Theories Practices Policies
What I asked?
Imagination microteach
Can you foster imagination within object based learning?
we were asked to come up with a 20 min micro teach session - I chose to try and engage this with thoughts that I had been having on the phd around imagination-practice particulary in examining how adults can reconnect with this key skillset that feels really central and important in teaching for children, but loses focus once people reach adulthood. In the context of the phd, imagination is also a central component of the so called ‘21st century skills’ which will become increasingly important - particularly with the shifts that AI is making in pedagogical
practice.
Blog post writing
education industrial complex
I learnt of the term ‘educational-industrial-complex’ and wanted to dig deeper into what that meant, as the term immediately seeming to align with some of the teaching struggles I was facing
What I did?
Imagination microteach
I chose clay as the medium in which people would work, this was for it’s tactile nature and inherent formlessness and therefore potential for open-ended exploration. I gave the group a ambiguous written prompt:
‘a network of challenges and discoveries, where structures invite interaction, movement and shared experience. Exploration and spontaneity is at the heart of this place.’
and asked them to make something that responded to the description
Blog post writing
reading the following articles by pearce-2019-edu-industrial-complex and naidoo-2013-students-as-consumers allowed me to reflect deeper on these themes with more contextual reference.
**Case studies
What I found?
Imagination microteach
As part of the session at the end we had a ‘reflection and sharing’ session. Feedback from the participants showed that they overall enjoyed the tactile process of shaping the clay. The varied forms of what was made showed the richness of individual imagination. Some participants noted that they veered away from the description, focosing on their personal inspirations instead. Overall while rich imagination was on display, it turned out that it was perhaps too vague and that more strict constraints might have help direct them more in the task
Blog post writing
exceprt from my blog:
_Challenges in the classroom, such as the over-recruitment of students to maximize university revenue alongside the lack of adequate space for delivering the quality of education we aspire to, are key contextual issues that have made the concept of an ‘Education Industrial Complex’ particularly resonant for me. As a lecturer, it can often feel disempowering to see decisions being made primarily from a business standpoint, with little consideration for their pedagogical implications. This leads to the notion of ‘commodified teaching’—where education is treated as a product to be bought and sold—prompting serious reflections on the core values and objectives of education in the 21st century (Naidoo and Whitty, 2013). It begs the question of how educational institutions, particularly those dedicated to creative disciplines like UAL, can avoid transforming into mere commercial entities and instead remain committed to fostering innovative, critical, and socially responsible thinkers. Although these challenges can sometimes seem daunting, I find solace in the opportunities present within arts higher education to experiment in the classroom and to actively engage both peers and students in directly addressing these issues through creative and critical approaches.
I also found connection to Paulo Friere’s ideas of the banking-system, ideas of commodification of education is reminiscient of Freires articulation of the passivity of transmission in the banking style mode of teaching. These things in combination promote a type of educational marketplace. Making education a product rather than a transformative process
What I (don’t) know?
Imagination microteach
the session was short, so would ened to be longer and maybe run a few more times with other groups to get more concrete findings. Argualby running this session with a group of creatives (teachers in arts) means they may have far more access and practice of connnnecting with thier imagination, running the session with people outside this sphere might garner much different results. It’s hard to scaffold people to imagine ‘anything’, findings from this make me realise the true challenge of my original thoughts and I believe I need do more reading in this area to learn and inform myself more
Blog post writing
I feel that I need to understand more about the ecomonic realities of how universities in the UK are run and how the government affects them to gain a deeper understanding of the situation that is occuring - aligining this with other western cultures universities ie. America and Europe will be incredibly useful