MA Week 12 - non-traditional students

Reflection on taught session, Friday 8th January 2016

Creative Practitioner Presentation

 

Our course leader, Sam, presented to us to kick off the new term. She started by talking about her own practice, embroidery. She was attracted to this by Rozika Parker's "Subversive Stitch" alongside her growing teenage awareness of, and interest in, feminism. At the same time, she was questioning why traditionally female pursuits such as embroidery, baking, knitting etc are not seen as worthy art forms.. I could relate to what she was saying, having grown up in a broadly similar tine with similar nascent views. 

Sam had exhibited her embroidery firstly in 1992 and included the embroidery hoop as she thought it had the same value as the canvas stretcher. I liked this parallel that she drew.  Her interest in feminism led her to set up a community arts business to help teach disadvantaged groups. This led her into teaching and she has always championed the non-traditional student.  

Sam wanted to improve educators who are educating older people. Through her own experience, she knew that adult learners and return-to-learners could not be shoehorned into the homogenous groups that some studies indicated, and she set about refuting this. She believes that some studies contain element of fiction in their narrative enquiries, seeking truths that are not really present. She contrasted academic studies with the film "Educating Rita" and argued that truth and fiction are present in both.  Her PhD therefore centred on education, social justice and art and design. Her methodologies were practitioner research, narrative enquiry using a longitudinal study of 9 Access to HE students.  She commented that mature students often perceive themselves as “different” rather than mature and work harder than traditional students in order to justify themselves. 

I really enjoyed hearing about Sam's practice. I didn't know she was an embroiderer even though I have known her professionally for 3.5 years. I also really enjoyed her passion for non-traditional learners and her determination to give them (us!) a voice not only through championing courses for us, but also in the academic sphere through her PhD thesis. One lovely moment for me was when her presentation showed a picture of me receiving a prize from Certa, the Access awarding body, when I was a student on her access course. I felt really vindicated with my studies for the New Year.