Research: OBSERVING A CONVERSATION May 24th 2024
Students on the MA Fashion Artefact are pre-dominantly from China, and do not have English as a first language. Communication and language are a barrier to building confidence through voice and opinion. The power of voice is most especial poignant in building communication, within Critical Pedagogical approach, equality and the recognition of lack of equity within voice is a challenge to bridge.
The quote by bell hooks, “To engage in dialogue is one of the simplest ways we can begin as teachers, scholars, and critical thinkers to cross boundaries, the barriers that may or may not be erected by race, gender, class, professional standing, and a host of other differences,” is from her book “Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom.” (Hooks, 1994)
In researching what teaching intervention I wanted to explore, the idea of communication, and how to engage in dialogue with my students kept re-occurring in my mind. I started by asking the advice of one of my former students, Shiyu, who was eager to exchange ideas, on his experience and offered me constructive criticism to support my research. To give context I felt able to ask him his opinion in this manner, as we had spent a week on a college trip, attending a workshop in Italy with 12 other students and tutors, where the boundaries of hierarchy were dispelled, as such I have a deeper connection with this person, and he sees me as other than a tutor.
He told me “Students can’t always say what they want to say, especially in another language, and they see the teacher, you, as a source of knowledge, a bit scary, we wait for your permission to act, we want to know the right answer”. This advice was quite enlightening, especially as my default answer to my students’ questions; I don’t have the answer, what do you think? This made me realise that not ALL students are ready to be critical thinkers, they need time to find voice and confidence, the power shift between teacher and students to be dispelled, before dialogue can take place. As Shiyu went on to say “The idea of thinking critically was very uncomfortable, until I understood it was liberating”. In my experience some students never reach liberation, exchange is always anxious, confusion remains a boundary, as they wait for specific instructions. I question how I can shift this boundary.
I asked Shiyu to join me in studio last week for peer mentor session, as the session started the first student automatically spoke English, for my benefit, so I encouraged Shiyu to speak to students in Chinese. As the sessions progressed, I observed from the side, slowly stepping back. Although I did not understand the words spoken, I observed: a relaxed, confident tone in voice, open body language, and anxiety dispelling. Of course, it’s easier for students to communicate in their own language, and I know peer mentorship is an effective tool for student well-being, an established peer mentorship is already in operation at LCC, and the link to well-being evident in academic research. Per mentorship was an intervention that I was researching and thought about using as my teaching study; however, following this initial exploration I concluded that my greatest challenge as a teacher lay within having meaningful, open dialogue with my students. On Reflection, I perhaps don’t allow sufficient space for students to explain properly, within a marked timescale as I am frantically trying to type notes, and record advice during tutorial interaction, I am drawn to offer solutions, because this is what is asked for. Through a process of Critical Exploration, (Jean Piaget (1926/1960) and Bärbel Inhelder (1974), the advice from Shiyu and, by the words of educator Atima Joshi from The Contentment Foundation, I have decided to practise the Pedagogy of Listening. By observing a conversation that I didn’t understand, I was inspired to consider an INTERVENTION OF LISTENING. This I will outline in my Intervention Proposal.
Reference:
Cavicchi. E, Chiu,S.M, Mcdonnell, F. (2009): Introductory Paper on Critical Explorations in Teaching Art, Science, and Teacher Education, The New Educator, 5:189–204. (Accessed 22nd May 2024) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ868921.pdf
Contentment Foundation: https://www.contentment.org/
hooks, b. (1994) Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. Routledge, p. 130.
Journal of International Students Volume 13, Issue 4 (2023), pp. 22-41 (Accessed 22nd May 2024) file:///Users/ggoodman/Downloads/Lorenzetti-2023-ExploringInterntationalGraduateStudents.cleaned.pdf
Lorenzetti, D.L, Lorenzetti, L, Nowell, L, Jacobsen, M, Clancy, T, Freeman, G, Paolucci Odonne, E. :Exploring International Graduate Students’ Experiences, Challenges, and Peer Relationships: Impacts on Academic and Emotional Well-being,
The Pedagogy of Listening, EtonHouse International Education Group (2021) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3nOmRF708o
UAL Resources:
Peer Mentoring at LCC: https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/london-college-of-communication/student-life-at-lcc/peer-mentoring-at-london-college-of-communication In conversation with Peer Mentors at LCC: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/stories/in-conversation-with-peer-mentors-at-lcc (Accessed 22nd May 2024)