The idiom ‘a rabbit caught in headlights’ pretty much sums up my reaction when as a student I had to endure crits. I dreaded them. Shocked, frozen, panicked, paralysed with fear, unable to think, much less speak; the sudden, unexpected situation of being confronted (picked on) by a (seemingly) all knowing tutor as my peers looked on in silence and watched as my heart, soul and self-esteem had been ripped to shreds as the tutor … critiqued … my work.
Reading The Design Critique and the Moral Goods of Studio Pedagogy McDonald and Michela (2019), unfortunately brought back floods of memories. They explain crits ‘are a primary method by which instructors evaluate students’ work and design ability, both formatively and summatively’ however they remind us that ‘the public nature of many critiques can be problematic, creating a climate of “fear, defensiveness, and anxiety,” especially given the harsh form they routinely take in certain disciplines.’ (McDonald and Michela, 2019).
Crits – Harmful or Helpful? Any aspect of studio-based instruction can influence either a positive or negative experience. My experience could be likened to the ‘Jury Critique’ a tradition deeply rooted in Architectural practice. The students stand / sit before the tutor/s, the critique is set within a formal hierarchy with tutor/s taking centre stage. A central space where their experiences, knowledge and power are used to ‘present critiques as if they were based on objective and context-free standards of good design’. (McDonald and Michela, 2019).
In my current teaching approach, “crits” are structured as forums for constructive feedback among tutors and students. They can occur in various formats, such as group sessions around a table with around 5 or 6 students, creating a level hierarchy each student takes turns presenting their work and discussing their concepts collaboratively. McDonald and Michela (2019) describe these as informal crits but warn that forms of conversational crits can be unpredictable. As conversations unfold, I need to be alert to not only to what’s being said but able to respond quickly, especially if a student doesn’t agree with a comment.
The article includes tutor’s experiences during critiques with their students. One that resonated with me was the student who reacted poorly to the critique leaving the tutor ‘so bugged’ she had to ‘walk away’ to give herself time to calm down.’ (McDonald and Michela, 2019). The tutor admitted ‘that when experiences are particularly difficult, she “tends to probably not help [that student] as much.” I haven’t had that experience, yet, but I do wonder how I would respond? In reading the article I recognised the notion of ‘Goods of self-cultivation’ that refer to the personal and professional growth that lecturers experience through their engagement with critiques. How well we can provide constructive feedback, the personal fulfilment, and enjoyment that we feel when we see improvement in a students work through the process of critique. We often tell our students not to take comments personally when they have invested so much in their work, it’s good to acknowledge when the boot is on the other foot (another idiom, to end on).
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References
McDonald, J.K. and Michela, E. (2019) ‘The design critique and the moral goods of studio pedagogy’, Design Studies, 62, pp. 1–35. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2019.02.001.