In chapter 6, Teaching practises for creative practitioners, Orr and Shreeve look at signature pedagogies encountered in teaching creative arts subjects. Such as the crit, the studio, the brief, the live project, developmental work, research, dialogue exchange and materiality. They also describe how these distinctive pedagogies are used in teaching and learning.
I would like to focus in this instance on the space/studio as a pedagogy, in this case a studio or workshop were technical and creative processes take place. As Orr and Shreeve (2017, 90) state “A space may not seem like pedagogy, but in its widest sense the studio helps structure what can and does take place when students learn, and it has been a central part of organised learning in visual arts for more than a century”. Part of the space being a pedagogy they explain is how students “create a social learning environment” (Orr and Shreeve,2017,90) in which open discussion takes place, and the tutor can observe and assess work being produced and offer within that space tutorials.
They also discuss the how object-based learning within the space is a key element of teaching a creative subject within a workshop, although they refer to it as by another term, artefact. I found this tied in well with my previous reflective blog post on object-based learning. They go on to say that “Ideally the studio is an active, busy and social place where learning is visible” and there is “discussion through active participation” (Orr and Shreeve,2017,90). Which is my experience of teaching within this environment, as well as teachers and students learning new techniques, ideas and concepts from each other and through experimentation and problem solving.
They also state that the studio “is the central part of how learning in visual arts takes place” and that “the space echoes those found in professional working environments” (Orr & Shreeve ,2017,90). Statements that I agree with whole heartedly.
As a full-time teaching technician, I am always in the workshop either teaching core skills sessions or supporting students with their work. I had never come across the concept of the studio itself as a pedagogy and I found this so incredibly interesting! I found that they described how learning takes place in the workshop studio environment to be true to my experience of teaching in this environment.
I also really enjoyed the cross over between both articles I read, regarding object-based learning, something so key to teaching making but that I also didn’t have much knowledge of in terms of terminology and research. This reframes how I consider the workshop a space, its purpose and provides a further context to the space. I am still reflecting on both space a pedagogy and on object-based learning being a central part of teaching a creative subject an look forward to reading more about it.
References
Orr, S. and Shreeve, A. (2017) Chapter 6: ‘Teaching practices for Creative Practitioners’, Art and Design Pedagogy in Higher Education: Knowledge, Values and Ambiguity in the Creative Curriculum. Taylor & Francis Group, Milton, pp. 89–104. doi:10.4324/9781315415130-6. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central [accessed 5 January 2024].