In my 20min microteach session, I potentially over-planned — but I wanted to take the opportunity to teach something totally new. Perhaps because of boredom in my everyday teaching, as Linda and I discussed in a tutorial, but also because I wished to utilise the brief where it says ‘teach something new or different’. I wanted the experimental session to be something I haven’t done before, in topic, in method, and in pedagogical approach.
I was inspired during the session with Judy Willcocks (2024), on object-based learning (OBL). Particularly the idea of teaching through objects but using objects not immediately appropriate to student group, i.e. deciding to not use graphic artefacts to teach graphic designers. This approach using indirect methods of engagement and discussion stuck with me, especially the use of the word oblique — lexicon excites me (it also reminded me of Brian Eno’s (1975) cards ‘Oblique Strategies’).
Focusing on an oblique way to discuss a topic I chose fermentation. I often ferment kimchi, sauerkraut, beer etc, and I wanted to speak using topics of my artistic practice:
- How fermentation can be used as a metaphor to discuss transformation and transmutation.
- How deeply entwined microbes are with humanity, our food, and the artefacts we make — e.g. cups for drinking beer and wine are a direct result of fermented alcoholic beverages, bread knives and boards, ceramic crocks for fermenting kimchi.
I devised a session based on sensorial engagement with fermented artefacts, about half of them I had ‘made’, as in set up the environment in which the microbes fermented the food. We discussed and focused on reflective writing and engagement with the topic of fermented foods, I used a hand-out sheet similar in format to what Judy Willcocks’ (2024) had shared — a sheet designed for the interrogation of artefacts from the CSM archive, but I wanted to use it for common everyday food stuffs but to analyse them through a reflective OBL lens. We ended by making a fermentation timeline, akin to the opening session I attended with Lindsay.
The session went well, and I received positive feedback, saying it was great to get up, touch, taste, smell and reflect on the ferments, and good to work in pairs to discuss things together in an engaged way, rather than alone. I deviated from the lesson plan by making everyone get up and come to the table rather than stay sat down, it worked well as they seemed tired before standing — somatic! The feedback also contained an inspiring question by Linda — “how does this relate to graphic design?” It doesn’t, directly. “Could you ask the students to link it to graphic design?” These questions allowed me to see that I, as the teacher do not have to provide the answers, and as Biggs (2007) says I have to facilitate the “students themselves do the real work”.
A notion of soft and hard structures within lessons came up, my workshop containing a lot of soft structures (interpretative, self-discovery focused) and some hard structures (prescriptive, filling in the hand-out), upon reflection its key for each lesson to have a balance.
Lastly, the consideration of futurity has stuck with me — what do the students leave the session with and what do they think about? Have I set a task which imagines and future positions the work?
Lesson Plan
- Hello (1 min)
- Can you identify these objects? As a group discursively and/or intimately (5 min)
- Sensorially discuss them, using the sheet as prompts
- Taste them etc
- Define fermentation and intro conceptual framework (2 min)
- Using the sheet discuss participants daily, common, or unusual interactions with fermentation (5 min)
- Physically map/distribute ferments along a timeline (3–5 min)
- Wrap up, show the book references for further reading
References
Ackermann, F. (2011) “Getting ‘messy’ with problems: The challenges of teaching ‘soft’ OR,” INFORMS Transactions on Education, 12(1), pp. 55–64. doi: 10.1287/ited.1110.0071.
Biggs, J. B. and Tang, C. S.-K. (2007) Teaching for Quality Learning at University: What the student does. Buckingham, England: Open University Press.
Eno, B. (1975) Oblique Strategies [Postcard]. UK: Eno Shop.
Katz, S. E. (2020) Fermentation As Metaphor. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.
Willcocks, J. (2024) Object-based Learning. Online, 24 January [Event programme].
Willcocks, J. and Mahon, K. (2023) “The potential of online object-based learning activities to support the teaching of intersectional environmentalism in art and design higher education,” Art Design & Communication in Higher Education, 22(2), pp. 187–207. doi: 10.1386/adch_00074_1.