Record of Observation or Review of Teaching Practice
Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: 26/02/2024
Room/Space: 6th Floor IT Space
Size of student group: 12
Observer: Zoi Zoupanou
Observee: Syahrizal Shafie
Note: This record is solely for exchanging developmental feedback between colleagues. Its reflective aspect informs PgCert and Fellowship assessment, but it is not an official evaluation of teaching and is not intended for other internal or legal applications such as probation or disciplinary action.
Part One
Observee to complete in brief and send to observer prior to the observation or review:
What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?
As part of the Learning Technology department, we have collaborated with Fashion Business School and School of Media and Communication to introduce students to ACPro course including InDesign, which is an application used for designing print and digital layout program which integrates seamlessly with other Adobe design programs. As part of this course, students will construct a four-page newsletter for a different theme in the process of gaining familiarity with InDesign’s interface and many of the tools and techniques commonly used to design a publication.
InDesign will deliver creative freedom, added value, skills, and productivity to their course. As part of the curriculum, students will register for the course online and will align with independent projects supplement and hands-on classroom work.
How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?
This course is intended to be a one-off session for 4 days and including one day for the preparation of the exam and progressing to the online exam at the end of the course.
What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge of basic design principles and best practices employed in the design industry.
Demonstrate a knowledge of the principles of the Adobe InDesign software package.
Demonstrate an ability to use the key features of the Adobe InDesign software.
Explore more advanced layout and typographic controls and how to create multi-page documents efficiently.
What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?
To provide students with hands-on experience in InDesign to create and apply object styles for their printed and online materials and lay out a double-page spread for the course designs.
Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?
The space would be an open space, which means there is a possibility of elevated noise levels that may cause distractions. Students might find the space is too noisy, resulting in a loss of attention in the classroom.
How will students be informed of the observation/review?
I will notify the students in the beginning of the session about the attendance of my colleague, Zoi Zoupanou
What would you particularly like feedback on?
Feedback should be grounded in evidence and focus on enhancing students’ engagement with InDesign and teaching practice.
Feedback should focus on encouraging students to actively participate.
Feedback should also encompass the preparation of instructional materials and the learning environment.
How will feedback be exchanged?
Feedback is to be communicated in written form through an observation review record.
Part Two
Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:
I attended your Adobe InDesign presentation for Year 3 students in BA Fashion Imaging and Illustration. I provide feedback on subheadings based on what you asked me.
General
Your open body language and warm speaking style were welcoming. You greatly gave a clear guidance to students on starting Adobe InDesign with Moodle.
Instructional materials.
I observed that you distributed a two-dimensional coordinate plane to students for examination. You clearly explained the concepts you presented, such as describing a two-dimensional representation of a tennis ball.
Teaching practice.
You began by inquiring about RGB and CMYK knowledge. You clarified that RGB involves additive colour synthesis (red, green, blue), while CMYK utilizes subtractive colour synthesis (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). Using examples, you illustrated the concepts, accompanied by slides showing coloured circles for further explanation. You clarified that ABC in graphic design stands for aesthetic, balance, and content principles, using slides to illustrate the concepts. Lastly, you checked in with students for understanding and questions.Have you considered writing down any acronyms on a board or on coloured sheets of cards so students memorize them easily. You used great visual aids in InDesign, mentioning Warhol, Dali, Manrique, vans, and lollipops for increased engagement.
Encouraging Students to actively participate: Key terms
You invited students to express their comfort with the terminology and encouraged them to ask questions, giving them adequate time to do so. Using large, coloured cards with key terms like RGB and CMYK displayed on the wall might facilitate quicker student engagement. You presented various image file formats like JPEG, TIFF, BMP, and GIF in relation to their usage which added practical relevance to the presentation. Students interchanged ideas by asking questions.
Students’ engagement with Adobe InDesign and teaching practice
You prompted students to contribute their understanding or insights about InDesign by asking them questions ‘‘Does anyone have any information to share regarding In Design?’’
After introducing concepts like layout, pixels, or RGB, you promote discussion with students and invite them to ask any questions they may have.
During the Adobe InDesign session, students remained attentive in the open area. Providing headphones for their Macs might help sustain their engagement throughout the four-day duration.
Learning Environment
The room’s location by the stairs made talking hard sometimes. People passing by caused short interruptions. But the noise stopped soon. Your presentation started with an InDesign video which was vivid and engaging. The slides were mostly pink, which I found intense. Have you considered changing the colour to a soft one? You traced Adobe InDesign’s history to 1500, citing Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. Used Matisse’s art to demonstrate proportions and millimetres design principles. You informed students about InDesign’s history, including logo evolution since 1998, like the “Id” logo.
You showcased illustrations that distinguished the functions of Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator for design.
To sum up, the atmosphere in the classroom was harmonious, and students were engaged. Feel free to share how you improve from this experience.
Part Three
Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the feedback exchanged:
I sincerely would like to thank you Zoi for agreeing to observe my teaching session and for providing such constructive and valuable feedback. I truly appreciate your time and commitment, and I look forward to collaborating with you on future teaching sessions.
Your feedback regarding my open body language and warm speaking style were particularly helpful. I acknowledge that I felt nervous at the beginning, as it has been a while since I’ve delivered a teaching session. Remaining calm requires continuous practice and the support of those around me. Additionally, I value your suggestion about addressing my concerns related to voice projection due to the nature of the Open Space learning environment area. Additionally, I will always check with students throughout the session to ensure they can hear and understand me clearly, as I unintentionally lowered my voice at one point without realising it.
I completely agree with your recommendation to utilise a board or sheet of cards to enhance student understanding of acronyms. This is a brilliant learning method that I will implement in my next session. I also plan to combine PowerPoint slides, a whiteboard, and post-it notes to create a more interactive and engaging learning experience for the students.
I also appreciate the feedback about the colour scheme of my slides. The dominant pink colour might not be the most inclusive choice (I might be potentially influenced so much by Barbie movie). I will consider using a different or softer colour palette for future presentations.
Finally, I agree that providing headphones as an option for students who might struggle to hear clearly is a valuable suggestion. I will offer headphones during my next session to those who may benefit from them, particularly students seated further back in the classroom.
Overall, your observation not only highlighted areas of strength in my teaching practice but also offered valuable recommendations for improvement, which I am committed to implementing in future sessions.