Attendance taking? – we agreed that it would be done on apologies. Yet the University said that it is required – due to student welfare. Replied that the process was initiated for tier 4 visa nominating. — not actually true. (Equal opportunity surveillance – we do it for everyone because of that). In light of this, attendance will have to be recorded though it wont necessarily translate into grade or assessment. Sophia is the one who is required to record. Will be on her head if its not done. To be discussed next week? Could we say we (as students) object? This is contrary to the spirit of this course?
Record this week as required and discuss the proposal next week. Proposal to respond to them that the students felt this was problematic and will respond next week.
Proposal to discuss next week whether or not to comply with university attendance regulations.
Yammer – radical pedagogy – possibility of setting up a creative learning workshop for the Festival of Creative Learning – needs to be done for next week (22nd of October deadline). Small group could work on this? Or alternatively a fringe group? Yet thought the university greater chance of more people coming? Dante suggests that we use this to demonstrate our progress?
Dante and Gabbi and Sophia are set to instigate this.
Workshop – in two weeks (31st October) on critical pedagogies – collaborative learning (democratic education in a moment of change in the rise of populist politics). They will come in and collaborate with us on our work today and our work next week.
Apply for funding – from the Principles awards scheme – deadline is for next week. Would be good to get a group to instigate this. Money could be used for materials, activities or speakers.
Last week – built up our values, the continuation of this is exploring our intentions and goals. Taking the abstract and codifying it in a more distinct set of criteria.
Circle of vision – Take our abstract ideas and explore them in more concrete ways. The nature of interdisciplinary study. Age hierarchies interesting to study.
Exploring our university in a positive way.
Talk about the structure – structure was paralysing us. Need to be flexible – create a community both within and the outside of the university.
Come up with a one sentence proposal of what our goals are. A condensed version of the vision? Currently quite confusing. Not visual or straightforward.
Too many points? If they were organised under three groups (for instance) or themes.
Could create a set of posts on the blog – collectively? Work out a vision. Publish this and also send it to the workshop people by next week (24th).
Over the week write something by Sunday, compile before Wednesday and then send a selection to the workshop.
Dante and Annapurna create an amalgamation of the vision. Present at the next session. (First 20 mins).
Intention What do we intend to do?
Living our critique – ensure that our structures are anti bureaucratic if we are criticising this.
Exploring universities or taking action – doing something or some things – connecting with other communities
What forms – if we go into smaller groups – how will they relate to one another? Goal oriented? Or just simply researching.
More applied and active in comparison to examining the philosophy. Doing something to change within the group not being inactive.
Creativity crucial.
Work together using more creative ways, (theatre?) not just thought and talking – unlearn being a teacher.
Very specific concerns about the course organisation – cooperation between students and staff. That the course was organised by a community and staff, staff will impose restrictions based on student experience.
One of the aims to learn – the other is to have a practical outcome. Spread our values that we’ve already lived. Egalitarianism – non – hierarchical.
With the understanding gender course – students created and now no longer part of process – what happens next however? What do the students think now? Don’t feel freer as if you’re not one of the students, this has no implication for you. Content needs to be updated in this case. Don’t want our course to fall into the same trap.
Want to create a course where future students can replicate our process but not necessarily our outcome.
In or outside our group? How do they relate? Resisting bureaucratisation. Alternate way of education.
Two intentions – one is creating something within the group, learning about education as a process or alternatively action.
Alison came to show us how to activate Yammer.
Yammer is useful as can be used as a chat environment and is also able to be hosted by the university. Can upload files, create polls, bookmark things, topics, can also private message and also email people using it. Subgroups can also be created and linked.
Any issues can email her.
Will be useful to be able to participate in a dialogue on the reading. Only we ourselves have the ability to control our own posts. (unpublish, publish, review etc). On the blog can create categories that will allow us to find blogs more easily in the future.
What are our personal and common goals? In a way covered? Use this time to think about next steps? How did we find this session? How to connect personal and common goals?
Having an outcome of an exhibition or a report – goal. Having an action within the university. Study of how it works and proposing something else? Links to outside? Would like to combine with other disciplines – resources also important too. Collaborative and creative.
Look the skills we have and work at combing them.
Dante – Happy too help planning next week, – also wants to form little working groups for these topics looking at projects. Can look at already present discussions. If we are broken down into smaller groups will allow us to live our critique.
Concrete ideas for what we can be working towards, find a way of facilitating more creativity. A movement based game? Having this session in a non university space?
Student experience action plan – look at these student orientated plans that are going on in a very bureaucratic way. Are them some insights that we could generate that will allow us to have a role in this.
Learning through doing and doing differently is exciting. We do less than we plan but its not nothing – we are learning.
Would be positive if the groups fed into one another. Learning through doing together?
How fixed will the groups be? How fluid? (To be discussed?)
