Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: Group Tutorials
Size of student group: 6 Year 2 Students
Observer: Rosa Pearks – Weave Technician
Observee: Derek Lawlor – Joint Course Leader BA Textile Design
Part One
What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?
Tutorials with Year 2 Weave students as part of ReWeave and Re:roll Station Lab 2.0
How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?
I have been working with Year 2 since September 2023 – I have taught on Year 1 Projects and Year 2 Pathway Rotations
What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?
For this project students will be exploring their own approaches to sustainability as responsible designers. Students will be introduced to different approaches to sustainable practise as well as increasing their brand awareness and experience of designing for a client.
Students will be exploring methods of making experimental yarns from waste which they may weave with and creating woven textile swatches for fashion clothing and/or accessories.
Students will be using commercial waste materials as your own and deadstock yarns
which are available in the Weave workshop.
What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?
This is the first tutorials of the project to discuss research and talk about the project in general.
Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?
Ensuring that all students feel they can be conversational and share their ideas. I will encourage students to offer feedback to their peers, so it is not just they tutor.
How will students be informed of the observation/review?
-We can explain to them at the beginning of the sessions
What would you particularly like feedback on?
-General feedback – observation of tutorials, interaction and knowledge exchange
How will feedback be exchanged?
Discussion of Lesson Plan (recorded) and key points noted in the ‘Suggestions’ area.
Part Two
Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:
Observer Rosa Pearks
The tutorials started with an explanation of what would be happening in the session, checking students understood the brief and clarifying any questions they had around it. You made it clear that students could ask questions at any time, and the session was a group discussion that they could all participate in to share ideas.
Students were quick to volunteer to talk about their projects and you involved the whole group in discussions, asking for feedback and making it an active and involved activity. You also gave good feedback to the whole group which despite being general, was relevant to everyone. You reminded students of the equipment and resources at their disposal, referring them to different workshops as appropriate and encouraging them to risk-take.
The questions you asked prompted long in-depth responses from the students about their projects, while also encouraging them to think more about their research and how to develop their ideas. You also made suggestions to push the projects in new directions, allowing students to think about different ideas. The feedback you gave to the group was practical and clear and gave advice on concrete ideas such as yarn choices, materials, samples etc. All the points you made were actionable ideas that would prompt the expansion of research.
Throughout the tutorials you continually referred back to the brief, helping students to contextualise their work. You also discussed your own practise to engage the group and give examples of different working processes used for developing research. Your feedback was concise, keeping the tutorials on time and keeping a good pace for the group. At the end of the tutorials, you brought the group back together to check in, check their understanding of feedback, and allow time for comments or questions from the group, rounding off the session well.
Suggestions:
While you made it clear the tutorials were a group discussion, not many students gave feedback to their peers, (probably partly to do with it being the end of the day). I wonder if there is some way to include all the students in the discussion or a way they could all give feedback without necessarily having to speak.
Some students had very little research and it might have been good to reiterate how much was expected, and make sure they understood that they would need much more research to be ready for warp planning the following week.
Part 3
Response to Rosa
I recognise that the tutorials being at the end of the day may of impacted on student interaction through feedback to other peers. It was a busy day of workshops and groups tutorials, the morning tutorials felt more conversational with feedback, perhaps a I need to create more momentum through a shared discussion/ activity before we go in to tutorials.
Going forward it would be good to reiterate how much is expected in terms of research. Being their first tutorial of the project I wanted it to be more open to discussion however being ready for warp planning the following week I think students should be more aware about what is needed.
