Frequently as with previous sessions being able to digest and capture all of the ideas that I consider meaningful is challenging. My personality doesn’t allow for interjection in group conversations terribly well and I come away feeling I need to “redo” the session in my own time processing the ideas in a more open thinking space. During group conversations I find that members of the class frequently want to circle around the subject or topic in a flâneurist way, I feel I seek to get to the heart of the problem which is perhaps a problem, considering an openness is perhaps required to fully expand knowledge or embrace potential approaches.
An idea that arose during the morning session was the professionalisation of the education. In my opinion this is a major problem with the course I teach on. A student paying for their design education expects to get results and orientate themselves around goals. This has killed the sprit of discovery and failure which is as important and success.
How do professional norms inform our practice? Should this change (could it?)
What are the professional norms? Is professional norms guided by policy, and if so which one, there are many. If we are discussing basic professional norm attributes such as: duty of care, empathy, setting learning expectations, teaching materials prepared and delivered on time to a satisfactory level. Then these things should not change. If the question is in relationship to a policy then that policy is dictated by a philosophy of the institution and the climate the institution is working in at a specific time.
How do our practices and our disciplinary knowledge interact with policy, or relate to other non-educational policies and practices?
Communication design is required to engage with contemporary problems. These problems are either created by or shaped by policy. Communication design can be used to prop up, educate or respond against policy. Does communication design have to operate outside of policy to be forward thinking and innovative?
How does your experiential, and embodied or identity – based knowledge relate to the ways in which we (could, or should!) work?
My own politics, family background, life experience has shaped learning expectations. Some of these are positive such as learning through making, or curiosity through making. But some others negatively impact the teaching environment. As a tutor, you may have the tendency to promote your own teaching philosophy, social prejudices, and personal values, which I have frequently needed to address and correct.
Three things you learnt from today
The range of different polices UAL imposes
Cross over between common teaching practices and UK professional standards
That it is the requirement of the individual tutor to interpret these standards in the context of my own teaching
Two things you’s like to find out more
How could I apply sustainable practices in communication design with meaningful action. I don’t think an individual UAL associate lecturer has any power to significantly change the course of environmental destruction. In my opinion huge radical change needs to occur that would required a shift in power, wealth and roles in which we work and live. However by adopting small change into my teaching practice I could provide influence. This might for example take the form of writing a specific brief that responds to climate crisis. I can’t help but feel that this is a little tokenistic, but I am trying to shift my thinking.
One thing you are still unsure of
How an AL can honestly and in good faith influence policy in a big institution.
As a means to satisfy my own ideas what follows below is a few responses to the tasks we conducted.
What do we need to know in order to teach well?
Relevant subject knowledge, agility or improvisation if the perception is that the learning activity is not working, a working environment that functions properly, expected learning outcomes,
What values inform the ways we teach?
Honesty, empathy, curiosity, engagement of subject matter, ambition, excitement,
Defining key terms
Policy – a course of principle action
Frame work – the guided principles of policy?
Strategy – A set of actions to deliver an aim
Code – a set of rule governed by policy
Principle – a value system shaped by a policy, an identity?
Guide – how to navigate with the policies, frameworks, strategies, codes and principles