Signature Pedagogies in Art & Design – Chapter 6: Teaching practices for creative practitioners, Orr & Shreeve
It was a really informative reading and reflected my own teaching practice, opportunities and challenges. It’s really interesting to see things that you have been doing to be put into context.
On Chapter 6 investigates the concept of signature pedagogies (Shulman, 2005, cited in Orr and Shreeve, 2017), focusing on their application in creative arts disciplines within the university environment. The main purpose of these pedagogies is to prepare students for real-world situations such as creative industries and are unique to different professions and disciplines.
One of the pedagogies mentioned in the chapter that relates to my teaching practice is the studio. It mentions how it is more than just a physical space; it is a mindset (Fiona Peterson personal communication, 2015, cited in Orr and Shreeve, 2017). I really like that idea as I think studio pedagogy is so important for the students learning and experience in a collaborative environment. ‘Ideally the studio is an active, busy and social place where learning is visible and open to discussion through active participation’ (Orr and Shreeve, 2017).
One of the things that I like to try more as part of my teaching practice and as part of the studio pedagogy is the dialogic exchange (Orr and Shreeve, 2017); the discussion and knowledge exchange between students which I have been struggling to incorporate in my sessions as they tend to stay in their groups or work independently. When I was a student that kind of exchange and collaboration really helped me to understand my practice but also support my research, though process and experimentation. I will be exploring these challenges and opportunities further through the case studies.
On the spectrum within art and design academic practice by Luca M. Diamani’
The above reading that I chose talks about being a neurodivergent artist and academic and the role of art and design practice within neurodiversity (Diamani, 2018). It’s a reflective piece which I could relate as a neurodivergent myself. It was interesting to see the different approach and open a discussion about the different types of thinking and learning within the art and design practice; ‘art and design, at all levels of academic practice, can explore the potential of inclusive creative thinking on neurodiversity’ (Damiani, 2018)
References
Damiani, L.M. (2018), On the Spectrum within Art and Design Academic Practice, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, Vol 3 (Issue 1) pp. 16-25
Orr, S. & Shreeve, A. (2017), ‘Teaching practices for creative practitioners’ in Art and Design Pedagogy in Higher Education: Knowledge, Values and Ambiguity in the Creative Curriculum, Taylor & Francis Group, Milton. Available from :ProQuest Ebook Central. [25 January 2024]