Contextual Background.
I am a Specialist Technician: Learning and Teaching for BA Fashion Contour at London College of Fashion. In my role, I provide technical support to students as they create their final garment outcomes. Technicians are not included in the toile crit sessions. Students approach me afterwards with queries they have after the crit, and I’ll advise them how to update their patterns and garments.
Evaluation.
Students often don’t have their notes of what was said during their critique, but they’ll summarize key changes and ask me how to achieve the intended outcome. Currently, I support them separately from the academic team, working with the students understanding of what needs to be adjusted to improve the final garment outcome. The separation between academic and technical input can sometimes create mixed messages, with different perspectives on how to refine the garment.
This can cause confusion and complications from the real purpose of formative feedback—helping the students learn and develop by identifying strengths, weaknesses, and giving them clear, constructive guidance.
Moving forwards.
Moving forward, I plan to collaborate closely with the academic team, ensuring that a member of the technical team is present during toile critiques. This will allow us to work together—academics, technicians, and students—to develop a structured approach that enhances garment outcomes. By doing so, we can ensure that formative assessment is clearly understood by students while fostering a more cohesive and supportive learning environment.
As a technician, I spend evenings and weekends with students during supervised studio sessions. While I do not teach workshops during this time, I am available to answer questions, repair machines, and maintain an efficient workflow. My role allows for more informal, one-on-one interactions with students compared to the academic team, as I am consistently present in the workspace. ‘’Close contact with teachers, or a special teacher, also has an impact. Students who make it all the way through despite their background often attribute this to an individual teacher acting as a kind of mentor who took an interest in their progress.’'(Gibbs, p. 206). By participating in toile critiques, I can better understand the feedback given on garment improvements, allowing me to mentor and support students through their revisions with a clear grasp of the required adjustments.
Since toile critiques take place at the mid-point of the term and are not graded, the feedback provided is formative. ‘Tutorials also generate huge quantities of feedback on assignments… most of it immediate, oral, and highly personalised feedback. All of this assessment is ‘formative only’- for learning and most assuredly not for marks. (Gibbs, p.197). My involvement in these critiques will enable me to suggest appropriate construction techniques and methods suited to both the students’ skill levels and the specialist machinery available. This ensures that the personalised oral feedback is both practical and achievable, allowing students to confidently approach their work.
Ultimately, students must be able to interpret feedback and implement changes independently. ‘These discursive situations prompt critical thinking and self-evaluation and develop the language of the discipline.’ (Orr, Shreeve, 2017, p.94). By taking part in toile critiques, I will gain a deeper understanding of the academic team’s expectations, allowing me to step in and provide targeted support during supervised studio sessions, helping students bridge the gap between critique and execution.
References (additional to word count)
Gibbs, G. (2015). Maximising Student Learning Gain. In H. Fry, S. Ketteridge, & S. Mar-shall (Eds.), A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (4th ed., pp.193-208). Abingdon: Routledge.
Orr, S. and Shreeve, A. (2007) Art design pedagogy in Higher Education: Knowledge, Values and Ambiguity in the creative curriculum. London: Taylor and Francis Group.