Graduate Studio Assistants
(Who assisted in the workshop)
- Students brought whole selves to classroom
- Meaningful sharing, really personal especially in second task
Does the valuing of this sort of material need to be considered more?
Issues and ethics of disclosure
- Participation and engagement was high, they ‘chipped in’ alot
- Active Dialogue was maintained
- It was underlined that there was no hierarchy, in terms of relation, communication, structure of tasks as well as content and culture
- Students were successfully made the experts, this could be seen particularly in the first task
- Students found it harder to share in the last task? Why?
Did it feel more personal as they were talking about storytelling in their lives and so that meant they had to give us an insight into their lives?
Was it because they know each other but haven’t met each other? Like a hinterland? You know each other but don’t really know each other? You can imagine and be fearful of what people might be thinking of your responses? A hinterland of familiarity?
Interesting because when I have covered similar topics with Insights students they found it much easier to respond. Even though it was in a similar online space during Covid. Is it easier not to know each other?
How could you make them feel safer? Does vulnerability need more consideration?
- Does structure need to be different?
Were they tired at the end?
Does this need to be shorter?
Did breaks sometimes disrupt momentum? Would it be good to make tasks shorter and then do longer more definitive more meaningful breaks between?
Intensity of this even in terms of making
- Are we putting too much emphasis on students not contributing at the end?
The GSA’s are alumni and graduated last year. They said that if they had contributed and worked hard in a workshop, at the end they would often be tired and not communicative but because it had been good not bad.
Is it the same as students silence when responding in an online space? You ask a question and they are silent but this is natural as they are thinking or typing. It is not a problem, it is actually natural. It is only uncomfortable for the tutor. Your discomfort and not their silence is the problem you need to address.
I need to make sure it’s not a question of my affirmation rather than their learning?
Do I need to let them be tired? How am I with natural, neutral or negative emotion in teaching space? Does everything have to be high energy all the time – No?