Blair’s EdD thesis focused on the formative verbal feedback given to students in undergraduate crits and the learning that resulted. I read at this article in Networks Magazine, in which she discusses her research.
I incorporate crits often in my undergraduate teaching practice, both online and in person, so I was keen to read this research and review the identified best practice. I was keen to reflect on this in the light of my own practice and experience, with a view to maximising the learning benefits of crits.
An important finding in Blair’s research was ‘The students’ perception of their role in the crit together with their perception of self can distract the student from the task in hand and block any learning experience’ (Blair 2006)
An common example being, fear and anxiety can prevent learning because the student’s focus becomes so narrow and internal. Some students in her research say they can’t even remember what was said to them.
Reflection on my practice & experience:
I’m very aware of this from my experience of being a student and a tutor. For this reason, I try to put students at ease as much as I can in preparation for and during crits. I emphasise the informality and that crits are an opportunity to further your work and develop your ideas and design thinking. It’s been beneficial for students to write down some of the feedback given to their peers, either on post it notes or on Padlet (my digital studio wall of choice). This was the student can revisit and take away the key feedback, without having to remember what was said. I know this because they stick the post-its into their sketch books and digitally they can access the comments on Padlet anytime, which they can. This suggests that the students value the written feedback as it allows them to reflect on it after the crit, which may be difficult for some due to nerves or just feeling like there’s not enough time.
I also reiterate that students will all be in different places (even though they are working on the same brief) and wherever they are, it doesn’t matter, as it’s going to be beneficial for them to discuss their work at whatever stage they are at. I will prompt nervous students to help them direct their thoughts, but taking care for this not to appear as if I’m questioning them. I will also keep the focus on what they can take from the feedback to move their work forward in a positive way.
The following potential benefits of crits are taken directly from the article in Networks Magazine;
The learning benefits of a good crit should equip students to:
• reflect on their own learning in relation to their peers;
• learn from their peers;
• clarify ideas;
• practice presentation skills;
• develop their critical awareness;
• receive feedback from their tutors and peers;
• test ideas in a supportive environment without the pressures of the ‘real world’.
(Blair 2006)
Reflection on my practice & experience:
The emphasis Blair places on learning from peers is something I have observed and experienced myself, as both student and teacher. I make a point at the start of the online access course I teach (which involves weekly crits) of telling them that they will learn as much if not more from each other during crits as they will from me. This I do to destabilise any perceived ‘tutor knows best’ power hierarchy that students may have, especially younger ones, who have come directly from a school setting. I feel that this also helps students feel more comfortable about contributing in crits and to be open to the learning they will get from interacting with their peers. It can help dismantle the, teacher-student power dynamic. Having said this, some students remain quite reoccupied with the feedback I give them and still see it as a direction, that they should follow. Although I try to destabilise this dynamic it is sometimes apparent in some students. One way that I try to overcome this, is to encourage them to ‘try out’ ideas and then ask them and the others in the group to reflect on whether they feel it’s working. I discuss this in my case study A3 and it’s also related to encouraging experimentation, which I discuss below.
The final point on Blair’s list of learning benefits, testing ideas in a supportive environment without the pressures of the ‘real world’, also resonates with me. As an MA student, back in education after years in work, I relished the opportunity to experiment and try new ways of working. As a tutor in a crit, I always try to encourage my students to try new things and ways of working. Students will fairly often say, would this work? or should I try this? To which I respond enthusiastically, try it! When I student talks about an idea but has been reticent to put it into practice, I tell them, you’ll not know until you try it, let’s see how that works. This is perhaps also in some cases the students looking for a right or wrong steer from me, which is also something that as design educators we need to be careful of I feel, as instruction is only ever going to facilitate surface learning at best. Far better that the student tries something out and then we can discuss how it is working or not and why, in an open discussion where I ask them to reflect on their thoughts first, before I give my feedback or ask further questions.
This ‘try it’ approach, not only encourages experimentation and reflection but also helps the students develop a better relationship with ‘failure’. The heavy weight of getting something wrong is often stifling for student’s creativity. When they try something out and it proves not to be working so well, based on their reflections and our discussions, this can be turned into a positive, as it allows the student to re focus on another way forward understanding why something hasn’t ‘worked’ as expected. Having this lighter relationship with trial and error will only be fruitful for students I feel, and help them to move them away from the fear of failure.
Blair’s research and my reflections on this article informed my case study for A3 Evaluation of teaching practice: Assessment and Feedback.