Unit 2 Crit: an exhibition-style crit for Year 1 BA Fine Art Photography, forming part of their Unit 2 Assessment.
Contextual background
In recent crits, some students have struggled to find the confidence to partake vocally, due to shyness or a language barrier. All students are given a mixture of positive feedback and constructive criticism, but I have observed that many only remember the negatives and leave with a distorted view of their own achievements.
Evaluation
Blair’s (2011) highly critical review of the crit process observes that the success of the feedback depended on the relationship between tutor and student and the stress-levels of the presenting student. I found elements to praise early-on in each crit in order to relax the presenting student and maximise the feedback they were absorbing. I worked hard to make an encouraging dynamic within the group, praising contributions rather than criticising those that did not speak. Generally this worked well, as all students spoke and the atmosphere became more relaxed through the day. However, participation was imbalanced, and the most vocal students were home students or those with the most prior experience.
Moving forwards
During the crit, I tried to keep in mind Rosenberg’s (2005) process of ‘observing without evaluating’- initially reflecting back what could be observed in the work without taking on an evaluative tone. As the assessment process required formative feedback, I encouraged students to set their own criteria for success. For example, asking what they hoped the work would do, or how they hoped it would be interpreted. I then asked them if this had been successful, enabling evaluation by their own measure rather than an objective set of values. I frequently asked “what might you do differently next time?” so that weaker areas felt like future possibilities rather than a failing in the present.
I had read Harris’ text ‘Embracing the silence’ (2022) with interest and had been keen to explore putting it into practice. As I am often hosting the crit I usually try to ensure conversation flows, but after reading this I was conscious that in doing so I might be making introverted learners ‘feel like under-achievers’ (2022). Unfortunately, as soon as silence fell for the first time in this crit, the student presenting remarked unhappily that “no-one has anything to say!” so I quickly reverted back to more engaged conversation. In future, I will experiment with formalising a short act of silence at the beginning– for example saying “we’re now going to have two minutes of quiet contemplation” in order to provide students time to consider their opening remarks.
About a year ago I implemented the use of ‘crit sheets’, where feedback is written down by all participants at the end of the conversation, giving the presenting student a record to refer back to. Students reported being glad of the sheets as it allowed them to add contributions they were too shy to make. I think these are a useful tool to assist with recalling crit feedback and encouraging engagement by all members of the group. though on a few occasions I observed students writing feedback instead of verbalising it. I may need to further refine how and when the sheets are introduced so that they support the conversation rather than reduce it.
References
Blair, B. (2011) ‘At the end of a huge crit in the summer, it was “crap” – I’d worked really hard but all she said was “fine” and I was gutted’. In Bhagat, D. and O’Neill, P. (eds) Inclusive Practices, Inclusive Pedagogies: Learning from Widening Participatoin Research in Art and Design Higher Education. Hemel Hempstead: CHEAD.
Harris, K. (2022) ‘Embracing the silence: introverted learning and the online classroom’, Vol 5 / Issue 1 (2022) pp. 101–104
Rosenburg, M.B. (2005) Observing without Evaluating. In Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. CA: Puddledancer Press.
___________________________
Additional Links – Crit sheets
