As these posts upload in reverse chronological order, and a lot of cumulative learning has happened across them, I recommend starting at the end with my Micro teaching Write-up and finishing with Blog Post 4.
Happy reading and thank you for your time.
18/03/2025
This case study (Mahon and Willcocks, 2023) seeks to understand two things:
I chose this text to learn about OBL online. However, when reading, I became more interested in the critical thinking it can enable.
In their evaluation of delivering haptic and experiential learning online, Mahon and Willcock identify the following:
Successes include teaching wider and larger audiences and using multimodal communication to facilitate meaningful discussion online.
Notable challenges include unequal access to technology and networks, screen exhaustion, poor focus and difficulty communicating online.
Overall, translation for online delivery is deemed successful, although sessions shouldn’t last longer than two hours to give “breathing space for understanding to develop” (Mahon and Willcocks, 2023, p. 201) and students must have a focal point “as it is through conversation and active engagement that learning outcomes are clarified and reinforced” (Mahon and Willcocks, 2023, p. 202). They conclude “when encountered online, objects still have the capacity to tell powerful stories and make abstract concepts more concrete for the learner” (Mahon and Willcocks, 2023, p. 202).
The study also shows that OBL promotes critical awareness. This observation is supported by literature:
I find the workshop analysed for this case study very inspirational. “Encouraging students to explore the impact of colonialism on the current climate crisis through the lens of eighteenth- and nineteenth- century botanical drawings” offers a clever entry point for thinking about complex and challenging issues. It also includes examples of good teaching practice, including:
There is lots of food for thought here and I look forward to digesting ideas to disseminate through my own teaching practice. I have also identified further reading (see photos below).
References
Mahon, K. and Willcocks, J. (2023) The potential of online object-based learning activities to support the teaching of intersectional environmentalism in art and design higher education in Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, Vol 22 / Issue 2, (October 2023), pp. 187 – 207
17/03/2025
I really enjoyed Dr Kristen Hardie’s essay Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching (2015) and find OBL thought-provoking. Keen to know more, I watched the recording of How to . . . use objects to support learning and teaching originally delivered by Judy Willcocks and Georgina Orgill in January 2024. This post will focus on Judy Willcock’s presentation.
Judy Willcocks is Head of the Museum and Study Collection at Central Saint Martins. She is also a pioneer of OBL and describes herself as an “arch collaborator”, having worked closely with leading figures researching and practicing OBL.
To start, she contextualises OBL and traces its increasing application in classrooms.
I love Willcock’s description of her relationship to the world: “I see the world as a very rich and complex landscape which is constantly morphing and changing, and in which people’s understanding of reality is co-constructed not just by their interactions with other people but by their interactions with stuff”. I share this world view.
Later in the talk she discusses her workshop structure and key benefits of OBL. I particularly like the emphasis on getting students to spend “deep time” with objects. Furthermore, she outlines two frameworks for engaging with objects: “information sharing” and “holding back information”.
Information sharing is the “traditional, curatorial way of working”, where someone is an expert with knowledge and “storytelling capabilities”. She warns that “the minute you start storytelling about an object, that’s your curatorial voice entering the room” and advocates avoiding this. She does however acknowledge it is useful when engaging with topics like decolonisation, where prerequisite knowledge is important.
Holding back information foregrounds the “magical and meaningful” relationship people have with objects and holds space for diverse contexts/experiences/knowledges. She refers to this type of engagement as extra-rational or the “visceral, embodied, unconsidered response”.
I find this lecture enormously helpful, particularly Willcock’s assertion that “objects are a good way of relating to our student population” and that an “object can be highly illustrative of a huge amount of context and information”. She underlines the versatility of OBL but stresses the importance of setting a clear framework for students. I am currently developing an OBL workshop for first year illustration students and, reflecting on this, think my scaffold may be the narrative potential of objects. I plan to set up a ‘table of curiosities’, put students in pairs and ask them to choose one material and one object to research. Then to task them with drawing a wordless story which applies their material’s properties to their object. Considering this, Willcock’s response to a question about the place of material in OBL was interesting. Her current work does not extend to natural materials as it is based off manmade objects/material, or anything where there is “intention behind the making”.
I will read the literature shared in the session to think more about if and how natural materials can be used within OBL.
References:
Hardie, K. (2015) Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching, Higher Education Academy. Available at: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets.creode.advancehe-document-manager/documents/hea/private/kirsten_hardie_final_1568037367.pdf (Accessed: 10 March 2025)
Orgill, G. and Willcocks, J. (2024), How to . . . use objects to support learning and teaching, [Recorded Lecture]. TPP. University of the Arts London. January. Available at: https://ual.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx#folderID=%2261e304ce-5498-4672-a72b-b10600e460e4%22 (Accessed: 17 March 2024).
Contextual Background: On the MA in Illustration and Visual Media at LCC, we use crits to formatively assess student learning and match feedback to relevant assessment criteria to help students prepare for summative assessment, in line with the view that crits are “the glue that connects learning, teaching and assessment” (Blythman et al, 2007, p. 6).
Evaluation: This comes with a challenge. On one hand, crits help students understand and apply criteria to navigate HE assessment and “many commentators have observed that curriculum elements where students have been involved in self- and/or peer-assessment are found, through formal assessments such as exams, to have been learned much more deeply” (Race, 2001, p. 22). On the other hand, the “learning which takes place is variable” (Blair 2007: n.pag.). Consequently, only some students are benefitting from crits.
Moving forwards, I want to ensure greater parity for students. To do this I could:
Discuss relevant assessment criteria with students at the beginning of the session in accordance with the view that “students need to be given agreed criteria to critique against” (Blythman et al, 2007, p. 5). Furthermore, I can involve students in choosing the criteria to help them “relate much more directly to the targets they need to achieve and to be more self-aware of their progress towards achieving them” (Race, 2001, p. 19). For example, asking students to identify criteria they find challenging and using these to guide the critique. This would also help establish a shared framework and goals.
Students’ verbal participation and understanding of what has been said often varies, this can result in an unequal experience. Using a glossary could “give common sense meanings to students, including those who may not have English as their first language” (Blythman et al, 2007, p. 18). I can print words and put them up around the classroom to help students share language. I will join in as students “find it helpful when lecturers explicitly model the types of feedback and dialogue that they hope to inculcate” (Blythman et al, 2007, p. 20). There is a very good glossary in Critiquing the Crit (Blythman et al, 2007) which I can borrow from.
I wholeheartedly agree that “the relationship between self-confidence and the quality of the student’s creative performance is critical to the quality of the learning experience of the individual student” and that “a negative experience or misunderstanding of the formative feedback . . . can result in the level of learning being affected” (Blair 2007: n.pag.). Creating a supportive environment is therefore essential. Blythman et al (2007) recommend crit pairings so students can review work together before the larger group crit. This is a clever way of building confidence and something I would like to explore (although I will need to be mindful of time).
Finally, I can incorporate feedback from crits into written summative assessment feedback. This will promote ipsative learning which “can be very powerful”, as “students who have engaged conscientiously with self-assessment and then receive feedback from a tutor on how objectively they have self-assessed, take the feedback very seriously” (Race, 2001, p. 14).
Taken together, these approaches can increase parity in crits – allowing more students to have a meaningful experience, prepare for assessment and “develop skills invaluable in later lifelong learning contexts, and their own ongoing continuing professional development” (Race, 2001, p. 23).
References:
Blair B. (2007). Perception/ Interpretation/Impact. Networks Magazine: 1:10-13. Art, Design Media Subject Centre. Brighton
Blythman, M., Orr, S. and Blair, B. (2007) Critiquing the Crit. Project Report. Higher Education Academy.
Race, P. (2001). A Briefing on Self, Peer and Group Assessment. LTSN Generic Centre, Assessment Series No. 9.
08/01/2025
Ahead of our first TPP session on January 6th, 2025, I read the essay How do art and design technicians conceive of their role in higher education? (Sams, 2016). Written by Claire Sams, an artist and former Technician at Central St Martins, it offers an insightful and coherent overview of what art and design technicians do and how they feel about their role within Higher Education (HE).
The article starts by emphasising the “lack of contemporary literature on the HE technicians’ role in art and design” (Blythman et al, 2008 cited in Sams, 2016, p. 62). To combat this, over 30 technicians were surveyed. They were asked to describe their role, and common responses include helping and supporting staff and students, health and safety, specialist technical expertise and offering bespoke individual teaching experiences to students. In the current HE climate the latter feels increasingly unique to the role of technician, and I would like to explore this further.
Hunt and Melrose define the technician as a “master craftsperson” (2005, p.70 cited in Sams, 2016, p. 65) and Sams agrees, observing that “this master of craft is confidently able to work through the creative process with students, combining traditional techniques, historical understanding and contemporary approaches to create diverse student outcomes” (Sams, 2016, p. 65). This view is confirmed by Technician A and Technician B, two of those surveyed by Sams. Technician B says “all student work is a one-off creation . . . The role demands a complexity of thinking and facilitating a huge range of students’ enquiries” ([Technician B], Sams, 2016, p. 65). Technician A feels that the face-to-face interaction technicians provide is of “significant value to students” ([Technician A], Sams, 2016, p. 64).
During the TPP workshop, a group of us discussed the article in relation to ‘risk taking’ (a focus of the session). Several peers, who are also academic staff, shared that rising student numbers and declining time resource, makes offering individual support increasingly challenging. This coupled with the diverse social and educational contexts of our students, and the fact that less are doing a Foundation course, means many of us find students are less confident taking risks. Reflecting on this, I feel that technicians are ideally placed to facilitate risk taking in students; they do more responsive teaching and are less constrained by academic requirements. Additionally, it can be argued that technicians are well suited for supporting neurodivergent students, as they can tailor their teaching to match student needs and offer sustained one-to-one support.
Moving forwards, I intend to work more closely and intentionally with technicians. Greater osmosis between academic and technical staff has the potential to create richer and more supportive learning experiences for students; helping to meet diverse student needs and encourage risk taking.
Update added on 16/03/2025: an example of how I am liaising more closely with technical staff is captured in my Case study 2, which you can find here.
References:
Sams, C. (2016), ‘How do art and design technicians conceive of their role in higher education?’ in Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, Vol 1 / Issue 2 (2016), pp. 62-69
08/01/2025
In our first TPP workshop we were given a collection of coloured cards describing significant world events, policies, and educational trends/innovations and, as a class, asked to make a HE timeline. We were also given blank cards and invited to add our own events. I enjoyed this activity; it was thought provoking and a good icebreaker. My peers on the PgCert are diverse and everyone had something different to contribute. This fostered lively discussion and knowledge exchange. Our final timeline was not perfect but overall, we assembled a sensible chronology. What I find interesting is that most decisions were driven by affect, we might not know exactly when something happened, but we had felt the consequences of it and therefore were able to locate it with relative accuracy.
We were then tasked with reflecting on the timeline and one of my peers made a good point that certain financial data was missing. Notably the rise in tuition fees in 2012 from £3000 to £9000 and the change from maintenance grants to loans in 2016. This sparked an insightful conversation about the implications, including access issues and shifting student demographics. Many people felt very strongly about the issue, me included.
I was troubled by one card which read “The murder of George Floyd” as I believe that placing emphasis on an individual can distract from the underlying systemic issue. Spotlighting someone’s murder also has the potential to be very triggering. Although I didn’t discuss this with my peers at the time, it seems that others felt similarly as someone added a handwritten card reading “Black Lives Matter”. I believe this is a good reframing: it is less triggering, acknowledges systemic racism and offers an affirmative lens rooted in collective action.
Contextual Background: I am an HPL on the BA in Illustration and Visual Media at LCC. In Year 1 we are delivering a new unit: Critical Positions (brief attached), where students choose a specialist pathway. I am leading the 3D pathway and currently developing the SOW.
Evaluation: In my experience, our students are often interested in working three-dimensionally and with material but don’t always have the necessary knowledge or skill set. Consequently, the challenge is creating enjoyable learning experiences (notably within studio labs, digital skills classes and technical workshops), that help students build foundational knowledge by critically engaging with materials/objects to understand their properties, uses, narrative potential and context.
With my Year Leader’s support, I have decided to implement Object Based Learning (OBL). As Hardie (2015, p. 19) observes, “objects can engage multiple senses and can offer meaningful and memorable learning experiences.”
Moving forwards: In planning for effective teaching and learning, I will embed OBL in the following ways:
Studio Labs: OBL will be implemented across studio labs to create experiential educational activities that facilitate active learning, in line with Hardie’s view that “objects can energise learning and teaching” (Hardie, 2015, p5).
For example, in the first lab students will be shown a selection of objects and materials to facilitate group interaction and discussion, and conduct a tactile investigation using a provided task sheet. As Hardie observes “the use of objects in small group work at the start of a course can offer a valuable ice-breaker activity as learners focus on items while developing their social interactions with their peers” (Hardie, 2015, p. 20). Prompts will focus on material, narrative and contextual factors; and facilitate shared learning through engagement with and analysis of the objects and materials on display.
Digital Skills Sessions: Students will learn laser cutting and 3D printing and OBL will be integrated. For example, I would like to bring a 3D printer into the classroom during the 3D printing session, so students can see their design become an object in real time. This decision is supported by Hooper-Greenhill’s observation that “Objects can act to ground abstract experiences and. . .arouse curiosity” (Hooper-Greenhill ,1999, p. 21).
Technical Workshops: After reading the article How do art and design technicians conceive of their role in higher education? (Sams, 2016), I am trying to be more intentional in how I collaborate with technical staff. For this project, I will invite technicians from the 3D Workshop to do an induction with students in the first week and ask if I can use material samples from their workshop for OBL during studio labs. Students will be encouraged to use the 3D facilities and build meaningful relationships with technical staff.
In the coming weeks, I will meet with my Year Leader to ensure my SOW is appropriate and relevant to the unit aims, student cohort and level of study. Before teaching starts, I will arrange a meeting with the staff team to answer questions and ensure parity. I will suggest that we bring materials/objects into the meeting to demonstrate OBL. I will also ensure there is opportunity for students to feedback at the end of the unit and will use their insights to inform future iterations of the Pathway.
References
Hardie, K. (2015) Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching, Higher Education Academy. Available at: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets.creode.advancehe-document-manager/documents/hea/private/kirsten_hardie_final_1568037367.pdf (Accessed: 10th March 2025)
Hooper-Greenhill, E. (2002) Developing a scheme for finding evidence of the outcomes and impact of learning in museums, archives and libraries; the conceptual framework. Learning Impact Research Project. Leicester: University of Leicester.
Sams, C. (2016), ‘How do art and design technicians conceive of their role in higher education?’ in Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, Vol 1 / Issue 2 (2016), pp. 62-69
Appendix
BA Illustration and Visual Media Critical Positions Unit Assignment Brief: file:///Users/macbookpro/Downloads/BA%20IVM%20Year%201%20Critical%20Positions%20Assignment%20Brief%2024.25.pdf
BA Illustration and Visual Media Critical Positions Project Brief: Wordless Storytelling: file:///Users/macbookpro/Downloads/Critical%20Positions%20Project%20Brief%20(1).pdf
BA Illustration and Visual Media Critical Positions Unit Assignment Brief: file:///Users/macbookpro/Downloads/BA%20IVM%20Year%201%20Critical%20Positions%20Assignment%20Brief%2024.25.pdf
BA Illustration and Visual Media Critical Positions Project Brief: Wordless Storytelling: file:///Users/macbookpro/Downloads/Critical%20Positions%20Project%20Brief%20(1).pdf
Contextual Background: I am a HPL on the MA for Illustration and Visual Media at LCC. Our student cohort is very diverse, and many make work about their culture and positionality. However, they can find sharing this work within the university difficult – particularly during crits.
Evaluation: This is partly due to the complexities of showing work in a multicultural environment and students’ experience that they must often explain their work, so others understand it. This can be emotionally and mentally taxing. This is confirmed by the report Critiquing the Crit which found that a key issue in crits is “a feeling that cultural capital played a considerable role in student’s ability to perform ‘well’” (Blythman et al, 2007, p. 4).
For example, in a recent crit, a student shared an illustrated publication of Urdu poetry intended for a Pakistani audience. Peer feedback was that the project was difficult to understand. As a result, the student considered translating the poetry into English and supplementing their drawings of djins (supernatural beings) with written descriptions. Thankfully they didn’t. Reflecting on this experience, I could have done more to support the presenting student and to guide the session by promoting self-awareness and reflective practice amongst the group (UAL, n.d.). This approach aligns with UAL’s Climate, Racial and Social Justice Principles.
Moving forwards: To improve, I find Rosenberg’s practice of “observation without evaluating” (Rosenburg, 2005, pp. 25-35) helpful. It was devised with a different context in mind; however I believe it offers a constructive framework for critique within art and design pedagogy, and I intend to use it moving forwards.
Within an art and design crit, promoting observing without evaluating could help students to give feedback about what they can see, rather than their interpretation of a work. Instead of relating through the dichotomy of understanding or not understanding, they would instead focus on what is visible; in other words, the formal elements of a work. I believe this may help to level the crit experience.
To integrate this practice, I could:
As I want to implement a new method, peer feedback would be helpful. I have asked Andrea Machicao Francke (a peer on the PgCert) to observe a crit on the 13th March where I will trial this approach. Andrea is a senior lecturer experienced in running crits and contributes to the podcast The Bad Vibes Club discussing the role of crits in art schools.
References
Blythman, M., Orr, S. & Blair, B. (2007) Critiquing the Crit. Project Report. Higher Education Academy.
Francke, M.A. & De Kersaint Giraudeau, M (2024) The Bad Vibes Club: episode 2: Ten Texts on Sculpture 8: Sculptural Pedagogy [Podcast]. 5 March. Available at: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ten-texts-on-sculpture-8-sculptural-pedagogy/id1220925467?i=1000648101785 (Accessed: 31 January 2024)
Rosenberg, M.B. (2005) ‘Observing without evaluating’, in Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. 2nd ed. Encinitas, CA: PuddleDancer Press, pp. 25-35
UAL (no date) Climate, Racial and Social Justice Principles. (Accessed: 16 February 2025)
