At the dawn of the age of popularization of higher education, practical teaching is faced with new opportunities and challenges. Under this background and Focusing on the teaching reform of architecture specialty model making course in Chongqing University, this study discusses the reform ways of practical teaching of architectural education in universities. As one of the traditional skills trainings of architecture major education, model experiment can help students experience the concept of space and the characteristics of construction materials. On the one hand, it strengthens students' practical ability, on the other hand, it stimulates students' innovative thinking. However, the traditional experimental teaching mode is not updated in time, which makes model experimental teaching nearly lose its original position in architecture courses, even more difficult to adapt to the new development requirements. Thus this paper puts forward some specific reform schemes, such as "utilizing advantages and practicing internal skills" and "drawing support from external forces and stimulating innovation", which can provide reference for other universities in practical teaching reform of design majors.