In todays tutorial session, we delivered short presentations about ourselves and our teaching practices. It started with an ice breaker that required us to draw the person next to us without a) looking at the page, and b) lifting the pen off the page. The results were interesting! It was also a good, less pressurised way to initiate interaction and eye contact with people we were meeting for the first time.

The presentations were interesting and one thing I was able to compare was the styles in which people chose to present themselves and their work. Some chose a very visual approach (like myself), using more images than text, some chose short, key words and focused on delivering the message themselves, whilst others favoured the more traditional, infographic-type presentation. It was definitely interesting finding out about what other people did both personally and professionally and also getting a glimpse into their teaching style by way of their delivery.

As part of my presentation I also highlighted one of the UAL Spark journals which focused of the ‘Reading Collections’ reading group which was set up in response to a specific set of circumstances, one being “the perception among Black students and others that the work of contemporary Black artists was not being documented (A conversation about recordings, 2018), and that information and resources related to the history, theory and practice of African-Caribbean, Asian and African art and artists, and of British artists of African-Caribbean, Asian and African origin or descent, were not available in academic or other institutional art libraries.” (Gustavo Grandal Montero, Rahul Patel,2019). This text resonated with me particularly because of the aims and objectives behind the arts organisation I run, Black British Visual Artists.

Overall, it was good to get an insight into other peoples styles and techniques. One of the questions raised from the session was around ways to get feedback from students. I am definitely swaying more towards letting students submit questions/concerns anonymously, as I feel it puts everyone on an equal footing and gives a voice to those who would not ordinarily feel comfortable speaking out in class.

Bibliography:

Vol 4, No 1 (2019): ‘Libraries, Archives and Special Collections’ special issue

My first lecture/classroom experience in almost 20 years both reignited and confirmed something for me – my love of teaching and learning. I can openly admit that I was rather anxious about this first session – it would include all 3 cohorts from the PG Cert and we had been pre-warned that the room was likely to be loud and full (and as someone who does not relish the thought of loud and crowded spaces, this set off alarm bells!) and true to form, it was. After psyching myself up for that hurdle (and successfully putting my own coping mechanisms in place) I prepared myself for the second one – the hunt for a left-handed chair in a right-handed world. Same story, different time era.

The session was led by Lindsay Jordan. We were all warmly welcomed when we entered the room and greeted with a ‘pre-session task’ on the board that required us to introduce ourselves to our neighbours. I thought this was a really good idea, however it was clear that there were others in the room who were not entirely comfortable striking up a conversation with people they didn’t know – but hey, every friend was a stranger at some point, right?

The lecture was broken down into a mixture of small group activities, interactive data collection and reading. Many of us had already gravitated towards people we knew, so being split into different groups forces you to interact with people you’ve never met before. Or so it would seem – not all group participants *cough-cough*(mine)*cough-cough* were as interactive as others. Think the layout of the chairs in rows contributed to this. Our group was tasked with discussing the question: To what extent are individuals personally responsible for their success? to which our response was that it is hard to quantify responsibility as there are several variable factors that need to be considered, including, but not limited to; race, gender, social class, setting, disability, perception, language and institutional bias. Individual responsibility is not a level playing field and can’t be put down to a number or percentage.

We all took part in the larger group activity creating a timeline of personal, political and social experiences of Higher Education, which was a form of ‘Constructive Activism’, the result being a really useful visual representation of the Higher Education system in the UK.

One thing it did highlight in particular, was how politics and government agendas have impacted peoples experiences in Higher Education i.e. the transitions from colleges/polytechnics to universities, redefining ‘home’ and ‘international’ students and of course, the extortionate rise in university fees. Found this activity particularly helpful in helping me to understand further, the chapter I had read from Holmwoods’ Race and the Neoliberal University. Reading more recent comments about the rising costs of university fees in particular, made me reflect on the ‘meagre’ amount I paid to study in the early 2000’s (although it didn’t seem cheap at the time) and realise how important it is for students to get the best educational experience possible, given how much they are now expected to fork out.

I found Lindsays teaching method quite similar to my own – she was very open and interactive and wasn’t afraid to inject her own personality quirks into the session. This is something that I have always done as I feel students connect better when they can actually see elements of a teachers personality, rather than just a machine regurgitating information at them. The use of both digital and analogue tasks worked well, and meant that if technology fails you (as it did!) the show can go on! I also liked the idea of submitting questions anonymously, as this meant students who were not confident to speak out loud would still be able to take part and have their questions answered. Inclusivity in the classroom is an essential element in teaching and I believe employing as many methods as possible to facilitate this can enhance both the students and teachers learning experience.

Bibliography:

Holmwood, John, Race and the Neoliberal University: Lessons From the Public University (2018)