Flexibility
– a comparison:
It occurred
to me that teaching a FL course at OP might actually have more similar aspects
than I thought at the beginning of this module when comparing it with my teaching context at Art &
Creativity class at Rehab, where there are no
policies/guidelines/assessment/rules etc.
As my focus had been
more on ‘differences’, I started to look at ‘similarities’, like options on
enrolments e.g.: ‘Students can start a paper at any time during the semester or
during the year’ (OP). This would result in the tutor having students starting at
different times, with other existing students being at different points in
their studies (like at Rehab). Flexibility is required from any facilitator with that dynamic.
An other thought was
that of a comparison to available course materials content/context offered in
the FL module, creating a framework, which – with a bit of generous imagination
– could be compared to my teaching context/content too e.g. available
materials, which also creates a framework of what kind of ‘study’ (project) is
possible within a given 8-week timeframe.
I went back to have a
look at the table I designed in my 1st post on this Blog: Flexible
Learning & Teaching and added some extras:
An
assessment process is undertaken before admitting a student to a course of
study, e.g. needs to have finished High School, an undergraduate etc.
|
No
assessment for art & creativity is undertaken. The art & creativity
class is compulsory no matter what previous skills a person has got.
The assessment a client does go through is: Suitability for
attending the overall program. This includes A&C class.
|
Similar
skill levels are in the same class: beginners, intermediate and
advanced.
|
Entirely
unpredictable skill levels. Some have blocks to art & creativity, others
are open to explore and some are interested or have previous skills.
Everyone has some form of creativity suitable for A&C class @
Rehab.
|
Students
will stay for at least 1 term up to possibly 3 years.
|
Students
will stay for anything from 1-8 weeks.
|
Students
enroll to learn about a particular subject e.g. nursing.
|
Students
are there to rehabilitate from addiction, not to learn about art &
creativity.
Nevertheless, some students mentioned that the A&C class was
therapeutic and taught them skills to use in their recovery as well, hence
A&C class was/is an integral part of the overall program.
|
Students
with personal issues that interfere with their studies might be asked to
re-apply at a later time.
Options of using student-counseling services available at OP.
|
All
students at SH have issues. It is expected to integrate them in the
facilitation process (up to an acceptable level).
Some students overcame some of their issues through attending
A&C class by 'expression through Art'.
|
Step
by step program, course outline. Everyone has the same study material
throughout the entire program with some flexibility of responses.
|
No
particular course outline but facilitation is based on an individual’s
tendencies towards a particular medium or technique.
Nevertheless, there is a definite beginning to the process of
attending A&C class, which often continues in a similar pattern to most
other students.
Everyone has the same options of materials to explore with options on choices and application. |
Expectation
to achieve a certain standard (learning outcomes) to pass the subject.
Flexibility within context/content, approach / choice of study
within topic.
|
Very
flexible expectations on achievement. Participation is considered passing the
subject.
There is an expectation of starting and finishing a project. |
Technology
available: computer access on campus and/or at home, e-learning, adobe chat,
moodle, videos, etc.
|
No
technology available: access to computers, u-tube, internet (Google), videos,
etc.
Even so there is no technology available, I do encourage the
student to use Google and Youtube to research topics of interest relating to
the student’s project while on weekend leave. Most students have access to a
computer and the internet during that time. Their research can then be used
in A&C class.
Students who show a particular interest in A&C are given
info’s on options for long distance Art courses/study options e.g. The
Learning Connexion in Wellington, which is an International Art School and
studies can be done anywhere in the world as long as there is availability to
a computer, internet connection and there is commitment.
|
What I realised through
reflecting on flexible learning / teaching in different contexts (Polytechnic /
Rehab) is that learning / facilitating might not be as completely different as
I at first thought.
Flexibility - a two way process:
Overall, when reflecting on Flexible Learning and Teaching, one of the points I realized during studying the FL module is that in my context, flexibility is a two way process: Facilitator/Student - Student/Facilitator.
It is all very well for me to feel that I am a flexible facilitator, but my students do actually need to have quite a bit of flexibility too.
To start with, they do not have a lot of materials, hence it is not an 'Art Class' where particular subjects are taught and the materials needed for that are therefore also available. If someone has a specific project idea and the materials needed are not available in the Art room, that student actually has to purchase those themselves.
Choosing their own project is also not necessarily something which would be expected when stepping into an Art class. Most of my students would be used to be in an Art class where they were 'told' what to do. At Rehab Art & Creativity class (most of the time) everyone is doing something different, so for a student to step into this situation might offer an opportunity to get inspired by different student's projects, but it might also confuse or overwhelm (too many options).
I am actually quite impressed with my students as every single one eventually managed to create something they were happy with.
One of my newest student's - another one making it quite clear in the first class they are not artistic or creative - created a card in his second class (after telling him that reading the newspaper wasn't an option). This card had numbers on it and was folded in a 'crooked' way (uneven). This didn't make any sense to me and I actually thought he might have a 'rebellious moment'. When I asked him what he was creating, he explained that the numbers were instead of letters and the crooked folding of the paper was on purpose, as the card stood up just fine, but on a slant. His idea was that the person who would get the card would have to work out what the numbers 'said' (coded message - 1 = A, 2 = B and so on). It might take the person who will receive this card a while to work it out, but I have to say this card was definitely creative.
Flexibility seems to be a big factor in facilitating this subject but the students definitely need to have a lot of flexibility as well to make this class a successful, fun adventure.
After all, it is all about the student's learning :-)
Blended Learning and Diversity:
Looking at this now, I thought it interesting that - through an oversight - I put these two topics into one post.
When I think about it in a nutshell, the diversity of my students and (generally speaking) a personalized facilitating approach, works (blends) well and in itself creates a good base to work with or from.
Every student is different, even so there might be similarities in their approach of tackling a chosen project.
Something I have been aware of is that I try to leave each individual student as much as possibly free to apply their own idea/approach on a project and I will 'guide to support them', more so than telling them how or what to do.
Interestingly, the students who have already had an Art Education can be challenging in some ways, as they could have a preconceived idea of 'how it should be done'.
This might require a bit of sensitivity from all sides as someone with a completed Art Education could potentially be condescending towards some other student's projects simply by how they might talk about their own project, or by 'dropping artist's names' or using 'art language' for example. This hasn't happened so far until now, with one of my latest new arrivals. Sometimes it just takes a bit of adjusting for a student to find a different style of exploring rather than expecting 'more of the same' of what they might have experienced at Uni or Art School.
It will be interesting to see how this particular student will settle in, adding to the diversity of the class.
I have noticed that I feel rather protective of my other students and their budding confidence in their own creativity. Having someone acting a little 'artistically superior' does not contribute to the feeling of 'equality of creative exploration' in class.
I am looking forward to find an appropriate personalized facilitating approach for this student.
Flexibility - a two way process:
Overall, when reflecting on Flexible Learning and Teaching, one of the points I realized during studying the FL module is that in my context, flexibility is a two way process: Facilitator/Student - Student/Facilitator.
It is all very well for me to feel that I am a flexible facilitator, but my students do actually need to have quite a bit of flexibility too.
To start with, they do not have a lot of materials, hence it is not an 'Art Class' where particular subjects are taught and the materials needed for that are therefore also available. If someone has a specific project idea and the materials needed are not available in the Art room, that student actually has to purchase those themselves.
Choosing their own project is also not necessarily something which would be expected when stepping into an Art class. Most of my students would be used to be in an Art class where they were 'told' what to do. At Rehab Art & Creativity class (most of the time) everyone is doing something different, so for a student to step into this situation might offer an opportunity to get inspired by different student's projects, but it might also confuse or overwhelm (too many options).
I am actually quite impressed with my students as every single one eventually managed to create something they were happy with.
One of my newest student's - another one making it quite clear in the first class they are not artistic or creative - created a card in his second class (after telling him that reading the newspaper wasn't an option). This card had numbers on it and was folded in a 'crooked' way (uneven). This didn't make any sense to me and I actually thought he might have a 'rebellious moment'. When I asked him what he was creating, he explained that the numbers were instead of letters and the crooked folding of the paper was on purpose, as the card stood up just fine, but on a slant. His idea was that the person who would get the card would have to work out what the numbers 'said' (coded message - 1 = A, 2 = B and so on). It might take the person who will receive this card a while to work it out, but I have to say this card was definitely creative.
Flexibility seems to be a big factor in facilitating this subject but the students definitely need to have a lot of flexibility as well to make this class a successful, fun adventure.
After all, it is all about the student's learning :-)
Blended Learning and Diversity:
Looking at this now, I thought it interesting that - through an oversight - I put these two topics into one post.
When I think about it in a nutshell, the diversity of my students and (generally speaking) a personalized facilitating approach, works (blends) well and in itself creates a good base to work with or from.
Every student is different, even so there might be similarities in their approach of tackling a chosen project.
Something I have been aware of is that I try to leave each individual student as much as possibly free to apply their own idea/approach on a project and I will 'guide to support them', more so than telling them how or what to do.
Interestingly, the students who have already had an Art Education can be challenging in some ways, as they could have a preconceived idea of 'how it should be done'.
This might require a bit of sensitivity from all sides as someone with a completed Art Education could potentially be condescending towards some other student's projects simply by how they might talk about their own project, or by 'dropping artist's names' or using 'art language' for example. This hasn't happened so far until now, with one of my latest new arrivals. Sometimes it just takes a bit of adjusting for a student to find a different style of exploring rather than expecting 'more of the same' of what they might have experienced at Uni or Art School.
It will be interesting to see how this particular student will settle in, adding to the diversity of the class.
I have noticed that I feel rather protective of my other students and their budding confidence in their own creativity. Having someone acting a little 'artistically superior' does not contribute to the feeling of 'equality of creative exploration' in class.
I am looking forward to find an appropriate personalized facilitating approach for this student.
A
couple of reflective thoughts on Trends:
I am not such a big fan
of technology, being more of a person inclined to create something by using my hands - like a sculpture or digging up the garden.
Nevertheless, I have
learned that technology can be really handy for blended learning and sometimes
be more sustainable for the environment. I tried out ‘lino it’ (www.linoit.com), which is something Bridget
shared on her Blog. I had a very quick ‘go at it’, which resulted
in a little collage of ‘stickers’:
I like that this works
very much like using an actual notice board with stickers and apparently can be used as an
interactive tool for more than one student to add to the board.
And as to social networking sites:
I had to be 'talked into' using Facebook by a friend of mine but now I am quite glade I 'caved in' to that trend. This is what I found on there today:
And as to social networking sites:
I had to be 'talked into' using Facebook by a friend of mine but now I am quite glade I 'caved in' to that trend. This is what I found on there today:
GREAT CHART, sourced
from:
A Visual Guide To Every Single
Learning Theory, created by Richard (not Robert) Millwood;
Added by Jeff Dunn on 2013-06-14
Sourced from a
shared link by:
Reflecting on the Blog:
Setting up the Blog as
an ‘e-portfolio’ (https://mahara.org/about/eportfolios)
proved rather time consuming and a little frustrating at the start of the FL
module but I actually found it to be a good forum to share with other students
and the tutor. I can use a narrative style, add photos, videos and links to
websites accessible all ‘in one place’.
One thing I would have liked to see happening on my blog or also on other's blogs is that there could have been student interaction and leaving of comments. This seemed to have worked better when using Moodle.
Also I didn't find some blogs had an easy overview. Just a couple of examples: with Bridget's blog, it seems to have a lot of links, click here for this and click there for that, whereas with Kevin's blog it's all there in an easy, continuing version.
Also this blog on Blogger hasn't really technically done what I wanted it to do or what it should have done. Adding color means it should show up as color but it seems to have had it's own mind on this one and not added color - even after spending considerable time to 'fix it'. The same goes for fonts and sizing of it......
One thing I would have liked to see happening on my blog or also on other's blogs is that there could have been student interaction and leaving of comments. This seemed to have worked better when using Moodle.
Also I didn't find some blogs had an easy overview. Just a couple of examples: with Bridget's blog, it seems to have a lot of links, click here for this and click there for that, whereas with Kevin's blog it's all there in an easy, continuing version.
Also this blog on Blogger hasn't really technically done what I wanted it to do or what it should have done. Adding color means it should show up as color but it seems to have had it's own mind on this one and not added color - even after spending considerable time to 'fix it'. The same goes for fonts and sizing of it......
When I thought about technology and the fast pace it has developed, I cannot imagine what it will be like in another 20 years.
An interesting link:
In regards to Art, I came across this
story of an artist, Lisa Park, who manipulates water with sound created
by her brain waves. Art meets science/technology in an interesting way.
Even so we do not have access to much technology at all at Addiction Rehab, I do recommend for students to use Google or Youtube as a research tool for when they have weekend leave.
I also thought that I might create a page of available 'free online courses' on the Internet and other links to Art related resources. If any of the students are interested in that information, they could take a printout of this with them and then explore/research when they are back home.
There are some great tutorials on Youtube as well and if a student shows a particular interest in a subject, I could find some links and pass them on or create some pages allocated to specific subjects like stone carving, drawing, painting etc.
I am just starting to think about this option of technology for 'after Rehab or when on leave'. I am sure I will come up with some more ideas on this.
Sustainability:
Environmental sustainability is one area to be considered but sustainability in being creative or in creating Art is an other.
If through attending Art & Creativity class at Addiction Rehab, a student is inspired and finds the enthusiasm to be creative, this could potentially be the discovery and beginning of sustainable creativity (in doing but also in thinking creatively). For anything to be sustainable it has to be long term - not short term. Hopefully some of the students will find that within themselves.
For me, sustainability for facilitating an Art & Creativity class is supported by seeing some students 'switching onto their creativity', when they are enjoying their learning, daring to explore and are having fun. That to me is a real 'buzz' and encourages me to 'keep going' :-).
I also thought that I might create a page of available 'free online courses' on the Internet and other links to Art related resources. If any of the students are interested in that information, they could take a printout of this with them and then explore/research when they are back home.
There are some great tutorials on Youtube as well and if a student shows a particular interest in a subject, I could find some links and pass them on or create some pages allocated to specific subjects like stone carving, drawing, painting etc.
I am just starting to think about this option of technology for 'after Rehab or when on leave'. I am sure I will come up with some more ideas on this.
Sustainability:
Environmental sustainability is one area to be considered but sustainability in being creative or in creating Art is an other.
If through attending Art & Creativity class at Addiction Rehab, a student is inspired and finds the enthusiasm to be creative, this could potentially be the discovery and beginning of sustainable creativity (in doing but also in thinking creatively). For anything to be sustainable it has to be long term - not short term. Hopefully some of the students will find that within themselves.
For me, sustainability for facilitating an Art & Creativity class is supported by seeing some students 'switching onto their creativity', when they are enjoying their learning, daring to explore and are having fun. That to me is a real 'buzz' and encourages me to 'keep going' :-).
Strategies:
I think with 'strategies', they will develop and change as I gain more experience while facilitating Art & Creativity and by seeing what works and what doesn't.
I do like Kolbs (1984) experiential learning model and wouldn't mind learning more about it.
I think with 'strategies', they will develop and change as I gain more experience while facilitating Art & Creativity and by seeing what works and what doesn't.
I do like Kolbs (1984) experiential learning model and wouldn't mind learning more about it.
Kolb
D. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of
learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Exerts
of book found on:
What an interesting and original post Jacqueline. Your comparison of courses at OP with your Art & Creativity class helps to give us a snapshot of the situation in which you are teaching. Do you think in the future that your organisation will encourage digital art forms, and how do you feel about that? Great work!
ReplyDeleteAs you may have discovered from reading some of the others' work, the level of academic skill can vary hugely in courses where entry is open. For example the trades, and literacy and numeracy is a challenge. The lecturers work hard to embed literacy and numeracy but some students need additional support to be able to participate at the level expected. Is this also a challenge in your classes?
I really like the link to the use of EEG for art: "Lisa Park Manipulates Water with Her Mind". Fabulous. A trend very much in your context of teaching art. The other links to useful tools are helpful. I am going to try out the 'lino it'.
Thank you for your feedback Bronwyn ! - and thank you for reminding me that there are other subjects being taught which have a huge variety of skill levels in students attending those courses. I think I needed to hear (read) that :-)
ReplyDeleteThe outcome of projects are very much depending on the skill level of where each individual student is at. For some, making a card for one of their fellow students is enough of a challenge and the results are usually at least adequate. I did have one student who didn't actually know how to use paper/glue/glitter/paint etc so I paired him up with a fellow student who was also in the process of creating a card but knew what to do with the materials. Pairing people up has proven rather successful.
As to digital art forms - looking at where the available, minimal budget is directed towards - I think it will be a reasonably long time to have this option available (like getting a digital camera for art class...).
I recently asked to have a basic blender approved, to be able to make paper pulp (no cost for paper), which got declined by the management. A basic blender was on special for: $ 39.90)..................
Through doing the FL module and looking at technology/blended learning/trends etc , I am definitely encouraged to get into researching for more no/low cost options to enhance/extend the learning opportunities for my students.