* Group picture of the students posing with their banners
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Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: Banner Making Workshop (Part 2) ’Aesthetics of Repair’
Size of student group: 15 students
Observer: Linda Aloysius
Observee: Ella Belenky
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?
The Graphic Design Graduate Diploma students are currently engaged in their third brief of the year. This project is a collaborative effort with the Textile Graduate Diploma, focusing on creating a graphic design campaign that addresses issues surrounding textile waste. This session is the second half of a two-part workshop on banner making. The first session introduced historical and cultural examples of banners and flags, followed by hands-on work where students used recycled textile scraps to craft banners reflecting their individual project research. The focus of this session is the aesthetics of repair and mending. A slideshow presentation will introduce examples of how artists, designers, and theorists incorporate ideas of repair into their work. Students will then apply this inspiration to complete and ‘mend’ the banners they began in the previous session.
How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?
I have been working with this group since they began the course in the fall. As an Associate Lecturer, I run weekly tutorial sessions and occasionally lead workshops such as this one. The Graduate Diploma is a one-year course, and this workshop is a hands on practical session that will run in support of their third brief.
What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?
• Encourage collaboration, communication, and hands-on creative problem-solving.
• Introduce students to practitioners, theories, and processes that explore ideas around repair and sustainability.
• Develop students’ ability to visually communicate an intended message.
What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?
By the end of the session, students will have completed a collection of five textile banners. These banners will be displayed in a collective parade into the college courtyard, showcasing their creative responses to the project brief. The outcomes of this workshop will not be graded and are separate to the final outcomes that they are working toward for this brief. However, the workshop will introduce the students to concepts and ways of working that I hope will help prompt ideas that they can use toward their graded work.
Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?
The workshop involves textile scraps, needles, and thread. Given that the students are primarily from a graphic design background and may be more comfortable with digital processes, there could be some initial hesitation. However, I am confident that they will find the challenge productive and engaging.
How will students be informed of the observation/review?
This was the same session that Rosaline Love observed. These students had previously met Rosaline Love during a visit to the special collections in the library. Before the session began, I reintroduced Rosaline to the group and explained her role in the observation process for the PGCE. I made sure to ensure that all students were comfortable with her presence during the session. As this new observation will not be made in person, the students will not be informed.
What would you particularly like feedback on?
I do not have any specific requests for feedback but am interested in hearing any observations or insights that arise.
How will feedback be exchanged?
Written feedback would be preferred. Thank you!
Part Two
Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:
Thank you, Ella, for sharing with me your experiences of this teaching session / workshop, it was a pleasure to discuss this with you. The following points arose in our discussion and may be useful going forward. These points are all from our conversation which you can review in the recording (on Sharepoint):
– We discussed that you may choose to combine both lectures next time, to ensure sufficient remaining time for a more public parade at the end of the workshop.
– Ensuring a more public parade will probably take students out of their comfort zone but is likely to also ensure:
– a sense of collective agency.
– maintaining engagement levels by changing the pace of the session and
allowing access to different sensory stimuli, which can be particularly beneficial for some students, for example, neurodivergent students.
– We discussed how you could consider including a group discussion about how the workshop connects to their brief, to help the students to gain a comprehensive overview of their learning experiences and align the aims of the workshop with those of their other practice(s).
– You mentioned you were considering including small group presentations to peers within the group to show the ideas they were working on previously, so that they gain feedback and benefit from co-teaching along with peers; I think this would be a good idea if you have time for this / if it doesn’t eat into time for the final, public parade.
Part Three
Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the feedback exchanged:
Thank you so much, Linda! It was a pleasure to discuss this workshop with you, and I appreciate the considered feedback about how the session could improve going forward.
I agree with all your points made. I think combining lectures would have been a good idea. Also, just to note, that I am now remembering that the student that was questioning the link to the brief had arrived late to the class and had missed the lecture where some of these links were made. However, I think I could have been more explicit – and perhaps I could have also engaged the students more at this time, asking them how they felt like it was linking to their brief, and things that they picked up on etc.
Going forward, I will also make sure to designate more time for student presentations that can be staggered throughout the making process – in both small and larger groups. And while we did end with a small ‘parade’, I do wish that we had more time for this as I can see so many benefits to this stage of the process!