“The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy.”(hooks, 1994, p. 12) Three key ideas shaped my thinking throughout this intervention. First, nothing we do as educators is ever truly neutral. Every choice we make, from course delivery to assessment, reflects certain values and assumptions. Second, students never bring the same experiences…

Introduction to Photography LectureZine Making: an Alternative Anti-Racist History In our Introduction to Photography unit, students are expected to produce a zine based on a theme set by someone in the creative industries. This intervention builds on the experiences and challenges of leading the unit last academic year. The established and widely acknowledged history of…

Asif Sadiq, Chief Diversity Officer at Warner Bros. Discovery, argues that despite billions of dollars spent globally on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training, the outcomes often fall short. Why? Because the teaching itself is too often built on biased assumptions and static stereotypes. Sadiq reminds us that diversity isn’t a box to tick or…

Faith, Religion, and Belief On the 11th floor of the tower block, there is a Christian cross made of tape on one of the walls. It has sat there, mostly ignored by students and staff, for the past year. For a while, a small piece of tape attached to it read, in neat capitals: ETERNAL…

“Intersectionality is a metaphor for understanding the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage sometimes compound themselves and create obstacles that often are not understood among conventional ways of thinking.” Kimberlé Crenshaw In the first video British Paralympian and television broadcaster Ade Adepitan uses the Black Lives Matter movement as a starting point to…

Reflection on:An a/r/tographic métissage: Storying the self as pedagogic practiceTRISH OSLER, ISABELLE GUILLARD, ARIANNA GARCIA-FIALDINI AND SANDRINE CÔTÉconcordia University Osler et al. (2019) illustrate how life writing and personal storytelling serve as powerful tools for self-discovery and pedagogical innovation. By embracing métissage, their work highlights the interconnectedness of personal narrative, artistic practice, and educational research,…

This post reflects on “Reflective Writing – some initial guidance for students by Jenny Moon, University of Exeter” on the supplied reading list. In some anonymous feedback for ‘Introduction to Photography’, which is a unit I lead on the frst year of BA Photography, there was a comment about reflective writing not being long enough. …

This post reflects on “Technicians’ Conceptions of Their Role in Higher Education” by Clare Sams (2016). The essay explores how art and design technicians at the University of the Arts London (UAL) perceive their roles. It highlights their contributions to student learning, technical support, and creative practice. I used this reading to reflect on the…