That first experience on PgCert of not being able to gain access to the course unit, the frustration then happiness that ensued reminded me of the witty advertising campaigns of the Economist magazine and the feeling you get when you ‘got it’ … magical … a fist pump in the air. The ad posters created by advertising agency Abbott Mead Vickers targeted an audience of hundreds of thousands who would play the game of decoding them. Managing to decode them never made me run out and buy a copy of the magazine but I did revel in a) being able to decipher the messages, and b) how quickly I could do this and therefore claim I was (potentially) an Economist reader.
Using ‘wit’ in graphic design isn’t new. Beryl McAlhone and David Stuart have written a book about it A Smile in the Mind. They talk about the moment when someone (a graphic designer) shows you a witty concept and you (also a graphic designer) stare at it intently as you try to ‘work it out’. You’re supposed to ‘get it’ but you don’t because your brain freezes with all eyes are on you and you just can’t think, you begin to panic, feel hot, embarrassed and the more you try, the more difficult it becomes. It’s hard to admit you ‘don’t know’ or you ‘don’t get it’ in front of fellow peers. That feeling becomes a moment of dread and one that can last a while.
Looking back at past lectures I wonder if I devoted enough time to those students who don’t willingly admit that they don’t understand something and or need help. We leave enough space in our presentations for any questions, we deliver information in bite sized chunks, we try to speak at a reasonable space and avoid extraneous language / phrases that might need further explanation and can lead you off in different tangents. However, as Bamber and Jones (2014) point out that in diverse studio settings we can’t assume that something will work or be understood and accepted simply because students come with a wide range of assumptions, expectations, experiences, and patterns of learning. The teaching space is a complex space.
In the article Challenging Students Bamber and Jones (2014) provide a range of strategies and approaches such as fostering inclusive learning and building a community. Remembering that building relationships between staff and students can foster a sense of belonging, encourage social interaction. They go on to say that university education needs to be holistic, e.g. addressing emotional, social and intellectual development (Bamber and Jones, 2014). Creating a safe space for students to admit when they need help or clarification, whether in group settings or personal tutorials, is a priority for me. On reading this article it has enabled me to reflect on my relationships and interactions with students and to consider ways in which I might begin to build a community … a first step might be to make a point of remembering their names.
[501 words]
Answer: “Economist readers have already worked it out.”
References
Bamber, V. and Jones, A. (2014) ‘Challenging students: enabling inclusive learning’, in A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Edited by S. Marshall, H. Fry, and S. Ketteridge. London: Routledge. Available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315763088-22/challenging-students-enabling-inclusive-learning-veronica-bamber-anna-jones.
McAlhone, B. and Stuart, D. (1996) A Smile in the Mind. London: Phaidon.