements. The analysis of the scale models revealed a wide variety of tools, materials, and techniques used by the students, as well as a high level of engagement and creative expressiveness. The results indicate that project-based learning is an effective instructional method with strong formative potential, contributing to the development of students’ creative, practical, and cognitive competencies.
KEYWORDS:
3D representation, scale model, ideal city, practical skills, spatial thinking, critical thinking, creativity
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Cite this article as:
Conțiu H.-V.., & Conțiu, A. (2025). Tools, Materials, and Techniques Used in the 3D Representation of the Ideal City. Romanian Review of Geographical Education, 14(2), 47-64. http://doi.org/10.24193/RRGE20259