Teaching, Check-ins, and Wise Crowds

Whilst working at Camden Council as Lead UX Designer, I also do a very small amount of lecturing at UAL's Creative Computing Institute.

A student nominated me for an Arts Award, which recognises outstanding contributions to teaching at UAL. I think they're slightly mad, but whatever they wrote must have been convincing because I've now been shortlisted. This really made my day.

Whilst I was slightly surprised to be shortlisted alongside the phenomenal number of dedicated full-time staff at UAL, it did make me reflect on what may have worked well during this teaching.

A couple of small things may have helped, both of which come from working at Camden. They connect to relational ways of working (both within our teams and how front-line services are provided).

One is check-ins, which are very common nowadays but perhaps less so in teaching. Doing check-ins with students every couple of weeks at the beginning of class was initially awkward, but ultimately very welcomed. All voices were heard and acknowledged before anything else in the session.

The second was introducing a technique into crits that I've seen used amongst health and social care professionals whilst discussing complex cases. It's called Wise Crowds, which offers a structured way of asking for help or advice, in this case about creative work. The owner of the work describes their output; the group then asks clarifying questions (with no advice given yet); then the owner turns their back while the remaining group discusses the work, offering positive or constructive feedback whilst the owner listens quietly.

Neither of these ideas are especially revolutionary, but I think they slightly changed the social dynamic of the room. Students seemed more willing to speak honestly, support each other, and discuss uncertainty.

I'm very grateful to the student who nominated me, and to all the students who engaged in meaningful discussions about the creative industries and their future at a time when things are looking tough for them. They've been very candid and constructive.