Teaching context
What is the details of the teaching context?
Fill out at the beginning of teaching a new student cohort and update if necessary
Course description
| Subject area | Fashion Portfolio Preparation for 16-18 year olds |
| Length of course | 4 days |
| Session no of complete sessions | 4 / 4 |
| Institution | UAL |
| Online, present of hybrid teaching | Online course |
| Platforms used | Collaborate, Padlet |
| Date | 23/12/21 |
Student cohort
| Number of students | 14 |
| Age group | 16-18 years |
| Pre-knowledge | |
| Diversity of the group i.e. ethnicity, language, neurodiversity, gender, level of education | International students, probably mixed experiences and confidences, various English levels Mostly beginner level in fashion design and portfolio work |
| Special needs of students | Various levels of English language skills Variety in learning types Neuro diversity expected |
Students’ needs, visions, motivations
| Motivations What are the motivations of the students on this course? What do they want to get out of it? | Gain support and knowledge around their application to FE / HE courses Creative input and learn about approaches |
| Investment What do they have at stake? | First step to pursue their ‘dream’ Vulnerable step with the risk of being rejected in the application process |
| Comfort zone What are the students’ comfort zones in average? Have the majority of students leant out of their comfort zones previously? | For most students the pursue of the wish to apply to UAL or a fashion design course is already a step out of their comfort zones. At some point during the course most students will be in the panic / uncomfortable zone. Important is that they are not leaving the session when being in that space. |
| Trust How far do the students trust the course content or process in advance? What do they need? Do they have a strong need to built trust? | As the course is run by UAL/CSM and most students are likely to apply to CSM courses, the ‘trust’ is more present as they know of the CSM reputation. |
| Direction Do they have a more or less clear sense of direction prior to the beginning of the course or beyond the course? | Most of the students are likely to have a sense of direction, i.e. apply to a fashion FE/HE course as the content of the course is tailored to this next step. |
| Willingness to take risks Are the students willing to take risks | Some students are more comfortable to take risks in venturing out into an unknown creative process that others. |
Teacher’s Agenda and Motivations
| What are my motivations to teach this course? | Testing the compassionate cornerstonesLearning more on compassionate teaching and engagement with studentsEarning moneySupporting young people on their path More unconscious motivations For the students to have a positive learning experience, comes from own traumatic school experiencecreate a rapport with students |
| What do I need from the students? | Students’ engagement in the courseSome visually interesting outcomeThat they complete the creative process, some of which coherently and aesthetically pleasing. So their peers have a ‘successful’ example.I need the students to engage in the course in a positive and constructive way. More unconsciously I need the majority of students to enjoy the course and learn new toolsI need to be liked by most of the students |
| What other agendas or intentions do I have in relation to the sessions? | I need to feel in control of the sessionsI want to create a positive experience for myself |
Teacher’s comfort zone
| Familiarity of subject area | Very familiar |
| Familiarity of ‘hard wear’ (institution, space) | Very familiar |
| Familiarity of ‘soft wear’ (student cohort, language, teaching context) | Very familiar |
| Familiarity of tech, platforms, apps | Very familiar |
| Other |
Students’ comfort zone
Depending on what is known of the student cohort estimate to your ability and adjust when more insight is gained. There will be a spectrum of students’ abilities to lean out of their comfort zones. Give options to students
| What is the estimated pre-existing experience of the students to lean out of their comfort zones (home, country, language…)? | Most students are likely to be in the physical comfort of their rooms/homes Some students might not be very confident with speaking and listening to English Some students might not be familiar with the online platforms used in the course Most students are likely to be new to the creative process (course content) |
| Are the students familiar with the curriculum / session content? | Quite likely not |
| Are the students familiar with self-directed learning? | Some might be, some might not be |
| Are the students physically in their comfort zones during the course? i.e. online, in person, in a different city/country… | Most likely |
| Do the students have a motivation to lean out of their comfort zone? | Yes, most students know that the good and creative fashion courses are highly competitive to get accepted. Most of the students know that they will need to lean out of their comfort zone to put together a ‘successful’ portfolio. |
| What do the students need in order to feel safe or find back to safety? | It is likely that the students need to build the trust into the unfamiliar creative process where the outcome might not look like something they are familiar with. The possibility to do self-care The possibility to ask questions during and at the end of the sessions 1-1 Clarity and transparency of the process Reoccurring ‘rituals’ in the course structure |
Media and Tech supporting the course
| Is the tech of the course user-friendly for diverse students? (ability, internet bandwidth, language skills) | Collaborate takes a lot of bandwidth. This might be a difficulty for participants with weaker internet connection. Padlet is very user friendly, to upload content and to engage with |
| What is the students’ access to tech? i.e. computers, internet, printer … | Computer yes Printer uncertain Internet connection was for most students reliable, for 2-3 students (incl. myself) it sometimes dropped. |
| How easy is it to communicate between the students and teacher? Are the channels accessible and user-friendly to all? | There is no direct communication between tutor and students. This hinders the exchange of confidential information or answering questions |
| Is a mix of media used, physical and digital? | Yes, there is a mix of digital and physical work. The two media are linked on Padlet, which makes the complete work visible. |
| How easy is it to communicate to the students? | During the sessions it is easy as there is the verbal, chat and visual interaction to their work on Padlet. Between the sessions, the students can write questions and comments on the course Padlet page |
Reflection on the daily teaching
Fill out before and after each session. Add columns if necessary.
Self-compassion
What do you do for self-compassion?
| Pre | During | After | |
| Be kind to yourself | I have going on high speed this morning. There is a lot to prepare before Christmas. There was not sufficient time for the reflection before the start of the course | I was able to be kind to myself during the course, allowed myself a break. Made sure that the session ended in time | |
| Space and practise for self-care | Generally, it is an intense time for me. Over the last weeks I made some time for compassionate meditation, not today. | The next few days will be intense. | |
| How are you feeling? PIES check in | Physically: hungry and well Intellectually: Stimulated Emotionally: excited Spiritually: trusting | Physically: tired Intellectually: excited Emotionally: stressed Spiritually: excited | |
| Was there something that pre-occupied my mind? | Other ‘to-do’s and important stuff on my mind. Last min catch up with replacement tutor from last session | Clear time keeping to end the session in time | |
| What external support is there for you? | Session with Charlotte Exchange and reflection with Arianne | Well prepared LP and slides | Reflection with an experienced friend coming up next week |
| Progress rather than perfection | I trust that the preparation that I have done is enough and I see it more as an experiment no perfection possible or needed | Content with the progress I have made in the experiment during this course | |
| What do you need for next session? | N/A | ||
| Were you able to organise your support from previous session? | N/A | ||
| Other |
Activities and Structure
What structure and activities are set in place to nurture a kind teaching space?
| Pre | During | After | |
| Built in flexibility i.e. timelines, assessments | |||
| Give students choices i.e. activities, topics | Today students can choose between two options what they want to work on | ||
| Mix of synchronous and A-synchronous learning | The students had various options what they could work on | ||
| Did something unexpected occur through being present with the students? i.e. co-creation of session | The chance for students to give feedback on the new frame work at the end | ||
| Other |
Communication and Connection
What supports kind communication and connection to and between the students?
| Pre | During | After | |
| Inclusive language: pronoun, simple and relational | Paying attention to address students with correct pronoun and name | ||
| Encourage dialogue between students | Students are giving each other constructive feedback, written and verbally | ||
| Check ins and outs | Built in | At the beginning: Internal weather After break: brief comfort zone check in At the end: comfort zone check out | |
| Model empathy, example of students, myself | Sharing about my own experiences | ||
| Make deliberate connection, value vulnerability and openness | Addressing students and referring to what they have previously mentioned in the course | ||
| Non-verbal communication amongst the group | Hard to say as most students have their camera off in the main space | ||
| Other |
Review and Feedback
What supports kind evaluation of the students’ work?
| Pre | During | After | |
| ‘Practise makes Progress’ ethics | Highlighting ethos during the session | ||
| Co-creation of constructive feedback questions | An important part of the course today is phrasing constructive feedback questions. Then students give each other constructive feedback | ||
| Encourage feedback between students | Built in exercises for peer to peer reflection | The students give written and verbal feedback to each other with my support | |
| Other |
Other Areas
What else do you do to nurture a kind learning environment?
| Pre | During | After | |
| Be trauma informed Name the larger context | As clear as possible communication on the course structure | ||
| Other | Possibility for students to clarify questions or voice needs at the end of the session | ||
Intention and actions gap
What was my intentions for the session?
What were my actions?
Was there a discrepancy?
If so, what created the discrepancy between the two?
| My intention of today’s session is that the students learn a lot by looking at teach others work. They should feel positive about the progress they have made in these few days and should ideally feel eager to continue their project, while I want to hold a kind learning container. My actions: most of the time I was able to kindly support the students while bringing them out of their comfort zones when phrasing constructive feedback questions. The pressure of time during the feedback go-round stretched my ability to stay coming from a kind place. Discrepancy: At times there might have been a theory-action gap as I allowed a tight time window for the constructive feedback and did not previously check that each student Padlet page was accessible. This created a bit of pressure on myself. |
Overall Reflection
What was your overall reflection of the course in retrospect?
| Overall: the cornerstones of kindness created a safer experience for the students to engage in a subject that was outside the students’ comfort. I felt more relaxed during the teaching of the sessions. The structure of building the container felt a bit long to me and can be made more compact at times. The overall container was very good and students reflected very positively on it. There could be more reminders or built-in space for self-care for students. The questions at the beginning on what they want to learn during the course was very helpful to clarify what we are doing and for me to potentially bring elements in. The check in on what they need to gain their ‘full potential’ was very useful for me to acknowledge their needs on leaning and create a better experience for the students. There was a miscommunication between the shortcourse office and the students beforehand. The students received the form and I did not specifically address the form, which might also been just fine. In this course I have included a lot of images that give example to the techniques and exercises. However, it seems that it leaves a gap between me as the tutor and the students. It helps to build in life demonstrations during the course, so I walk alongside the students and am more involved in the process. |
Follow up
What do you want to take into next session?
| Upload rest of course material |