I was very happy to participate to this full day workshop and to meet in person the other Pgcert students.

I was a bit nervous as I felt that perhaps I could be a bit out of place as I teach in Foundation and perhaps less academic.

The ice breaker allowed us to get to know each other but also to talk about discuss some quotes that we selected. One of the quote was actually on the notion of risk.

‘while risk-taking is central to the critical thinking process, this behavior is unlikely to occur unless those involved have no sense of fear.’

The other quote talked about learning from sensoriel experiences:

” Sensory experiences are key in the formation of knowledge…sensory experiences affect emotions that initiate decision-making processes…Unexpected patterns of behaviour and language [are] used when describing sensory experiences. To facilitate teaching in an educational setting [we need to use] metaphors and visual language as words describing tactile experiences are relatively underdeveloped”.

Both quotes are about this idea of “letting go” from our preconception ideas and to learn differently but from experience and by reflecting on the failure or this first insight we have when learning from the body.

It also talk about ownership of knowledge by the students and their different perspective. These quotes also rethinking this idea of direct learning from teachers to students and put back the plurality at the core of the learning experience. Similar to the rhizomatic learning system.

The only point I could disagree is how inclusive this learning method can be as many students need guidance to feel reassure by the traditional learning system. I have personally experience as a student coming from France but also with my students coming from other culture than British liberal system.

This methods also are based on trusting the ability of students to self assest or self direction is which is often students coming from more liberal priviledge background and confortable in english.

It also wouldn’t be ideal for a student with body impairement or nerodiverse such as autism where failure could be a trigger.

Pre Task

As the second activity, in the same group we discuss one of the project brief we all brought for the day and made a poster about it.

I loved the variety of the briefs and the project brought in.

I brought the brief of one of the CCWF project called “Foundation for sale” which explore the notion of online saling point for the students and how to design a product either for Architecture, Product, Furniture or Interior Design or Retail space.

I had initially some reservations about this project and the notion of “sale” in today context.

But one thing that I thought would be interesting is to indroduce the peer to peer grading, again challendging the direct hierachy teacher students but putting the students in control.

This aspect could be controversial as based on this culture of “liking” and “marketing” but could be interesting tool as reflecting today relationship students and us have with social media and consumption.

I really appreciated that many project put the making at its core and challenged the hierachy of Academic and Technical learning.

We had two technicians in the group and I loved their perspective on how much room does the University leave for technicians to teach, not only in the workshop but alonside the curriculum and lessons.

As a ex Art technician I can related to this feeling on how making skills are relay on the second plan and seen as inferior.

I totally disagree and I personally put an emphasize on students to value their learning experience in the workshop on an academic level and not as a problem solution aspect.

I let the technician know of briefs and deadline and stress the importance for student to go early in workshop to learn by trial and error and how to reflect that in their projects as part of the journey which I grade the same way than the outcome.

Talking again about Rhizomatic learning I feel it is important to change this hierachy of skills and to include technical knowledge as part of the curriculum not as a plus or side road. The idea of process book is something I will introduce to my students and how to communicate the technical journey they made.

Teaching methods and formats

The last part of the day was focused on discussing the different teaching strategies and formats of teaching

• In small group
• Large group
• 1:1 tutorial (in our group)

We discussed the Pros and Cons of the Tutorial format which gives Tutors the unique opportunity to catch up with students and focus on their well being while tailoring the session on their needs and demands.

It allows the tutor to have the time to assest and enough privacy for students to voice any concerns.

It also allow tutors to see the students outside the noise or group dynamic in studios which sometime disable the student to engage with a project or task.

However we all agree that this format unable other discussion or point of view that could happen in small group and how to open the perspective and reference and therefore is in a way more along the traditional learning system of teacher – student.

Again in this case we also talked about how this 1:1 tutorial but also turned easily in problem shoot discussion and not really beneficial for the students.

That perhaps a step in assesting the need of the student could take place before to evaluate if this tutorial could be also a moment where technicians could join and answer some questions and perhaps support tutor and change their interaction with this student in the workshops.

After the group chat we join the discussion in larger group and one topic came up regarding the “pastoral duties” tutors have toward their students which spike a lot of discussion on the word “duty” and how much should we be involved in the student well being.

I have experienced traumatic situation with a student last year which kept me up at night and worried for a good part of the University term. After attending to a “mental health” training I was told me reaction was dispropotioned toward this student and that I should have not answer their email on weekends.

I was truly shocked by this comments as this students did not feel listen or represented by teaching staff or the mental health staff. I felt it was my duty to support this student and make sure they would not fall of the crack of the system and the lack of representation that UAL currently display.

Foundation year is a crutial point where students are facing questions they never had the time to encounter and are isolated while being ask who they are ? what do they want to become? what job do they want to have? While struggling for the first time with money, rent, new relationships and existential questions.

We have 1 day a week mental health adviser for 600 students, putting the tutors in the role of advisers aswell… with parents sometimes oversee or far…

Reacting for a cry for help by … call the help line is simply just not enough for me as a human being and teaching staff and I won’t feel sorry for answering to a SOS email on a Saturday by I am here and lets talk on Monday.

Sorry not sorry.