Marvin Alfred – Teaching and Learning Blog

Often I find myself drawn to stories of progression and challenges. You will often find me enjoying a Podcast where a creative, entrepreneur or life coach expresses their journey to achieving what they have and the trials and tribulations that they had to overcome to get to the place of understanding unlocking inspirational motivation within me to push forward to achieve my best. Generally, I find this calming and motivating in my own pursuits. I found the resource on the Shades of Noir site to motivate in a similar way.

I looked at ‘Imposter syndrome’ by Wu, Ellen (2021) ‘Imposter Syndrome’, shadesofnoir.co.uk. In this post, Ellen discusses Imposter Syndrome and the social and cultural learned behaviors that may lead to it. I chose to reflect on this as amongst the student body I have found that many of the students may enter the start of their Higher Education journeys with apprehension and even more so amongst underrepresented student bodies who may not see themselves reflected in the institution. With a feeling of unworthiness or self-doubt and slowly descending into believing the journey ahead is an impossible challenge. I feel this and many of the resources on SoN could be used as tools in object-based learning or in curating discussion safe spaces and encouraging critical conversations within teaching spaces in a holistic approach to teaching. In doing this students are able to express themselves and any apprehension or doubts they may have at a point in their journey and ways they may relate to the pieces of writing which are very insightful and empowering and discover ways as a group that they can overcome their challenges. 

Through my action research finding, I found that representation within the curriculum and higher education was a consideration that came up throughout. How do we safeguard the learning experience for all students at UAL? Considering the socio-economic backgrounds or cultural backgrounds of all students entering higher education. The young student who has strong skills and ideas however faces daily challenges due to socio-economics and class. Or the one black student amongst a cohort of majority European colleagues or international Asian student colleagues in a new country without familiar settings of family or friends. How do we engage them and make them feel as though their voices are also welcome and as relevant within this space? Considering my own positionality as a Black Male who studied at UAL I was lucky enough to have technical staff and a design tutor of colour from a similar Afro Caribbean background to myself in my foundation year which help in settling my imposter syndrome a little as they provided space for me entering HE to engage with them when needed. As well as my technical pattern-cutting tutor Leonora who provided space and time to meet and work with me on a level where I was able to understand and question while existing in a cohort that didn’t look like me I often questioned whether I was making the right choices for my future as was this representative of the industry I was working so hard to enter? With this said I still felt pressure to conform to western references in developing my ideas out of nervousness for lack of understanding. Representation is important not only within the Academic staff but within the way we learn, reference and research. This allows students to connect more with their work through cultural experience and in turn, allows space for curiosity and new ideas. This can be best supported through object-based learning.  

Students’ research and work could be integrated into my teaching practice through presenting these as for example resources of ways in which students have approached tasks previously. These could be used alongside other creative practitioners’ work to both inform and inspire students. My teaching practice is heavily experimental and technical based. I have been keen to see students relate their work back to their own positionality and cultural experiences drawing into these aspects to curate works that are more inspired, diverse, and representative rather than imitations of workshops or technical classes they had attended during the term. 

Review of Action research Interview – 1. Staff member at UAL – Graduate Assistant.

BC is an Assistant at UAL was a very insightful interview. For this I had a set of interview questions that I had prepared beforehand. With this being my first interview I was slightly nervous going into it, very much aware of my ethics and research method approach research such as the ‘Alvesson, M. (2012) ‘Title of article’, Views on Interviews: A Skeptical Review. In: Interpreting Interviews Pg 1-26’. I was very conscious of my interactions and influence in this interview as I wanted to remain objective however still encourage an open and relaxed conversation surrounding craft, community and wellbeing. To allow my participant to feel comfortable enough to express herself and experiences within this designated time.

Before the meeting began I sent the participant an information sheet explaining what my study was looking into, how I would go about carrying this study out and what effect this would have on the participant.

I began by re-introducing myself and my research question ”How can craft be used to cultivate community and wellbeing in higher education” to set the tone for the interview as well as confirming the key points of the participant information sheet and signed documents.

This was a very insightful interview that helped confirm relevant findings from my early research in defining my research question. The participant had also studied in her final year of university within the height of the pandemic and was able to express her experience of learning at such a crucial time in her academic journey, expressing feelings of isolation and what got her through such strenuous times. Such as engaging with being proactive and forming an online workspace with close members of the cohort community to motivate, share and support each other through their journey. As well as informal tutorials and sessions with their tutor through which her tutor shared with them personal projects she had been working on thus motivating them to share and be inspired for their own projects.

A highlight of the interview was hearing about how negative experiences due to lack of community inspired the participant to create Make along sessions carried out digitally during the pandemic to be continued in real life once restrictions had been loosened.

It was inspiring to get an understanding of how craft skill-sharing is used as a tool on bringing people together and as the participant mentioned across the different specialist areas of the course she describes how “when you do a craft activity like knitting stitching or weaving, for instance, it just allows you to open up like conversations happen a lot of deeper conversations…it kind of helps with anxiety and stuff as well.” Considering my own positionality and experiences of crafting in a group I would definitely agree with this as often you can become lost in the repetition and focused nature of the crafting method which works as a soothing meditative tool to calm the mind an area touched on by Claire Wellesley-Smith in her works more specifically in Wellesley-Smith, C. (2015) Slow Stitch – Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art. Batsford, UK. In this Wellesley-Smith explores Reflective and mindful practice in relation to wider everyday life describing “stitching and other textile techniques (Knitting and weaving) can create something called the ‘relaxation response’. This is a measurable state identified by Harvard Medical School Professor  Herbert Benson that introduces a feeling of calm and is characterized by lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension… Many artists describe the sensation of being ‘in the zone’ when working – a happy place where the creative process is a smooth and reflexive experience.” Very satisfying to hear my participant describing the feedback of her sessions and experience of crafting in this way providing comfort in knowing my research was directed in the right direction.

I was also keen to understand the relationships between the students and their chosen techniques. Considering the cultural backgrounds of the groups and students what techniques did they choose to explore, were these influenced by their own cultural backgrounds how did they explore their own personal identities in their chosen craft? My participant did touch on this briefly, choosing to explore non-western techniques such as the Japanese Boro techniques rather than Darning which is commonly used in the west. Decolonising the methods considered in this way would help to make the session more inclusive and in turn expand the learning experience to allow space for students to explore beyond the boundaries and expectations.

Reflections: Alvesson, M. (2012) ‘Views on Interviews: A Skeptical Review. In: Interpreting Interviews’ Pg 1-26. 

As part of my readings into research methods, I chose to read Alvesson, M. (2012) ‘Views on Interviews: A Skeptical Review. In: Interpreting Interviews’. Alvesson M, provided some useful insights into using Interviews as a form of research methods, how these can be used, and considerations surrounding them. For me and most of my cohort, the interview will play the part in my research for the action research that I will carry out for my SIP project. In doing this I aim to understand and develop my research through engaging in interviews and focus groups with staff, practitioners, and students to gain an understanding of their experiences around craft and well-being and how this can be used to cultivate community following the lockdown and Pandemic.

Reading the paper I Alvesson, M touches on ‘Category Various groups of people are sometimes believed to call for particular considerations in terms of interview methods. Indeed, there are texts on how to interview children, old people, elites, ethnic minorities, the culturally diverse, men and women (Holstein & Gubrium, 2003b)….DeVault (1990: 96), for example, has argued that ‘language itself reflects male experience, and that its categories are often incongruent with women’s lives’ (p2). In carrying out my interviews I will consider the ethics in all that I do. I shall remain mindful of my own positionality and aim to remain objective as a researcher.

A view on interviews that stood out to me was the position ‘Romanticism’ and ‘The romantic researcher’. Alvesson, M 2012 mentions ‘The romantic researcher, advocating a more ‘genuine’ human interaction, believes in establishing a rapport, trust, and commitment between interviewer and interviewee, thus turning the interview into a ‘warm’ situation. Here the interviewee is free to express him or herself authentically and will produce open, rich and trustworthy talk. These are a prerequisite in order to be able to explore the inner world (meanings, ideas, feelings, intentions) or experience the social reality of the interviewee.’ I lean towards this approach in carrying out my interviews. Considering my research topic, I will be asking participants to share personal reflections concerning lived experiences and opinions, some of which may require them to revisit difficult periods in time. In doing this I find a sense of empathy is integral in providing a safe space for my participants to share, in turn safeguarding them as well gaining valuable incites.   

Alex Wheatle a young man who grew up in the UK brought up as an orphan with no love or family. Growing up in an orphanage in Surrey and experiencing severe racism and institutional racism at the hand of his carers and the police and community at the time. The interview with Alex covers his life story which was used as one part of Director Steve McQueens’s five-part series ‘Small Axe’. In this interview, Alex explores the key themes of personal identity and community, following his experiences in society, his love of sound system culture, education, and mentorship that lead to the inspirations of his novels to date.

Morgan, T. Challenging Times Series. Available on: https://artslondon.padlet.org/timmorgan/challengingtimes(Accessed 15th May)

I have been considering mentoring a lot over the past few years in my personal life and practice and have realised the importance of communication and learning through lived experiences of others within spaces that I wish to navigate. Often the journey through life, education, and career experiences can feel ominous and intimidating. To be totally honest, these are also feelings I have had on this journey through teaching practice and studying for my PGCert, as well as my career. Having graduated in 2011, which is a decade ago (time flies, can’t believe how long it has actually been!), re-entering education has presented its challenges and insecurities. A lack of confidence and perhaps elements of intimidation fuelled by thoughts of not being able to articulate my responses to readings as well as my cohorts. Or the assumption that my cohorts have all had years of teaching experience, which was not the case for all. I share this to say that it was very helpful to voice some of these concerns to my tutor and gain directions and reassurance in a similar way that Alex Wheatle did from Solemon. Solemon was Alex’s cellmate, following his time in prison, who through getting to know Alex expressed the importance of education and guided him in his learning and unlearning, forging a sense of clarity and direction.

In my case my communication and relationship with my tutor helped guide and navigate me through this journey and somewhat lessened my concerns. This made me reflect and relate to the experiences of my students all of which come from different backgrounds, cultures, abilities and may have different life experiences and their own insecurities and challenges entering higher education. How can I best support them on their journeys as Alex and myself had been?

In the interview, Alex touched on ‘empathy’ as being a key theme for him in his work. This is a theme he uses in his work to build relationships with his readers providing representation through his portrayal of youth culture, black characters and their experience. This brought me to think about Bell Hooks – ‘All about love’.

https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/1049061/mod_resource/content/4/All%20About%20Love.pdf

In this Hooks explores learning from lived experiences and understanding setbacks to guide your path going forward. Leading with love and empathy ‘Redeemed and restored, love returns us to the promise of everlasting life. When we love we can let our hearts speak.’. Relating this to education with love and empathy we can gain an understanding of students and colleagues. We are able to gain better communication and insight into one another. We are able to inspire our students igniting their passions for the moment and direction for the future. This can be done most effectively through crit sessions and formative feedback or feedback forward in summative assessments. These are methods that could also be used to create a community in HE.

McQueen. S, (2020) ‘Small Axe- Alex Wheatle’ Available on: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000q6rf (Accessed on 08.05.21)

For my micro-teach, I decided to explore ‘Narrative’ within creative practice. My personal practice is fashion focused and so it was only right that I referenced the exploration of narrative within the recent AW21 Louis Vuitton Men’s Fashion show. In this show which was presented a day after the inauguration of Joe Biden and created within the controversial US election, the creative Director Virgil Abloh (who is from the US and of West African heritage) explores and merges cultural narratives, “Inspired, and reflective of a world we live in today, all while examining the “unconscious biases instilled in our collective psyche by the archaic norms of society.”. I decided to reference this as I found the context of the show to be very relevant and the perfect example of the social, cultural, and political climate that we are currently living in and intervention to encourage the exploration of ones own cultural narrative in response to the curriculum to encourage inclusivity.

AW21 Louis Vuitton Men’s Fashion show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV_QoQD_nrA

To begin my micro-teach I asked my participants to reflect on their personal understanding of what narrative was using the whiteboard function on the blackboard. I wanted to establish their initial understandings through critical and creative thinking as well as creating an interactive space for dialogue and learning. I received some great responses and references from this 1st task which provided, (as designed) the perfect progression into introducing my main reference and presenting the further context for my micro-teach.

To follow on I presented three key looks from the micro-teach. I found it effective to present images due to the session being digital, which allowed me to access a larger range of resources than I may have had if done in person.

I posed questions for the participants to reflect on in their discussion of the images that had been presented, these were; What are the narratives explored in these images/collection and how do they unpack the current climate? How is identity explored and represented? This created some very good responses, on reflection I could have posed more open questions to encourage a deeper reflection, nevertheless, I found this task to be a very effective tool in critical thinking. The participants developed in-depth discourse in unpacking cultural narratives presented in the works and their deeper context of gender, politics, and diaspora.

Lastly, I asked my participants “If you were to create a look that represented you, what would it consist of / what would it be?”. For this, I encouraged them to bring an item of clothing that best represented them and their narratives. I wanted to use object-based learning as an exercise for the participants to relate the earlier task back to themselves through critical thinking and reflection and furthermore how their own narratives could be used creatively within their own works.

Overall I found the Micro teach to be a success and the team provided some valuable feedback regarding my use of the tools, tasks, and how effectively this brought the group together.

A review of quotes and highlights of the complex ‘Ethic’s of Play’.

The Teaching methods and Practices session were very engaging giving me insight into my peers, their practices, and how they use these to enhance teaching practices. Vanessa discussed how she used her lived experience as a nurse course trainer to best understand her students pastorally. Another colleague shared her works as an artist and expressed how she used her practice within her teaching area of Fine Art. Hearing my colleagues speak about their journey and use of their skills into transferable skills gave me confidence in my work and ability as I too do the same. Sharing my career practice as a Buyer with group discussions, critical reviews, and development and my skills practice as a Pattern Cutter Designer with photo’s to detail how my abilities can best be used in a similar way to connect with my students through objectivity learning and critical discussions.

I chose to focus my reading for this discussion on “Archiving critically: exploring the communication of cultural biases“-Grout, H (2019)Archiving critically: exploring the communication of cultural biases https://sparkjournal.arts. ac.uk/index.php/spark/article/view/120 ( Accessed 17th January 2021).

In this Hannah explores the effects of conscious unconscious bias in the archives how ‘The archive determines not only what material is available for teaching and learning, but also the way in which those resources are presented and understood’. With my practice and role as an academic, I found this very engaging as archives are often used within academia as teaching tools. Therefore as an institution, it is important to highlight the presence of cultural bias in archives. A focus on the critical discussion is necessary, dissecting and not taking archival research at face value or as truths because to do so is to continue this bias into teaching having an effect on people from diverse less privileged groups.

Thoroughly enjoyed the introductory lecture today with three very different styles of teaching and presentations to support. The 1st, from Dr Danielle Tran was very clear and very concise presenting one page with focus’ and key points with a link in the header for further information. The 2nd speaker James Wisdom presented a longer presentation with 24 very detailed and informative slides with graphs and statistics. There was quite a lot of information and the presentation went on for some time. I believe this could have been summarized in parts for all to digest and retain more as well as making it more manageable for those where English is not the First language. The final speaker was Victoria Odeniyi who presented 11 slides. The content was very digestible and engaging, however could have been improved by putting on her camera allowing us to connect with her while she facilitated her presentation. All were very engaging, however, I found individually some held my focus better than others.   

I found I retained a lot more of Victoria’s presentation. For me it was a lot more engaging and inclusive in contrast to James’ which was very information driven. Victoria discussed her research and ideas on reimagining conversations with multilingual students presenting key topics at the beginning progressing into key points with an opportunity to engage in discussion encouraging us to think more into the topic of language providing time to reflect on personal experiences of language allowing greater perspective in understanding her research and outcome and further consider the language we use as academics and how we use it or what language we choose to use. A key point that stuck with me was considering the use of silence and pause as teaching tools.I believe in the moment silence can seem quite daunting, posing questions of ‘Do they understand?’ ‘Are they interested?’. However this can be used as time for all to ponder on key points. We can then pose further questions to drive discussion points on the back of silences and pauses such as ‘ What does this mean to you?’ or How would you implement this into your practice?’. And in this stimulating students to connect with content and contribute. 

I found James’ presentation put forward great insight into the impact of higher education on a person’s life versus not having a degree and the disparities across genders (gender pay gap). The future for HE and the impact of the pandemic economically to future student cohorts and University funding. A few points were made by James where he considered gender pay disparity and socio-economic impact however didn’t acknowledge or consider the impact on minority groups or intersectionalities across within this giving the sense of a Eurocentric focused content that was not so inclusive to the diverse student population that he was delivering this to. It was reported that ‘black male graduates were being paid 17% less than white male graduates – the equivalent of £3.90 an hour or £7,000 over a year. For black women, the “pay penalty” was 9%, or £3,000 over a year.’-Osbourne, H. (2020) The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/jun/20/financial-inequality-the-ethnicity-gap-in-pay-wealth-and-property (Accessed on 10th January 2021) I feel a lot of thought provoking valuable points were put forward for our consideration in approaching academia, providing and defining value for students however I feel this could have been condensed and packaged better.

Becoming a student again has put forward its challenges. Being a student alongside a full-time job has shown to be more stressful in parts as I jungle the urge to do well with managing my time. I have enjoyed applying my critical skills to readings and methodology allowing me to strengthen these skills further and take in valued teachings that I can apply to my teaching methods going forward.

Very excited to write my first blog post as I start my journey of academic training. Looking forward to sharing!