10by10

Model Making [paper models representing the teacher-practitioner]

Some interpretations of the wall collection:

• When ‘a teacher’ you see a wider picture, when ‘a practitioner’ you are focused on what you are doing [the telescope as a metaphor with teaching at the far/fat end].
• You own practice is on the outside - knowledge encompassing everything -  but your own learning is in the centre - and is what one gives out
• [The wall collection] is set of things that are essentially ‘the near’ and those which celebrate randomness - these are the predominate tropes, with others that fall in between.
• Can’t see linear relationships - everything wraps around everything else, is intertwined…
• We are always doing something for a purpose, always wrapped together - separating teaching and practice is possibly a false opposition.

Reflecting on the process of ‘model making’

“We were ‘practising’ and you can either intellectualise that and think about what you were making or be more experiential and be tactile, and the act of doing - you can chose to link thought deeply or let it flow and see what practices gave you - [the model making] was your little bit of creativity, what it was like to make those shapes - bringing those experiences together - we were engaged in the exercise and how random the whole thing is in terms of practice and teaching  - how sometimes you find yourself in this random space or surreal world where you are not quite sure of who you are or what you are doing but it’s just about inspiration fun, play or passion or seeing in the eyes of the group you are with whether there is any engagement. That’s the problem with a lot of this, the intellectualising of these differences between practitioner and teacher-practitioner, academic, lecturer, researcher - many people [in HE] don’t see any differentiation between them - not so extreme as seeing spaces in-between.

People see it in a different way - how joined up or not joined up they were or how precious they are about ‘that’s my bit’ - being practitioner for a few minute is just a joy in itself, we were all quite engaged with it …
Spatial Positioning - the loci exercises

The exercises were designed to ask participants to consider where they stand in relation to teaching, practice, research and learning. The whole group’s locations were then overlaid so that it is possible to see where the majority of individuals decided to locate themselves. The idea was to visual a space where these fields of practices overlapped, but perhaps where the push or pull of one particular area may feel more dominant at a particular juncture of time and relationship, for the individual.

Reflecting on the loci exercises

Participants felt that the mapping exercise would be interesting and useful if repeated against “Where would you like to be?’ or “Where do you think the university would like you to be?” reflecting the degree to which these responses are context specific.

Some participants felt uncomfortable with not knowing what the clear terms are and the definitions being used - particularly whether it is private [small r] or public research [capital R]? However, what was evident from looking at where individuals had chosen to locate themselves was that although the whole discussion was dominated by the research-practice relationship, not many individuals had located themselves firmly in the ‘research’ space.

Individuals were surprisingly spread out across the space with little evidence of ‘clustering’ although it is evident from the teaching-practitioner continuum that participants had a stronger affiliation with teaching than creative practice and with practice than research.

Surprisingly there was not much evidence that people may be choosing the central space when asked to locate themselves between the three fields - although there is obviously a greater density within the centre. One participant felt that she put herself in the centre because you can feel equally distant, or far away, from everything  - trying to create her own space [centre as own construction away from everything you are meant to be doing].

Obviously it is difficult to draw conclusions as this exercise is a point in time and individuals may not choose to place themselves in the same place. With reference to the final Loci map of this group, responses that could be inferred, in response to the statements are that:

1.    Where do you stand in relation to practice and teaching?
More participants closely relate their identity to teaching than practice.

2. Where do you stand in relation to practice and research?
There are a range of positions between research and practice, but most participants   view themselves as being closer to practice

3. Where do you stand as a learner, in relation to practice and teaching?
More participants view their learning as through their teaching, although there are some central positions [between all three]; learning through research is stronger than practice

4. Where do you stand as a teacher, in relation to practice and teaching?
Although there are some central positions, teaching has a stronger affiliation with practice than research

5. Where do you stand as a practitioner, in relation to research and teaching?
More participants view their practice as having a stronger affiliation with teaching than research

Notes from Discussions -  ensuing from the Loci Exercise

Practice

The nature of what most of us is doing is so entrenched in practice, the ephemeral and immediate nature of it ‘being there’ and then it’s gone, being made and then gone and then starting the next project, it’s crucial to make a stand for research and practice as research, to make an archive of research, worthy of what we [creative practitioners] want to be research

Practice is about pause for thought - being in a moment with something and possibly not quite knowing, so that relationship to knowledge is tied to uncertainty, a space of determined uncertainty, common to a lot of creative disciplines - we should better at saying what ‘our space’ is.

All aspects of practice inform each other - better model for arts practice [than triangulation] is the crystal as it’s multi faceted - we are all trying to do the right one [aspect of practice] to reveal what’s in the middle - difficult to separate it out.

Perspective on research-practice

Rhizomic approach, multi interlinked knowledges - clusters - not linear investigations. The bricoleur - pulling together all sorts of stuff which we do -  and are very good at this in our practice, do it all the time.

Archive of practice needed - experience in the moment, then becomes a different thing - a paper, a presentation - reflection on initial research.

See practice as research - multiple practices [fine art, commercial etc.]
I practice stuff - I do research - I am a practitioner - our identities our multi-faceted and there is a danger in pigeon-holing us into an academic identity.
Your practice is your own research - but this is being read as university/academic research [new knowledge/dissemination etc'.

Need to articulate research as practice may result in a positive in that practitioners have to defend their practice through articulating it, clarifying how you are seen, want to be sent, what you do etc? ...[facilitator].
Does there need to be a practitioner definition of research? [facilitator]

Practice in the academic context

Who defines what is seen as research? [facilitator]

Trained as theatre designer now in education - not designing performances but experiences - still designing - no difference - same processes.

Constantly struggle how to ‘play the game’. ‘The battle’ of the acceptance of art in the academic curriculum. The university which used to be the art school - try and be creative as much as possible within the confines of the current system - how much of our baggage [emotional, education etc.] do we bring with us? - fight or play game very well - or comply with what ‘old academia’ calls research - not been able to establish our own experience and our own way of judging what is valid research or practice.

We internalise the system. Research is different in academic terms now too - in the same way as artists, the lone academic has now got to disseminate to wide number of people.

What scientists do as research, is practice - it’s what they do.
Pressure in the arts on outcomes  - time needs to be afforded into depth of investigation - but no-one questions experimental science.

More of a stigma, more pressure about research and practice than teaching and practice - reflecting current agenda of the academic context. Monoculture  - need to have phd to teach- breeding generation of academic research.
Ten years ago all ‘they’ wanted was for you to bring your [practitioner] experience to the curriculum - now with PGCE and jumping through the hoops to maintain that - it is essential that practitioners are brought in - not that everyone has to be doing research - the pressure [to do research] is a blockage.

Trainee performers would rather follower eminent practitioners not eminent researchers -students want to learn practice -  having done a degree, they want to do it.

Things aren’t static  - need to keep up with current issues - research with a small r means that your teaching is up to scratch. Institutional Research criteria relates to funding, student numbers etc. and this is asked of practitioners to verify or validate what they are doing ..

This [10by10 research] is important if somehow it can give practitioners the language and the tools to present what we do [to keep what we've got  - trad conservatoires being taken over by mainstream HE]

Antonia Clews, 10by10 Project Leader : Report on Workshop No4: Loci 5/09