I have been exploring pedagogical methods that align with my teaching practice. Universal Design for Learning (UDL), explained in Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom: Practical Applications by Glass, Mayer, and Rose (2012), resonated strongly.  UDL promotes flexible teaching strategies to accommodate diverse learning needs, ensuring that all students have equal opportunities to succeed, and to be able to participate in class. The framework is structured around three key principles:

• multiple means of engagement (fostering motivation and participation),
• multiple means of representation (ensuring accessibility of information), and
• multiple means of action and expression (supporting varied ways of understanding).

Glass, Mayer, and Rose (2012, p.103) state. ‘The UDL provides a systematic way to review and evaluate curriculum design for accessibility and flexibility.’ This structured approach is relevant to my teaching because I aim to create an inclusive learning environment within my workshops and supervised studio sessions.

The students have a range of diverse learning needs, and I want to ensure that they can all actively participate in workshops, through flexible communication and engagement methods. Instead of providing accommodations only for students with learning differences, I ensure that the additional learning materials are available to all. This approach prevents students from feeling ‘singled out’ while ensuring that everyone benefits. ‘’What is critical is not to make education more accessible to students with disabilities, as has often been argued, but to ensure that UDL options and alternatives are exercised broadly across the whole range of students.’’ Glass, Mayer, and Rose (2012, p.117)

The additional learning materials (Handouts with drawings, Panopto videos) are sent the week before the workshop along with instructions for what we will be doing in class. This helps to ensure that all students know what to expect from our time together. During class, I ensure that every student has one on one time with me, and an opportunity to ask questions directly, instead of across the classroom, which some students can find uncomfortable or anxiety inducing. I can also demonstrate what we are currently working on in a way unique to that students’ needs at that time.

An inclusive environment also means fostering meaningful relationships with students to understand their needs. I engage with students on a personal level, so can adapt my teaching strategies in ‘real time’. Students are met where they may be on that day, and I work to ensure that they are able to participate to whatever degree that might be. ‘To be effective in a more inclusive, more demanding teaching environment, arts educators will have to be more responsive to individual differences by recognizing the variation in difficulties that their students will have and addressing them in productive ways’’ Glass, Mayer, Rose (2012, p.104) This adaptability ensures that students remain engaged and empowered in their learning.

Implementing UDL can be difficult – some students may not engage and need further scaffolding, adaptive language, or a different method. I am going to create an anonymous survey, asking for feedback regarding the workshops. Students can confidently express how they found the workshop anonymously, allowing me to reflect, address feedback, and continue to be flexible in my approach to teaching. This aligns with UDL’s focus on multiple means of representation.

References

Glass, D. Meyer, A. and Rose, D. (2012) Universal design for learning in the classroom: practical applications. New York: Guilford Press.

Lesley Raven delivered a thought-provoking lecture on reflective practice and developing personal and professional insights. We created a ‘map of self’ – working from ontology – epistemology – reflexivity, to explore how reflection shapes our teaching. The exercise encouraged me to consider how my own reflective practice informs my role as a Specialist Technician, and how I can refine my workshops to ensure my delivery remains dynamic, but also aligned with learning outcomes.

L. Raven identified five epistemologies of ‘reflective practice’:

• ‘Creative practice,
• Academic practice,
• Practising practice,
• Demonstrating practice, and
• Expanding practice’.  Raven (2005)

My work aligns most with ‘creative’ and ‘practising practice’; my approach is hands-on, evolving through making and doing.

Reflection is not just a solitary process; it can also be collaborative. Brookfield (1995, p.39) states: ‘‘We become more aware of issues of power and control in our classrooms. As students or colleagues point out to us unwittingly oppressive aspects of our actions, we start to think more deliberately about the creation of democratic classrooms.’’

This resonates with me- I want to create a democratic, inclusive learning environment where students feel heard, and where feedback is actively used to shape my teaching. Ensuring that students and peers feel comfortable contributing their thoughts is essential in creating a more collaborative and responsive learning space.

To keep my workshop delivery flexible and effective, I integrate “Reflection-in-Action” and “Reflection-on-Action” (Raven, 2005). Reflection-in-action occurs during demonstrations, I adapt my approach based on student engagement, while reflection-on-action takes place afterwards, allowing me to review and refine my methods. One practical way I apply this is through continuous updates to teaching materials. Each year, the BA Fashion Contour and BA Fashion Sportswear team collaboratively annotates handouts and samples based on our observations during workshops. After some time, we revisit these notes to assess whether changes are needed in patterns, fabrics, instructional flow, or machinery use.

I also invite peers from other specialisms to participate in the workshops. In BA Fashion Contour, we make bra samples. We use different machinery and have unique methods of make, different to those on a more ‘generalised’ course, such as BA womenswear. I also like to take part in my peers’ workshops, so we can continue to review and reflect not just on our own practice, but each other, and continue to build and foster a strong teaching community within the garment department. 

Student feedback is another crucial aspect of reflective practice. Amulya (2004, p.1) highlights the importance of perspective-taking in learning:

“The key to reflection is learning how to take perspective on one’s own action and experiences – in other words, to examine that experience rather than just living in it.”

Reflection is an ongoing process that requires curiosity and adaptability. By staying open to feedback and continuously refining my practice, I can ensure that my workshops remain effective, inclusive, and student-centred, fostering an environment where both educators and students learn and grow together.

Reference list

Amulya, J. (2004) What Is Reflective Practice. Centre for Reflective Community Practice, Massachusetts: Institute of Technology.

Brookfield, S. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.

Raven, L. (2025) ‘Reflective Practice’ [Presentation slides]. Developing personal and professional insights. Available at: https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/mod/folder/view.php?id=1378604  (Accessed : 30 May 2025).

I have to deliver a twenty-minute micro teach to peers, evidenced around ‘Object based learning’. Hardie writes about ”a matter of taste activity” (Hardie, 2015, p.6). Hardie encourages students to engage in experiential and active group learning through object analysis. Students work in small groups to examine artefacts, analysing function, target audience, etc. Hardie focuses on personal taste and asks students to question why they find an object appealing.

I decided that my ‘object’ would be a selection of bras from my archives. My peers will look at and assess the bras together, to understand how the lace/embroidery is positioned, cut and applied. I will then show the participants how to demonstrate the lace placement to a manufacturer, to ensure that the garment is as visioned on the design, as per industry standards.

We are early into our PG Cert journey together; I wanted to ‘break the ice’ as I was the first person to deliver in my session.  ‘The use of objects in small group work at the start of a course can offer a valuable ice-breaker activity as learners focus on items while developing social interaction with their peers’’ (Hardie, 2015, p.20)

I invited the participants to pick their favourite artefact from the selection. I asked them to explain why it appealed to them to the wider group. I participated in the exercise to provide an example, and to help make the group feel comfortable sharing. The task bonded the group before moving on to completing the learning outcome – individual lace/ embroidery placements.

Choosing the placement is a ‘matter of taste’; each designer/ technologist will have their own preference on how the lace/embroidery should be positioned. By talking about why they selected that artefact, and how it makes them feel, we learn how important choosing the correct placement is to ensure a bra has appeal to the market. By interacting with the objects, students enhance their understanding of taste, reinforcing their ability to analyse design beyond functionality.

‘’I invite students to appraise the objects in relation to notions of taste that they have studied earlier in the curriculum; to explore what they feel about the object and if they find the object appealing and in what ways?’’ (Hardie, 2015, p.6)

Going forwards in my teaching, I will implement Hardies suggestions around ”a matter of taste”(Hardie, 2015, p.6). Hardie explains that often in a learning environment, or in a museum, ‘‘the physical handling of the object is denied’’.  (Hardie, 2015, p.4). By offering the participants to feel, touch, and sense the artefacts, this gave a well-rounded and memorable learning experience.

This is something I will practise in my workshops. I have started to curate a small archive to refer to during class, to show students further examples of how a particular construction method can be used in multiple ways, furthering their understanding of complex sewing techniques. I hope that this will help to strengthen independent learning; seeing multiple examples across multiple samples will help to connect learning outcomes to fully realised final garments.

References

Hardie, K. (2015) ‘Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: the power of objects in object-based learning and teaching’ P.6