Record of Observation or Review of Teaching Practice
Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed:
Size of student group: 18
Observer: Karen Matthewmen
Observee:Xunnan Li
Note: This record is solely for exchanging developmental feedback between colleagues. Its reflective aspect informs PgCert and Fellowship assessment, but it is not an official evaluation of teaching and is not intended for other internal or legal applications such as probation or disciplinary action.
Part One
Observee to complete in brief and send to observer prior to the observation or review:
What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?
This session is week 6 of Unit 2 (Practice, Policy and Market) on MA Arts and Cultural Enterprise. It is an online session with the UK cohort.
How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?
When this was recorded I had completed 5 weekly sessions with the students and an in-person face-to-face teaching weekend.
What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?
For students to have an understanding of some of the different arts funding models which I compare American and European situations. I by compare the two different arts funding system, I help students to locate UK in between. I use case studies to bring the examples to life.
What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?
This should be useful content for their Unit 2 assignment in which they need to critically analyse the arts funding model in the UK.
Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?
Also there is the challenge of the students all having very different background and therefore some have greater knowledge of the content than others – it can be difficult to find the right level for the content at times.
How will students be informed of the observation/review?
N/A
What would you particularly like feedback on?
My delivery, and the activities in class
How will feedback be exchanged?
Via emails, on Teams
Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:
This is an online lecture which has been recorded and focuses on Direct and Indirect Funding for art and cultural projects.
First thing to say- I learnt so much! It was a really interesting and engaging lecture with a lot of information, but at a pace and level of clarity that made it very accessible.
There was a nice, relaxed start and a welcoming atmosphere. I liked your focus on previous lessons to show the context of this session in terms of previous learning and also to contrast to the previous lecture where hard theoretical concepts had been explored, You went through the aims of the session clearly, you used questioning well and clearly were eliciting answers in the chat.
After some factual slides you sent people into breakout rooms very smoothly and some great answers came back from these. There were well elicited and elaborated on by you and connected to previous examples you had given.
Your visuals were excellent- clear and with not too many words. I especially liked your selection of pieces of art to illustrate your points after the breakout rooms.
Generally, it was a well-paced engaging and interesting online session.
A few constructive comments/ thoughts
Although clearly students were very engaged, were there other moments you could engage active learning techniques? For example, introducing polling quizzes (on Mentimeter maybe?) for quick moments of formative assessment? This might add variety and increase engagement.
At times I would have liked to see names and titles of art written down below the images, so I could look them up later. This also means you are giving credit to the artists/ designers involved. It would also help those students who struggle more with listening and need more visual support (I think I am one of those).
I also wondered at times if you could have left a little more time for silence…this is a hard thing to do but you may have had more volunteers to give answers if you had waited a little longer.
That is all- these are just wonderings and all in all I loved the class and your students seemed fabulous!
Part Three
Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the feedback exchanged:
I appreciate the insightful suggestions and reflections on my teaching:
1. Introducing Polling Quizzes:
Utilizing polling quizzes, perhaps through Mentimeter, for quick moments of formative assessment is an excellent idea to enhance engagement and add variety to the learning experience. I agree that active learning techniques can further enrich the sessions and I will definitely explore incorporating polling quizzes into future sessions to gauge student understanding and encourage participation.
2. Providing Names and Titles of Art:
Your suggestion to include names and titles of art below images is valuable for several reasons. Not only does it offer credit to the artists and designers involved, but it also provides additional support for students who benefit from visual aids. This adjustment aligns with inclusive teaching practices, and I will ensure to integrate this into my future presentations to enhance accessibility and appreciation of the artwork discussed.
3. Allowing More Time for Silence:
Leaving moments of silence can indeed be a powerful technique to encourage deeper reflection and elicit more thoughtful responses from students. Your observation that more volunteers may have emerged with a bit more time for contemplation is well-taken. Moving forward, I will aim to incorporate deliberate pauses in my teaching to allow for quiet reflection and invite greater participation from all students.
In conclusion, I deeply value your feedback and thoughtful suggestions. I am committed to continuously improving my teaching practice, and your insights will undoubtedly contribute to creating even more enriching and engaging learning experiences for my students. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement; I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow as an educator.