The Dematerialising Studio and the Discovery of the Dérive:Precarity and Resilience in Teaching Art Practice during a Pandemic

Art Education has a tradition of pedagogical flexibility and innovation in response to theoretical, institutional and societal pressures. The Covid-19 pandemic presented the art education community with unprecedented challenges. During lock-down, teaching was sharply reimagined under emergency conditions, before gradually shifting back to a ‘new normal’. The return to pre-pandemic teaching has been hugely positive in many ways: relief that we can teach face-to-face, joy that students get a final degree show, liberation from endless online meetings, gratitude for studio space and workshops. However, although many things slot comfortably back in place, it is my experience as a lecturer working in an art school within a University, that some things have been lost, and other things have surfaced that demand further inspection: a space has opened up to do things differently. The present study uses an autoethnographic approach to develop a critical perspective on the transformation of the learning experience in one institution. In particular, I reflect on the dematerialisation of the studio during lockdown and its impact on teaching art practice, and what emergency measures revealed about the pedagogy of the studio. A shift to alternative sites to produce and exhibit student work had the effect of stimulating innovation in teaching and learning, including acknowledging the importance of nearness, the rediscovery of the derive and other radical pedagogies past and present, and collective learning from historical perspectives on how artists have worked together to handle precarity and built resilience

The Dematerialising Studio and the Discovery of the Dérive:Precarity and Resilience in Teaching Art Practice during a Pandemic

Art Education has a tradition of pedagogical flexibility and innovation in response to theoretical, institutional and societal pressures. The Covid-19 pandemic presented the art education community with unprecedented challenges. During lock-down, teaching was sharply reimagined under emergency conditions, before gradually shifting back to a ‘new normal’. The return to pre-pandemic teaching has been hugely positive in many ways: relief that we can teach face-to-face, joy that students get a final degree show, liberation from endless online meetings, gratitude for studio space and workshops. However, although many things slot comfortably back in place, it is my experience as a lecturer working in an art school within a University, that some things have been lost, and other things have surfaced that demand further inspection: a space has opened up to do things differently. The present study uses an autoethnographic approach to develop a critical perspective on the transformation of the learning experience in one institution. In particular, I reflect on the dematerialisation of the studio during lockdown and its impact on teaching art practice, and what emergency measures revealed about the pedagogy of the studio. A shift to alternative sites to produce and exhibit student work had the effect of stimulating innovation in teaching and learning, including acknowledging the importance of nearness, the rediscovery of the derive and other radical pedagogies past and present, and collective learning from historical perspectives on how artists have worked together to handle precarity and built resilience

Equipping students to be resourceful practitioners in community settings:a realist analysis

Training programmes for counsellors and psychotherapists comprise complex combinations of different types of learning activity. However, research into the process and outcomes of therapy training has almost entirely comprised investigations of specific training elements. In addition, studies of training have not taken account of the potential influence of the social and organisational context within which training is delivered. The present paper reports on a realist analysis of learning mechanisms within a professional counsellor training programme in pluralistic-integrative counselling, drawing on multiple sources of data collected over a ten-year period. Training outcomes were oriented toward preparing trainees to be flexible and resourceful practitioners in non-medicalised community settings. Core learning mechanisms included building on pre-existing skills, knowledge and awareness, and acquiring conceptual tools appropriate to a collaborative style of working, within an immersive learning environment that supported focused reflection and engagement with personally challenging learning tasks. Implications for further research on therapist training, and programme design, are discussed

Using the Ward Method as a structure for team-based analysis of complex case data

Aim: The aim of this study was to refine and further develop the Ward Method, a novel and innovative structure for group-decision-making by creative consensus.Method: The application of this methodology in psychotherapy case study research is illustrated by analysis of transcript and other data from a case of brief pluralistic psychotherapy for a client experiencing sight loss.Results: Ward analysis resulted in a group consensus on the outcome of the case, the therapeutic tasks undertaken by the client and counsellor, and other factors that contributed to outcome. Reflective accounts collected from members of the research team, on their experience of the Ward Method, are used to synthesise recommendations for the application of Ward methodology in further research.Discussion: Validity and plausibility in psychotherapy case-study research is enhanced by the collection of rich case data, and the use of a group of researchers during data analysis. In practice, however, it can be difficult to organise the work of a case study research team in a manner that reflects effective use of time, while also ensuring a sufficient level of detailed analysis of case material. It can also be problematic to achieve authentic dialogue and consensus in a situation where there may be an imbalance in the power or perceived validity of the voices of different team members. This study illustrates the utility of the Ward Method in complex case-study analysis, in addressing these issues by maintaining a collaborative space and equality of voice during a structured, time-limited research process

Counselling trajectories:what happens after graduation?

A comprehensive report on the provision of training in Counselling and Psychotherapy (Hulme and Rutton, 2013) proposed that one of the main areas for future research is investigation in to what happens to counselling students following qualification. This study, carried out in 2016, investigated the career trajectories of Abertay counselling students and looked to evaluate their career pathway once qualified. Additionally, the study looked to explore the links between course content and employability with a view to ensuring that the programme is relevant and continues to meet industry needs. Some key findings will be presented within this poster

Preferred public land use and policy in Moffat County: final report of a countywide opinion survey

December 2003.Includes bibliographical references

Get It Right: 5 Shifts Philanthropy Must Make Toward An Equitable Region

Northern California harbors some of the most extreme economic inequality in the nation. In 2016, Open Impact's report "The Giving Code: Silicon Valley Nonprofits and Philanthropy" highlighted a mismatch between the region's astounding wealth and resourcing of community-based organizations which struggled to meet the most basic needs of lower income folks: safe and stable shelter, sufficient nutritious food, livable wage jobs, and a good education.Now five years later, while there are some breakthroughs and bright spots, the philanthropy gap has only grown. To chart a course toward a more caring, connected, and equitable region powered by the philanthropy sector, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation supported a unique partnership between Northern California Grantmakers and Open Impact to identify the shifts that decision-makers — including philanthropy board members, trustees, and executives, as well as individual donors — must make. These shifts in practice enable Northern California donors and institutions to align their resources and propel changes that close racialized wealth gaps and establish conditions for regional vibrancy and communal well-being.The report recommends practices such as: centering equity rather than your experience, emphasizing systems rather than symptoms, choosing collective over individual action, leveraging capital to the scale of the issue, and updating outdated grantmaking processes. By embracing and applying these practices, leaders in philanthropy can be an even more effective partners in building a region where everyone flourishes