Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: Design studio tutorial day
Size of student group: 13 students
Observer: Navinbhai Patel
Observee: Robert Brown
Note: This record is solely for exchanging developmental feedback between colleagues. Its reflective aspect informs PgCert and Fellowship assessment, but it is not an official evaluation of teaching and is not intended for other internal or legal applications such as probation or disciplinary action.
Part One
Observee to complete in brief and send to observer prior to the observation or review:
What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?
This is my weekly design studio day with first year students as part of the bachelor of arts undergraduate spatial practices degree. I shall be conducting one to one tutorials relating to the early stages of their final building project, helping to facilitate design conversations around conceptual and initial design phase.
How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?
Since January 2024 as design studio tutor.
What are the intended or expected learning outcomes
This phase of the project deals with two learning outcomes:
LO1 – Demonstrate an awareness of the way in which contextual, technical, environmental research and analysis support the development of spatial design proposals. (AC Enquiry)
LO2- Apply iterative drawing, model-making or other forms of three-dimensional representation as methods of experimentation and creative risk-taking, in support of design proposals. (AC Process)
What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?
Continue to develop conceptual models of early design iterations, programmatic research into the function and use of their building.
Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?
There are differing rates of progress, especially at this early stage in creating propositions.
Will there be an been idea put forward as a model to use as catalyst for design conversations or will the student have to continue during the day session itself?
How will students be informed of the observation/review?
Written and verbal confirmation before and during the day
What would you particularly like feedback on?
How effective is communication between myself and the student?
Are outputs clearly defined?
How will feedback be exchanged?
Part Two
Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:
Observing a one-to-one tutorial between teacher and student.
When I arrived, Robert had settled the class down in readiness. The studio was open plan layout. That meant students were working on the central table, and you had a table in front of them to allow your tutorial time with the students. You had introduced me to the students, so they realise I was not there to observe them, but to observe you, as this allows the students and the atmosphere to be more relaxing.
Student 1
The first student was at the table where you were giving your tutorials, he was explaining his model for a clay kiln and describing the usability to you and why he chose this method. You listened carefully and engaged with him talking about the environment that it was, and that introducing clay work was appropriate as the project was based on the old site where clay was used. This was a very good observation of teaching practise which allows the student to engage with their teacher. In this session you reminded him how he could make this more personal to him by making his own tiles for the tutorial session coming up. You asked him about what scale the drawing plans were to, he gave his answer and instead of you saying that drawings were wrong, you just quietly reminded him that is not what was required and that he did not have to redraw them but can use a photocopy machine to re scale. This was a good way a finding a quick solution and giving feedback for students, he was relieved that he did not have to redo his work but going forward he need to remember what is required.
Student 2
She had bought two models of her working process, one very abstract but having beautiful a ribbon through it indicating the movement of layers, the second much more formal. You asked her to go through the process of how she got from one model to the second, you could see that she slightly diverted away from her original idea so in your feedback you demonstrated the areas that she could be missing out on through the movement of the ribbon at the different levels that created by the poles. Using a method of drawing was a way or giving feedback to her as your tutorial time was limited so this is a good way of
communicating in a short amount of time for teachers to give feedback and student to move forward with their projects and not wait for written feedback.
In this session another student came up to your table asking to leave the classroom wanting to go to the library you asked her why? Her answer was that she needed more information and you quickly responded to her and said why don’t you used materials that were provided so she wasn’t losing valuable time in the classroom. This was a good observation on a student who has not prepared themselves for the class. As a teacher, you had picked up on this very well, allowing the student to focus and get maximum use off the session.
Student 3
Was about drums, she had bought various models of drums that she had made. You both were really engaged with each other here and the teaching practise between teacher and student had a great energy. She was feeling really relaxed and able to play her musical notes. You really encouraged her to use this method and to showcase it in her tutorial next week as a must, this gave her great confidence in her project. You had notes that she had spent a lot of time on making her drums and slightly diverted away from making her model. By going back to the method of drawing that you used throughout your tutorials, you are able to give her feedback and thought processes by talking about the drums. eg the tension created by the way she strung the drum, the knot tying methods and the circular shape. Did she think the circular shape would work in the space or did she need to think of other shapes but still use the method of the drums.
Feedback
Observing, the students seemed to be very relaxed with your teaching methods allowing them to interact and ask you questions throughout the day. Drawing and communicating to the students was a great method in giving feedback to them and you could see the students were comfortable with this method. When students were having their one-to-one tutorial, you allowed them to take their time, ask questions and gave them enough information for their tutorials next week which was a very good way of you re-moving the hierarchy between student and teacher, whilst keeping a good flow of conversation.
I understand that this was just the start of their projects and development, but you may wish to question as to how this would be applied in industry. How would the sustainable issues be addressed? How does it have an impact on the community around? This might help students to engage using their thought process later in the projects and what industry might require from them when pitching opportunities as well as to understand how it would be funded.
Part Three
Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the feedback exchanged:
I’m glad that observations spoke of an effective working relationship between student and tutor, specifically when attempting to create a relaxed and collaborative atmosphere. It’s heartening to know that I am ‘listening’ to their fears and ideas, when sometimes it feels like a pressurised rush to define actionable deliverables in the twenty minutes we have together. Often I can see possible routes projects can take early in the tutorial and have to catch myself before taking too much control over conversations. This is something I am continually working on by trying to cultivate curiosity in all the ideas put forward by students, investigating and clarifying them before collaboratively choosing which strands to pursue.
Thank you for your suggestions about relating project work to industry and wider contexts beyond the University. This is something that does happen at natural points in the project but a commitment to reinforcing this connection regularly would be worthwhile. I could conduct a short group discussion at the beginning of the day, teasing out the ways in which their work reflects that in practice. More useful perhaps would be for students to create a manifesto for the overall vision of their architecture, detailing its theoretical impact on users and the wider community. This would create a working document to refer back to and bring about a sense of ownership over projects:
‘if you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.’ (Exupery, 1972)
References
- Exupery, A. d. S.-., 1972. Citadelle. Berlin : Folio .