The title of Barrow’s 2006 piece ‘Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect’ was thought provoking for me. It lead me to consider what I believe university is truly for, it is a place designed to produce individuals who will play their own part to form a capitalist, consumerist society? Is Higher Education simply learning for the sake of learning? Or do Higher Education facilities exist for the generation of new knowledge?

I believe that in an ideal world the purpose of higher education is to teach students to consider the world and their place within it more thoroughly, and so it is not directly about the content but the process of accumulating new knowledge and the kind of inquiring mind and nature that students learn through this process. This is a similar idea to what Barrow (2006) explains could be cultivated throughout a continual ipsative feedback technique where student work is assessed holistically against looking at progress rather than comparison against a grade scale that does not take into consideration that individual’s previous work or grades (Classtime, 2024)

Faucault’s (1983) idea of confession being essential for humans to conduct themselves ethically by continually evaluating the morality of their actions is equated in Barrow’s (2006) work to the process of assessment. The ideas behind this are very compelling and suggest a large quantity of similarities, however assessment in the traditional format is generally seen within higher education as the culmination of work rather than the process. Within Barrow’s study he looks at how this plays out for a student on a creative degree where they are also marked on a journal of their work process, versus a student on a Business degree, who’s graded on one final assessment which doesn’t take into consideration the process to get to that point. Meaning that the business student misses the chance of Faucault’s “confessions” where as the design student had them in the form of on going critiques and touch points with their tutor when building up their sketchbook/journal. 

As a specialist technician, my role does not allow me to take part in formal assessment within the university, however I believe this concept of continual “confessions” and through these a chance to guide students to reflect fits perfectly into my role with the students who want to explore 3D print to a further degree, as often with these individuals I get to see their project evolve, they will come to me with questions and thoughts throughout their design and making process and I can support and guide their thought process through this, feeding into the way the ultimately consider and conduct themselves in the world throughout and post-university. I look forward to unpacking this idea further within Case Study 3.

Bibliography:

• Barrow M, (2006) ‘Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect’ Studies in Higher Education Vol. 31, No. 3 pp. 357-375
• Classtime, (2024), Ipsative Assessment: A Deep Dive into Personalized Learning Progress Available at: https://www.classtime.com/en/ipsative-assessment
• Foucault, M. (1983) The subject and power (Afterword), in: H. L. Dreyfus & P. Rainbow (Eds) Michel Foucault: beyond structuralism and hermeneutics (2^nd edn) (Chicago University Press), 208-226

Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: BA Fashion Design and Development Lesson (Pattern Scanning & Marker Making on Lectra & NScan Software and Scanning Demo Workshop. 

Size of student group: 18 Students

Observer: Kira Oliver 

Observee: Andrea Marfo

Part One
Observee to complete in brief and send to observer prior to the observation or review:

What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?

This is optional to their curriculum, The demo to Nhega scanner and Nscan software is an additional knowledge/Intro session that students have the options to use CAD/CAM software (Lectra and Optitex) / Hardware to enhance their studies and their projects in the future. 

How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?

This will be their second lesson with the Lecturer and me, but I have been working with the course BA Fashion Design and Development (FDD) for 3 years now, so every year I deliver this demo scanning workshop within their lesson with new group year 2 cohort. 

What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?

Students will be able to:

• Prepare manual pattern or draping fabric piece to scan, and checking all key information e.g. Grainline, Notches, Cutting information, Drill holes, Darts etc)
• Setting up Nscan software, scan manual pattern to digital one, set up for file type for (Exporting)
• Tidying up patterns on the software (Nscan)
• Opening DXF pattern pieces in Optitex and Lectra and saving them.

What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?

N/A

Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?

Taking notes whilst observing the demo, especially when moving from the hardware (N-hega) to software (Nscan). This is due to students finding learning technology overwhelming with all the different moving parts and information given.  

Students finding it had to follow the demo workshop once they had finished their thought lesson. 

How will students be informed of the observation/review?

Yes, verbally told last week and will repeat at the start of the lesson agin today. 

What would you particularly like feedback on?

Are students able to retain information and explanation giving to them about the software and Hardware?

Students be able to use the Hardware and Software independently after this session. Will they be able to use them confidently?

The language and terminology are used to teach/ explain the software and hardware?

How well do I support students during the lesson thought be CAD/CAM lecturer and after the demonstration of the Nhega Scanner and Nscan. 

How will feedback be exchanged?

Written and Spoken 

Part Two

Observer to note down observations, suggestions, and questions:

First Part of Lesson (supporting other teacher)

• Great unobtrusive support of late individuals while other teacher speaking in a relatable and not harsh manner.
• Takes over the student work on the PC which is required to bring them up to speed with the rest of the class. In this setting it is needed, but in others it could potentially take away from their chance to problems solve for themselves (not to case here but something to be aware of).
• When demonstrating she always explains in clear relatable English – perfect for this setting.
• Clear signs between staff members.
• When supporting individuals she creates a good rapport between the two of them with jokes and dedication to their work.
• When supporting other tutor she stands at front just behind other teacher which is great as she can see all students computer screens and their faces when they look forward to the teacher and so she can identify when anyone gets stuck and is not in the other teacher’s way.

Second Part of Lesson (Andrea leading a demonstration)

• Before jumping in she checks existing student knowledge so can gear the information well.
• Asks questions and praises existing knowledge which builds students up and increases their confidence and therefore engagement with the subject. She also expands on these points which builds student knowledge.
• Uses objects to demonstrate and show students physically what to do. This increases student interest as it is like ‘watching a film’ something they find more interesting than just listening to the information. IT also helps visual learners retain the information better.
• The information she is trying to impart is very complex and heavy so difficult for students to take in from just watching and listening especially at the end of another session, it may be helpful to use students to demonstrate as well to keep the class more interested than when it is just her.
• Explains file type changing with a lovely simple real-world analogy which students should be able to use to grasp a complex concept easily.
• She repeats important points throughout the demonstration and also has these on a hand-out which is great for supporting the knowledge retention of these particular facts.
• Gives industry examples and therefore context as to how this would be used. Bu giving real-world examples it allows students to relate to and understand why this information is important and where they might actually use it in the future.
• Asks questions at the end of the session to gauge student’s understanding and fills in any blanks. Also gives finishing information about how they can take this forward.

Please see Andrea’s blog post for her response to my comments in due course

 

Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: Workshop, 3D Print: Past, Present, Future

Size of student group: 10-20

Observer: Andrea Marfo

Observee: Kira Oliver

 

Note: This record is solely for exchanging developmental feedback between colleagues. Its reflective aspect informs PgCert and Fellowship assessment, but it is not an official evaluation of teaching and is not intended for other internal or legal applications such as probation or disciplinary action.

Part One
Observee to complete in brief and send to observer prior to the observation or review:

What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?

It is outside of the curriculum as an extra session students have the option to book onto to enhance their studies. 

How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?

They are new students I have never taught before. Some may have come to drop in sessions previously but that is the maximum exposure they would have had. 

What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?

PART ONE Live Session – ‘Understand that there are different types of 3D printing and how each of them work’ 

PART TWO Live Session – ‘Understand pros and cons of each technology and where each individual type is utilised best in industry’ 

PART THREE Live Session – ‘Be comfortable will how to run the FDM printers independently here at LCF’ 

What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?

N/A

Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?

A lot of students find technology in general overwhelming and so come to the session with a defeatist attitude already. 

The technology can be very complex and sometimes students get lost through the explanation process.

How will students be informed of the observation/review?

Verbally at the beginning of the session

What would you particularly like feedback on?

How retainable the students find the information – would they be able to use the equipment by themselves after this session? Do they feel confident?

How will feedback be exchanged?

Written and spoken

Part Two

Observer to note down observations, suggestions, and questions:

Hi Kira 

I had the opportunity to attend the last hour of your session on 3D Printing: Past, Present, and Future. I have provided some feedback on student engagement and their ability to retain information and use the 3D printer independently and overall view of the session.

General things

At the studio, I found a discreet spot to observe the lesson and noticed that the students were engaged and interacting well with you. Your body language was relaxed, open, and inviting, while your voice projected clearly and passionately as you spoke about 3D printing.

Student engagement, encouragement, and Information Retainable to them

The session was carefully designed to allow time for students to engage in discussions and ask questions about what they had learned, and the materials presented. To enhance and increase their involvement in the session Object-based learning was incorporated through presentations, software demonstrations, and samples of materials such as PLA, PVA, and resin. 

You answered questions with detailed and warm knowledge which helped boost their confidence. The students remained engaged, took notes, and actively participated in the 3D printer demonstration and you also gave them little prompts to contribute to their understanding and gave them the opportunity to build up their knowledge of 3D printing. 

             Kira: ‘We have chosen our material and……….’

 Kira: ‘We chose our material and we put our model in but…., what might go wrong with this do you have any ideas? It is silent for a second, and you give them a prompt, how big do we want this box to be (prompt)?’

            Students: ‘Because it is in millimetres’

To help them inform you what they have learned so far.   

Kira: ‘Do anybody remember………….. ‘

Kira: ‘Does anyone remember how much we need to print?’

All students replied: ‘One gram’

Students are looking for a sense of belonging when they are lesson, you demonstrated this by coming back to a question that was asked earlier in the session by addressing a question raised about the weight of the resin, you explained that a filling structure is needed, and a sample was passed around to illustrate this.

The students were engaged, calm and eager to learn about 3D printing. The presentation and demonstration were effective in providing enough context for them to use the equipment with confidence. As the session ended, the students continued discussing the 3D printer and software amongst themselves.

Teaching method/Lesson

The workshop was well-organised and informative. You explained everything clearly and at a good pace. You patiently answered all the questions asked by the students and provided helpful learning resources, such as the LCF Tech page for the Digital Learning Lab and upcoming tutorials.

You demonstrated inclusive practice by spelling out the word ‘purge’ after saying it aloud. This allowed students with learning difficulties or language barriers to take note of the spelling and search for the word later. 

When a student asked a question, you saw it as an opportunity to enhance the learning experience for the entire group. Instead of providing a direct answer, you clarified the question to the rest of the group and then provided a detailed response that applied to everyone. Admirably execution, I plan to incorporate this approach into my teaching practice.

Your presentation was clear, well-labeled, and had a diverse mix of media. You gave fitting examples of how 3D printing machines are used in various industries e.g., cosmetics, fashion, food, film, medical, and engineering. You even passed around a sample of the material used to 3D print the Loewe bag handle. At the end of the presentation, you gave the students the chance for them to give feedback by asking the question below. I thought this was a lovely way to finish the session off.  

• Kira: So, going forward in the future, what do you all think might happen, any things you think might take off or any of them example that excites you or might take off?

Overall & Suggestions for moving forward

The session was successful overall. The use of object-based learning proved to be effective during the session. You managed to keep the students engaged throughout the session with interactive questions and helped them develop a better understanding of 3D printing. The student seemed comfortable with you and wanted to follow up with their questions and you looked as well that you were comfortable with them.

The background of the software interface was black, which sometimes made it difficult to see the cursor’s movement or the function being used. I was wondering if there is an option to change the colour of the background of the interface or cursor or try out software like ZoomIt to zoom in and out of the specific area of the interface to prevent the model being created from merging with the background.

I suggest having an extra staff member to support the session. It will ensure all students receive help, as it can be hard to engage with every student. During the lesson, you missed a student’s question while answering another. An additional staff member can help avoid this in the future and for students who do not feel confident asking the question again. However, in this case, the student felt comfortable with you, so when another opportunity arose, she asked her question.

During the session, there was some noise coming from the adjacent studio (where 3D printers are), which was a bit distracting, especially when the students were actively engaged in the session. While I appreciate that the east bank layout is designed to be an open space for learning, it may be helpful to book a room when delivering a workshop to prevent any distractions and maintain student engagement.

During your teaching, you used some acronyms such as SLA, FDM, SLS, PLA, etc. I am not sure if you explained these terms at the beginning of your session. However, it might be helpful to create or add a QR code with information about each term that can be easily

accessed. This will guide students who are not familiar with 3D printing or who join the session later and help them understand the 3D printing terminology better.

 

Part Three

Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the feedback exchanged:

These comments are very kind and reassuring, I appreciate the time taken to come and support me in learning how to teach better. 

The points for improvement are all very valid and I will address them below:

1. Software Background/interface

Thank you for noticing this, it is something I work with on a daily basis and so have never considered but is such a valid point, especially when the screen is so large, the mouse and model can easily get lost. 

Within one of the softwares I use there is a way to change this manually and so I will try this for my next session, however the other one I don’t believe there is and so I will look into the suggested software to zoom into specific areas. I believe this would be a great addition to the session and make the class much more inclusive 

• An extra member of staff

This is a lovely point however would be very difficult to implement within my team. The explanation of a missed question is an issue and maybe I could combat that some other ways, such as having smaller classes more often, or a dedicated time for students to ask questions. I will also raise the suggestion of having a supporting staff member to my line manager as I can see huge benefits from this, especially in some of my other workshops.

• Excess noise

This is an interesting point as the space has been designed for the class to be able to flow between the teaching space and the machine room easily and so booking a room elsewhere would make the dynamics of the session very different. Maybe I could split the workshop into two halves, one held in the noisier space that we were using where we have direct access to machines and the other half in a separate classroom where it is quieter for more of the theory based work. Other options could be discussing timetabling sessions when machines are less in use and so less noisy, or using a movable sound barrier across the open part between the two spaces to insulate the sound better when teaching

• Acronym help sheet

I agree wholeheartedly, having an acronym “cheat sheet”, hand out, poster or QR code with information online that is easily accessible would be incredibly useful as Andrea is correct there are tones of acronyms within 3D Printing and it can get very confusing. Will be implementing a solution to this ASAP. I think I will use a mixture of the suggested QR code to stake students to a sharepoint page with a definition for each acronym and also posters on some of our information boards in the room to support their learning there and then

As my teaching environment sits outside of the main course curriculum’s across the university I get a huge spread of students coming to me for support, oftentimes these individuals will only come by for one or two sessions (either workshops, drop in’s or just to use the equipment). This means that I only have a short period with individual students and as their learning is hugely affected by their relationship with their teacher (Roorda D. L., Koomen H. M., Spilt J. L., Oort F. J. 2011) I want to improve my skills at immediate connection making and build a successful relationship with students within these first couple of meetings.

“When we feel respected we are able to bring our whole selves to our work and our learning” Liz Bunting and Vikki Hill (2024).This currently plays out in my practice where I give individuals the chance to speak with me individually about their own ideas and projects. By doing this, I find student’s confidence in their own work increases, I believe this is because they feel valued as an individual due to me giving them the time to speak and explain themselves within our first meeting. This factor, the spoken words cover less than 50% of what has been communicated between the two of us during a face to face meeting with body language and non-verbal communication making up the rest. According to Bambaeeroo F, Shokrpour N (2017), there is an obvious correlation between student success and teacher’s body language/non-verbal communication such as the use of intentional inclination. This is something I plan to impalement in the first meetings I have with students by raising my voice at the end of sentences, Chris Caswell in video Body Language for Reinforcing Learning (2012) explains how this invites students in to share ideas and engage further. Another potential way to create a positive interaction with students would be to lean in towards them during conversation. This should be done while carefully monitoring the student’s body reaction. If they pull away this may mean they feel threatened, but if not this is often a positive sign of interest R. Phillips (2012). This is something I am going to actively start taking not of and utilising within my interactions to create a more welcoming space for students.

Another factor within this is that students often expect me to remember them and their projects after the first meeting which is great as it means they felt valued and like an individual with unique memorable qualities and concepts, however unfortunately this is somewhere that I fall down. I meet many new students each day and find it easy to engage with them there and then, but remembering each individual’s name and project can be very difficult for me. Therefore I will often have to ask them again for their name or a brief synopsis of their project in order to remember them, which I believe could be considered disrespectful. Findings from Katelyn M. Cooper, Brian Haney, Anna Krieg and Sara E. Brownell (2017) suggest that when tutors know student’s names the student’s perceive that the teacher cares about their learning, and also that the name learning helps build classroom community. This name-learning concept is explored further in my blog post: Before We Even Started and is something I plan to find techniques and way to improve my name learning and remembering within my teaching practice to improve the respect I am giving to each individual student.



Bibliography:

• Roorda D. L., Koomen H. M., Spilt J. L., Oort F. J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher–student relationships on students’ school engagement and achievement: a meta-analytic approach. Rev. Educ. Res. 81, 493–529. doi: 10.3102/0034654311421793
• Bunting L, Hill V (2024)Belonging Through Compassion Available at: https://belongingthroughcompassion.myblog.arts.ac.uk/relationships/ (Accessed: 18.04.24)
• Bambaeeroo F, Shokrpour N (2017) ‘The impact of teachers’ non-verbal communication on success in teaching’ J Adv Med Educ Prof. 2017 Apr;5(2): 51-59 Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5346168/ (Accessed: 18.04.24)
• Body Language for Reinforcing Learning (2012) Produced by Maverick Television Accessed: https://video-alexanderstreet-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/watch/body-language-for-reinforcing-learning
• R. Philips (2012) Body Language: It’s What You Don’t Say That Matters Minesota, Capstone
• Brownell S E, Cooper K M, Haney B, Krieg A,  (2017) ‘What’s in a Name? The Importance of Students Perceiving That an Instructor Knows Their Names in a High-Enrollment Biology Classroom’ CBE Life Sci Educ. 2017 Spring; 16(1): ar8. Available at: doi: 10.1187/cbe.16-08-0265

Attitude is “a disposition to respond favourably or unfavourably towards some psychological object.” Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) strikes a chord for me as a specialist technician within the field of 3D Printing and digital design. A large majority of the people I work with are much more comfortable using craft based hands-on techniques to design and create rather than technology. This attitude and misconstrued predisposition towards technology is a big barrier in my teaching and is something I plan to work on breaking down at the beginning of my sessions so that my students can come to understand software and machinery as something accessible to them. (Please also refer to my blog: Welcome to my Lab for more understanding of my teaching environment.)

The Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) suggests that there are two factors which contribute to how well accepted a computer system will be by potential users. These factors cover both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. In this case study I will address the perceived ease of use as this seems to be the key issue with students approaching the 3D printing software and technology.

Having been experimenting with object based learning I’m discovering different ways to utilise this technique by students a 3D printed part and asked them to discover how the technology that created it works due to the clues they can see within the object – they were able to identify things such as layers, a lightweight feel (leading to the idea that the part was hollow) and the fact that it was all one colour suggesting that it was all one material. I have tested this and it has worked well to encourage students by building their confidence with machinery as they started to work things out for themselves about it. 

In Storytelling the self as a pedagogic practice, the idea of individuals expressing their own journeys from their individual and unique perspectives they were able to take ownership of their learning for themselves (Osler, Guillard, Garcia-Fialdini, Cote, 2019) I want to merge these ideas by also giving the class the chance to look at the 3D printers and explore/create their own story as to how it works rather than me simply telling them in the aim to give them more confidence and ownership in their individual learning journey with the technology we utilise.

Bibliography:

• Ajzen I, Fishbein M, (1975) Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley
• Davis F.D. (1989) ‘Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology’ MIS Quarterly Vol.13, (No 3, Sept 1989) available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/249008 (Accessed: 18.04.24)
• Cote S, Garcia-Fialdini A, Guillard I, Osler T, (2019) ‘An A/r/tographic metissage: Storying the self as pedagogic practice’ Journal of Writing in Creative Practice Volume 12 (Numbers 1&2)

As my first reading this piece grabbed my attention with it’s moral questioning. It centred around a study of interviews with studio-instructors about their experience and reflections on Studio Critiques. My practice doesn’t involve traditional critiques as they considered in this paper, however through my tutorial and drop-in sessions, a lot of them have a similar feel and process to some critiques and so I found this very interesting and relevant to my own work. Within the study they identified a few different themes, in this blog post I will be looking specifically at the “Goods of student development” as to me this is the most important part of my work and is also potentially the most complicated to decide upon holistically as a teacher so focusing on this, I believe will give me the most development within my teaching practice.

One of the main considerations of the essay that stood out to me was the question “are studio instructors always right about student goods?”. I was able to use this question to reflect on my own teaching practice, when a student may come to me for a drop-in, they will often have an idea of an outcome and no (or very little) understanding of how to get to that point. The way I usually approach this situation is to consider a few different workflows and suggest a tailored process for the student to follow that I believe would get them to the outcome they have in mind. (see blog titled “Welcome to my Lab” for a better understanding of my teaching environment and students)

By analysing this process, I have discovered that my understanding of the “student good” of a drop-in session with me, is to understand how to create their suggested outcome in the most effective way possible out of the range of techniques and processes I have first-hand experience with. However, looking back at this, although logically it makes sense as a direct goal and outcome and gives them a sure-fire way to get there as the processes are tried and tested, it doesn’t consider the other potential “goods” that could come from this process. It doesn’t consider any “goods of self-cultivation”, explained by Higgins (2010) as a “commitment to ongoing growth, and their various practices, styles and tricks for combating the many forces that deaden the self and distract from task of becoming”. This is such a huge trap as a technician as there is often not much opportunity for growth within this career path and so self-cultivation is incredibly important to engage teachers working in these roles. 

A way I could consider increasing my self-cultivation as part of this drop in process would be to not only suggest processes that I know will work, but also experimental processes that I haven’t attempted before. By giving students, the option to explore these I can learn alongside them and increase my own wealth of knowledge of the machinery and equipment. This is something I would like to implement in my teaching, however only within certain situations – it would only be appropriate when the student in question has the time and resources to try something new and only at a point in the term when I would be able to allocate more time to their process. I do believe this would improve both my own and student engagement. This concept also feeds nicely into the ideas I have been digesting having read Assessment and Student transformation: linking character and intellect by Mark Barrow . This has also greatly impacted my thoughts, which I will unpack further in a future post.

Bibliography:

• Higgins, C (2010). The good life of teaching: An Ethics of professional practice. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 44(2-3), 189-478
• Barrow, M (2006). Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect. Studies in Higher Education, Vol 31, No. 3, June 2006, pp. 357-372
• McDonald, J. K., & Michela, E. (2019). The design critique and the moral goods of studio pedagogy. Design Studies, 62, 1–35. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2019.02.001.

Before we get stuck in, I would like to give you a basic understanding of the environment and content which I teach and so that is what this blog is all about.

My job title is as a 3D Printing and Digital Design Specialist Technician – Learning and Teaching. I am part of the Digital Learning Lab where we specialise in integrating fashion and technology. We are accessible to any member of LCF, whether staff or student and so I support a huge range of different individuals and projects on a day to day basis. 

Most of my teaching is made up of drop-in days and workshops, these both sit outside of course curriculum and are entirely optional and extra for the students who want to learn about 3D Print and digital design (specifically using Rhino 3D software) which generally means that the people I interact with are very engaged and interested in the topic which is a huge boost to my teaching.

My teaching takes place within the Fabrication Lab (Fab Lab) which is comprised of two spaces. Space one is the digital prep and finishing room (shown in the images with the wooden tables, a few computers and the large screen) this is where I base most of my workshops. I am able to utilise the screen for my powerpoint and supporting materials. In this room I also have display cases of sample 3D models, these feature heavily in many of my workshops.

The other space that I cross into is the machine room, where I run three SLA 3D printers and they’re supporting post processing machines. I also utilise these for demonstrations to assist student learning. The other machines in this room that are utilised in my teaching are the FDM machines housed on the racking. Once students have attended various workshops they are able to use these machines independently. A large proportion of my teaching is based around demonstrations and activities with these machines for the students.

Very occasionally I teach in another space all together, which is an open plan high powered compute space. This has one large screen which I project my screen 

Why hello there. I’ve found this PgCert process so far for term one very challenging. I’ve felt confused as to what was required and therefore I left my work very late. IT is less than a week to the final deadline and I’ve decided to put my learning into practice and start from scratch, I want to unify my posts and create a comprehensive piece of work. I will leave my previous posts up for your understanding of my learning process, but please know I am not very proud of them and going ahead I am going to be working harder with clearer goals towards the looming deadline.

Please feel free to follow my upcoming journey…

Wow, first of all, I was intrigued by the description of this piece of work and it’s links with Foucault. I’ve read a listing of his work before and often find the thoughts he suggests very intriguing and relatable in a real world context. Feeling interested in how Barrow related him to the assessment practice was what lead me to read this piece and I am so so glad that I did.

To summarise Barrow is suggesting that assessment within a design (he contrasts this with a business) degree covers both the outcome of the work and the decision making process that the students undertook in order to get there. By taking this journey with the students the teachers have the opportunity to guide and frame the student’s decision making process in the context of their work which also equips them with critical thinking practices that they then use to form their own selves and their individual interaction and place within the wold and society at large.

Personally I love this ideology and believe it should be the purpose of higher education as a whole, encouraging individuals to question the world around them and to consider what their role could be within this and how it affects others. Unfortunately having dwelt on this and spoken with classmates and colleagues about this concept it seems increasingly difficult to implement within the majority of higher education institutes as there are criteria set by those above us in the university who need deliverable quantitative data on how students are learning and progressing which is not at all cohesive to this concept.

Thankfully however I work as a specialist technician outside of existing course frameworks and so have the freedom to implement this much more fully within my own work, and I will think more on how this might be possible within my teaching environment.

I’m coming back to this blog in the attempt to pick it up with my raw and honest initial thoughts on concepts topics & sessions that we have. I recently did the Object Based learning micro teach had hugely overthought what I should do for this & ended up really striping it back. These are my reflections around that task.

Before my PgCert learning I was using objects regularly in my teaching as I support students in 3D Print process & find it easiest to show examples for students to differentiate the outcomes of models from different technologies. However for this micro teach session I was stripped away of my original process of using a powerpoint and physically showing the machines to explain to students how they work then pass round samples to solidify their learning after this. I didn’t realise I could still use a powerpoint and so approached the task differently to usual.

For my session I handed out three objects right at the start. I both received feedback and observed that they enjoyed this approach as they were instantly engaged. I explained that each object was created using a different type of 3D printing technology and asked them to think about what differences there were between each of the objects. From there I lead a guided conversation between the group and myself about each of the objects.

They noticed a few of the surface differences however struggled to think as deeper about the things that to me as someone who deals with these objects and processes every day appears obvious. And to students that I teach usually who have a little more context for the production process it is much easier to produce the answers I was hoping for. I continued attempting to coax these answers out of them with more and more questions. My attempts to ask leading questions guiding the group in the direction I wanted didn’t work very well. I received feedback that although my questions were good, some of the group found them frustrating when they simply didn’t know an answer. This is something I definitely plan to work on in my teaching practice as I’m aware I ask a lot of questions of my students in an attempt to put the bonus of their learning on them rather than spoon-feeding them answers. I do think this is important but will consider other ways of doing this going forward.

Something I noticed from engaging in other’s micro teaches was that as a learner I like to be situated before the task begins. I found that having something that tied me to why I was doing the particular task or activity gave me more context and context allowed me to apply the learning in my own practice or to make it more relatable. One of the teachers did this well by starting with an interesting fact about the subject that we were learning, this particular fact both impressed upon me how important the task we learned about was and how that particular process gets applied in industry ad how as a consumer I can now see situations in the world in which something like this task would have been applied to create the outcome I am experiencing in society. Another teacher situated us well by using mixed media in the form of presentation slides alongside the objects. This is something I could utilise to help engage students when they’re struggling to answer the questions I am asking, I could give them a little information using images or video in a powerpoint to direct them rather than asking so many questions. I will test this out in my sessions in the future.