Some interesting points to note from this session:
In the group discussion at the beginning, where we discussed a teaching resource we’d brought, Scott, a lecturer on the embroidery course shared a very detailed Project Document. It was about 6 pages and contained a very detailed break down of exactly what the students should include in their portfolio. For example: research and analysis of sources in sketchbook A2/ A3, one technical file, 6-8 textile samples, a physical presentation of two A1 boards. This is much more practical and prescriptive than anything I’ve seen on the BA: Performance course, in terms of direction for what is needed for portfolio submission. Usually we ask questions as prompts for the students to show us something, such as ‘how has your work been informed by research?’ rather than list quantities etc, as this tutor did. I wonder if a more practical list, rather than lots of questions, would actually help the students understand more clearly what is required of them. Perhaps this prescriptiveness when it came to portfolio and marking criteria, would actually help them to not focus on (or rather worry about) grades, and more on being creative. One thing to note – Scott’s document was for Stage One, rather than Stage Three which I currently teach.
Elsewhere in the session, Silvio raised some important ethical considerations: What does ‘neutrality’ mean? What does ‘passivity’ enable? He encouraged us to think before each teaching session, each interaction, even each email – ‘what are we fostering or enabling?’ The answer could be: productivity, trust, anxiety, diversity, compassion, curiosity, creativity, urgency, inclusion… I’ve started to think about what my answer would be to this question. I think often for me it would be ‘agency’ or ’empowerment’. On this note I find the provocation in this lecture that we are ‘actors initialising (or resisting) academic capitalism, not just players being corporatised’, from the book ‘Academic Captialism and the New Economy’, really inspiring. Also a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh (who I really want to read more of): ‘happy teachers will change the world’. I’ve found practically this is true in my experience – since coming back from taking time off work triggered by a bereavement, I have found I’ve got really positive feedback on my teaching from students.
Leading on from this we had a discussion on horizontal learning and how among other things, it can bring in non-hierarchical values. Lot’s of practical tips here: ask students to come up with their own research questions (I’ve tried this since with the Performance as Protest students, getting them to come up with their own questions to ask of others’ artwork and think worked well). Also get students to contribute to reading lists (could work for Writing as Performance students at this stage). Through foregrounding other student voices, you can teach students to really value and respect their peers and the multiple perspectives they bring.
Finally, Becca, a researcher in film, mentioned that as a younger lecturer students can learn curiosity from you – it will come off you.
Again, some really rich reflections here, Rosa! Have you explored further the non-hierarchical approaches of horizontal learning? When I observed your session, I did feel that you were enacting those values…