Artefact to be reviewed: Unit 8 Mapping Workshop
Size of student group: approx. 60 students
Observer: Peony Gent
Observee: Holly St Clair (Meade)
Part 1.: Context
What is the context of this session within the curriculum?
The students are at the start of their Unit 8, Critical Practice Project. The students are asked to map a private, public, or institutional site of their choice. The definition of mapping in this project is not limited to cartography. Students are expected to use thematic patterns to make a statement about their chosen site.
How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?
I have been working with this year group since the start of the academic year. I am an Associate Lecturer. I have a tutor group who I assess and tend to.
What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?
Students will learn methods of primary research and building a visual reference gallery.
What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?
A collaborative visual resource and an illustration of an emotion.
Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?
Collaborative work has a negative connotation to our cohort, due to Unit 6, but we have been developing some closer relationships and camaraderie through Unit 7. There can be shyness about working in front of others.
How will students be informed of the observation/review?
This is not applicable.
What would you particularly like feedback on?
Do the planned timings work? How do you think students will respond?
How will feedback be exchanged?
In person or on this form!
Part 2.: Observations
- This is a session plan for a sensitive and nuanced workshop, that is broken down into manageable tasks in achievable time slots.
- The workshop does well to blend practical tasks and a theoretical basis – introducing some basic theories of psychology for the students and providing references to those who may wish to research into the topic further. It also does well to provide an interesting alternative form of mapping they may never have encountered before.
- The workshop is also well scaffolded to aid any students who may need additional support, or for those who have never encountered the ideas of pareidolia or depicting emotions.
- The inclusion of a ‘definitions’ section is an excellent idea for supporting students unfamiliar with the provided terms.
- Not having anything other than this workshop plan – I ask the question of is there any additional resources or references you show the students in this workshop? Do you share examples of pareidolia with them?
- Some of the ‘cue ‘ questions are very interesting – is there space within the workshop for the students to discuss them? In particular the question of ‘how do illustrators reflect the intangible’ and ‘why do illustrators use empathy’ are excellent prompts for widening knowledge and understanding of illustration. Are these questions ever linked back to professional practice, within a presentation of other illustration references for example? As a follow up, could there be a section unpacking the ‘use’ of this kind of emotional mapping after it has been made? How can students see the relevance of relating this task back to their own practice?
- I would also be interested to hear some reflection on the differences of responses created for task 3 and task 4. Task 4 is very open, and has little guidance compared to the other tasks. Do students ever retreat to visual cliche or stereotypes for this task, compared to the more subtle imagery and ideas presented in the rest of the workshop? Or do the other tasks usually prepare them enough that they are able to respond with newfound sensitivity or originality?
Part 3.: Reflections
The main area needing attention is ‘Task 4: Respond’. While the student will have been scaffolded through the day, this task is quite unspecific and could be a step too far after a day of challenging concepts. To remedy this, we will now unpack how to use the map we have made as a group discussion before they begin the illustration task.
I will remember to reiterate that this workshop is about exploring a method of researching that is active, not just ‘looking’ at resources but creating them. They have just finished a month long project where they undertook a similar process (creating a visual archive and producing work from that resource) but on a much longer time scale. I will remind them of this to boost their confidence!
For the drawing task, I will try to facilitate a space to experiment and try something new, not to fall back on reliable image cues. I initially thought about asking students to place their work back on the framework, I think this will be a decision made on the day depending on the confidence of the students in their outcomes.
Regarding references, the themes of this workshop are core to my own practice, but I’m conscious about just talking about myself…! I am actively seeking out examples of illustration practices to diversify the examples. I intend to use lots of image references as you suggested.
Thank you, Peony for the useful feedback!
