Image of some objects used in my object-based learning micro teach
I developed this Object Based Learning (OBL) micro-teaching session in relation to a unit I’m running with year two BA Design for Art Direction students. For their speculative design project, my students’ brief is to make digital or analogue assets using bodily comfort as a singular design criterion.
Together with colleagues I have been integrating some elements from nonviolent communication[1] (NVC) practice (Rosenberg 2015) into the curriculum. NVC methods include:
- active listening.
- reflecting back.
- connecting feelings and needs.
- shared leadership.
- developing collaborative skills.
Reflection
For my micro-teaching workshop, prioritising an empathic approach which included NVC methods, I used a simple check-in[2] to give participants an opportunity to become present and acknowledge each other at the start. During the workshop participants handled objects and publications which I provided. A series of prompts on slides invited participants to engage sensorially, emotionally, and discursively with the objects.
It was evident from the feedback that people enjoyed the workshop and that the following elements contributed to creating an atmosphere where participants felt secure and able to respond authentically:
- clear planning and communication.
- clarity of instructions.
- modelling of exercises.
- a gentle and confident approach to communication on my part.
Image of some publications used in my object-based learning micro teach
Participants were mostly focused on deduction, asking why the objects presented had been selected or grouped together. This seemed to be a barrier to a more focused embodied experience. Part of the feedback I received was that a smaller selection of objects could have mitigated this.
Following feedback from participants I was left considering how to activate the curiosity that came out of the session, using it as a springboard for next steps.
Possible alternative approaches would be to:
- present less objects to participants.
- clearer instructions.
- asking participants to select one piece to work with.
- include opportunities for participants to record their experience using means other than language[3]
In a peer’s micro-teach[4] I was inspired by how they used drawing and modelling as generative methods for engaging with objects.
Image of materials from my peer Derek Lawlor’s micro-teach
There was a question of how participants from different cultural backgrounds who are less accustomed to expressing themselves in emotional terms, or participants who were in a vulnerable emotional state might feel being asked to engage with their emotions. In seeking guidance from my PgCert tutor on approaching these culturally divergent expectations I was encouraged to adopt a transparent[5] approach, recognising differences.
References:
Rosenberg, M. B. (2015) Nonviolent communication: A language of life (3rd ed.). PuddleDancer Press
[1] Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a communication method developed since the 1970s by clinical psychologist Marshall Rosenberg. NVC evolved out of person-centred therapy, and uses the four components of Observations, Feelings, Needs, and Requests as the basis for a more empathic and collaborative communication.
[2] See slides in the presentation below 1
[3] For example, drawing or model-making.
[4] Drawing on his personal archive of fabrics and garments, fashion designer Derek Lawlor used a combination of materials to explore a haptic and observational engagement with objects. The workshop concluded with a drawing exercise where participants were asked to place a frame over a section of garment and sketch the framed area. This took place in the same session as the micro-teach detailed in this document at London College of Communication on 5th February 2025.
[5] A transparent approach would involve having upfront conversations with students that acknowledge positionality as bringing complex factors to the ways in which people might engage or feel about discussing their emotions in a classroom setting.
Detailed breakdown of timings:
Check in 5 mins
Object handling and discussion 5 mins
Responding to prompts 5 mins
Worksheet 5 mins