Pedagogies of Social Diversity and Difference in Art & Design.
TASK 1. Positionality
Positionality is the social and political context that creates your identity in terms of race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability status. Positionality also describes how your identity influences, and potentially biases, your understanding of and outlook on the world.
Getting Personal: Reflexivity, Positionality, and Feminist Research https://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/1811/18-England.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
1994. The Professional Geographer 46 (1), 80-9.1
Produced a 300 word positionality statement about myself, it included both personal and professional contexts. The statement was shared only with the course team.
Notes & Reflections
A useful framing for identity is how do I see myself, how do others see me, how would I like to be seen? Hard to put myself into lots of boxes, difficult not to be honest but it was hard to be professional as it become very emotional. The difference between identity and positionality is an eye-opening. I’m aware of where society marginalises me – and where some of my privileges are – I often find it hard to discuss this with people who have never considered their priviledges – its like we are speaking different languages. Thinking about our positionality can help us to address: How can I do my work better? There’s often a mismatch between my internal identity and my external presentation – misassumptions but also privileges. Interesting in relation to context – your position changes according to the group you’re in…this became clear when writing my statement. I found the process a continuation of a normality of perception I’ve experienced from my background. You can be an outsider within your own identity. There are decisions about “outing” oneself. It can help to think of identity in [social/educational/cultural/political] context. Identity which I thought negative can be a strong positive element in positionality. Identities are dynamic, unstable inflected. Positional Dysmorphia – feel there’s no need for my voice in the world as a cis/white/hetero/middle class/etc male. Terms (migrant, immigrant, expatriate ) are racialised.
Identity v positionality – tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03626784.2019.1696150?journalCode=rcui20
Get students to record their name. ref: https://namedrop.io
Curious about the etymology of a word, check it out at oed.com
TASK 2. Critical Pedagogies
PADLET -https://artslondon.padlet.org/kfbaah/task-2-critical-pedagogies-30m-iv2w86icag6wftwc
Central concerns of critical pedagogy –
The educator must engage in critical thinking with the students in the quest for mutual humanization. They must be partners with the students in their relations with them. (Freire 1970)
Banking Concept Of Education. – Previous colonial education model, a didactic approach, unequal relationship, unviable relationship, less opportunity from interaction from students, a more horizontal approach is required
• the teacher teaches and the students are taught;
• the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing;
• the teacher thinks and the students are thought about;
• the teacher talks and the students listen — meekly;
• the teacher disciplines and the students are disciplined;
• the teacher chooses and enforces his/her/their choice, and the students comply;
• the teacher acts and the students have the illusion of acting through the action of the teacher;(Freire 1970)
Banking Concept Of Education.
• the teacher chooses the program content, and the students (who were not consulted) adapt to it;
• the teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his/her/their own professional authority, which he/she/they sets in opposition to the freedom of the students;
• the teacher is the Subject of the learning process, while the pupils are mere objects. (Freire 1970)
Our Need for Change.
The theoretical framework of critical pedagogy (Friere 1970) is grounded in the concept of social justice. Students and educators engage in dialogue and discuss their views in order to generate systemic change where culture and cultural capital can positively be present within everything we do.
The Pedagogy Of Ambiguity In Art And Design.
We need to support students transition from the safety of the concrete and the expected to the ambiguous and contingent in a way that feels safe…
There is a need to re-conceptualise induction into a series of participatory encounters through the whole journey of education…There is a need to develop meta-cultural sensitivity amongst both students and tutors….(Drew 2008)
Cultural Capital.
• Certain kinds of art can only be decoded, and appreciated by those who have been taught how to decode them.
• The cultural capital of the working classes, and certain ethnic groups, is devalued and de-legitimated
• Dominant groups make inequalities seem just, and natural, through notions of meritocracy – the idea that economic and educational ‘rewards’ are the natural result of ability and hard work, resulting in the misrecognition of the effects of class as the causes of class (Bourdieu 1984). Extracts from Burke & McManus (2009)
Social Justice.
• Equal justice in all aspects of society
• People having equal rights and opportunities
• ‘Education must be a force for opportunity and social justice, not for the entrenchment of privilege’ (David 2011)
Notes & Reflections
Similar to education in the 70s and 80s in uk, ‘sage on the stage’ teaching method where a professor imparts knowledge by lecturing to their class. tone in speaking to students has changed, growing to have less ego with students, gives me the confidence to say “I don’t really know” if I don’t know something. it’s very freeing to be able to say to students “I don’t know…what do you think?” Research Free Democratic Schools and he Montessori /Stainer” minus the religious element education models. Teacher-centred versus student centred. We do still offer didactic approaches such as mass lectures. “The aim of education – in fact the aim of life- is to work joyfully and to find happiness.” Summerhill (1960)
Equality Act 2010.
Anti discrimination legislation. The Equality Act 2010 requires us to think of certain identities as ‘protected characteristics’. To comply with the Act, we must demonstrate how we have eliminated discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and fostered good relations between those who share protected characteristics and those who do not. This is called ‘due regard’ and essentially means to: Remove/ minimise disadvantage – Identify & meet specific needs – Encourage Participation – Tackle prejudice & promote understanding
Protected Characteristics:
Age | Disability | Race | Gender Reassignment | Sex | Maternity and Pregnancy (Caring Responsibilities) | Marriage and Civil Partnership | Religion or Belief | Sexual Orientation
Missing – Limitations, doesn’t talk about best practice, Language (The Irish language (Irish: Gaeilge) is, since 2022, an official language in Northern Ireland), Class, Political Views, Immigration status, non religious status, Single or Widower, Parental status, adoption, Mental Health
TASK 3. Intersectionality.
Intersectionality is a noun
1. The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage i.e. “through an awareness of intersectionality, we can better acknowledge and ground the differences among us”
2. Intersectionality is also a theoretical framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities combine to create unique modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies advantages and disadvantages that are felt by people due to a combination of factors.
TASK 4. B. A Case Study: It Started with the Teacher. Page 158-160
https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/journals/inclusive-practice/
• What do you take from the case study assigned?
• How would you have dealt with it?
• Do you know if there is an institutional policy to refer to for this scenario?
Notes & Reflections
I thought it was shocking how long it took to be ‘resolved’. Case Study B – failure of management, to address issues in a sensitive, pertinent and immediate manner, allowing for escalation. Exacerbates the original incident and effects caused from it. This raised the question for me about training for educators, as with many others, I have not received any formal training in education, in particular managerial and or personnel processes within a diverse cohort. This does not excuse the failures presented in this case study. It points to some real structural issues, students not even knowing where to go to for help …At the MA it is very sad as it can happen often and it does require a lot of (of correct) extra work to make sure it does not happen to student to be ignored, even if not racially abused. If at the BA diversity is higher between students, at the MA level is quite clear the social economic and racial structure is more heavy… so even if some student are not racially abused they still suffer by lack of interaction. In my Ma often there was just one student. Lack of interaction (dialogue) can lead to awarding gaps. We need to ask why some students are not pushed, critiqued, engaged with. Incident was so overtly racist but none of the students felt able to say something directly at the time. Shows how powerful the teacher is over the students, how socially difficult it is to call this out. What is/is not permissible needs to be negotiated with others.
TASK 5 – UAL Data.
Review UAL’s latest student report: Student Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Report 2021/22. – https://www.arts.ac.uk/?a=389423
● Review UAL’s Staff data via the Data Dashboard. – https://dashboards.arts.ac.uk/dashboard/ActiveDashboards/DashboardPage.aspx?dashboardid=4b74c409-e287-42ed-b75e-c9ba5e38c6d5&dashcontextid=637831282984491780&resetFilt=true
● Make notes of 3 – 5 observations that you feel are significant and consider how these impact your professional practice.
● You may wish to also refer to relevant data within your blogging tasks for the future.
Notes & Reflections
pay gaps in race, gender, disability, religion
teaching staff not totally representative of student body BAME 16.5% (33% of students identify as BAME)
LGBQ+ 9.2% (21% students), attainment gaps (Awarding gaps are also persistent (there is a danger they are normalised and accepted)), staff health questionnaires around health and disability. The question of proportional representation doesn’t necessarily address power within the structure. Is being in the room enough to change the balance of power? Certain groups will still be a minority.
General
Introduction to the Unit: The Inclusive Teaching and Learning Unit. – Shades of Noir: Journals ref: https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/journals/inclusive-practice/
Employee Assistance Programme: canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/45393/counselling-and-employee-assistance-programme-eap
UAL counselling: arts.ac.uk/students/student-services/counselling-health-advice-and-chaplaincy