Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: BA Design for Art Direction, Year 2, Semester 2, Art Direction Unit, Briefing and workshop

Size of student group: 55

Observer: Christin Yu

Observee: Adam Gibbons

 

Note: This record is solely for exchanging developmental feedback between colleagues. Its reflective aspect informs PgCert and Fellowship assessment, but it is not an official evaluation of teaching and is not intended for other internal or legal applications such as probation or disciplinary action.

Part One
Observee to complete in brief and send to observer prior to the observation or review:

What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?

This is a unit briefing session which will include a short check in, some information about the unit theme, timetable, and learning outcomes, followed by workshop tasks, led by myself with a colleague, Erik Hartin co-facilitating. In the latter part of the session, there will be a shared reading and discussion, followed by questions.

How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?

This is my first session with this group since their first semester of year 1.

What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?

Familiarisation with the brief, introduction to active ludic research methods, agreement on terms of sessions

What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?

Students will make notes on the session and feed back orally.

Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?

Variety in language ability within the cohort, and variety of challenge in the language of the material we are exploring, my unfamiliarity with the group and any disabling factors which might affect certain students or groups of students.

How will students be informed of the observation/review?

Students have been informed in advance via email, and will be reminded orally in person.

What would you particularly like feedback on?

Clarity of instructions and ability to involve a range of participants.

How will feedback be exchanged?

Either in written form or through a conversation.

Part Two

Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:

As we entered the classroom, it was noted that there was a tight turnaround between the two classes, without much time for the physical preparation required to set up the classroom itself. I thought that you did a great job at imagining and executing a plan to accommodate this, as you offered the students an opportunity to engage with an icebreaker activity, while simultaneously setting up AV and reorganising the tables in a circular manner around the room itself. This physical layout was conducive to group conversation, as the students in each micro-cluster were able to view each other, while also having visual access to the screens and the convenors. 

There was a strong utility of communication practices, such as raising hands to signal a taught session or instruction was about to occur. It was a helpful opportunity to see how respect and boundaries can be established in the classroom, without being paternalistic or overly disciplinary. This was also highlighted and illuminated in the slide that established respectful practices, which was inclusionary in tone, and participatory – allowing the students to interject and add. 

As an initial session in a module which explores the theme of ‘Comfort’, there were effective and affective demonstrations of the theme through the learning activities. One of the main exercises asked the students to initially work in their groups to order a stack of words associated with comfort and then to reconvene in the larger group to order them as well. I appreciated the discussion of organisational strategies beyond the chronological. There was a session that employed physical movements, which I noted in our follow-up discussion. The movement itself perhaps engaged with the student’s own positionality through an embodied physical experience. For some, it also placed them into discomfort – I noticed that the students were more apprehensive about getting up and moving about under the gaze of their fellow students. In my notes I asked: 

• What was the hopeful outcome of this exercise? 
  • Physical standing seemed to make the session more boisterous, but the directive was to gain order and participation, what skills did this develop? 
  • How can you alleviate some of the apprehension of participation? (This was perhaps when you discussed discomfort, which I thought was a valuable way to understand the theme itself!)

Finally, some last suggestions and thoughts arose from the description of terms that were crucial to final project. In the introduction of ‘digital assets’ and ‘publications’, I noted that I had trouble understanding what ‘assets’ meant. I wondered whether there was an opportunity to develop an activity alongside the definition which signalled whether the students understood the concept or not. How do you verify comprehension of taught terms and the project itself? 

Part Three

Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the feedback exchanged:

The feedback I received has been very helpful and affirming, particularly in relation to the structure and tone of the session. 

I set out to prioritise community building and connection between students in this first session of the unit, as well as between students and staff. This was the intention of using the themed icebreaker slide. Adopting the method of having a slide ready for students to engage with on entering the space has worked well this term on subsequent occasions as well, and it’s becoming a routine that students are more and more familiar with. It is a welcome formula to employ in relation to the obstacle of challenging room management/timetabling – one session always starting at the same time as one ends, and 100 people have to navigate two small entrances to the room – as well as timekeeping, providing meaningful activity for those arriving at the start, and alleviating pressure for students and staff. By planning not to make the beginning of the session too front loaded, thereby alienating any latecomers, this method contributes to an inclusive approach as well as providing an opportunity to engage with concepts related to the project.

It was also affirming to receive positive feedback around inclusive communication practices within the studio such as non-verbal communication and the Agreements and Aspirations slide that we explored as a group in a non-hierarchical way.

I’m pleased to hear that the teaching materials – the printed and laminated lists of terms relating to histories, materials, policies and innovations around the theme of comfort – provided such a range of possible interactions from students. The note about different ways of ordering them was helpful input, reminding me that I can keep exploring the other ways a single, simple teaching material can be adapted to fulfil various enquiries and learning outcomes. 

Considering the various dynamics that were observed, where students appeared more or less comfortable with different sections of the exercise, I’m mindful of the challenges described in Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens’: From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces (2013), in which they report students making “a conflation of safety with comfort”.  In the chapter Conflictin Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom (2010) bell hooks observes the conditions under which students find ways to enter uncertain territories, and in her book Imperfect Solidarities (2024) Aruna D’Souza makes an argument for the right to opacity via Edouard Glissant’s post-colonial theories.

Alongside these influences, I was reflecting that experiencing discomfort can be a gateway to gaining new perspectives and knowledge, as well as a theme to explore through both intellectual and embodied means and perhaps working towards the conditions for brave spaces should be an aspiration if the discourse is seeking to include an exploration of social justice.

I’ve been offered feedback on a couple of occasions that it would help to have a clearer sense of where tasks would lead participants, and this is an aspect of session planning that I’m trying to develop; improving the constructive alignment between brief, workshop task, learning outcomes and materials submitted for assessment.

The feedback about checking for comprehension is welcome, and I have gone on to follow up on this in subsequent sessions, as well as being more mindful of specialist vocabulary and encouraging students to highlight unfamiliar terms and bring them to discussions.

After filling out this form out to share ahead of the observation I was able to reflect more on what the learning outcomes for the session were: Knowledge, Process, and Communication.

• Students becoming familiar with terms related to the theme of comfort using various ordering methods
• Students entering into ludic group activities
• Students being able to explore and express ideas in small and larger groups
• Students becoming familiar with each other, their tutors and the structure of the unit

References:

Arao, B. and Clemens, K. (2013) From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: A New Way to Frame Dialogue Around Diversity and Social Justice. In: Landreman, L.M. (ed.), The Art of Effective Facilitation, Routledge  

D’Souza, A. (2024) Imperfect Solidarities. Floating Opera Press 

hooks, b. (2010) Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom. Routledge