Reflective Report: A Difference in Narrative
Word count: 1,543
The artefact*
The artefact that I have chosen is my own short written piece titled, The smell of home. The piece touches upon the subject of my identity, narrative, culture and the ‘white norm’. This artefact will be used in a micro teach session where students and teachers will hear and learn about/ from one another. Along with recognising the importance of one’s voice, this session aims to nurture belonging and respect differences in narratives. Through the open dialogue, the idea is to practice self-reflection and thoughtfulness (Richards, 2020).
First, students will be asked to bring their own object/ materials that resonate or has influenced their practice. The students will then be reading my artefact, which will lead to an introduction to considering lived experience and are exposed to a needed “difference in narrative” (Bryan. R, 2020, p.213). The students will then be sharing about their own self through prompt questions/ guidance:
1) What is your object?
2) Why is it important to you? Is there a story/ cultural meaning/ tradition attached to your chosen object?
3) Through the conversation/ listening, the students will learn about one another, and then reflect on how they can integrate their own narratives into their work.
Reflecting on my positionality and personal experience
I am a queer Nepalese working-class woman. I am also a first-generation university student and recently joined the academia through the Teaching Within Programme. I understood from an early age that my intersectional identity meant I am seen as ‘different’ from my white counterparts. My education in Nepal and later in the UK were so different – one believed western education was superior and the latter ensured that this notion was maintained. This is done through:
1) Maintaining power through political division (e.g. label as a ‘third world country’)
2) The erasure of his/ her/ their stories and preserving the dominant Euro-centric narratives in education.
Reflecting back on my higher education year, I always felt the classroom and the curriculum very alienating and white. I was (yet again) made aware that my narrative was unwelcomed and judged as it didn’t meet the ‘acceptable aesthetic’ when I created work about my identity, heritage and representation of women of colour. The references I was given were mostly male and Eurocentric. There was a fear that if I challenged my tutor’s perspectives, it will affect my grades (UAL Attainment Gap Report, 2019). I had an experience in a group crit in where I was talking about my work on Asian beauty standards and the comment, I received from a White, female, middle-class peer was, ‘every country has a beauty standard. You should instead explore [insert different idea].’ Similar incidents like this occurred when I wanted to create work that resonated with me. The feedback was given only on the ‘product’ due to the lack of awareness or the effort to understand the unfamiliar cultural context by the tutor. This left me feeling like I did not belong there, often wanting to drop out.
There was always this question – is my own knowledge, my voice, not valuable? As I was planning for an intervention, this question remained within me. My own experience as a student of colour made me value lived experiences and different narratives. I do not want to replicate a space where the dominant culture chooses whose voice is valued and whose is not. According to Dr Tran, Dr Idowu and Kibirige (2022), decolonising means creating a culture of talking about uncomfortable subjects and the value of embracing that discomfort. They further shared about the value of different knowledge by considering/ hearing lived experiences.
This made me reflect on education that connects with students’ lives, their realities and the importance of raising cultural awareness. In Freire’s approach to education, it is key to consider students’ identities and “integrating their experiences and voices into the educational experience” (Hahn Tapper, 2013, p. 414).
Interrogating my artefact
Initially, I was hesitant to use my own work as an artefact. I did not want to design a session for students where it might seem to be ‘all about me’. I believe teaching and learning is an exchange (Freire, 1970). I did not want to replicate an environment where there is a hierarchy between the teacher and the student as it reinforces domination and inequality. This led me to reflect that sharing my own narrative might enable students to be comfortable bringing their whole selves to the session. Hearing one another, you become aware and learn from each other (hooks, 1994). According to Sarkar (2020), active listening “creates empathy, not pity”. Through hearing different narratives, it is about learning to respect those differences while also encouraging students to recognise their shared humanity.
I further pondered, why this artefact/ micro teach could be needed in the curriculum. Through learning to value my own lived experience, and my voice, I learned that the education I was exposed to excludes people like me. We look for a sense of belonging, but it can only be fostered if our teaching and learning are inclusive. One of my aims to make the space inclusive through this artefact is by welcoming and encouraging (open dialogues) narratives of our growing diverse student bodies. According to Thomas (2012), student belonging is considered one of the key roles to tackle the attainment gap. The Student Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Report 2020/ 21 (pp. 12) states that in 2019/ 20 [UAL total] 90.3 % of White students were awarded a 1st compared to only 74.4% of the Black and POC students.
We need to understand who are our students. We know that we have a wide student body, so our education also needs to translate that; there is no ‘one fits all’.
Students want to see themselves represented, understood and supported, and our role as a teacher is along with nourishing their personal practice, it is also to enhance compassionate, critical thinking (Richards and Finnigan, 2015, pp. 12). It is important to understand that inclusive curriculum benefits all, not just the marginalised students, as it enables students to “reflect on their identity and their place in society” (NUS, 2011, p. 4).
As this session involves sharing, considering their positionality and interacting with each other, I understand the importance of having a safer, braver space in order for meaningful and respectful dialogues to be exchanged. A safe space can be an empowering space where solidarity can be nourished (Shades of Noir, 2017). Also, the artefact is in written format, so it is vital to consider the different learners in the class. For example; legibility and the colour of the texts, giving out paper copies and providing colour overlay sheets to reduce discomfort when reading (Denton, T and Meindl, J, 2015).
During our artefact presentations, feedback from my peers helped me reflect on my artefact and solidified my decision of using my own work as a tool.
“It is very vulnerable of you to share. What does it mean for you to share in that space and what you are asking your students?”
“This artefact allows to listen to people and requires people to interact with each other – I can imagine the [classroom] space and how it will be supportive and compassionate.”
This micro- teach session has the potential for a follow-up activity, in where students will develop work around their narrative and reflection on part of their identity.
My journey in the Inclusive Practice unit
The Inclusive practice unit has truly transformed my thinking and enabled me to reflect on my approaches to teaching and learning. This unit has taught me how education can bring/ encourage social change. I have always considered my positionality – whether it be when creating work or in my limited teaching practice. During my higher education year, when I felt so lost, Shades of Noir encouraged me to recognise the power of my voice. Although not confident, working with Shades of Noir gave me the courage and practice of challenging and opening conversations on the injustice system of power. I realised that I had so many stories to tell, which never felt welcomed in my education years. I felt very empowered and as I am a part of academia now, I want to empower others too.
Through this unit, I started to think about the importance of catering sessions and additional support to students who might have learning barriers. For example; language barriers, hidden disabilities, digital accessibility, etc. This unit has enabled me to develop self-reflection and made me better understand my own privileges (also how can I use my privilege to elevate marginalised voices and question the spaces I take). I am constantly reflecting on approaches to further support students through actively promoting cultural engagement/ giving out non-eurocentric references. I have been thinking about building this with the students.Being a part of the Inclusive practice unit re-evoked this desire to carry on – to share love, solidarity and humanity. As I was designing this intervention, I couldn’t help but think about the younger me or people like me who want to feel heard, who want to belong. What I have learned from the unit, I aim to embed not only in my teaching and learning process but also in my growth as a human being.
Appendix:
Artefact – The smell of home: https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/the-smell-of-home/
Bibliography
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