In this week’s session, we discussed the values within Art and Design education and how we could implement these to produce a conducive and encouraging environment for students. We also discussed the idea of sustainability within the broader contexts that can be applied further than conversations around climate change.
As a group we came up with 3 elements we felt were important within Art and Design education:
- Diversity in teaching resources – to use mediums and references that make students feel included.
- Remaining a life-long students – to constantly learn and update your knowledge so you can better help your students. Also acknowledging that you can learn as much from your students as they can from you.
- Pedagogy of compassion – to be considerate of your students, of their learning styles, interests and that they live a life outside the classroom that can impact the way they engage.
How do we (or can we) practice those values?
- Talk about topics that are relatable to the students so they feel included in regards to the conversation.
- Asking the students how they would approach something – what are their thoughts rather than spoon-feeding them with the information. Temperature check with “what do you think?” This puts them in the position of the researcher and makes the learning more of a collaborative process.
- Recognising that you are in a position of power and therefore you should be constantly learning to be able to bring that knowledge into the classroom. It is important to inform and be informed by the students.
- When you are coming with a topic to teach, you might need to take a step back, talk about the contextual/ helicopter view to help break down the content for the students. Do not assume their level of understanding – something that may seem basic to you could be completely new to them.
- Being open, present and responsive to the students – This led to a group discussion about being responsive vs reactive vs proactive
- Being responsive would require you to pay attention and adapt based on the students
- Being reactive felt too impulsive and lacks the thought and possibly compassion needed when dealing with students.
- Being proactive when it comes to teaching is something that you would develop as you build that experience with the students, you are constantly learning and therefore, out of compassion, you take initiative and are responsive to your students.
Discussion points within the class:
- How do you facilitate viewing the students as a practitioner who brings something important into the conversation and then as teachers are able to bring that into the curriculum – expanding the concept of education and making it more flexible/ free flow.
- We tend to just jump into the task that needs to be done, take the time to pause and create space to allow the students to bring an element of themselves into the curriculum – I.e if you are doing a lesson on book design, encourage the students to bring in their favourite book for that session.
- How porous should the learning environment be to the outside world? Should we bring the outside world, current affairs and issues into the learning environment? Just because the students are in this designated space does not mean they leave everything behind – we don’t exist in a vacuum
- BUT how do we stop students from just making work that is topical just because it is trendy?
- Putting the responsibility and trusting students with things like self organising their own time to bring their own interests within their subject of exploration.
- How much am I jeprodisring my own career by just needing more of everything – more assessments, better grades, more productivity, more targets – HOW can we change this? What if we create the space to slow down, remove those targets, make the space in the curriculum…. What is the right way? In the encounter within the freedom as an educator, what choices am I making and how can you be critical of it.
- What does culture of less is more in an educational setting look like?
- How do we convey professional boundaries through our education I.e expecting students to do more, work overtime – that is something they will carry on within their professional lives – working more, overtime and unpaid. We should set an example of healthy boundaries so students can learn by example and implement that professionally after they leave.
Sustainability – how do we reclaim the buzzword and what can we do with it? (Class discussion)
- Don’t feel sustainability is that important but do think that building this sort of consideration of what we are using, how we are using it and where does it come from – for example with food, there is such a disconnect regarding where it comes from. We should consider certain touch points and processes it takes before it reaches us.
- Sustainability is practical, not just theoretical
- An example of the bins at UAL having two sections, one for recycling and the other for general waste. Upon closer inspection, the separation leads to the same bag which feels very performative. It is a visual performance
- Considering how finance and class impacts how we can be sustainable – being sustainable can be quite a costly endeavour and cannot penalise those who cannot afford to do so.
- Sustainability could be more of a consideration – not being wasteful in how we use materials. Within fashion, this could be when pattern cutting, being strategic with the amount of waste fabric you will be creating.
- It is important to not impose the ideology – not just performing to tick a box.
- Consider with the life cycle of products and materials – circular economy.
- Imagination is resistance – who are we to tell our students that their imagination is not good enough to change the world – how can we say what their future would be like – the arrogance to believe we know THEIR future or not be wrong about their future – the cynicism would not be beneficial in pedagogy.
Evaluation in Art and Design: What is evaluation for? What should it be for and how can we implement that?
- Evaluation – when it comes to assessment, it is a good chance to check in where the students are, what is working well, what needs to be improved and what they need to continue to do during next term.
- Marking can be a lot more subjective with art and design compared to something like maths: 2+2=4
- Getting the students used to giving and receiving feedback – being able to be critical
- Getting be able to get students to be able to take constructive feedback – your work may be personal but not an extension to yourself and therefore receiving criticism on your work is not a criticism of yourself
- Selina – when they have group crits, they ask a different students to take notes for the student receiving feedback as it allows the students to receive feedback in 2 different ways.