Oona Tikkaoja // February 2004
1. Introduction
2. Critic Session Plan
3. Reflection
I always end practical art courses (for example sculpture or 3D-modelling
courses) in a critic discussion. It means we talk about the many aspects of
students’ works and working processes. Critic session is very important
for the artistic growth in many ways:
1) Looking through everyone’s work gives an effective summary of the
course content.
2) The discussion may help a student to see her/his work in a different light:
we usually have strong feelings about our own work but someone else can understand
them totally differently and that is always good to notice.
3) It is very important to improve the discussion skills concerning own artistic
work as well as others’ because art isn’t just the act of making
works but includes also conceptualizing and communication.
The problem of critic discussions with non-expert groups is that students tend to be very shy. They usually don’t say very much about the works of other students. I have taught mainly groups which have only this one art course in their curriculum, so the situation is extremely unfamiliar to them. Critic discussion is a skill, which can be improved by training. My goal is to get the students involved in the discussion – in other words start the training. In this facilitation situation I want to subtract my affect to the students and emphasize their own point-of-views. I still say the last words because I have noticed students need also an expert’s comment of their work.
When I studied in an art school we had critic sessions at least every month. Every student had to take with her/him one work of her/his. Students also had to say something about everybody’s work. First spoke the artist. After her/him the others continued to comment the work. Last words were for the teacher. First it was very hard when you knew you really have to fix up something about a work which maybe doesn’t interest you at all and which may be done by your best friend (so you also have to be diplomatic). It was still very useful - I really noticed, how the skills improved. We were studying to be professional artists, so discussion skills were very important to us.
In my own lessons I still don’t want to force the students to comment each other’s work, because I’m not teaching professional artist-aiming students now. Still I should get the students involved in discussions somehow. My method for reaching the goal is simply trying to create an open and enthusiastic atmosphere where it would be easy to join discussion. My tools are my own speaking, expertise and enthusiasm. I still have to be careful, because it can feel insecure to young students if I seem to be too expert: I mean they may think their opinion isn’t clever enough although my goal is to get everybody understand that all grounded opinions are right and equal (although there certain are different levels in the interpretations).
So the problem with this kind of facilitation session is: how to get everybody involved without too much forcing. I have used “an opponent method” and “an addressed question method” when trying to solve this problem.
Course description: basic course in sculpture for vocational
media students
Group size: about 10 students
Time: 3 lessons (135 minutes)
10 minutes per student
35 minutes for starting
and ending the session
Discussion takes usually place at the last lessons of the course
Goals: to improve the students’ skills of perception
and discussion about art
to get
everybody involved in discussion
Method: organized discussion using opponents and addressed
questions.
Situation: a place, where it is possible to gather all sculptures
on tables
in the middle of the room. The group is around the works so that
1) everybody can see every work and
2) it’s easier to talk when everybody sees each other.
Preliminary work: Before the session everybody has written
short self-
assessment and peer-assessment of somebody else’s product and process.
These pairs will be each other’s opponents in the critic session. I’ll
inform them about this, so they can prepare what to say.
Session plan: I give first instructions to the group. We
are moving
forward simply according the sitting order.
1) First the “artist” introduces her/his work to the group. S/he
can talk about anything concerning the making process or ready sculpture.
2) The opponent comments the work.
3) Now the group can comment her/his working process or the sculpture. I don’t
force anybody to talk, but I ask questions which I address to the students
individually. If I address my questions to the whole group, there are many
who don’t say anything.
4) At last I say my comments. I usually focus on the good sides of the product
and process.
My feedback: Usually I rather don’t say very much
about the negative
aspects of the works because I’m not teaching art students. Because that
I think it’s most important to give them positive feelings towards art
and their own skills than hard comments. Of course I’m not unrealistic
so that I would praise a horrible work, but it really is possible to find good
aspects in every product or at least process.
I also refer to the course goals when giving feedback. At the first lesson
I always give students a copy of course contents, goals and assessment criteria,
so they know them from beginning.
About the Course Arrangements
Critic sessions can be quite hard if they last very long time. Three lessons
are almost too much, but if we have one or two breaks it is possible to do.
I have to be strict about the time limits (ten minutes / student) because
it’s important the last students will also get their work commented
properly, not in hurry when the time is running out.
My Strengths
I can always find good points in any work and have usually something to say
in every situation. I think it is quite important in this kind of teaching,
when we talk about students’ personal work.
My Development Needs
I tend to highlight the good features of a work. I think it’s right but
still I would like to pay more attention on the not-so-good features because
I think the positive feedback may get inflated if I do not mention the other
side also. I still have problems with the negative parts of critic: how can
I say that isn’t a good part of the work if it was just the student’s
favorite detail in it…
I should also consider my behavior with the young students so I would not be
too frightening with all my confidence in art world.