Case Study 2: Planning and teaching for effective learning

Contextual Background

I run a workshop as part of Year 1 BA Textile Design called ‘Order of Things’ Project. This is an introductory workshop where students generate a body of paper experimentation and 3D design developments. I have found that due to time limitation students often struggle making the jump from 2D to 3D forms.

Evaluation

As part of my lesson plan I feel I have been over ambitious with expectations from students. I need to recognise that this is a foundation for new ways of working for students.

Being a one day workshop where students will be working with a range of media and materials I need to understand that there is a lot involved in the activities and more time should be spent through interpretation and reflection of the objects that students are looking at.

Moving forward

Follow Up Workshop

A follow up workshop would be beneficial, allowing the students to take their practice to the next level, compounding their learning and incorporate these 2D/3D designs into their projects and use information from the introductory workshop to take further in their own practice. Having worked with new materials and exercises, I want to allow time for students to reflect on what they have learned and created in the workshop.

‘Design objects can provide unique and effective learning experiences when placed physically in the hands of learners in the context of the university studio that is away from the confines of the traditional museum. The use of design objects can create different experiences and learning and teaching approaches to the more conventional museum trip and can enable students to develop their engagement with objects’ Hardie (2015)

Work In Progress

Being an introductory workshop I want students to recognise that this is ‘work in progress’ and there will be more opportunity to use skills learned to push further in other projects. This could take the form of a brainstorming lesson to acknowledge the successful and challenges experienced in the workshop and reflection on what they would like to be developed further.

Review of Work

In the past due to time limitation students do not have enough time to view the work they and their peers have produced in the workshop. I think it would be rewarding to set aside time during and at the end of workshop for students to see each others work and acknowledge the variety of outcomes being produced. This can be more conversational and peer led feedback to encourage students to feel excited about what they have enjoyed working on and and thereby encourage them to take the practice further into their own projects.