This workshop focused on using drawing and small group collaboration to engage participants [fourteen art/design/media teachers] with exploring the questions; ‘who is the teacher-practitioner’? and ‘what is the teaching-practice relationship like’?
Analysis of the workshop material ..
The individual drawings that participants made in response to the words associated with the teacher-practitioner can be viewed in the Drawing Out Gallery and have been grouped within the following categories:
Expert: expert/ guru/ director/ master/ gatekeeper/ knowledge/ contemporising/ technology
Conditions: palimpsest/ penumbra/ death of ‘the practitioner’/ no time/ time pushing/ sapping/ baggage/ underpaid/ valued/ unteachability/ precarious/ vicarious/ through practice/ discontinuity
Personal Characteristic: exploitative/demanding/ multi-tasker/ disciplined/ on-line/ semi-detached/ reflective/ reflection/ reflexive/ self-doubting/ giver/ understanding/ openness/ engaged/ obsession/ joy/ passion
Interface/Relationship: transformative/ relate/ transfer/ interface/ fusion/ dialectic/ bridge/ real-world/ schizophrenic/ inside-out/ back to front/ knowledge transfer/ balance/ cross-pollination/ balance/ exchange/ team work/ collaboration/ interactive/ sharing/ in process
Catalyst: energising/ creative/ creativity/ catalyst/ inspiration/ inspiration/ stimulating/ innovation/ learning ideas / motivator/ motivation/ motivation/ testing & validating ideas
The images are much more expressive and insightful than the words that they stimulated, and indicate a range of emotive reactions and issues associated with the role of ‘teacher-practitioner’. It can be seen from the words listed above that there a number of positive associations with the role of the teacher-practitioner in creating a relationship between teaching and practice but that may be a number of under-lying negative associations relating to the conditions or experience of the teacher–practitioner. It also appears that there may be high expectations of the role of teacher-practitioner – although it may be suggested that similar words relating to the expert and catalyst would be used to describe the role of teachers.
Materials from this workshop were produced by teachers, developers and teacher-practitioners, so it might be that the term is being explored by teachers/educationalists that have a view on the relationship rather than an experience. The words were the basis of the categories, rather than the visual content.
The flip-side/hidden view of the teacher–practitioner:
The dichotomy within the role of the teacher-practitioner explored by one of the groups picks up on some of the issues raised in the category of ‘interface’. It is this set of tensions, conflicting values and identities and the duplicitous nature of the role that suggests teacher-practitioners may benefit from support in managing the bridging of communities and practices.
- Teacher v Practitioner
- Power of the Tutor v Need for Patronage
- Uphold the Institution v Challenge Orthodoxy
- The System v The Expert
- Credibility as an Arts Educator v Acknowledged Artist
- Transforming Lives v Change the World
Feedback from participants on ‘How to support the relationship between teaching and professional creative practice?”
‘Recognition of practice as an essential component of teaching in Art & Design, not just lip service”
“Teachers need to be trusted and more fully exploited, rather than micro-managed”
“Better time management – enable flexibility between teaching and personal practice”
“Mandatory practice commitment for tutors in HE, not PhD driven”
“Embed it in the curriculum – tutor/student dissemination of practice”.
10/08