I am a white, cis, heterosexual male with no physical disabilities; however, this process has definitely highlighted I more than likely have characteristics of neurodiversity. Throughout the course I have found it hard to organise my time, follow instructions and finish any of the tasks set – perfectly in line with the NHS ADHD guidelines (NHS, 2025). Similarly coming from a background of unpredictable socio-economic status has also had an effect on my submission. I will be honest I am writing this report with 2 days left to go as taking on paid freelance work has had to take a priority due to the precarious nature of my finances.

However, something that’s come to my attention in the reading is how the concept of ‘racelessness’ (Le Bourdon, 2022) is definitely ‘how my whiteness showed up’ (Le Bourdon, 2022). For better or worse, it has outlined the privilege I have due to the majority of my positionality characteristics. I definitely came into this process believing my creative knowledge and experience was the bulk of what I needed to consider as an educator but this made me realize the ignorance in that approach. Recognizing I can choose things I believe are most important about my identity has illustrated how I’ve really not considered my positionality and privilege adequately up until now.

I believe these realisations have been key in addressing flaws in my teaching practice. As a practitioner and as an educator creating lessons and outcomes influenced from a diverse background isn’t something I have ever seen as a challenge. For me the broader the reference base the more interesting the end result. Although I am careful to navigate my own and students work in a way that avoids cultural appropriation, having discussions about positionality in relation to practitioners and artworks from different backgrounds isn’t something I speak on enough. So, I identified a workshop I’ve delivered in a number of different contexts that could do with a rework (here). I believe it already has the bones of a well-informed activity highlighting diverse practices. However, having read Anne Schiffer’s essay around positionality (Schiffer, A. 2020). I realised this could be an exercise in that as well. It also ties in nicely with the excellent Shen and Sanders essay about the importance of a social practice for students (Shen and Sanders, 2023).

For context I am 0.6 permanent year 1 lecturer on Illustration at Camberwell. It is also worth mentioning the course itself is undergoing a number of changes that has made planning for this submission tricky. The activation of my intervention at this stage isn’t 100% guaranteed as I don’t have an indication if the workshop will still be taking place in the same way it has previously. Unfortunately, concrete planning for the year ahead isn’t yet in place at the time of writing this report. Previously it took place as part of a poster project on unit 2. Intended more as an illustration of quick idea generation, the original workshop took place over one afternoon. Ideally the new version would be extended over a full day – as a result, timings are approximate or omitted on the revised pdf. Also, there would be room for class conversation throughout I haven’t detailed within the slides. This scaffolded approach hopefully addresses the potential risk of the workshop taking place over an unspecified time. Additionally, if the session can’t be used in its original context, I can perceive it still having benefit as a stand-alone session elsewhere. Part of my role is being a ‘transition’ tutor between years so introducing this as a cross-year session could help spark relationships at another point.

The premise of the original workshop was students are invited to reflect on things that matter to them individually, then collaborate in small groups to create posters with a combined list of actions to aid their collective concerns. The references shared are the Black Panther ten-point programme (Teaching American History, n.d.) through the lens of Emory Douglas (San Francisco Public Library, 2017), A White Pube poster project (The White Pube, 2021) expressing ideas about art and some Japanese posters about public transport etiquette by Yumiko and Takahiro (Johnny, 2017)  in the style of Ukiyo e prints (Victoria and Albert Museum. 2018). The aim of day is to create collaborative, meaningful pieces of work in a short amount of time that can be designed in line with issues raised. My intervention will be to redesign the session around positionality as well as responding to some of the things I have learnt since. That said I am aware positionality by definition is more often than not concerned with researchers so I have tailored the approach to better include illustration students.

Having done the lesson online for a micro teaching session, with year one illustration students and with college aged students for an insights summer school it has had varied results. Undoubtedly the best results have been with the year one students however the main issue were some students being slightly too silly with their results. For example, one group made a poster about banning a smelly fruit. In doing it online students weren’t given enough time to produce anything worthwhile. Finally, in introducing it to summer school students not all students engaged the themes with depth ending up with some posters being merely a collection of keywords with negative connotations. I would argue on the whole however the in-person sessions have been successful in instigating important conversations and creating a positively collaborative atmosphere.

To combat the pitfalls and introduce a more solid theme of positionality I’ve added more time for discussion around it and ideas relating to it as well as a simple visual exercise. However, in keeping with Shen and Sanders idea of Promoting “full engagement rather than emphasizing full disclosure” (Shen, Y. and Sanders, E.B.-N. 2023). I introduced a ‘creative’ positionality section particularly inspired by the persona exercise they included. From experience not all students are comfortable talking about identity so giving space for personal interests could give additional room for less intimidating and inclusive conversation.

Referring to its original iteration I believe one issue was the seriousness of the language of the Black Panther ten-point programme and how I handled it. After reading out parts of the it I said to students ‘…without underplaying the importance of these statements, please don’t feel you have to create something as serious as this.’ In hindsight I realized shying away from the seriousness of the text actually worked to discourage meaningful engagement. Although I am sure my ‘white fragility’ (Diangelo, R. 2018) was everything to do with being uncomfortable talking on issues of racial suppression, that isn’t my reasoning for rethinking the approach. In addition, a black student earlier this year complained to staff about an over-use of themes around racism, so I am also conscious of the course not being perceived as tokenistic. I decided, the White Pube poster campaign is actually a more useful starting point around broader contemporary themes that students could relate to more universally. The language used is less rigid so without converting ideas into actions or demands more simple statements would make for a more dynamic exercise with similar issues still embedded. For example, students creating work around statements like “if I were the Tate, I would simply remove my racist paintings x” feels more straight forward.  

Another change was in my original conversation with Victor I’d intended the final works to be part of an exhibition. However, after conversations with my blog group they all agreed making the posters public facing would be a better outcome for the session. Interestingly I hadn’t mentioned this was the original intention of the workshop to the group so it was a great confirmation of my earlier convictions.

As with all workshops I would gauge it’s success by the quality of its outcomes and the level of student’s engagement. The main goal of the workshop is for students to create outcomes based on collaborative themes so seeing evidence of student’s communication in the work would be the best indicator. Similarly in allowing time for conversations about the work at the end of the session I can offer students an opportunity to evaluate the process. You can view the revised workshop here

In conclusion I believe I could have definitely been more engaged in the process of the course up until now however the timing of it and my own commitments have been less than ideal. More generally there has been a deeper experience to the process. I have definitely come to realise through the learning and my own observations I have put too much emphasis on my experience and subject knowledge in my teaching. In reality on a course as broad as mine my experience in illustration is not going to be relevant to all the students I teach, anyway. Being a fractional lecturer, particularly on first year there is a bigger pastoral approach I should be engaging with much more in order to improve my practice. By pastoral I don’t mean student services – I mean creating a reflexive approach less about what I can teach but more about how students can best learn.    

References:

NHS (2025). ADHD in adults. [online] nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-adults/.

Le Bourdon, M. (2022). Confronting the Discomfort: A Critical Analysis of Privilege and Positionality in Development. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21(21), p.160940692210813. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221081362.

‌ Schiffer, A. (2020). Issues of Power and Representation: Adapting Positionality and Reflexivity in Community‐Based Design. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 39(2), pp.418–429. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12291.

Shen, Y. and Sanders, E.B.-N. (2023). Identity discovery: Small learning interventions as catalysts for change in design education. Journal of Design Business & Society, 9(1), pp.127–144. doi:https://doi.org/10.1386/dbs_00049_1.

Teaching American History. (n.d.). Ten Point Program. [online] Available at: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/ten-point-program/.

‌ San Francisco Public Library (2017). Black Panther Graphic Artist Emory Douglas at the San Francisco Public Library. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14rtW69Gqys [Accessed 15 Jul. 2025].

The White Pube. (2021). ideas for a new art world. [online] Available at: https://thewhitepube.co.uk/blog/ideas-for-a-new-art-world/ [Accessed 15 Jul. 2025].

‌ Johnny (2017). Ukiyo-e Inspired Manner Posters for Seibu Railway. [online] Spoon & Tamago. Available at: https://spoon-tamago.com/ukiyoe-manner-posters-seibu-railway/ [Accessed 15 Jul. 2025].

Victoria and Albert Museum. (2018). Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) · V&A. [online] Available at: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/japanese-woodblock-prints-ukiyo-e?srsltid=AfmBOooptZmJxqukpXXnCR8G6qmquUKRYRUp8Udj5eWj3BErI_8eBw87 [Accessed 15 Jul. 2025].

Diangelo, R. (2018). White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism. Boston: Beacon Press.

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Asif Sadiq (Warner Bros. Discovery, 2017) is arguing inclusivity training isn’t working and offers his perspectives on things he thinks will (TEDx Talks, 2023). Overall, he is arguing education is at fault. He is in some ways mirroring what Kwame Anthony Appiah (TED, 2014) is saying about the importance of recognising the nuance of life experiences. His main point is that diversity training coming from ‘dominant culture perspectives’ doesn’t work, which I totally agree with. He argues that learning from ‘storytelling’ and giving colleagues opportunities to share experiences is far more successful. He makes an excellent point that ‘hearing your peers’ perspectives is a much more worthwhile learning experience than being given the ‘one perspective’ of your employer.

The second video, made by the Daily Telegraph (The Telegraph, 2022) presented by Professor James Orr, (‘Associate professor …. at Cambridge University and … leading figure behind the National Conservative movement.’ (Snowdon, P. and McElvoy, A. (2024)). It has the word ‘woke’ in the title, which feels divisive. Even the google definition mentions ‘…some using it as a derogatory term for those perceived as overly politically correct…’ This video argues inclusivity is taking priority over free speech and the quality of education at Cambridge. What also feels particularly divisive as the people he gets to back him up, Arif Ahmed and Dr Vincent Harinam, are non-white. Interestingly, you can see James Orr sat behind Jordan Peterson (Kaczor, D.C. 2023) when the term ‘controversial speakers’ comes up on screen. This is very clearly a video made for a right leaning audience, aka Telegraph readers. (‌Smith, M. (2017)

The channel 4 video (Channel 4 Entertainment 2020) details a school’s approach to illustrating the effect racism can have on success. Questions are asked about their experiences of racism in the context of the starting point of a race. Students who have experienced it take steps back as they identify moments of discrimination and students who haven’t step forward, essentially getting a head start (in life). Although it’s visibly quite upsetting to watch it has merit as a thought experiment. Having taught in a school around the time of the Black Lives Matter protests I know how hard addressing this subject matter to young people can be so they do well to approach it directly. In comparison this is definitely catered to a more left leaning audience. (Yougov.co.uk, 2024)

Having read the other accounts, I would offer up Lubaina Himid’s residency at the Guardian (Guardian Culture, 2018) as an approach to this subject matter I admire. The residency came about after her ‘Guardian Series’, where she focused on the paper’s representation of black people, was featured in her Turner Prize winning exhibition. She uses her process of ‘over-looking or looking overly’ to expose moments of problematic juxtaposition of imagery and themes the staff haven’t seen. Although the Guardian is a categorically left-wing newspaper sensitive to social justice Himid is able to identify so many moments where their complacency about race has been disappointing. As she says, she “is not a media expert …. she is a painter, she sees things like a painter and deals with things like a painter” which I most likely why, as an artist, I find her perspective so relatable.  

References

Warner Bros. Discovery. (2017). Asif Sadiq – Warner Bros. Discovery. [online] Available at: https://www.wbd.com/leadership/asif-sadiq [Accessed 16 Jul. 2025].

TEDx Talks (2023). Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right | Asif Sadiq | TEDxCroydon. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4wz1b54hw.

The Telegraph (2022). Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRM6vOPTjuU [Accessed 19 Jun. 2024].

TED (2014). Kwame Anthony Appiah: Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2et2KO8gcY.

Snowdon, P. and McElvoy, A. (2024). Meet JD Vance’s English philosopher king. [online] POLITICO. Available at: https://www.politico.eu/article/jd-vance-english-philosopher-james-orr-national-conservative-movement-uk-us-election/ [Accessed 16 Jul. 2025].

Kaczor, D.C. (2023). Pope Francis, Jordan Peterson, and Social Justice – Word on Fire. [online] Word on Fire. Available at: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/fellows/pope-francis-jordan-peterson-and-social-justice/ [Accessed 16 Jul. 2025].

‌Smith, M. (2017). How left or right-wing are the UK’s newspapers? | YouGov. [online] yougov.co.uk. Available at: https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/17715-how-left-or-right-wing-are-uks-newspapers.

Channel 4 Entertainment (2020). Heartbreaking moment when kids learn about white privilege | the school that tried to end racism. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I3wJ7pJUjg.

Yougov.co.uk. (2024). Is Channel 4 News more favourable towards Labour/the left or the Conservatives/the right? [online] Available at: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/is-channel-4-news-more-favourable-towards-labour-the-left-or-the-conservatives-the-right.

Guardian Culture (2018). ‘I certainly opened up a conversation’: Lubaina Himid on her Guardian residency. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0xo8dFES3Y [Accessed 16 Jul. 2025]

Kwame Anthony Appiah raises interesting points but it’s hard to see his point beyond a question of grammar (TED (2014). I guess that religion not being a ‘thing’ means its a multitude of ‘things’ so wholistic criticism doesn’t work. He presents arguments for and against saying: ‘…These debates are …preposterous, as there is no such thing as religion.’ In giving the dictionary definition as ‘belief in God or spiritual beings’ he expands on how he sees it. Apparently, the Dalai Lama is an atheist, which works in his favour to discredit the definition. He then explains how in parts of the world religion does the job of science and “is occupying a different role” in answering everyday questions.

Secondly Simran Jeet Singh highlights how faith and race intersect in shaping perception (University, T. (2016). He explains the U.S. was built on “equality and justice for all,” but “practices of discrimination and racism” still exist today. He shares personal experiences, noticing “fear and funny looks,” and responding by “striking up conversations…” to humanize himself to break erroneous stereotypes of his appearance. This shows how faith interacts with race and appearance in public spaces. Most importantly he says, students must see “everyone has their own experiences” to encourage critical thinking about how identity shapes perception.

Haifa Jawad talks on ‘motivations and challenges for Muslim women in sport.’ She points out how in schools ‘tensions can …arise at the interface of religious requirements and physicality’ (Jawad, H. 2022). In examining the challenge of moving forward she suggests ‘A two-way learning process is vital’ between Muslims and others. She states that ‘entitlement to a ‘physical’ education’ is essential and more should be done to ‘incorporate faith-based needs that will enhance participation.’ I can see how the ‘needs for segregation’ could be at odds with some ‘western’ views however female only sport is growing exponentially so it actually makes sense.

The final article explores how religious identity shapes the experience of epistemic injustice, showing how harm occurs through social identity and worldview ‌(Rekis, J. 2023). The social-identity view reveals how markers like race, gender, or religious dress lead to diminished credibility, especially for Muslim women or Black Christians. The worldview perspective shows religion forms a total way of seeing, as Cottingham says, a “comprehensive ‘synoptic’ vision.” This means even believers of dominant religions can face injustice when their religious views are marginalized within mainstream beliefs.

The main theme of these sources is how religious experience can vary broadly for members of the same faith. In my teaching I can see the importance of recognizing student’s intersectional identities in relation to their experience of subject matter. For example, making sure all practitioners’ referenced identities are fully described would help foster inclusion by opening up a broader range of characteristics for students to identify with. According to the UAL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Data Report 2024, (UAL, 2024) 34% of staff and 29% of students have declared a religious belief. So in my own practice being sensitive to the nuance of that means talking about faith with specificity in order to avoid potentially alienating over-generalisation.

References

TED (2014). Kwame Anthony Appiah: Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2et2KO8gcY.

University, T. (2016). Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in Classroom. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk.

Jawad, H. (2022). Islam, Women and Sport: The Case of Visible Muslim Women. [online] Religion and Global Society. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/09/islam-women-and-sport-the-case-of-visible-muslim-women/.

‌Rekis, J. (2023). Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account. Hypatia, 38(4), pp.779–800. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/hyp.2023.86.

UAL (2024)

‌https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/480901/EDI-annual-report-2024.pdf

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The first video (www.youtube.com. (n.d) responds to how the Black Lives Matter movement could ‘learn’ from the Paralympics with Ade Adepitan. He praises the Paralympics’ work to remove barriers from disabled people and creating opportunities for them to ‘shine’. He says, ‘what makes people disabled is not their disability …it’s society.’ So, if all things were made for all people no one would have problems accessing them. The lack of accessibility available is in fact ‘Segregation by design’ as the host describes it. If the same opportunities are made available to everyone, everyone has a chance to excel and this is also true of issues regarding race. Although Adepitan acknowledges improvements have been made in this area he believes there are still major systemic issues at play.

Christine Sun Kim says being Deaf shapes every part of her identity (www.youtube.com, n.d.). She describes her life as “an echo,” referring not just to sound but in how she’s communicated with. She creates infographics that illustrate her communities’ experiences. For Kim, “scale equals visibility.” Her large public artworks insist that Deaf culture is seen and subsequently heard. She mentions the pressure to always explain her work extra clearly, as hearing artists have “the privilege of being misunderstood.” As a Deaf Asian American woman, she feels the need to over-communicate. She also mentions the deaf community’s tendency to stick together rather than face the difficulties of fitting in. Her story highlights systemic barriers to her creativity having been actively excluded from art growing up. Collaboration is central to her work, whether with artists, interpreters or her family. Being around people who understand her always improves her outcomes and productivity.   

In the final video Chay Brown, a trans gay man with ‘mental health difficulties’ explains his experience and how it relates to others (www.youtube.com, n.d.). For example, although there are plenty of LGBTQ2+ venues accessibility isn’t always considered. He mentions how a friend in a wheelchair sometimes resorts to urinating in a glass outside due to inadequate facilities. He makes another point: the majority of LGBTQ2+ social events are centred around alcohol which isn’t universally appropriate. He also points out when things are done well. One event was more inclusive by offering a quieter, games room as an alternative to the ‘club’ room catering for socially anxious guests. He mentions a possible solution when guests are asked for requirements before attending could create a model where promoters are more ‘willing to be told’.

There are parallels raised in the UAL video (University of the Arts London, 2020). “Sometimes I feel like I have to tell people my life story just to get what I need’ relates to Christine Sun Kim’s point on over-communication.  “Everyday I encounter barriers and things that disable me” aligns with Ade Adepitan’s point on the set up of society disabling individuals. Finally, “We can create a university with everyone in mind” definitely relates to how I need to think about my own practice. I need to give more consideration to the clarity of my communication when creating lesson plans and reading them aloud to the class, also making sure the display mode I am using is suitable to everyone in the room. Also something I’m very guilty of is changing the physicality of the room quite often, in future I need to check in on any mobility issues students may have I need to consider.   

References

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Ade Adepitan gives amazing explanation of systemic racism. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAsxndpgagU [Accessed 10 May 2024].

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Christine Sun Kim in ‘Friends & Strangers’ – Season 11 | Art21. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpRaEDlLsI.

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Intersectionality in Focus: Empowering Voices during UK Disability History Month 2023. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yID8_s5tjc.

‌University of the Arts London (2020). The Social Model of Disability at UAL. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNdnjmcrzgw.

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Ob2 Peer Observation Report 

Session To Be Observed: MA Illustration / Camberwell College of Arts 

Size Of Student Group: 40 Students 

Type Of Activity: Project 5, Printing & Making Workshop 

Observer: Peter Chadwick 

Observee: Dan Freeman 

COMMENTS: 

I arranged to meet Dan on the morning of Tuesday March 7 in advance of the workshop starting at 10am. Dan talked me through what the students would be able to participate in during this 5-hour workshop. The aim of the workshop was to offer the students the opportunity to explore 4 activities including: making an object, textiles, moving image and publications with a view to informing and situating their interests and practice in advance  

of the final major project. These exciting activities occupied two teaching spaces in which materials, technical equipment, and resources were readily available for the students to use.  

After a slightly delayed start due to some of the students arriving later than anticipated, they were welcomed into a warm and friendly space by the four tutors running the workshop. Five large round tables were arranged to encourage the students to sit together within groups rather than sitting in smaller groups or alone. The latecomers were asked to wait and listen towards the side of teaching space near to the entrance, so they did not disturb the presentation.  

Sinead Evans, the MA course leader introduced the day in a 15-minute verbal presentation. Dan supported Sinead by constantly adding comments and insights about the making and learning opportunities available throughout the day. At this point Dan took the opportunity to introduce me to the student cohort.  

Sinead and Dan suggested that the students should not worry too much about the outcome, encouraging them to instinctively to respond to making and process whilst recording and note taking throughout the day. Dan added that the students should record the day through note taking and photography for their process journals. Going onto add about working with ‘a good energy’ throughout the day and to see what could be achieved. 

The day’s activities were based in the MA illustration studio and the adjacent Maker Space. It was interesting to see how the students responded to the available activities, I noted that the analogue based activities were more popular than the more technically demanding motion / animation activity. Some more information and insight may have helped the students understand the methods and making possibilities. It can be challenging when encouraging students to explore digital skills that they may not have experienced before or are comfortable with. I hope that the student engagement within this area was increased later in the session. 

Throughout the observation, Dan was helpful and encouraging with the students. Sharing his knowledge and experience in relation to the workshop activities available. It was impressive to see him show the students how to use the sewing machine.  

I really enjoyed this opportunity to observe this workshop for 90 minutes, giving me further insights and evidence of the importance of forward lesson planning, having appropriate materials and equipment ready for the students to use. Co-teaching also offers the student cohort multiple points of view, skill sets and insights in response to this thinking through making experience. Across all areas of this experience, it gave me the opportunity to step back to observe and consider this teaching and learning environment whilst reflecting upon similar teaching experiences within my own practice.  

DAN FREEMAN FEEDBACK: 

Although the session overall was successful there were definitely a few things that could have been improved.  

Despite working on the course for over a year this was the first time I’d worked alongside course leader Sinead. The main issue for me was how impressed I was by her ability to communicate the core values of the course and how to apply them to workshop. It was quite intimidating. As she went on, I realised there was little I could add so opted to stay relatively quiet. In hindsight I don’t regret this but at least I know now how thorough she is. Perhaps my role as an AL and a practitioner could be to bring a more general perspective on the workshop with industry insight where possible?  

I agree with Peter that there was a lack of demonstration from the various tutors and technicians on hand. In offering these varying activities we gave no examples of what was possible. There wasn’t even a pdf on screen. Sinead was of course leading so I didn’t want to step on toes but if we were to do this again, I would create a document outlining the possibilities of what was on offer. I am aware that MA workshops are more frugal with instructions than BA or Graduate Diploma but I find students always love a good reference. 

Finally, I am well versed in the types of printmaking and 3d processes that were available and felt I could have done more to demonstrate them to individuals. I think when there are technicians on hand it is easy to shy away from getting stuck in with the more practical side. I see my teaching as somewhere between tutor and technician as I really enjoy making. However, there was an additional outcome of situating projects through conversations with students that meant there was a lot to talk about. That said, the conversational teaching approach we were able to take during activities I find equally as satisfying. 

Overall, the lessons biggest success was its multi-purpose. We were able to introduce some new skills as well as have the time to offer guidance on projects in an informal, unpressured way. Similarly, it gave Sinead a good indication as to the classes progress overall.

Ob2 Peer Observation Report

Session To Be Observed: BA (Hons) Graphic & Media Design LCC

Size Of Student Group: 12

Type Of Activity: Field Trip

Observer: Dan Freeman

Observee: Peter Chadwick

COMMENTS:

I met Peter at 2pm outside the Pavilion Cafe at Victoria Park in Hackney. He was expecting 12 students for an offsite visit he’d put together that they’d signed up for. He hadn’t met the students before however it was for LCC’s Graphic Media Design BA where Peter is an AL.

After some light wrangling the students had arrived at the right place within good time. He introduced himself to the group and explained I was there as we are on the PGCert course together. Overall, he felt relaxed and approachable and appeared to make students feel comfortable despite the cold weather. That said, there was a strong wind that was definitely a talking point. However, Peter had already mentioned a weather dependant plan b in the email he’d sent with the day’s itinerary.

We then moved away from the Cafe to gather around and view the first stop on the tour. Peter handed out a well-designed summary of the day on an a4 page. Students were going on a 4-hour architectural sight-seeing trip around East London. He began to explain the point of the trip and why he found it interesting. The majority of the buildings on the tour could be directly or loosely categorised as ‘Brutalist’ so I was excited to see what was in store.

The first building was a residential high rise block I’d not noticed even though I’d lived nearby for some time. Peter accurately but succinctly gave a quick roundup of the background of the building and the types of buildings we would be looking at for the rest of the walk. This was a subject he was clearly passionate about and could talk about as good as any professional tour guide. He provided an interesting and informative context to why and how the buildings were created and was even able to include a James Bond anecdote! He also referred to the handout to point out how he’d used the buildings to inspire typography within his own practice which subtly gave context to the trip.

As we got closer to the building Peter pointed out its structure of grids and columns and subsequent squares and rectangles. He cleverly compared this to the way a designer would traditionally lay out information, again giving subject specific contexts for the students to think about. By this point students were already taking lots of photos from various angles and you could see they already found the trip and Peter’s points of view very interesting. I continued with Peter and his students to view 2 more satisfyingly Clockwork Orange-esque residential buildings before I left them at a brutalist style fire station.

I thoroughly enjoyed Peter’s unpretentious approach to sharing his extensive knowledge and educated opinions on what was a uniquely valuable learning experience. Encouraging students to call on their passions in other areas of culture to inspire their visual communication is something I think is really important. Similarly in identifying his specialism Peter was able to show how they too can use design to analyse the world in their own unique ways.

PETER CHADWICK FEEDBACK:

Being observed whilst I work, is a new experience for me. Not one I was comfortable with prior to the observation sessions taking place. It did however make me step back, consider, and reflect upon how I deliver sessions and instruct students. Am I offering the students space to make and explore, is what I am delivering clear to understand, how much talking am I doing and the general overall tone and atmosphere in a session. This last point, is something that I have always been interested in. I have several years of experience of leading design teams, founding and running a design agency and knowing how important it is for teams / cohorts to have inclusive safe working spaces to inhabit, own and work in. These spaces should not be exclusive to the campus, they can be remote spaces, online spaces or spaces that exists once you bring together a group of students to learn in wherever this might be. Within the context of this observation, the space was within an architectural walking trip in East London.

I am pleased to read the positive feedback supplied by Dan Freeman who observed me on this session. Dan observed ‘Encouraging students to call on their passions in other areas of culture to inspire their visual communication.’ I regularly encourage students to explore beyond their laptops, explore and develop their own interests and areas of practice, to use London or their surroundings as a valuable resource, to research and explore beyond the usual digital lines of enquiry. These points can take place within the learning journey of activities such as this beyond the formal classroom setting.

In one of the micro-teaching online sessions, entitled Thinking Learning – Vygotsky ZPD (8 Feb 23) spaces to learn in, scaffolding information and allowing the students space to problem solve whilst working together are all points that I noted. I regularly scaffold sessions with supplied information about a specific taught topic, what the students are required to do or what they are engaging in. Which Dan noted within my supplied hand out.

On reflection, I could have been more assertive and informative at the beginning of the session whilst the students waited to begin the activity. I can sometimes be a little quiet and self-conscious at the beginning of a teaching session when meeting a new cohort (which this was). This normally quickly goes once a teaching session begins.

Thank you for the clear, insightful, and useful feedback Dan.

On planning my object based micro-teaching session, I began reflecting on the conversations and ideas I’d had on the course so far and decided to highlight 2 things. Something I’d learnt from my MA – the conversations with peers throughout a course are always the most memorable part. Secondly, how can I best use my visual arts experience to teach when aesthetics are seemingly unimportant?

I have begun to read about Kant’s theory of aesthetics triggered by one of the reading materials ¹, this is definitely an area of research I’d like to pursue. Through the endless administrative and formulaic feedback, it’s difficult to locate where my experience as an illustrator has any use on an illustration course. However, if I were to go by Kant’s theory:

“In order to play the judge in matters of taste, we must not be in the least biased in favor of the thing’s existence but must be wholly indifferent about it” ²

…would he argue my experience would act as nothing more than irrelevant bias? Although I agree in terms of values of communication something has to be said for awareness of industry expectations? My approach to the PGCert so far is to remain Socratic to instigate useful conversation therefore querying this with my peers could be a useful start.

How could I instigate this conversation around an object though? My initial idea was using a DVD case. By listing its uses as an object, you could potentially list the use of its contents (film / entertainment / education / gaming etc etc) and eventually, potentially visual culture as a whole? However, I also ran the risk of it turning into a ‘101 Uses For A Dead Cat’ ³ territory, so the idea was abandoned.

I was recently very impressed by a student citing her body as a geographical site of study. Inspired by this non-linear approach I opted for simply ‘conversation’ as my object. Specifically, a conversation prompted by my previous enquiry: What is the value of my experience as a practitioner in visual culture if aesthetics are purely subjective?

Throughout all my teaching practice, even in schools, I believe the most useful opportunities for learning have come from more casual one-to-one conversations. The best ideas come in moments of ‘positive constructive daydreaming’ ⁴ i.e., times when you are most relaxed. So, it stands to reason relaxing the structure and hierarchy of an activity can sometimes instigate more creative outcomes. It’s easy to overlook how for some students the studio environment can sometimes be a place of stress that is actually detrimental to their creativity. 

In practice, the activity I believe was relatively successful. It was definitely more useful for members of the group with experience in assessment and from a visual practitioner’s background. As a starting activity for opening up this area of study overall it was an interesting start as I had no real expectations as to how it would go.

Bibliography

1: Callender, J.S. (2005). The Role of Aesthetic Judgments in Psychotherapy. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 12(4), pp.283–295.

‌2: Kant, I. (2018). Critique Of Judgement. S.L.: A & D Publishing.

3: Bond, S. (1988). 101 Uses for a Dead Cat. Potter Style.

4: Singer, S.B.K. and J.L. (n.d.). The Origins of Positive-Constructive Daydreaming. [online] Scientific American Blog Network. Available at: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-origins-of-positive-constructive-daydreaming/.

I was invited by one of the GSAs from Illustration, Rory to co-teach an introductory mural workshop (as part of a series) for graduate diploma. It would be on a sign-up basis with the end goal of picking 2 students to create murals for the summer show. Rory has experience in the area so would talk about process and I would give the workshop context through further research and my own experience. The course leader specifically wanted us to discuss enlargement processes we’d used to create a murals from smaller images. The theme was ‘Be Here Now’ so images should be about togetherness, community and living in the moment.

We wanted to explain mural painting is different from simply, painting. Murals come from pre-approved designs and have to match the original. Also, with this enlargement comes interesting new shapes as the imperfections of the lines are magnified. For example, if you enlarge an a4 pencil drawing to the size of a billboard your outline gathers irregularities – it is not only enlarging where the pencil hits the page but also where it doesn’t.

Students would brainstorm a series of 10, 5cm drawings then choose one to enlarge to a4 by drawing a grid over it, then draw a scaled-up grid on an a4 sheet. They would then use the lines to measure and redraw the image a4 sized. We would return after lunch and create an a1 version using the same scaling up process. In addition, we would give a lecture, myself concentrating on theme and Rory on process.

The first task went well but some students definitely missed the theme. Onto the first enlargement and things clearly started to go array. I demonstrated how to grid the smaller image and then the a4 and Rory did the same to smaller groups. However, despite further individual demonstrations many students just drew an estimated version of the image with no grid and the accuracy was lost.

After lunch the next task was to paint an a1 image accurately enlarged from the a4. We demonstrated the process again with extra attention to detail. I asked if anyone had any questions to which everyone said no. Nonetheless as I went round the room people where again, starting to draw freehand. I intervened with those I could see and repeatedly but politely explained how they’d missed the point. We continued to point out inaccuracies when we saw them but overall, the students just continued to just make new, improvisational paintings. Although there was some great work the technical element of the workshop was completely lost as students continually ignored guidance.

In the plenary myself and Rory congratulated students on their great images but directly pointed out their inaccuracies. Again, pointing out in a professional context the discrepancies between their original design to their larger outcomes would be problematic.

On reflection we agreed more technical instructions was needed. We should either include clear step by step diagrammatic instructions or pre-gridded paper to ensure more accuracy. A difficulty in teaching this class is their understanding as an all-international group is hard to predict. Overall, the scaffolding of the lesson needed reinforcing. I definitely learnt never to assume a task no matter how simple is straight forward in practice.