I am currently teaching on the CertHE programme. The action research was inspired by the Inclusive Practice unit. In the Academic Year 2022/23 we enrolled for the first time home students in the Level 4 cohort. It was intriguing to see how individual home students faced challenges and had to adapt to create a sense of belonging within the group.
My Academic Practice context and The Art of Adapting
One of the social justice issues within my academic practice that drew my attention was the CSS student survey. Students requested more collaboration with peers and to enhance their student experience. They requested more inclusive learning activities in the classroom environment, See Fig.1 for a CSS overview.
In 2021/22 1% of home (UK) students enrolled to Level 4 CertHE, 80% were of Chinese nationality and 19% other international students. (see Table 1). The data shows a significant rise in 20222/23 of home students, with 10% home students, 67% Chinese and 23% other international students. We are hoping to recruit more home students to create an ethnic diverse learning environment. The design of the Action Research project is to promote Cultural Exchange, Intersectionality, and Positionality in Design, Media and Screen pathway.
| Nationality | LCC L4 | |||
| 2021/22 | % | 2022/23 | % | |
| Chinese | 101 | 80% | 90 | 67% |
| British National | 1 | 1% | 14 | 10% |
| Indian | 3 | 2% | 8 | 6% |
| United States citizen | 3 | 2% | 4 | 3% |
| South Korean | 2 | 2% | 3 | 2% |
| Taiwanese | 4 | 3% | 3 | 2% |
| Hong Kong | 5 | 4% | 1 | 1% |
| Thailand | 2 | 2% | 1 | 1% |
| Canadian | 1 | 1% | 0% | |
| Ukrainian | 1 | 1% | 1 | 1% |
| Turkish | 0% | 2 | 1% | |
| Japanese | 2 | 2% | 0% | |
| Philippine | 1 | 1% | 0% | |
| Russian | 0% | 1 | 1% | |
| Bahraini | 0% | 1 | 1% | |
| Indonesian | 0% | 0% | ||
| Australian | 0% | 1 | 1% | |
| Polish | 0% | 1 | 1% | |
| French | 0% | 1 | 1% | |
| Macanese | 0% | 1 | 1% | |
| New Zealander | 0% | 1 | 1% | |
| Singaporean | 1 | 1% | 0% | |
| Argentine | 0% | 0% | ||
| Jordanian | 0% | 1 | 1% | |
| Total | 127 | 100% | 135 | 100% |
My project was inspired by Aisha Richards and Terry Finnigan’s “Embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum: an art and design practitioner’s guide”. (Richards and Finnigan, 2015).
Their practical guide provides an overview of key equality and diversity issues within art and design higher education curriculum, basing on existing institutional challenges. The case studies offer inspiring models of enhancing inclusion, from staff development initiatives to efforts expanding representation in the curriculum. While acknowledging unique pedagogies in creative disciplines. I was particularly interested in strategies drawn from critical pedagogy, e.g. Bourdieu’s cultural capital and community of practice. I am inspired by Shades of Noir that support change in behaviour and practice as I can relate from my own positionality. The emphasis on policy linkages, data, training, and student-staff partnerships provides a constructive framework.
(Action research is both a philosophy and methodological approach. It is a form of simultaneous action and enquiry, which enables you to experiment with creative and innovative methods.)
The action research project linked in with the Specialist studies Orientation to Design, Media and Screen unit on the programme the project is titled: Places and Spaces.
I ask students to consider their place & spaces not as a physical place, but their identity in society and their own place and spaces in society.
(You are required to undertake a small-scale social justice-oriented action research project, which addresses an issue you have identified in my Teaching and learning practice.)
(Having mapped your existing understanding and experience to your chosen issue. Determine the scope and feasibility of your project and pose a research question.)
My artist workshop introduces artist identity, positionality and intersectionality. During the workshop I participated the activities by sharing my own artist identity, positionality and intersectionality. This allows students to consider theirs in return and share it with the group. (Padlet) (Padlet mapping) (Questionnaire)
(You will continue to further your knowledge while planning, executing, documenting and reflecting on an intervention. With reference to codes of practice of ethical research)
The importance of Inclusive learning theory
In the inclusive learning theory, I came cross Aisha and Terry’s embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum: an art and design practitioner’s guide: “The concept of critical pedagogy (Freire 1968; hocks(1995) is key for embedding this work into inclusive and transformative learning. This involves reflecting on how education can be seen as transformational and linked to social justice.” This shows link and connection to my initial planning in intersectionality and positionality as a workshop.
Why it is important in the context of the institution?
In my initial planning for the workshop during my IP unit. This was one of my inspiration to base the workshop linking in with reference artist from different background and ethnicity.
The work is important within the Academy as UAL Strategy 2022-2023 has three Guiding policies;
- Guiding policy 1: To give our students the education they need to flourish in a changing world.
- Guiding policy 2: To bring a high-quality creative education to more students than ever before.
- Guiding policy 3: To change the world through our creative endeavour.
I feel that Guiding policy 3 focusses on creating a better world. There are ideas that I would like to include in my action research project, especially in ‘Case Study 4: UAL Decolonising Arts Institute;’ It supports my Action Research project in creating an Inclusive Artistic Environment that embraces diversity and intersectionality.
“Too often, the work of Black and Asian creatives is under-represented in public life. In 2017, research by the Department for Education found children in UK schools, of whom 31% are from ethnic minority backgrounds, were introduced to the visual arts by teachers who are 94% white. UAL’s Decolonising Arts Institute was founded to help change this. In November 2021, it received a grant from the Freelands Foundation as a contribution towards this work. UAL’s three-year programme will place 20 Black and Asian artists on residence at top art organisations across the UK. They will oversee new commissions for permanent collections.”
I was interested in ‘The Practice of Dialogue in Critical Pedagogy’ as a framework that I am going to employ to develop my action research. The areas of Critical theory and feminist theory offer useful lenses to investigate power relations and examine the practice of critical pedagogy and dialogue. Critical theory reveals how the societal inequalities shape the classroom dynamics.
????By following my research, many writers have drawn on Freire’s work in relation to “a theory and practice of critical pedagogy related to both formal and nonformal educational settings (Giroux, 1994,200; Macedo, 2006; McLaren, 1994; McLaren & Companeras y Companeros, 2005; McLaren & Kincheloe 2007; Shore, 1992, 1996). As well as to critique and reform such approaches from feminist, postmodern, and cultural perspectives (Hooks, 1994; Jones, 1999; Orner, 1992; Rome, 1997”
???Feminist theory highlights gender oppression and masculine norms. Together these frameworks help the artefact to give voice to marginalized students and develop inclusive practices that empower diverse learners. Applying these theories in the workshop will support dialogue and diversity in the classroom, while also pointing to ongoing challenges of supporting critical pedagogy across different areas needing further development.
Reference:
Richards, A. and Finnigan, T., 2015. Embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum: An art and design practitioner’s guide. York: Higher Education Academy, Available online: https://www. heacademy. ac. uk/node/11103 (accessed on 20th Dec 20