“The learning process is something you can incite, literally incite, like a riot.”
Audre Lorde
Workshop 3
We were first given a list of aphorisms to respond to. One sentiment that kept reappearing today was that arts education is fundamentally different to – maybe even in opposition to – other higher education institutions. It’s an assumption that needs interrogating, particularly as we tend to have preconceived notions of what an arts student ‘is’. In the aphorism exercise, this surfaced as statements like, ‘this feels like it came from a creative’ or ‘this feels like an academic institution’.
Afterwards we were given cards with various principals of university education written on them. We were asked to group the cards, and were also given a copy of Ron Barnett’s pre-text, ‘Towards the Ecological University’ (2021).
This process of grouping created some unexpected results for our table, we felt there was an almost political map emerging. Eventually it emerged as a cross shape. We had plotted themes, unintentionally, on axis. Left versus right, up versus down. For us, Barnett’s text wrapped around the key principles. For other groups, this exercise manifested completely different diagrams as pictured.
As an illustration lecturer, I use diagrams often to map ideas. I find the majority of my students are visual learners. I also believe it to be a key quality of an illustrator to visually represent knowledge, to understand how composition can denote so much more than As an illustration lecturer, I use diagrams often to map ideas. I find the majority of my students are visual learners. I also believe it to be a key quality of an illustrator to visually represent knowledge, to understand how composition can denote so much more than just point on an axis – it can be speed, emotion, size, weight, visibility… etc. In demonstrating diagrams to my students, perhaps they can pick up cues for their own practices.
Workshop 4
Some surprising things were uncovered in this part of the workshop. Each of our courses presents the Learning Outcomes quite differently. For some they were only really tools for marking and not highlighted to students outside of the long text of an assessment brief. For others they were very clear milestones for students to focus on in their approach to a unit. My experience lay somewhere in-between.
Speaking as a student and not teacher: I love clarity. I want clear learning outcomes, check lists, and submission details. Having said that, I’m not a student who does the minimum required to pass. I want to push and rebel – and maybe riot! To feel safe enough to do that, however, I need a box to bounce around inside. Like a trapped bee. This feels like a micro-expression of the tensions that exist in art educations. Yes, please student, breach the walls and go forth. Riot against the learning outcomes. But also, please, fill in your National Student Survey and remember to get a good salaried job.
We also engaged with the ‘Make the Grade’ materials. (Finnigan, ‘Reducing Referrals and Resubmissions: Using Make the Grade’.) I was happy to find they felt familiar and that many of the ideas are being utilised in my course. We build checklists and run assessment workshops in the weeks prior to hand-in. One thing we do not do is Step 1: Unpack the assignment. Formalising our responses to the questions in this step would mitigate so much heart-ache at assessment. In particular, ‘What do you find yourself having to say repeatedly in your discussions with students about this assignment?’ And ‘Can you say in a very straightforward way, what will make the finished work an A?’. Again, clarity.
In all, I have more reading to do on this area. I will report back.
References
Finnigan, Terry. ‘Reducing Referrals and Resubmissions: Using Make the Grade’. Academic Enhancement Model Toolbox. University of the Arts London. Accessed 21 February 2024. https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/190155/AEM-Reducing-referrals-PDF-304KB.pdf.
Barnett, Ronald. ‘Towards the Ecological University’, 21 February 2021. https://www.ronaldbarnett.co.uk/Futures%20Project%20-%20concept%20note.pdf.