Intervention | ADHD and Technical Education

Positionality Statement (not included within word count)

I have chosen to write and focus on accessibility within my paper, specifically I will be focusing on the impact ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADD has within education and how myself, as an educator, can make an impact on student experience. My own experiences have without a doubt contributed to this influence and my desire to teach. Growing up I personally hated school, I had incredibly poor attendance, and no matter how hard I tried I was never able to achieve the goals I set for myself, which led to very low self esteem. 

Years later – after focusing on what is typically considered to be a non-academic course, graphic design, I found myself at university and again further struggling to achieve academic targets. Within my time studying at Falmouth university I was incredibly fortunate to have been taught by a tutor who informed my class about the accessibility department and professionally and non judgmentally explained experiences of some of his previous students and a close relative without any stigma attached.

This simple act of advising students (something no one had ever done with me up until this point) to read more into SpLD’s (Specific Learning Difficulties) has entirely changed my life – I was recommended to look into ADHD alongside other SpLDs and I found myself reading paper after paper of what felt like case studies of my life – something I often hear from students who talk about an ADHD diagnosis. Shortly after I received an SpLD diagnosis I then further seeked a medical diagnosis. Most importantly this resulted in me receiving one-to-one mentoring from the amazing Anne Betteridge, ADHD Coach and Mental Health Mentor, who without a doubt absolutely changed my life. This intervention and education on how best to focus my energy and formulate strategies resulted in a complete turnaround of my academic grades. The positive impact this had on my life is something I will never take for granted. As a result, I now make it a point to inform all my students about the accessibility services available to them.

As a result this has led me to focus on accessibility at the core of my teaching as I have experienced the truly transformative experience that education can have on life. Further to  my teaching practice at UAL I privately tutor with a specialisation of ADHD within the arts – however, do not hold any specific qualifications in this area – albeit this is something I would like to pursue.

Introduction, Who Am I? & Who are my Students?

My role within UAL is specialist technician in wearable technology (& physical computing) at the digital learning lab, an open access teaching and technical space at the London College of Fashion. The core elements of my role consists of assisting any student in programming and electronics, teaching multiple workshops a week, creating my own ‘curriculum’, running the space, anticipating and developing workshops and teaching resources that will be beneficial to students within an art, design and fashion context. Most importantly assisting students from first contact to their finalised idea. For more context about my role see  Term 1’s posts.

So that introduces me, but who are my students? My students tend to be MA students, but some BA, predominantly from courses that have an academic context of technology such as MA Fashion Futures & MA Artefact – however I see students from all around the college. The common factor is that almost all of them have no programming or electronics experience so have the difficult task of setting expectations, learning about the students themselves and their interests whilst aiming their focus and energy in learning two very technical skills within an increasingly smaller period of time – whilst making sure I am not setting them up for failure. The biggest challenge is everyone learns at very different rates and often the first time I meet a student is when they have a project they would like to create and a deadline to meet.

Implementing a Structured Onboarding Process for Enhanced Student Autonomy and Inclusive Learning

I currently have no form of ‘onboarding’ process, unlike courses where the tutors have a chance to set the pace and unfold information out in a controlled pace. A new student may come to me mid-way through a term after finally deciding on what they would like to make. At the point I meet with the student, I talk through their project and explain that almost everything is possible, it just depends on how much time you have, how much you’re willing to spend and how much effort you are willing to put in. I then break their project down and signpost to different workshops I run for learning specific skills that will be needed (see figure 1),highlighting any equipment they may need to procure to meet deadlines and keep the project within budget.

Figure 1. Wearable Tech Workshops Available at wt.lcfdll.com

The problem with this approach is that this works on an individual basis as it’s completely personal and tailored to each student.  However when more students come – especially at high capacity, the level of engagement they get from me significantly decreases; as I multitask onboarding new students, assist current students, teach technical skills such as soldering, and overwatch any equipment that is unsafe to be left unattended. An example of this is when students come to the DLL nearing the end of their project, with no prior dedicated time to create a comprehensive plan. This becomes a never ending cycle, slowing down the progression students can make (due to roadblocking inductions to equipment and supervision etc of projects that started much earlier) which in turn brings me to the very centre of their education/project… not themselves.

So, this raises a few questions that I have been asking myself. How do I allow my students to become more self-reliant? How can I free up time to assist students for the most crucial tasks? And lastly how can I make my area and assistance more fair and accessible to students?

My intervention is to design and create a new system to interact with students, this includes an onboarding process that aims to consult with students setting out expectations, aims and creates a plan for self-led learning; whilst highly integrating the large number of teaching materials already produced. Such as the extensive range of taught workshops alongside structured online teaching resources. My aim is to channel an inclusive and accessible methodology to this system based on effective and proven strategies for supporting students with ADHD. Creating a learning environment that gives students ownership of their project whilst being supportive, bite sized and none overwhelming (Betteridge, 2024) – crucial for a successful and inclusive learning environment. To do this I will be leaning on my own knowledge and experiences alongside academic sources and advice from a qualified ADHD mentor and educator. It’s crucial to recognise that research suggests that educational techniques designed for students with ADHD not only support ADHD students but can in fact benefit all learners through the enhanced classroom structure and accommodating teaching modifications (Hart Barnett, 2017; Zelenka, 2017; Reiber and Mclaughlin, 2004).

What are the struggles associated with ADHD and how can my proposed system support students to tackle or overcome these barriers within my teaching?

University students with ADHD symptoms struggle with time management, academic performance, interpersonal skills, and persistent worries (Kwon, Kim and Kwak, 2018). These students frequently experience difficulties sustaining and focusing attention, particularly during traditional teaching and evaluation methods (Jansen et al., 2017). A study found that time management mediates the relationship between motivation, emotion regulation, and ADHD symptoms in university students (Moradi Siah Afshadi, Amiri and Talebi, 2024). In response I aim to apply a multimodal approach that focuses on time management, micro-tasking, visualisation, time management and accountability (Betteridge, 2024; ADHD Foundation, 2022) – a crucial well rounded approach. The way in which I see this approach working is as follows:

Figure 2. Proposed System of Project Management. 2024

Although the proposed approach seems simple (see figure 2), with feedback loops being very common within academic contact, the devil is in the detail. At the start of the approach is the onboarding process, within I plan to use a physical/digital document that will have few purposes:

  1. Keeping me informed on the students’ progress.
  2. Keeping the student informed on what is required of them.
  3. Breaking down large complex tasks into smaller, more manageable, microtasks.
  4. Visualisation of the project and microtasks required to complete the final outcome, reducing the potential in overwhelming students.
  5. Identifying early on problems that may occur.
  6. Creating and documenting reviews, feedback and next steps.
  7. Creating accountability through targets.
  8. Acting as a way for students to easily document their technical work for academic evaluation and grading. Supporting students with time management difficulties.

The idea here is to implement important ADHD educational strategies directly into the document and plan to create a greater level of support, reassurance and accountability. These strategies are:

Micro-Tasking: Breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable parts.

Accountability: Creating a system where students are held accountable for their progress.

Study Buddies: Encouraging peer support and collaboration.

High Levels of Structure: Providing a structured learning environment.

Visualisation: Using visual aids to help students understand and retain information.

(Betteridge, 2024; Mulligan, 2001; DeRuvo, 2009; Solanto, 2021; Simon-Dack, Rodriguez and Marcum, 2016)


How does my plan assist my students?
#Student InteractionImplementationGoal
1Creating a tailored project plan for the student to followCreate an individual learning plan/passport that will contain all the information required to complete the project. Allow students to better self manage, understand their project better and plan their time accordingly.
2Identify areas for taught contentCreate a custom visual ‘Learning Pathway’ (see figure 3) for taught content, such as technician run workshops that cover complex and potentially difficult contentAllow students to make better use of schedules teaching materials already available to them through taught sessions – whilst creating a level of accountability and commitment to attend.
3Identify areas for self taught materials.Create a custom visual ‘Learning Pathway’ (see figure 3) for self-taught content, such as technician written guides for commonly used software, concepts etc.Allow students to make better use of their time and develop foundation knowledge – freeing up technician time to assist with more complex and personal enquiries. Overall benefitting the student experience, reducing the need to ask common questions during busy times.
4Identify areas of researchCreate a documented plan for students to go off and research areas of personal interest or project specific content not already provided.This creates a level of commitment to the student to self learn and then return with this knowledge to discuss with the technician. This puts the student at the centre of their work – alongside providing the student early on with the plethora of different areas they may want to explore.
5Time Scales Creating a visual plan such as a gantt chart with micro deadlines/microtasks – giving flexibility to account for procrastination.This creates a more approachable and less overwhelming mindset. Focusing on smaller tasks allows students to make easier progress, alongside making it easier to make accountable targets.
6materials and potential cost forecastingIdentifying early on what materials should be considered or occurredThis allows students to purchase early resulting in lower financial cost, as international suppliers are often significantly cheaper. This has a compounded and intersectional benefit to students.
7AccountabilityIdentify ways of creating accountability either through the technician or ‘study buddies’ such as students working on similar projectsAccountability is a great way of prioritising tasks and creating incentives to complete them in a timely manner.
Table 1. Concept, Implementation & Goal


Figure 3. Conceptualised ‘Learning Pathway’ for an AI Garment. For Illustrative Purposes Only.

For more information regarding conceptualised ‘Learning Pathways’ please read “Case Study 1 | Knowing and meeting the needs of diverse learners” on my blog.

How many students will this support?

The data I have collected from UAL’s data dashboard indicates that 17% of all students (see figure 4 & 5) have declared a disability. I believe it is fair to assume that this number has the possibility of being underreported, taking into account privacy concerns, undiagnosed students and lastly the universities largely international student intake (see figure 6) – as stigmatisation, acknowledgement and understanding can vary from culture to culture for learning differences such as ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Autism (Mather, White and Youman, 2020; Cornoldi et al., 2018; Lappa, 1997). Although the figure of 17% is all declared disabilities, the university does not publish the categories of disability, with this in mind I believe it is still important to acknowledge that… “About 12-24% of children with specific learning disability (SpLD) have co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)” (Karande and Venkataraman, 2013, p. 52)… resulting in a potentially increased number of undiagnosed or comorbid symptoms. The point that I am making is that although we have acknowledged that accessible design helps everyone, there is a significant number of students who study at UAL that would benefit from design and workflows focused on accessibility to those with ADHD, regardless of the additional benefits associated with a more generally accessible education as discussed earlier.

Figure 4. Student Disability Data from UAL Dashboard, year 2023/24,
dashboards.arts.ac.uk.

Figure 5. Student Disability Data from UAL Dashboard, year 2023/24, dashboards.arts.ac.uk

Figure 6. Fee Status Data from UAL Dashboard, year 2023/24,
dashboards.arts.ac.uk

How will this be implemented (Plan/Time Scale)?

To implement this, should practically be very easy and is less about creating new materials and resources as these greatly exist or are in the departmental timeline – but are instead underutilised, mainly due to lack of awareness and an inclination of me helping students directly. I will need to create the plan itself – this could take the form of a digital or physical document with an easy to follow visual appearance of which I will utilise my design background. However, the hardest aspect will be changing my own routine and processes.

What do colleagues think about the concept?

Contrary to my original intervention proposal (see previous post for details), I have after receiving feedback from my peers pivoted to the current intervention that I believe will have a greater impact on my students, especially for those with SpLDs, I hope that this concept of accessibility by default will further enhance the learning experience of all my students:

“The second idea is actually more generic … it could help specific learning difficulties … but I think it is … all students” (Oliver, 2024)… “[Technicians are] not always Privy to what diagnosis students have said to the tutors … and it’s helpful. And I think … it’s good to have that resource to say, well, let’s do this” (Muir, 2024).

This intervention should allow for better time management of complex and unknown projects but also aid students in self lead learning reducing reliance on me which at times of high capacity bottlenecks all students in the room – unfortunately these are often times where time is most vital:

“The idea of … allowing someone to … project manage their own … schedule and stuff, [will] get the main use of tools for workshop … [and] their actual [learning] as well” (Hodges, 2024).

As noted within my term 2 blog post Introduction to Inclusive Practice | Disability (Hall, 2024) where I look at multiple sources that acknowledge how inclusive environments benefit everyone. When talking to my group about the idea there was great enthusiasm regarding the additional materials that this could tap into but also the visual ways that this could be presented to:

“Is there enough … image-related [content] … are you using enough resources that [help] visual learners rather than [those who prefer] reading[?]” (Muir, 2024)… “Having resources that show a path or a train of thought … where [students] don’t have experience … could be really good” (Muir, 2024)… “Do you think it’s something we could … use with … technical [SharePoint]?” (Muir, 2024)…

Furthermore with suggestions that this may also assist students who have English as their second language:

“They’ll also [help] those students who [do not have] English [as] the first language” (Muir, 2024).

Conclusion

The intervention that I have proposed aims to create a structured onboarding process that supports students, particularly with ADHD, by stimulating self-reliance, time management, breaking down tasks and accountability. Through leveraging my own experiences and incorporating evidence based strategies, I hope to improve the learning experience for all the students within my area. This approach not only serves to address specific challenges for those with ADHD but promotes an inclusive learning environment that benefits all. The feedback from my colleagues has been incredibly useful and has identified the potential this may have on supporting students with specific learning differences.

Bibliography

ADHD Foundation (2022) Teaching and Managing Students with ADHD. Available at: https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Teaching-and-Managing-Students-with-ADHD.pdf (Accessed: 26 July 2024).

Betteridge, A. (2024) ‘Interview Conducted On Zoom, Re: ADHD in Technical Education’.

Cornoldi, C., Capodieci, A., Colomer Diago, C., Miranda, A. and Shepherd, K. G. (2018) ‘Attitudes of Primary School Teachers in Three Western Countries Toward Learning Disabilities’, J Learn Disabil, 51(1), pp. 43–54. doi: 10.1177/0022219416678408.

DeRuvo, S. L. (2009) ‘Strategies for teaching adolescents with ADHD : effective classroom techniques across the content areas’, in. Available at: https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:142366031.

Hall, E. (2024a) Introduction To Inclusive Practice | Disability, University of the Arts London. Available at: https://ehall.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2024/05/17/introduction-to-inclusive-practice-disability/ (Accessed: 23 July 2024).

Hall, E. (2024b) Understanding My Positionality & Influence, arts.ac.uk. Available at: https://ehall.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2024/01/22/understanding-my-positionality-and-influence/ (Accessed: 23 July 2024).

Hall, E. (2024c) Wearable Tech Workshops. University of the Arts London. Available at: wt.lcfdll.com (Accessed: 23 July 2024).

Hall, E., Oliver, K., Hodges, J. and Muir, C. (2024) ‘PgCert Group Intervention Presentation & Feedback’, 12 July.

Hart Barnett, J. E. (2017) ‘Helping Students with ADHD in the Age of Digital Distraction’, RAPCC, 36(2), pp. 1–7. doi: 10.14434/pders.v36i2.23913.

Jansen, D., Petry, K., Ceulemans, E., van der Oord, S., Noens, I. and Baeyens, D. (2017) ‘Functioning and participation problems of students with ADHD in higher education: which reasonable accommodations are effective?’, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 32(1), pp. 35–53. doi: 10.1080/08856257.2016.1254965.

Karande, S. and Venkataraman, R. (2013) ‘Impact of co‑morbid attention‑deficit/hyperactivity disorder on self‑perceived health‑related quality‑of‑life of children with specific learning disability’, Indian J Psychiatry, 55(1), p. 52. doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.105507.

Kwon, S. J., Kim, Y. and Kwak, Y. (2018) ‘Difficulties faced by university students with self-reported symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a qualitative study’, Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health, 12(1). doi: 10.1186/s13034-018-0218-3.

Lappa, N. (1997) ‘Specific learning difficulties in Scotland and Greece : perceptions and provision’, University of Stirling Department of Education. Available at: https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/2136/1/Lappas%20(1997)%20-%20Specific%20Learning%20Difficulties%20in%20Scotland%20and%20Greece%20-%20Perceptions%20and%20Provision.pdf (Accessed: 26 July 2024).

Mather, N., White, J. and Youman, M. (2020) ‘Dyslexia Around the World: A Snapshot’, LDMJ, 25(1), pp. 1–17. doi: 10.18666/ldmj-2020-v25-i1-9552.

Moradi Siah Afshadi, M., Amiri, S. and Talebi, H. (2024) ‘Examining the structural equation modeling between intrinsic-motivation, emotion regulation and AHDH: the mediating role of problem-solving, time-management, and behavioral-inhibition’, Curr Psychol, 43(1), pp. 885–899. doi: 10.1007/s12144-023-04289-7.

Mulligan, S. (2001) ‘Classroom Strategies Used by Teachers of Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder’, Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 20(4), pp. 25–44. doi: 10.1080/J006v20n04_03.

Reiber, C. and Mclaughlin, T. F. (2004) ‘Classroom Interventions: Methods to Improve Academic Performance and Classroom Behavior for Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.’, International journal of special education, 19, pp. 1–13. Available at: https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:146677620.

Simon-Dack, S. L., Rodriguez, P. D. and Marcum, G. D. (2016) ‘Study Habits, Motives, and Strategies of College Students With Symptoms of ADHD’, J Atten Disord, 20(9), pp. 775–781. doi: 10.1177/1087054714543369.

Solanto, M. V. (2021) ‘14.2 FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND EFFECTIVENESS OF A NEW COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH ADHD’, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(10), p. S279. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.07.631.

University of the Arts London (2024) Student Disability Data from UAL Dashboard, year 2023/24. Available at: dashboards.arts.ac.uk (Accessed: 29 July 2024).

Zelenka, V. (2017) ‘Universal Interventions for Students With ADHD—and All Students’, Kappa Delta Pi Record, 53(1), pp. 37–40. doi: 10.1080/00228958.2017.1264820.

Posted in Intervention, Term 2 | 1 Comment

Inclusive Practice | Race

Introduction:

In this blog task, we were shown five different resources, all surrounding the topic of race:

  • Racism Shapes Careers: Career Trajectories and Imagined Futures of Racialised Minority PhDs in UK Higher Education [Journal] (Garrett, 2024)

  • A Critical Race Theory Framework for Education Policy Analysis: The Case of Bilingual Learners and Assessment Policy in England [Journal] (Bradbury, 2020)

  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Learning How to Get It Right [Video]
    (TEDx Talks, 2023)

  • Revealed: The Charity Turning UK Universities Woke [Video]
    (The Telegraph, 2022)

  • The School That Tried to End Racism [Video] (Channel 4 Entertainment, 2020)

These works showcase specific examples of injustice, the nuanced implications of policies, and teaching methodologies, among other themes. Collectively, they explore the educational landscape and its inherent challenges regarding race.

Reflection and Analysis:

This assignment has further opened up my perspective on what racism in an institution can look like, and how we need to advocate for deeper institutional changes beyond surface-level diversity initiatives (Garrett, 2024). As educators, we hold significant power. The decisions we make, often without much thought, can have profound impacts: for instance, the imagery on a workshop slide, the diversity of teaching materials, the height of the table we sit at, or the cost of equipment used—these are all aspects that, while seemingly minor, can affect students’ experiences in meaningful ways (Bradbury, 2020). My role at UAL involves supporting students in finding creative and technical solutions, so naturally, I want to apply similar problem-solving efforts to issues of racism within my teaching space. However, this task is far more complex and layered, so even well-intentioned actions can have unintended consequences, such as critical race theory being criticised for its focus purely on race rather than other factors such as socioeconomic status.

The material that struck me the most was the film Revealed: The Charity Turning UK Universities Woke (2022) presented by the telegraph – which should be noted is perceived within YouGov polling as being right leaning politically (YouGov, 2024b), see figure 1. After recently becoming an associate fellow of AdvanceHE (AdvanceHE, 2024) myself, hearing criticisms from professionals in highly ranked educational institutions made me question my involvement. While I firmly believe that the course content has been thought-provoking and beneficial, this film made me reconsider how much I really know and the validity of the organisation I am part of. It underscores the dual perspective of being both an educator and a learner.

Figure 1: YouGov Poll, 2024b. “Is The Daily Telegraph more favourable towards Labour/the left or the Conservatives/the right?”.

Although I found the film The School That Tried to End Racism (2020) presented by Channel 4 Entertainment  a great way of engaging young people in an experiential exercise (one I remember reading about in the start of this term) that would have allowed the students to conjure up their own emotions and discover those feelings regarding their experience of systematic and intersectional discrimination (Channel 4 Entertainment, 2020), however, I couldn’t help think about previous readings and discussions about the idea of ‘3 day discrimination courses.’ These are a great way of starting discussions but, at an educational level, feel like the bare minimum of resources that should be invested. I found this particularly concerning when you consider this is: The School That Tried to End Racism (2020). It is worth noting that the source that this came from is perceived within YouGov polling to me more favourably to the left in comparison to the telegraph (YouGov, 2024a), see figure 2.

Figure. 2 YouGov Poll, 2024a. “Is Channel 4 News more favourable towards Labour/the left or the Conservatives/the right?”.

Conclusion:

These resources sadly highlight the unbalanced nature of the British educational system. Discrimination and bias persist even at exceptionally high academic levels, such as doctorate programs (Garrett, 2024). They underscore the complexity and depth required to address racism effectively (Bradbury, 2020). As educators, we must remain vigilant and reflective about our practices, continuously seeking ways to improve and adapt (TEDx Talks, 2023). The resources provided have offered valuable insights, reminding us that the journey toward anti-racism is ongoing and multifaceted. It is crucial for us, as educators, to be aware and recognise the impact of our decisions. While we may not be able to change the institution as a whole, it does not stop us as individuals from making an impact as our efforts can significantly affect the students we interact with daily (Channel 4 Entertainment, 2020).

Bibliography & Image Index:

AdvanceHE (2024) Associate Fellowship | Advance HE. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/fellowship/associate-fellowship (Accessed: 5 July 2024).

Bradbury, A. (2020) ‘A critical race theory framework for education policy analysis: the case of bilingual learners and assessment policy in England’, Race Ethnicity and Education , 23(2). doi: 10.1080/13613324.2019.1599338.

Channel 4 Entertainment (2020) Heartbreaking Moment When Kids Learn About White Privilege | The School That Tried to End Racism. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I3wJ7pJUjg (Accessed: 8 July 2024).

Garrett, R. (2024) ‘Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education’, Globalisation, Societies and Education . doi: 10.1080/14767724.2024.2307886.

TEDx Talks (2023) ‘Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right | Asif Sadiq | TEDxCroydon’. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4wz1b54hw (Accessed: 8 July 2024).

The Telegraph (2022) ‘Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke’. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRM6vOPTjuU (Accessed: 8 July 2024).

YouGov (2024a) Is Channel 4 News More Favourable Towards Labour/the Left Or The Conservatives/the Right?, YouGov. Available at: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/is-channel-4-news-more-favourable-towards-labour-the-left-or-the-conservatives-the-right (Accessed: 8 July 2024).

YouGov (2024b) Is The Daily Telegraph More Favourable Towards Labour/the Left Or The Conservatives/the Right? Available at: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/is-the-daily-telegraph-more-favourable-towards-labour-the-left-or-the-conservatives-the-right (Accessed: 8 July 2024).

Posted in Blog Posts Term 2, Term 2 | 5 Comments

Inclusive Practice | Faith

As someone who does not practise and has never practised a faith, faith is not something I often think about. In all honesty, within the context of my role, it has not been a focus for me. My lack of personal direct, or indirect, experience with discrimination related to beliefs might explain why this aspect has not been on my radar. However, through exploring the resources shared in this course, I have gained a new perspective on the many intersecting factors that can become barriers for individuals practising their faith in an educational environment.

Within the course resources it was an eye opening experience to investigate the intersections between religion and overlapping identity characteristics. Within Jaclyn Rekis’s writing, Rekis highlights the prevailing stereotypes of race and religion with examples of how women often face epistemic injustice due to the way they dress (Rekis, 2023) – misconstruing personal beliefs within faith as a lack of personal agency. Undermining individuals and further reinforcing biassed stereotypes surrounding their faith, race and gender. Furthermore within Dr. Haifaa Jawad’s article “Islam, Women and Sport”, it was revealed how socioeconomic barriers discriminated against women, particularly individuals with faith-based modesty requirements, from partaking in sports, not necessarily from direct discrimination, but instead indirectly, due to the additional expenses required to access private facilities (Jawad, 2022); therefor hindering women within faith from freely participating, a clear barrier. Alongside a talk by Dr. Simran Jeet Singh, American educator, writer and activist, discusses international discrimination and the difficulties faced by people whose faith intersects with other marginalised identities (Trinity University, 2016). Discussing how race, faith and identity can lead to prolific stereotyping when in reality the experience of individuals varies vastly – discussing how these stereotypes can be broken through communication and an emphasis on creating a greater human connection.

Within my own teaching practice and the wider technical department it has certainly led me to question the policies or decisions that are made and the wider repercussions that has on our students. One particular example of this is not directly related to me, but instead my department is the use of a body scanner – this in hindsight of reading the resources provided seems to be a blaring example of something that we should be highly cautious around its use cases and more importantly alternative options. However closer to home, outside of the obvious adjustments like flexible scheduling, being aware of religious holidays and additional considerations around fasting. I would like to make sure that my resources are combative of typical stereotypes within technology – which directly links to my intervention proposal, by adjusting the resources to show a larger variety of representative works, I hope this will allow students to feel a greater sense of belonging within the space.

With this in mind it strikes me, the importance of continual self-reflection and learning. Being able to recognise my own potential biases and the influence of white fragility, I am committed to creating an inclusive and respectful environment for all students. This means not only being aware of overt discrimination but also understanding and addressing the subtle, systemic barriers that can affect students’ experiences.

Bibliography

Jawad, H. (2022) Islam, Women And Sport: The Case Of Visible Muslim Women, Religion And Global Society. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/09/islam-women-and-sport-the-case-of-visible-muslim-women/ (Accessed: 31 May 2024).

Rekis, J. (2023) ‘Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account’, Hypatia, 38(4), pp. 779–800. doi: 10.1017/hyp.2023.86.

TED (2014) Kwame Anthony Appiah: Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2et2KO8gcY (Accessed: 31 May 2024).

Trinity University (2016) Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in Classroom. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk&ab_channel=TrinityUniversity (Accessed: 31 May 2024).

Posted in Blog Posts Term 2, Term 2 | 5 Comments

My Intervention Proposal

At the start of this unit I naively thought that I was playing my role to the best of my ability – creating a safe, enjoyable and inclusive environment for my students (for a greater context of my role see term one, post one). However, this unit has given me the opportunity to reflect and examine my area in greater detail. I realise that my primary focus on the students directly in front of me may have limited my broader impact. As part of the unit I have taken time to look into data that the university shares internally and has led me to question why I get the students I do? What attracts them to my area intersecting, design, technology and engineering, but more importantly what pushes people away?

This field is notoriously known for its lack of representation, especially by sex, with men predominantly occupying workforce and research positions (Henry and Munn, 2020; Hill and Corbett, 2015; Johnson and Miller, 2002). Although some company objectives aim to improve this, I found limited research on race, religion, sexuality, and disability, raising questions about the compounded effects of intersectionality (Columbia Law School, 2017).

I aim to use my influence to demonstrate that everyone deserves a seat at the table, not just those traditionally represented. This medium of work can uncover and display the difficulties different intersectionalities impose on daily life. To achieve this, I will:

Revamp Learning Resources:

  • Revise in-person workshops and online resources to showcase diverse work that meets the needs of its creators.

  • Include examples of projects and role models from various backgrounds to inspire students.

  • Attempt to connect with international design agencies, education groups, and collectives to discover great examples of work that may be both inspirational and relevant to our diverse student body, showcasing innovative approaches and success stories from underrepresented communities.

I understand that this will in no way solve systemic discrimination within the field of tech or even create opportunities (Buse, Hill and Benson, 2017), but I hope that it will at least support students to ask the question: Why not me?

Bibliography

Buse, K., Hill, C. and Benson, K. (2017) ‘Establishing the Research Agenda for Increasing the Representation of Women in Engineering and Computing’, Front. Psychol., 8. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00598.

Columbia Law School (2017) Kimberlé Crenshaw On Intersectionality, More Than Two Decades Later, Columbia Law School. Available at: https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/kimberle-crenshaw-intersectionality-more-two-decades-later (Accessed: 24 May 2024).

Henry, E. and Munn, B. (2020) ‘Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math: From Camps to Careers’, JOE, 58(2). doi: 10.34068/joe.58.02.09.

Hill, C. and Corbett, C. (2015) Solving the Equation | The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing. Washington: AAUW.

Johnson, D. G. and Miller, K. W. (2002) ‘Is diversity in computing a moral matter?’, SIGCSE Bull., 34(2), pp. 9–10. doi: 10.1145/543812.543814.

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Introduction to Inclusive Practice | Disability

As the term Inclusive Practices begins, we’ve begun the module with a focus on disability. Within three resources/short films provided by the course (Art21, 2023; ParalympicsGB, 2020; Parapride, 2023) we’ve begun to examine the complex nature of intersectionality and the effects this has at local, community and systemic levels. The content of these films covers three interviews discussing topics of intersectionality within disability such as race, identity, expression and community. These films reveal that disability is much more than a practical issue such as physical barriers, although still rife, but more its societal nature. 

Within the first film paralympian Ade Adepitan (ParalympicsGB, 2020) discusses that physical adaptations can be reasonably adapted when required and when they are individuals are able to achieve great things, however, it is the considerations and mindset of society or those in a position of public representation that are making long term change difficult to achieve – this could for example be an underrepresentation within media, but also political and policy driving representation. A great example of this is how Adepitian and Nick Webborn, ParalympicsGB President, discuss how transportation is clearly designed for the needs of able bodied people first with disabilities being catered for as an afterthought. Although out of the scope of intersectionality this discussion brings forward how important ‘​​Accessibility by Default’ is. Not only do these ‘Accessible’ spaces discriminate at a social level, but bring attention to long term historic systemic segregation of difference, and believe we need to be mindful of this even when aiming to be a force for good.

At a community level practising artist Sun Kim, expresses how socioeconomic factors such as child care and financial supports can greatly support the compounded effects that disability can have on an individual’s life, discussing how it is often societal structures that disable individuals rather than their physical or mental conditions. Lastly Chay Brown, a representative from TransActual also goes on to discuss how systemic barriers, especially against those with hidden disabilities, prevent full participation and inclusion.

Within my own practice at UAL (see blog post 1, from term one for a greater context), I am responsible for deciding what content is beneficial for students, creating all my teaching and learning content, creating a usable and productive environment alongside supporting students through their own learning. When thinking about my own area a few things instantly came to mind, some of which I think are positive but mostly the improvements that are needed. Regarding my online learning resources I am particularly conscious of the accessibility of these materials, as someone who considers themselves to have a learning difference I am of course always aiming to create a learning environment that I would have liked to have seen, but in this blinker-like focus I have certainly looked past the greater picture. Within the focus of completing the day-to-day tasks of my employment I have looked past aspects that will have a greater impact on students; not just in a learning context but an inspirational and representative aspect of learning and society as a whole, be that through including a wider range or examples, that are more differentiated – which in turn helps to build a more inclusive environment.

But most importantly I have recognised that I have fallen into the trap of not questioning enough. Is this space accessible for all? Are these tables too high? Would everyone be able to use this equipment? Is there a clear route? Is this space too loud? Are these materials accessible? Are these examples a good representation? Should a student need to get in contact regarding putting in place accessible specific learning aids? – and why is this not already in place? As Brown quite rightly points out, inclusive environments benefit everyone. 

I think the most important question going forward is, how can this be done better?

Bibliography

Art21 (2023) Christine Sun Kim in “Friends & Strangers” – Season 11 | Art21. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpRaEDlLsI&ab_channel=Art21 (Accessed: 17 May 2024).

ParalympicsGB (2020) Ade Adepitan gives amazing explanation of systemic racism. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=KAsxndpgagU&ab_channel=ParalympicsGB (Accessed: 17 May 2024).

Parapride (2023) Intersectionality in Focus: Empowering Voices during UK Disability History Month 2023. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yID8_s5tjc&ab_channel=Parapride (Accessed: 17 May 2024).

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Reflecting On: The Experiential Learning Cycle By David Kolb

Within my introduction I aimed to merge my creative/research interests within my teaching pedagogy. I was intrigued the moment I first read the following quote about Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC):

 “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience”(Kolb, 1984, p. 38 cited in Mcleod, 2024, n.p.).

This quote resonated with me and my own research interests such as Andrea Gaggioli’s Transformative Experience Design (2015). A theory that posits that certain experiences have the ability to radically transform an individual’s perception of themselves and the world around them, citing that some things can only be learned through experience, such as having a child (The Possibility Studies Network, 2021). So when I considered the application of this fundamental idea within a classroom setting, I was hooked.

Although I was just a little disappointed that there was no justification for creating entire fictional worlds in which learners would be thrown into, learning through predetermined narratives/experiences,but was still interested in how Kolb outlined multiple different learning styles: The visual, auditory & kinesthetic (Fallace, 2023). Within Kolb’s writing he explains that (below is not a direct quote from Kolb):

“Effective learning is seen when a person progresses through a cycle of four stages: of (1) having a concrete experience followed by (2) observation of and reflection on that experience which leads to (3) the formation of abstract concepts (analysis) and generalizations (conclusions) which are then (4) used to test a hypothesis in future situations, resulting in new experiences.”(Mcleod, 2024, n.p.)

Kolb’s cycle makes it “…possible to enter… at any stage and follow it through its logical sequence.”(Mcleod, 2024, n.p.), the relationship between the learning styles and learning cycle (see figure 1) is that the cycle will encompass the learner in at least one of their preferred learning styles but also developing their non-preferred style through the linking structure. It is important to not note that:

“… effective learning only occurs when a learner can execute all four stages of the model. Therefore, no one stage of the cycle is effective as a learning procedure on its own.”(Mcleod, 2024, n.p.)

Kolb’s theory does have some controversy around this idea of the visual, auditory & kinesthetic learning styles and experiential learning cycle. Such as how it can lead to a non authoritative classroom dynamic (Valiente-Riedl, Anderson and Banki, 2022) contradicting Barrow’s (2006) benefits (see case study 3). Nonetheless many educators claim benefits from their implementations (Pourhosein Gilakjani, 2011; Suaib, 2019) such as a way to break-up “…monotonous teaching technique…”(Suaib, 2019, p. 252) and create a more engaging classroom environment.

Figure 1. Kolb’s Learning Styles

Considering how to integrate ELC into my teaching raised questions. The broad applicability and positive reception across disciplines suggested its benefit, despite critiques. Its versatility aligns with my prior reflections on reinforcing learning through circular approaches (see figure 2) (seen in case study 2) and so would like to trial running ‘taster’ or introductory sessions that break down the fundamental concepts to compare. Within these sessions I could use the ELC framework to break down important fundamental concepts such as PWM (Hirzel, 2022) and Breadboards (Shawn, 2020) – something notoriously difficult to wrap your head around without experiencing.

Figure 2. Circular Approach

An example of how this could be implemented into my session (see figure 3):

Objective: Teach PWM and why we would want to use it.

  • Concrete Experience: Provide students with pre-written code based on a diagram; students then observe an LED’s behaviour.
  • Reflective Observation: Ask the students what is happening, asking questions like “what are the limitations of this” (i.e it is only either on or off)
  • Abstract Conceptualisation: Introduce the concept of PWM as a technique to simulate an analog output using digital means.
  • Active Experimentation: Challenge the students to modify the code to use PWM to control the brightness of the LED.
Figure 3. Proposed Implementation of Kolbs Learning Cycle into Wearable Tech Workshops. 

To conclude, I feel that Kolb’s ELC offers valuable insights for teaching complex concepts. Its application could potentially enhance my entire workshop strategy. I’m excited to test these methods and observe student engagement with this approach.

Bibliography

Barrow, M. (2006) ‘Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect’, Studies in Higher Education, 31(3), pp. 357–372. doi: 10.1080/03075070600680869.

Fallace, T. (2023) ‘The long origins of the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning style typology, 1921–2001.’, History of Psychology, 26(4), pp. 334–354. doi: 10.1037/hop0000240.

Gaggioli, A. (2015) ‘Transformative Experience Design’, pp. 97–122. doi: 10.1515/9783110471137-006.

Hirzel, T. (2022) Basics of PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), Arduino. Available at: https://docs.arduino.cc/learn/microcontrollers/analog-output/ (Accessed: 20 March 2024).

Kolb, D. A. (1999) Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Available at: https://learningfromexperience.com/downloads/research-library/experiential-learning-theory.pdf (Accessed: 20 March 2024).

Mcleod, S. (2024) Kolb’s Learning Styles & Experiential Learning Cycle, Simply Psychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html (Accessed: 20 March 2024).

Pourhosein Gilakjani, A. (2011) ‘Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic Learning Styles and Their Impacts on English Language Teaching’, JSE, 2(1). doi: 10.5296/JSE.V2I1.1007.

Shawn (2020) How To Use A Breadboard For Beginners? Wiring, Circuit, Arduino – Latest Open Tech From Seeed, seeedstudio. Available at: https://www.seeedstudio.com/blog/2020/01/06/how-to-use-a-breadboard-wiring-circuit-and-arduino-interfacing/#:~:text=A%20breadboard%20is%20a%20solderless,getting%20started%20with%20using%20one. (Accessed: 20 March 2024).

Suaib, R. W. (2019) ‘The Use Of Visual Auditory Kinesthetic (Vak) Learning Styles To Increase Students’ Vocabulary’, Didaktika, 11(2). doi: 10.30863/DIDAKTIKA.V11I2.169.

The Possibility Studies Network (2021) ‘Andrea Gaggioli: Transformative experience design: Exploring novel spaces in the phygital era’. Youtube, 11 May.

Valiente-Riedl, E., Anderson, L. and Banki, S. (2022) ‘Practicing what we teach: Experiential learning in higher education that cuts both ways’, Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies , 44(3), pp. 231–252. doi: 10.1080/10714413.2021.1985372.

Image Index

Figure 1. Mcleod, S. (2024) Kolb’s Learning Styles. simplypsychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/wp-content/uploads/learning-styles-kolb.jpg (Accessed: 20 March 2024).

Figure 2. Hall, E. (2024) Circular Approach.

Figure 3. Hall, E. (2024) Proposed Implementation of Kolbs Learning Cycle into Wearable Tech Workshops. 

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Reflecting On My Teaching with Brookfield’s Four Lenses

Approaching the end of this term, this course has already impacted my teaching practice beyond my initial expectations of learning new theories. Indeed the breath of literature was enlightening, however, the significant impact has come from the examination of my teaching practice through others perspectives – notably influencing my self-development (See Case Study 3). Instead of breaking down Brookfields theories ​​(Brookfield, 1995), I’ll instead share my reflections, takeaways and future intentions. For clarity here is a breakdown of Brookfields Four Lenses, for anyone unfamiliar:

“The goal of the critically reflective teacher, for Brookfield, is to garner an increased awareness of his or her teaching from as many different vantage points as possible. To this end, Brookfield proposes four lenses that can be engaged by teachers in a process of critical reflection: (1) the autobiographical, (2) the students’ eyes, (3) our colleagues’ experiences, and (4) theoretical literature.”(Miller, 2010, p. 1)

1. The Autobiographical

Self-reflection has been the predominant viewpoint of my practice. Recently graduating and rejoining again as a student, I initially believed I had a grasp on these experiences. However, this process has revealed to me that the student experience is nowhere near universal, although we share the same university title, the needs and abilities don’t just vary from college to college but instead from student to student. With this in mind, I have committed myself to making sure I do not lose sight of my positionality (see blog post 1) and how it leads me to hold the values I do, and therefore the leverage it has on my decisions/teaching.

2. The Students Eyes

Gathering student feedback is challenging, as I have found students often hesitate to critique staff. However, the microteaching exercise revealed to me the value of experiencing workshops from a student perspective – revealing to me how my assumptions of knowledge can vary greatly. Going forward I want to make sure that I not only speak to students about the content, but also try to experience it.

3. Our Colleagues’ Experiences

Receiving peer feedback is terrifying as it has the potential to confirm our deepest insecurities – but understand it is crucial for development. Being able to make corrections early certainly outweighs the potential for an entirely different approach further on. Although I am early in my teaching career, I’ve found immense value in my peers’ feedback, which has prompted me to re-examine my approach to workshops to ensure baseline information is accessible to students, and providing resources that allow different types of learners to thrive. It has also highlighted things I am doing well such as simplifying complex concepts with analogies, a practice I plan to expand on – hopefully making it more engaging and digestible. Lastly, being able to experience and provide feedback on my peers’ teaching has led me to discover strategies and methods that I too can develop into my teaching.

4. Theoretical Literature

Reading a broad range of literature early in this course has been eye opening, especially as I am really not used to reading papers outside of my creative practice. Readings such as Barrow’s on self-development through education (Barrow, 2006), Brookfields critical reflection (Brookfield, 1995) and Kolb’s experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1984) has shaped my understanding of how teaching is more than just the transfer of knowledge. These insights have guided my reflection on small restructuring and the introduction of new resources and formats can enhance my teaching.

To conclude

Through Brookfields reflective practice has revealed to me my preconceived perceptions, successes and areas for improvement. This has shifted my understanding of what high-quality teaching is and can be.

Bibliography

Barrow, M. (2006) ‘Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect’, Studies in Higher Education, 31(3), pp. 357–372. doi: 10.1080/03075070600680869.

Brookfield, S. (1995) Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kolb, D. A. (1999) Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Available at: https://learningfromexperience.com/downloads/research-library/experiential-learning-theory.pdf (Accessed: 19 March 2024).

Miller, B. (2010) ‘Brookfield’s Four Lenses: Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher’, Faculty of Arts Teaching and Learning Committee. The University of Sydney. Available at: https://valenciacollege.edu/faculty/development/courses-resources/documents/brookfield_summary.pdf (Accessed: 19 March 2024).

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Am I a Technician? An Educator? Or both?

Even as a student I was aware of the devide between academic and technicians, so I wasn’t surprised when I started the role as a technician to find myself feeling valued differently within the university setting, be that through students or the way the university distinguishes pay and holiday differences – so after reading How do art and design technicians conceive of their role in higher education? (Sams, 2016) I was notably interested in the views that my colleagues took. I particularly appreciated how the paper challenged the traditional academic hierarchy and advocates for a more inclusive recognition within the educational ecosystem.

What struck me initially was how Sams’s talks about the underrepresentation of technicians within academic literature in an Art and Design context (ibid) – this surprised me, specifically within this sector, as art and design tends to be a vocation that requires practical skills and training and is a vital aspect within the student experience; according to technical managers, within student surveys, often students complain about the lack of access to technical services, showing technicians are in high demand.

I suppose the argument could be generated that technicians fall into the same remit as a factory worker or other skill based trade work and therefore lack the academic esteem required. But what about the times this is just simply not the case? In the case of technical colleagues with postgraduate qualifications, doctorates and supporting teaching qualifications? Could it not be argued that these technicians are more valuable, striking the balance between specialist skills and knowledge alongside the subject based specialist knowledge that comes from an intense program of training?

Or is there something more at play here? Is this instead a representation of archaic academia hierarchy where lecturers bestow upon the students the most valuable of knowledge and therefore deserve the place at the top of the food chain? This being said there is no disagreement that the work undertaken by lecturers and course leaders in particular is burdensome, including hitting measurable outcomes, learning objectives, teaching, marking and maintaining course productivity to name a few – and that certainly should not be devalued.

Another aspect of the paper I found particularly interesting was:

“This trend links to those outlined by the findings a report on Highly skilled technicians in higher education (Smith et al, 2004), which indicates that many technicians move away from the traditional skills-based aspects of their role as they advance in their careers.”(Sams, 2016, p. 63)

I found this particularly interesting as there is an interesting divergence in comparison to academics and technicians here, as Sams’s points out technicians progress through management which in turn pushes them behind the scenes and causes a distancing between themselves and the student experience – although I would argue this is counter productive and leads to systemic internal bureaucracy that forgets the student. On the other hand those within the academic pathway go on to run courses, talks, publish books and papers – in a sense broadcasting achievements for the lucky few, but also widening the student contact – if not direct. To me as a technician, this puts me in a difficult position that already directly effects me, as a grade 4 technician I have already reached the top rung of the ladder without entering management, and leads me to the question of why I would want to pursue a management level job that removes the need for a craft based skill, but also removes me from students. It seems to me through conversation with colleagues is that universities already understand this question, and the simple answer is, there are hundreds of graduates ready to step up and claim the technical roles.

This paper has highlighted to me that technicians within art and design education are more than just the technical assistance, but are instead educators, mentors and artists in their own right (Sams, 2016). I sincerely believe there should be a larger voice for technical staff within the university below the management level in regards to the improvements that could be made to student education; and further question how the encouragement and celebration of our own creative practices would keep technicians feeling equally valued, seeing as only a dismal 40% felt this aspect was valued (Sams, 2016).

Bibliography

Sams, C. (2016) ‘How do art and design technicians conceive of their role in higher education?’, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal. University of the Arts London, 1(2), pp. 62–69.

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Case Study 3 | Assessing learning and exchanging feedback

Contextual Background

Given my role’s technical orientation, open access, and non-curriculum specific nature—as noted in my introductory blog—I’ve evaluated learning via workshops instead of direct student interactions. Reading Assessment and Student Transformation: Linking Character and Intellect (Barrow, 2006) highlighted education’s focus on self-development, not just academics, guiding my aim to support this in my educational role.

Evaluation

In my educational role, I aim to blend practical skills in wearable technology with personal growth, through workshops, guides, and individual guidance focusing on learning technical knowledge (Hall, 2024) (see Appendix A). However, this approach lacks emphasis on self-reflection and development, a contrast to my interest in Transformative Experience Design (Gaggioli, 2016), which promotes self-reflection through experience, a concept explored within education in Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development (Kolb, 1984) – a paper of interest (see blog post 4). This reveals a disconnect between my teaching methods and creative practice, leaning too heavily on technical expectations, something I had assumed within my expectations of the role (Sams, 2016). Within Barrows paper the lecturers role is  “…to guide and encourage, in the student, a self-examination of his or her own relationship to the discipline, intervening to ‘judge, punish, forgive, console, and reconcile’ (Foucault, 1990, p. 61).”(Barrow, 2006, p.367) – with an emphasis on the students revealing themselves for critique (Barrow, 2006). Barrow suggests that by creating space for self-reflection it enhances the student’s ‘self’ over purely academic achievement (ibid).

Moving Forward

While my goal is to equip students with practical skills to enhance their practice, I observe that technical education often focuses on imparting transactional skills rather than fostering long-term self-development and reflection, essentially trading skills for students’ time. In my area, there’s been no deliberate effort to allocate time for students to reflect and develop their creative identities during interactions; this may naturally occur as projects progress and through the development of long-term rapport, fostering confidence in students to open up (Barrow, 2006); no active effort is made. Within the papers mentioned (Barrow, 2006; Gaggioli, 2016), this action takes place over time with accountability practices at the centre, such as documenting and journals. This raises the question: can these outcomes be achieved in shorter durations through structured workshops or one-on-one project reviews in a technical setting?

Initially, I hoped for a straightforward solution to integrating reflection into short technical deliveries, but it appears the issue isn’t so simple. An intriguing suggestion was having students write ‘a letter to their future selves’ discussing their aspirations and challenges they hope to overcome. This method uniquely facilitates reflection, potentially highlighting significant progress, especially in technical areas, without the long-term commitment of an assessed journal. Plus, it offers a novel and engaging approach

To develop the idea further in relevancy within my technical space I propose an example of what this could look like; In its simplest implementation, a form/document that requests students to outline their current skills, their current project idea/context, the skills in which they hope to learn – revisiting this at technical/project milestones, for re-evaluation and reflection. This implementation could then support technicians to support students, but also be a great benefit  for students when compiling their project documentation as it would help to outline the practical journey the students took when completing their project (something academic colleagues often state is missed or rushed during final hand-in) – but most importantly, hopefully aiding in the students own reflective journey in developing ‘the self’.

Bibliography

Barrow, M. (2006) ‘Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect’, Studies in Higher Education, 31(3), pp. 357–372. doi: 10.1080/03075070600680869.

Gaggioli, A. (2015) ‘Transformative Experience Design’, pp. 97–122. doi: 10.1515/9783110471137-006.

Kolb, D. A. (1999) Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Available at: https://learningfromexperience.com/downloads/research-library/experiential-learning-theory.pdf (Accessed: 16 March 2024).

Sams, C. (2016) ‘How do art and design technicians conceive of their role in higher education?’, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal . University of the Arts London, 1(2), pp. 62–69.

Appendix A

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Case Study 2 | Planning and teaching for effective learning

Contextual Background

Within my specialist area, ‘Wearable Tech’ (see introduction blog post), the biggest initial hurdle is the scale of foundational knowledge as Wearable Tech consists of a combination of programming, electronics and physical computing. My role requires me to condense three separate vocations into a small period of learning, but where do you begin?

Evaluation

Currently within wearable tech I offer a range of different learning opportunities and resources for my students. These include a series of workshops exploring different interest areas, such as example projects, industry use cases, workshops & guides (supplementary materials), additional guides (Such as setting up common hardware), hand-picked external resources, useful tools & interesting practitioners (Hall, 2024). The role of these teaching materials is to support student’s decision to commit; see the sort of outcome they could produce but also supply useful starting points. To-date the main aim of these workshops and supplied learning resources has been to reduce friction, to avoid putting students off learning a complex area.

An example is predicting types of projects students would like and creating relevant guides. Throughout my PgCert I have been questioning the challenges students face with learning and have come to a crossroad. Asking myself is this really the right approach? By designing simplified learning resources, am I as an educator sheltering my students from the reality of the complexities they will face when creating projects and therefor stopping the development of the problem solving required to achieve their desired outcomes –more importantly develop skills that can be applied in the real world.

Within the paper Implementing Technology Education Problem-Solving Activities (DeLuca, 1991) I particularly like the following quote:

 “…there is a difference between the product and the process when considering the value of problem-solving activities. Perkins (1986, p. 7) cautions against focusing on the products we produce and only indirectly the process by which we produce them.”(DeLuca, 1991, p.1).

This reflects my oversight in prioritising impressive final outcomes to inspire students with wearable tech’s potential, inadvertently side-lining the essential skills needed for success. Reflecting on this, student engagement issues discussed in other case studies led me to deviate too far from my original goal of teaching valuable technical skills.

Moving Forward

Moving forward I would like to focus on implementing debugging skills into the core teaching – arguably the most important skill within the area; “Troubleshooting/Debugging: Isolate the problem, identify possible cause, test, implement solution, test solution”(DeLuca, 1991, p.2).

Currently my workshop structure consists of: 1. Foundational Knowledge, 2. Reinforcing that knowledge through practical activity (See Figure 1). However, that activity is laid out in an almost infallible way, with most, if not all information required being presented. Moving forward I would like to begin experimenting with replacing my linear workshops with a circular approach (See Figure 2) that instead breaks the knowledge into smaller pieces, allowing for ‘1. Ingestion of the foundational knowledge, 2. Reinforcing that knowledge through practical activity’ – But then going further with ‘3. Testing that knowledge for practical problem solving’ – A form of reinforcement learning or problem-based learning (Hemker, Prescher and Narciss, 2017).

Figure 1. Shows my linear approach my workshops take.
Figure 2. Shows my suggested circular approach of reinforcing this learning through trial and error.

Practical problem solving is already in place, however, I believe through the imposing of common example problems, students will be able to test the knowledge they have learned and apply it in a way that will reinforce learning. I look forward to seeing how this implementation of reinforcement/problem-based learning could improve the self-efficiency of my students – empowering them to tackle projects in the future.

Bibliography

DeLuca, V. W. (1991) ‘Implementing Technology Education Problem-Solving Activities’, JTE, 2(2). doi: 10.21061/jte.v2i2.a.2.

Hall, E. (2024) Wearable Tech & Physical Computing. University of the Arts London. Available at: https://wt.lcfdll.com (Accessed: 15 March 2024).

Hemker, L., Prescher, C. and Narciss, S. (2017) ‘Design and Evaluation of a Problem-Based Learning Environment for Teacher Training’, Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 11(2). doi: 10.7771/1541-5015.1676.

Image Index

Figure 1. Hall, E. (2024) Linear Approach

Figure 2. Hall, E. (2024) Circular Approach

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