My Artefact, please follow this link: https://mypgcert.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2022/08/10/my-artefact/
My Initial ideas
From being a student at UAL much of the student experience is shaped by their peers and I felt a need to create an artefact with my colleagues to consider how inclusive their own practices are so that we can use that to inspire our students. I feel all practices should be considerate. There are a vast number of occurrences at the university where a lack of honest consideration or guidance has led to conflict, offence and/or acts of oppression (UAL truth, 2020). Inspired by Freirean pedagogy, as part of a social justice education, we all must identify oppressors and identify the ways in which they might oppress others (Freire, p.45). This artefact involves and presents a series of questions for me and my colleagues to consider as ethical guidance in contemplating how inclusive their own practices are. I feel questioning ourselves and applying the right things to our own practice is the way to do this before we could ask our students. I think this is more important in my work environment as our workshops are not course embedded which makes it more important to get this right.
Myself and three of my colleagues (ex UAL students) sat together and we thought of questions that were not very easy but good to challenge ourselves first. They were the following:
‘To imagine that you are someone or something else in existence, perhaps from a different time, space or culture “– we questioned how this would change the way that we interact with our work?
We quickly realised this approach does not address intersectionality overtly in a way that my colleagues could digest. My discussion with my tutor was very fruitful and helped me in my path to creating a more impactful artefact. Two main points that I took away included:
· My own positionality and experience as a senior advisor and a woman of colour is valuable in this work, there is significance in deeper reflection on this here.
· It made me understand that our work is ongoing and there is no right answer.
I valued feedback from my peers during our artefact presentations, it was fundamental in moving to the next stage to finalise my artefact.
Feedback from my colleagues is as follows:
“I think what you are planning as an artefact is really valuable and the fact you’re doing this with your colleagues first shows you want to get this right.”
It’s really great you’ve reflected on why the artefact is needed, and how peers work influence (and can impact) each other”
Reflections on my positionality and personal experience
As an Indian woman, the first to complete a university degree in my immediate family, as a working-class woman, as a woman who is ‘raced’ by society. As a woman who moves through the world, who has been conditioned to take up less space and placate whiteness as the universal standard. In all of the curriculum that I was taught, any sense of who I am was not reflected. I resorted to a form of Self-configuration as a child of immigrants whose people were formally colonised by Britain. I am in constant reflection of the ‘unfinished conversation’ that is identity. As a tutor, I am also aware of my positionality. How I operate in this world is a political matter. In my life experience, I have seen how ignorance is perpetuated through the form of (un)conscious bias.
I feel this can have a very adverse effect on the mental health of students, and often trigger a desire to drop out of a course. Years later, I discovered that I was not the only student that felt this way at the university and that sadly, it was quite common for students of colour, bearing in mind the link between race and class. During my studies I did not have the knowledge or language to understand or vocalise my oppression. I first began to feel confident when I began working in the creative environment. I realised I wasn’t alone, and this is when I became confident to speak on it. As Bell Hook’s writes, we must ‘learn how to love’ (Hooks, 1999, p417.) I do not want any student to feel the way that I did in my first year of university. Reflecting on my reading of Social Identity Theory (SIT) in A pedagogy of social justice education: social identity, theory and intersectionality, Hahn Tapper: ‘SIT posits that intergroup encounters must be approached in and through students’ larger social identities. This theory assumes that structured intergroup encounters reflect or are influenced by dynamics that exist between the communities ‘outside of the room’, that is, in the larger societies in which the encounter is embedded’ (Hahn Tapper, 2013, p. SIT realises that one’s positionality must be addressed to make collaborative working dynamics smoother. This, along with the recognition that this artefact could be slight, made me realise that it would be valuable to be astute and critically choose an example to introduce social dynamics to the classroom space. Seeing examples of critical young, working class women of colour was missing when I was a student. I realised that the conversation that would follow would need to be facilitated to guide students and create safe and brave spaces (SoN, https://issuu.com/teachingwithinson/docs/creating_safe_spaces_2018_web.)
Microteach to students & their feedback
After conducting workshops with my colleagues, we then went on to finding different ways of obtaining students feedback.
I delivered a short microteach to a small group of students. Measures include: an etiquette students must adhere to, recognition of group positionalities. I also made it clear, sometimes we can all make mistakes and we all must be understanding of that.
In small groups of no more than five students (1st and 2nd year) our approach first started of with an ice breaker and asking students to mention two things that reminds of where they come from, this opened up so much on student’s identity and it felt like we had known each other for a long time.
We then went on to asking students to imagine that they are someone or something else in existence, this could be from a different time, space or culture. The group then spoke in pairs about their ideas and I then completed the microteach with examples from colleagues and also two students who felt confident in talking.
During my final step to reach my finished artefact, I received insightful feedback from my small group of students on my ideas. I was especially interested in their thoughts on how to create a space that felt safe for students to discuss difficult scenarios. Students felt the micro-session was valuable:
· It feels like you’ve encouraged us to think about our own powers and responsibilities, it also has given us more confidence in dealing with these difficult conversations outside of the educational world.
· I feel when we talk about difficult conversations or if there is a lack of understanding, as students we feel we don’t want to contribute in the conversation. In this session it felt like we were encouraged to discuss what we didn’t understand, and this created a comfortable space and there is no wrong answer.
· I really liked this session in a small group it felt like it was a safe space to talk. In our lecture groups sometimes, it becomes awkward when one person talks too much or when others do not want to talk.
· One student mentioned “its made me realise how intersectionality is so important and also your identity too in our environment”.
Conclusion
In the process of this unit and the development of my artefact I’ve learnt to consider my position within my teaching practice and challenge my practical response that had centred on depositing information, rather than seeing the students as co-creators. I have come away with so much more than I had ever imagined. Through the guidance offered by students, SoN and peers on the course I am feeling excited and energised to look at my teaching more creatively and to see it as a playful tool too.
Bibliography
Friere, P (1972), Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York, Herder and Herder.
Hahn Tapper, A. J (2013), A Pedagogy of Social Justice Education: Social Identity Theory, Intersectinoality and Empowerment.
Hooks, B (1994), Teaching to Trangress:education as the practice of freedom. New York: rotledge
Liz Bunting, Vikki Hill, “How do we foster belonging in creative education spaces? https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/16659/1/IJADE%20Conference%2026%20March%202021.pdf accessed 10th July 2022
Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers, The story of Success
SoN, https://issuu.com/teachingwithinson/docs/creating_safe_spaces_2018_web
Sir Ken Robinson, Out of our minds, Learning to be Creative
@ualtruth. 2020[Instagram][Accessed 5th July 2022] Available from:
https://www.instagram.com/ualtruth/?hl=en