By way of re-familiarising myself with the process of academic reading and gaining an understanding of the level of content we will be working with on the PgCert going forwards, I skim-read each of the five Arts Pedagogy articles over the winter break.
It is with great interest (and relief) that most of the articles touch upon familiar areas of pedagogic activity, many of which I have experienced in practical terms within my own teaching and learning practice.
The academic style of writing and educational theoretical lens is something I am less familiar with, so undertaking the PgCert is a step in a new direction for me and is a challenge I am keen to undertake; with the aim of informing and developing my teaching and learning practice.
My first allocated reading was: McDonald J.K. and Michela E. (2019), The Design Critique and the Moral Goods of Studio Pedagogy. The article explores the role of the design critique within the context of studio pedagogy in educational settings, and argues that studio pedagogy (within design education) is not only about the development of subject-related skills and knowledge, but is also about fostering moral and ethical growth in students.
The article highlights to me, the broader contextual role of the design critique as follows:
- As a key learning tool for evaluating design and exploring wider implications of the work
- To cultivate positive ‘moral goods’ e.g. empathy and social awareness
- To build collaborative and supportive communities e.g. shared responsibility for learning
I will take the above learnings and utilise them to further inform my methods and approaches as I plan and lead design critiques with my students in the future.
By way of relating the practical experience of reading this article back to my own teaching practice, I recall that when I introduce a new project to students, I adopt empathetic teaching methods and encourage them to highlight keywords and look up dictionary definitions to ensure they fully understand the formal brief requirements and wider contexts.
As I read the article, I put myself into the role of the student and undertake this process myself (see Fig.1), highlighting keywords that are of potential interest and/or are unfamiliar and in need of further exploration and understanding. I will aim to repeat this process going forwards as part of my PgCert study ‘toolkit’.
To conclude, I note it is an interesting and rather humbling experience, to be put back into the shoes of being a learner rather than a teacher. This is a dynamic I am excited to explore and engage with further as I undertake the PgCert across this coming year.
Reference
McDonald J.K. & Michela E. (2019), The Design Critique and the Moral Goods of Studio Pedagogy