Charlie Lewis PG Cert

Context, Positionality and Inclusivity

I want to spark conversation around the gender norms that we reinforce through garment construction details, as well as the equipment we use (mannequins), and how they reinforce gender binaries. These conversations will occur during the first technical workshops the students will attend at university. I will be trying to create more accessibility to the sewing machines and other technical equipment, by creating packs with adaptive tools to aid in sewing clothing for differently abled students. These tools will be open to all students to access as they are of benefit to everyone.

When teaching first year sewing skills in BA Fashion at Central Saint Martins, this is the most formal teaching time technicians receive with students. I am often aware of the exclusionary language and techniques we use regarding differently abled people and the broad gender identities of the student and staff body. The student cohort within fashion has a high number of LGBTQIA+ students. Unfortunately I can only confirm this through lived experience and observation as the UAL data does not record sexuality or gender identity beyond male or female (UAL EDI Annual Report and Active Dashboards). Mason (2002) describes the impact of language and how “a few code words act as triggers to evoke…taken-as-shared meanings, values and practices”. I am conscious of how language within the classroom can reinforce assumed norms around gender, disability, socio-economics and race. 

As a technician who has worked their way through the department as a support, then specialist technician, I believe I have a unique positionality amongst my team members. The majority of my development and training as a teacher and sample machinist has been on the job and aligned with the teaching and learning experience of the students. As a technician I feel the weight of the hierarchies within the institution and the erasure of the technical teams contributions to both the student experience and output. This feeling of exclusion can aid me in my exploration of minorities and exclusionary language and behaviours perpetuated through my own teachings.

As a white, cisgender woman working as a technician within the BA Fashion department I have learnt from peers and students experiences, through both direct conversation and observing interactions in the studios. I try to take an empathetic approach to teaching, striving to understand other people’s experiences, perspectives and how I can contribute to more inclusive spaces and practices. My lived experience as a woman who has experienced sexism at UAL and has been dismissed by members of management when raising issues around supporting the team, I want to help others feel supported, recognised and heard, even if I do not share their experiences or values. 

Within my intervention I have tried to explore the shortcomings of teaching garment construction and current, potentially exclusionary, practices.  I have explored how they can be improved in relation to gender conformity and access for differently abled students. By viewing the intervention through an intersectional lens I hope to encourage more inclusive practices within the technical workshops.

I often struggle with imposter syndrome and try to take an empathetic approach when teaching the students new skills. I have often found that many of the tips and tools I have learnt are shared verbally, and are not shared in books. By compiling a document of ‘rules’ and sewing tips I want to spark conversations about why the gendering of clothing norms are still so rigid, when this is not reflected in fashion design or wider society. Tanveer Ahmed writes “mannequins are always presented as male/female binary non-disabled bodied forms preventing any exploration of gender or ableism as part of the design process” (2023). As I work with Tanveer I will reach out to her around her practice and to exchange ideas on this topic. I have also spoken with my interim manager and will open up discussion and ideas with my fellow fashion technicians and academics.

Reflection and Feedback

I came upon the ideas for this intervention through both lived experience and observation of the classroom and through a knowledge exchange. I organised workshops with a colleague who has limb differences where they taught me how to repeat screensprint and I taught them how to sew. The glossary and techniques are born out of my experience of learning from colleagues about the rules and techniques of garment construction, and being in a space with a diverse group of people who identify as transgender and non-binary. I felt a misalignment with the current fashion education system and industry and how it enforces gender binaries, which don’t reflect the values of the communities within these systems.

The feedback received around my intervention has been positive. I have already approached management about funding a trial of the adaptable sewing tool packs, which they have been very supportive of noting ‘£200 for a major intervention is very cheap’. Management also raised concerns around UAL’s seemingly revoking the rights and protections previously offered to trans and non-binary students in the recent communications. I have pushed back on this concern and honestly reject UAL’s policy around this, putting the threat of litigious action above the safety of staff and students. My fellow PGCert students have highlighted that the intervention is quite broad and that it may be too much work for me to analyse. Upon further discussion with my tutor Victor Guillen, Victor raised that the intervention is intersectional as it considers both gender and disability. I therefore have decided to continue as planned.  

I hope that these actions will help students engage more fully with garment construction and also reconsider the accepted and hidden gender and body norms enforced by the rules and equipment we use. These tools and glossaries are not limited to those with limb differences, neurodivergencies, or those not conforming to gender norms. They can also be used for anyone struggling or new to sewing to assist their skills and help us all consider the societal constructs around gender and identity. I hope that allowing the students to use tools to help, and overcome the accepted narrative that some of these tools are not required by ‘proper’ sample machinists, will inspire them to persist with the challenges of garment construction, rather than passing them onto trained technicians to make. Sara Ahmed (2019) states, “Perhaps when we use something in ways that were not intended, we are allowing those qualities to acquire freer expression” 

This quote also links to the questioning of gender binaries within the glossary, which I hope will promote a more open and accepting environment in the studios where discussions about how gender binaries are reinforced in the smallest details, and question how we can disrupt these notions to create a progressive and inclusive practice.   

Evaluation

The outcome would be of a lived observed measure rather than a statistical outcome. As there is a fashion show for the 1st years just a few months after the skills workshop, it is easy to see the students who struggled  and how they overcame, or continue to struggle, through their garments on the runway. A recent example was a student who had never sewn before. They struggled to hold the fabric and guide it through the machinery. Their friend would tease them over their difficulty handling the fabric, to which I questioned and reminded the class that we all learn at different paces and have different educational journeys. I was really thrilled to see this student persist and take on my words of encouragement to create a highly technical garment, with assistance from myself and their tutors, which went on to close the first year Reset Show, an esteemed gesture that the garment is considered strong in design and execution. I believe that the packs could have enhanced this student’s experience even further and hope I will be able to recognise the intervention’s impact through lived experience and observation.   

Conclusion

I have realised that although my positionality in many ways is one of privilege, there are aspects of my career progression and the standing of technicians within Central Saint Martins and the fashion industry that give me experience of oppressive and reductive attitudes. I need to do further reading around gender binaries to help inform my writing for the glossary and technical rules, to ensure my language is not reinforcing these binaries but instead is provoking thought and discussion. I need to explore how I will record and develop the intervention results into data, and want to explore my understanding of how a lived experience or observation can be the outcome, as I am more familiar with statistical research and data analysis. I have concerns around biases appearing in my observations, and after reading Mason (2002) I have realised the importance of working with colleagues, students and peers to help detect biases in my methodology and research conclusions.

References

Ahmed, S. (2019) What’s the Use? : On the Uses of Use [Preprint]. doi:10.2307/j.ctv11hpr0r.

Ahmed, T. (2023) ‘Decolonizing the Mannequin’, in Fashion Education: The Systemic Revolution. Bristol: Intellect Books, pp. 156–156.

ANON (2025) Student Profiles: Characteristics. rep. Available at: https://dashboards.arts.ac.uk/dashboard/ActiveDashboards/DashboardPage.aspx (Accessed: 2025).

Mason, J. (2002) Researching your own practice. Oxford, Oxfordshire: Routledge.

At first I had difficulty understanding the different examples of assessments and the conclusions Bradbury drew from them, for example, value added. I found the text a little repetitive and although the questioning of policy which Bradbury recommends to critically analyse policy is effective I feel there could have been further actions suggested as it is too reliant upon the awareness and diversity of the group asking those questions.Upon further research I found that Bradbury is a white presenting, female identifying Professor of Sociology of Education (ucl.ac.uk, 2025). I did not see anything within the text of the importance of having a diverse group of policymakers who meet a range of intersections and cultivating a safe space to question and analyse policy. 

I agreed with Sadiq’s critique of DEI training and how he feels that training is often built with assumptions and stereotypes, becoming the opposite of inclusive. This mirrors my own concerns around some of the material studied in this unit and my experience of DEI training at UAL. Bradbury also raises how these generalisations affect policy making decisions and are influenced by sociological theories that have become accepted realities in policy making. “ The question ‘How does this damage or disadvantage minoritised groups or individuals?’ is also needed, as a gain for one group does not relate simply to loss for another. We also need to ask ‘How does this disadvantage one group more than another? What is the purpose of this?’”Bradbury (2020). This inquiry by Bradbury links me to my own questions regarding the intersections of faith and gender in my previous blog post. However I don’t feel Bradbury gives clear guidance on how to move forward.

I could relate to Garrett’s analysis of how race impacts careers within higher education.I have witnessed the ideas of ‘politeness’ and conflict, competing for personal gain rather than a collective goal, etc play out with female ‘non-white’ colleagues and white male and female management and peers. I would also say that I have had similar experiences in relation to sexism and the gender expectations put upon me as a woman. 

 Upon further research I found that Garrett considers herself as ‘Chinese British’ and  ‘mixed race’ and has experienced passing as a white person (R. Garrett, 2024). This could give her a unique experience of sometimes occupying spaces as a white person but also not fitting into those spaces, along with being part Chinese, but having that identity questioned also.

I appreciated Sadiq’s stance of localising diversity training and encouraging teams to share lived experiences and decentralising this training, to create more relevance and impact upon participants. “How do we create experiences that truly drive change?” 

Sadiq declares “We must localise diversity training, we learn through stories and shared experiences” (TEDx Talks, 2023). I agree with his outlook and how we need to learn to reconnect and relate to one another, even if we have differing views and experiences. However I also have concerns around how people are chosen to share their stories and that not everyone wants to share their experiences and it is not the burden of those people to share. A frequent occurrence is the reliance upon minorities to educate the majority, without considering the emotional labour and the toll this takes upon the individual.  

Screenshot of mixedracefaces project Instagram

References

Afua Hirsch. Brit(Ish) : On Race, Identity and Belonging. London, Vintage, 2018.

Bradbury, Alice. “A Critical Race Theory Framework for Education Policy Analysis: The Case of Bilingual Learners and Assessment Policy in England.” Race Ethnicity and Education, vol. 23, no. 2, 8 Apr. 2019, pp. 1–20, https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2019.1599338.

Garrett, Rhianna. “Racism Shapes Careers: Career Trajectories and Imagined Futures of Racialised Minority PhDs in UK Higher Education.” Globalisation, Societies and Education, 11 Feb. 2024, pp. 1–15, https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2024.2307886. Accessed 17 Mar. 2024.

R. Garrett. “Mixedracefaces.” Mixedracefaces , 28 May 2024, mixedracefaces.com/home/chinese-british. Accessed 5 July 2025.

TEDx Talks. “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning How to Get It Right | Asif Sadiq | TEDxCroydon.” Youtube, 2 Mar. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4wz1b54hw. Accessed 10 June 2025.“University College London.” Ucl.ac.uk, 2025, profiles.ucl.ac.uk/48643-alice-bradbury. Accessed 11 June 2025.

When reading the article Islam, Women and Sport: The Case of Visible Muslim Women (Jawad, H. (2022)) Jawad discussed the intersection of a visibly Muslim woman and their access and participation in sports. The concepts of modest fashions and gender segregation were of interest to me as I try to understand the impact the fashion studio environment and our teaching of clothing construction may impact Muslim men and women. We teach garment construction through a very European lens and I often have concerns around the comfort of students and the intimate nature of working on the body and creating clothing. The university does not provide changing spaces for models (who are often fellow students) and some of the garments designed by students leave the body very exposed/nude. 

In some interpretations of the Qu’ran, some Muslim people segregate according to gender and practice modest dressing. “(Prophet), tell believing men to lower their glances and guard their private parts… tell believing women that they should lower their glances, guard their private parts, and not reveal their charms except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters, sons, their womenfolk, their slaves, such men as attend them who have no sexual desire, or children who are not yet aware of women’s nakedness;” (Qur’an 32:32-33) I am interested in the idea of gender segregation and how this can conflict with the rights of transgender and non-binary students of all faiths and some Islamic sects views of where they fit into gender segregated spaces.  

I felt that there is a difficulty in catering to all belief systems and values when they may conflict with one another. I teach students who are trans and cisgender, Muslim people of colour. They may have differing interpretations of the Qu’ran and conflicting beliefs. I also then consider the people who do not become fashion students or enrol on the course due to the perception and space in the fashion course and this conflict with their beliefs. For the purpose of this post I will focus upon Islam and some branches beliefs. 

This led me to seek out the voices of trans Muslim people and found Sabah Choudrey and their TED Talk “Brown, trans, queer, Muslim and proud” Choudrey, S. (2015). Choudrey discusses their experience as a trans, Muslim, British Pakistani person and their experiences of their intersectional identities. “I feel there is an assumption in society that the communities I am a part of don’t all fit together… You can only be one minority at a time. That I am too queer to call myself Muslim.” It was fantastic to hear Choudrey discuss their journey and how through lack of representation they doubted their own feelings, from the measure of their ‘transness’ by their transition journey, to their perception of beauty against ‘whiteness’, to their perception of themselves as a trans Muslim person, distancing themselves from their faith as they struggle to marry their ‘queerness’ with their religion. “I felt I was appropriating an Islam that wasn’t mine”. 

By discovering community at an event run by Inclusive Mosque Initiative, an organisation that defines themselves as “an intersectional feminist mosque dedicated to creating inclusive, safer places for marginalised Muslims and their families” (Inclusive Mosque Initiative, 2024), Choudrey felt inspired to reclaim their faith. “Hearing women and queer people speak about Islam, that’s revolutionary… questioning my own faith is a part of my own faith, this is my Islam”.

An Al Jazeera article about a debate held at UCL which was accused of gender segregation showed a variety of opinions about the contentious subject. The university had offered provisions to allow for men and women to sit separately in certain areas if they wished. One of the attendees said “I might be going to a secular university, but all I am asking for is a little bit of accommodation, keep an open mind.” The article then spoke to the director of a human rights and counter-extremism organisation who claims women are drastically under-represented within Islamic organisations in the UK. “The problem is that in Britain we have a dominance of very socially conservative interpretations of Islam, and sometimes people don’t base their views on a more contextualised understanding which is more respectable to women… A lot of the legal rulings have been around for thousands of years and the respected scholars lived in a pre-modern era where the idea of gender equality was not normalised. Those rulings are still applied today regardless of whether they are suitable for the context, regardless of whether they are causing injustice to women.”

I feel uncomfortable and conflicted through my research and feel I could write a lot on the topic and am struggling to show the plethora of opinions on gender and Islam. I want to respect all peoples belief systems but I have an issue when this leads others to be rejected and persecuted. I am concerned about how we tackle both transphobia and islamophobia and the difficulties that arise in protecting both groups and intersecting individuals rights and how we measure progress through a western lens. How do we as staff and as a university cater to and protect the rights and beliefs of all people in our communities? Is this actually possible? How do we encourage people of differing faiths and beliefs to enrol on the course and make these spaces welcoming, whilst also protecting the rights of others, which may not be acknowledged by those with more conservative beliefs? 

*Word count excludes quotes 651 words

Choudrey, S. (2015) Brown, trans, queer, Muslim and proud | Sabah Choudrey | TEDxBrixton, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6hxrZW6I9I (Accessed: 11 June 2025).

Connelly, A. (2014) Muslim gender segregation stirs UK debate, Al Jazeera. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2014/1/30/muslim-gender-segregation-stirs-uk-debate (Accessed: 11 June 2025).

Ganeri, A. (2002) The quran. London: Evans.

Greenberg, Y.K. (2020) The body in religion: Cross-cultural Perspectives. London, England: Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Jawad, H. (2022) Islam, Women and Sport: The Case of Visible Muslim Women. [Online]. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/09/islam-women-and-sport-the-case-of-visible-muslim-women/ 

Krutzsch, B. (2022) Breaking down gender binaries, building Muslim community, The Revealer. Available at: https://therevealer.org/breaking-down-gender-binaries-building-muslim-community/ (Accessed: 11 June 2025).

Lewis, R. (2019) Modest fashion: Styling Bodies, mediating faith. London, England: I.B. Tauris.

Muslims for progressive values (no date) Muslims for Progressive Values. Available at: https://www.mpvusa.org/ (Accessed: 11 June 2025).

What we do (2024) Inclusive Mosque Initiative. Available at: https://inclusivemosque.org/our-mission/ (Accessed: 11 June 2025).

Yancy, G. (ed.) (2016) White self-criticality beyond anti-racism: How does it feel to be a white problem? s.l.: Lexington Books.

I want to preface my intervention by noting that I am feeling like the actions are tokenistic. I am struggling to see what real, meaningful change I can make within the department and I do not think that the PGCert is adequately catering for people working as technicians or outside of ‘academic’ roles. I have discussed this with fellow technicians who feel this is indicative of the lack of value and respect given to technicians at UAL.  I also do not feel there is room to disagree with the approaches to intersectionality on the course and feel this is really limiting and not actually conducive to a democratic or open learning space. I feel that this has not been supported in discussions and a safe or brave space has not been created in tutorials.

Photographer unknown – Aaron Rose Philip made her trailblazing debut on the New York Fashion Week catwalk for Jeremy Scott’s Moschino SS22 presentation.

I will focus upon the 2.5 day sewing skills workshop, taught to first year BA Fashion during their first term. 

I will focus upon differently abled people and their broad and differing needs and how we can work to develop the workshops into more inclusive learning spaces. I feel the department is not meeting acceptable standards in terms of accessibility. There are some aspects that are beyond our control, in terms of the lack of space and accessible machinery, budget and time.  However I think there are other factors within our remit that do not meet standards. For example, the sewing skills workshop has videos for students to follow along and watch back if they desire. These videos include subtitles primarily to cater to students whose first language may not be English. However this has meant that the deaf community have been excluded through some of the instructions that refer to sound. This renders some of the teaching as inaccessible or can lead to errors/miscommunications by students from inadequate guidance. 

I would like to assemble some packs that have tools such as seam guides, pinch action scissors, rotary blades, pattern weights, thimbles, accessible tools and tips which students can refer to and use at their discretion. With regards to the tips, these would include ideas of how many breaks to take, for example the ‘Sew in 30’ technique by Brittany J Jones (Retro Claude, 2020), how to set up the workspace and sewing machines for optimal comfort and convenience, planning the order of construction to avoid unnecessary energy being wasted moving between machines. I also want students to feel comfortable in stating their needs and know that I will be open to adapting my teaching to suit their differences. The guidance will be supplied to all students as it is relevant and useful for anyone who is sewing and I hope it will help students to consider the differing needs of others. In addition I believe we could incorporate more accessible fastenings, openings, finishings etc which would encourage students to consider a more inclusive approach to fashion design. “If disabled people are included in the design process, it is an afterthought. Fashion design processes need to become more equitable because disabled people are not a monolith.” (Jun, 2023)

I also want to review gender identity and how gender constructs are reinforced through the techniques and rules we use in garment construction and design. We have many students who do not conform to ‘conventional’ cis gender identities whether they are transgender women and men, non-binary or gender fluid. I feel our approach as technicians can sometimes be exclusionary in the rules we teach. For example, we refer to mannequins as male or female, indicated by the presence or absence of a bust and a more angular or more curvaceous figure. Another example is the convention that fastenings lay left over right if designed for men, openings on women’s garments fasten right over left. I feel we can challenge these rules and social constructs within fashion by highlighting these concepts and opening space for them to be questioned and challenged. I would like to create a ‘rule book/glossary’ of sewing tips and terminology that the students may not be aware of when they first begin the course. I will open up discussions around these practices, the history of where they came from and question why they still persist and their relevance today. By giving space to inform and discuss these customs and concepts I want to inform students of the rules and allow them to question and break these gendered constructs within garment construction. 

References:

Johnson, A., Mamp, M., Quinney, A., Reeves, A., Simon, J. (2023). Fashion Education The Systemic Revolution: Queering the Fashion Classroom: Intersectional Student Perspectives. Intellect (UK), p.139.

Jun, G. (2023). Fashion Education The Systemic Revolution: Fashion Pedagogy and Disability: Co-Designing Wearables with Disabled People. Intellect (UK), p.139.

Retro Claude (2020). Sewing with a Disability – making sewing more accessible. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwKI-G-e05E [Accessed 27 May 2025].‌Anon, (n.d.).

Sewing with Disabilities: Five Accessible Tools (Guest Post by Samantha Purple Sewing Cloud). [online] Available at: https://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/2023/07/sewing-disabilities-accessible-tools.html.

I studied the Youtube video  “Christine Sun Kim: Friends and Strangers” Dowling and Sollins (2021). The video explores Sun Kim as an artist who was born profoundly deaf, her career trajectory and the impact her experiences as a deaf person, an artist, a parent and an American living in Berlin has had upon her creative output. Sun Kim was born in California and moved to New York.

Initially I misunderstood the blog task as an attempt to find the individual’s positionality and wrote “I am hesitant that the need to find someone’s positionality can actually lead to assumptions about a person and their situation. I question whether this idea of positionality is actually of use or whether it becomes more detrimental, labelling and boxing off people into neat little compartments where assumptions about their needs are made.” 

After the blog tutorial I reframed the analysis of Christine Sun Kim. The difficulty I had with this was that little is directly stated regarding Sun Kim’s identities, and I gained little from my further research which led me to make assumptions about her class, gender, etc. 

Christine Sun Kim Shit Hearing People Say To Me 2019

Sun Kim discusses her intersectionality as an artist and deaf person and how this has excluded her from partaking in art classes during her high school and university education. When growing up she had an interest in art but didn’t take classes as there were no interpreters available. During both high school and university she was ‘told no’ when requesting to attend a sculpture class and evening class. There was no reason given in the video as to why they would prohibit her from attending the classes, the implication being that she is deaf and they refused to find a way to cater to her hearing differences. 

Another aspect of Christine Sun Kim’s experience as an artist which was impacted by her deafness is her creative output. “A perk of being a member of the deaf community is that you have this shared culture, this shared language, and so people like to stay here stuck in that echo but then I became an artist and had to go into the hearing world” (Dowling and Sollins (2021) 7:42). Sun Kim expresses jealousy of “artists who have the privilege to be misunderstood” and that her creative process and output reflects her constant need to be understood and explain, due to her deafness. Sun Kim doesn’t so much reject ambiguity in her art but clings to the need to be heard and seen, captioning buildings in Manchester, creating pie charts , drawing signs which create poetry and repetition which reflect her experience as a deaf person and the ‘echoing’ of her thoughts through an interpreter. 

(BuildHollywood, 2021)

In the context of teaching garment construction, we are not made aware of disabilities until the student raises their needs due to GDPR/lack of communication from management. Due to this I generally try to cater as much as possible to a range of needs by providing verbal, written and visual communication techniques and videos which include captions. In terms of captions, I need to look at how these are used and whether they have a bias towards the hearing community, for example “when inserting the bobbin into the machine, you should hear a click”. In terms of accessibility to studio space for wheelchair users, I have big concerns over how this could be catered to due to the lack of space and cramped set up of the studios. 

I participated in a knowledge exchange with a colleague over the summer. My colleague has limb differences and was learning to sew again. I researched adaptable sewing techniques online and reached out to an acquaintance who has limb differences about their advice, as they advocate for differently abled people to learn to sew and take up space within the industry. I found that using the knee pedal to lift the machine foot is more practical as it means your hand is available to guide fabric. I lowered the sewing speed, used a magnetic seam guide for the fabric to butt against so that it could easily be guided with one hand. We used pattern weights rather than pins to help place pattern pieces and cut fabric with a rotary blade rather than scissors. I also found scissors with a pinching action which were easier to use than traditional scissors, which were quite strenuous. 

Through listening to my colleague and their needs, careful planning and research, I was able to successfully teach my colleague how to sew a pair of shorts through adaptable sewing techniques. This was a really positive experience for myself and my colleague and I learnt to consider further how I can adapt my practice to meet differently abled students’ needs. 

References

BuildHollywood (2021). [Photograph] Available at: https://www.buildhollywood.co.uk/work/mif-captioning-the-city/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2025].

Dowling, S. and Sollins, S. (2021). Christine Sun Kim in ‘Friends & Strangers’ – Season 11 | Art21. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpRaEDlLsI [Accessed 20 Apr. 2025].

Friedman, A. (2021). The Gentlewoman – Christine Sun Kim. [online] thegentlewoman.co.uk. Available at: https://thegentlewoman.co.uk/library/christine-sun-kim [Accessed 21 Apr. 2025].

Sun Kim, C. (2019). Shit Hearing People Say To Me. Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/426300?sov_referrer=art_term&art_term_slug=charcoal [Accessed 27 Apr. 2025].

Wikipedia. (2020). Christine Sun Kim. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Sun_Kim [Accessed 21 Apr. 2025].

Session Plan

• Introduction of tutor and the workshop – ask if anyone knows about smocking -3 minutes
• Introduction to history of smocking – handouts and overview of reference imagery – 4 minutes
• Prepare fabric and tools – 3 minutes
• Demonstrate smocking as class follows along – 10 minutes

For my microteaching lesson I gave a brief overview of smocking, a hand sewing technique which is used in different cultures to provide texture and decoration through surface interest, embroidery or by creating a resist dye. I provided a visual handout which showed smocking in its various applications, from historical garments, traditional dyed textiles and luxury fashion. I was praised for the variety of references in my visual imagery. I intentionally chose images and techniques that were not solely western and were used and worn in a variety of contexts. 

I then handed out materials for students to create their own smocking, demonstrating the sewing myself and guiding students through the process. I referenced The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff. Unfortunately I did not prepare individual handouts in time to show the various smocking techniques and use them as guides for students to follow. This lack of preparation made me feel flustered in the presentation.

We ran out of time to complete the task of hand smocking, however the class were left feeling inspired and wanting to continue the task, which was reassuring. Physically moving around the room from student to student had an equalising effect and allowed me to check in on people’s progression. 

Co-teaching was discussed frequently in the microteaching sessions today which was a concept I hadn’t heard of before. I touched upon some of this during my micro-teach, for example a student doubled over their thread which was good practice. I highlighted this by raising the possibility that the group could follow this student’s technique. This creates encouragement and positive reinforcement through peer learning and collapses hierarchies to create a sense of inclusion within the group. We discussed ways that I could further positive reinforcement by asking questions such as “(student’s name) can you tell us how/why you did that?” or asking did everyone hear what (student’s name) said?” and then paraphrasing. I discovered that my approach to teaching is student centred.

Linda used the phrase of ‘planting the seeds’. I liked this concept of how a small statement can prompt students to consider the environmental and social impact of their practice, whether through gendering, class, race, and empower them to take further action. Rather than telling a student how to think or feel about what they are doing, you are raising the idea for them to explore and work towards a resolution or implement meaningful change through their actions.

Moving forward I will prepare further ahead of time and practice timings to ensure tasks are suitable and build more confidence and familiarity in teaching the workshop. I will also provide extended reading references and resources for the students to explore ideas further. 

I received feedback that the facts I shared around smocking could have been sharper with more accurate dates to build trust in students of my expertise or knowledge. Next time I would include the diagrams from the book as additional guides for the students to follow to produce their samples, as well as demonstrating to the class. 

Smocks, smocking, smocked (2022) The Museum of English Rural Life. Available at: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/online-exhibitions/smocks/#smocks_and_english_folk_culture (Accessed: 03 February 2025). 

Wolff, C. (1996) The Art of Manipulating Fabric. Iola, Wis: Krause Publications.

Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: Lesson plan and supporting resources

Size of student group: 7

Observer: Linda Aloysius

Observee: Charlie Lewis

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?

Beginners Shirtmaking and Design short course at LCF

Lesson 3

-Sewing the yoke

-Attaching the collar

-Integrated and bound cuff plackets

How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?

-I will have worked with the students for 2 prior evening sessions, 2.5 hours long

-Evening class with a range of ages and beginners experience

What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?

-Student to understand how to construct shirt yoke, construct and attach the collar,  2x styles of sleeve placket

What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?

-Continued construction of shirt, at stages mentioned (yoke, collar, sleeve placket)

Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?

-Machinery fails, demonstration goes wrong/is difficult to understand. Mix of abilities means it’s difficult to find a pace

How will students be informed of the observation/review?

-N/A

What would you particularly like feedback on?

-Whether the instruction is clear/concise/digestible, how engaging are materials, general improvements and strengths

How will feedback be exchanged?

-Verbally

Part Two

Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:

As discussed in our review meeting, the booklet is generally very well-balanced in terms of visual imagery and written (typed) language. Instructions are all very clear and information is well communicated and informative. My suggestions about this included:

• Consider changing the format of some of the images so that not all of the images are at the bottom of the page.
• Maybe include a small, black and white map / diagram of Savile Row area, where this street is mentioned, to add intrigue and maintain engagement with an otherwise relatively dense page of text.
• Add sub-headings to this same page to add pace to the text.
• Where the list of suppliers is, consider adding a sub-headed section to indicate sustainable suppliers.

Regarding the above, I also suggested in our meeting that you value this document as an important Learning Resource and offer to make it available to UAL; consider approaching your Line Manager about this. Be sure to mention this material, for example in an interview – it’s a lot of work, and a great resource!

Our discussion about your recent and forthcoming teaching sessions in relation to the above led to some interesting insights on your part; by talking through some of the challenges these sessions present(ed) for you, it generally became clear that, in some parts of the session, a more pro-active approach would resolve some of the issues. This included being proactive about:

• Checking machinery prior to the session
• Taking a transparent approach with the students, including to return to the task of ‘ice-breakers’ that had to be missed out in the first session due to issues with time management
• Manage time more closely, especially where other tutors are involved in any part of the session; take a leading stance on this, for example:

• Frame the session verbally eg. Introduce other members of staff to the students, say why they are there, how long they are expected to speak for and what will happen after that time; this kind of verbal structuring of the session helps students to orientate and to feel safe with you as lead tutor.
  • Agree with other members of staff how long they will take for part of a session and ask if they would like a reminder of when their time is nearly up ie. 5 mins. Remaining. Be assertive; make clear that you have only limited time for your part of the session.
  • Ask students to time one another for the ice-breaker tasks; this helps them to co-teach with you and to work as a team together, whilst also ensuring that time is managed effectively.

• Organising your sessions clearly for yourself and, in turn, for your students, so that you are able to feel more confident about communicating effectively with them throughout the session; having a good sense of organisation can help to orientate you as tutor and give the students a sense of working in a safe space with someone they trust; this seems especially important as the sessions sound as though they are often quite pressured due to the amount of information that you have to work through with the students.
• I’d also add: be kind to yourself! Your contributions in our taught classes have been extremely valid, welcome and helpful and this suggests you are doing a fantastic job already – anything suggested here really is only suggestions and in no way forms a criticism of you or your teaching!

Part Three

Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the feedback exchanged:

As discussed in our review meeting, the booklet is generally very well-balanced in terms of visual imagery and written (typed) language. Instructions are all very clear and information is well communicated and informative. My suggestions about this included:

• Consider changing the format of some of the images so that not all of the images are at the bottom of the page.
• Maybe include a small, black and white map / diagram of Savile Row area, where this street is mentioned, to add intrigue and maintain engagement with an otherwise relatively dense page of text.
• Add sub-headings to this same page to add pace to the text.
• Where the list of suppliers is, consider adding a sub-headed section to indicate sustainable suppliers.

Regarding the above, I also suggested in our meeting that you value this document as an important Learning Resource and offer to make it available to UAL; consider approaching your Line Manager about this. Be sure to mention this material, for example in an interview – it’s a lot of work, and a great resource!

-I will redesign the layout to create more variation and visual interest and break up the text with subheadings to help make the information more digestible.

– To highlight sustainable suppliers I will highlight in green or create a subheading to make them stand out. I will also caption the imagery across the document, especially the sustainable ‘milk’ buttons made from dairy waste.

-I implemented the ice-breakers last week, setting time to share our answers and leaving it open to course participants if they felt comfortable to speak. I felt it helped somewhat with making a more relaxed space. The timing of the course and time of day also seems to prohibit conversation as it is after a long work day for most participants and the course is very condensed. This will be up for review with UAL after this course and I will feedback to the time pressures according to the students’ abilities.

-I definitely struggle with asserting myself and framing myself as an authority on garment construction. I reintroduced myself last week with a brief overview of my career which did help, although I do struggle with imposter syndrome and feel my varied career sometimes makes me feel exposed as ‘not a professional sample machinist’ or ‘fashion person’. I hope to build my confidence and feel this will improve as I become more familiar with the course and my teaching style.

-As mentioned, organization will definitely help me with my confidence and setting timed boundaries around activities and implementing them will give me more structure and focus when teaching. I applied this when having assistance in the course last week which I requested after the machinery problems had hindered the first session. I found it difficult at first to assert the repairs and machine difficulties required and did receive some push back. I found reasserting myself in a friendly manner and giving clear direction meant I received additional support in the way I needed.

-I would also like to write a small structure for myself of each session, broken down further into points of discussion and demonstrations.

-Thank you for your praise, I have found the feedback sessions really beneficial. It’s great to have an external view of my teaching and pointers of how to improve the classes and general teaching approach.

Record of Observation or Review of Teaching Practice

Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: Group Crit

Size of student group: 6

Observer: Charlie Lewis

Observee: Romany Taylor

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?

It is a CRIT directly before submission of the students progress to date (formative feedback) of a 2.5 week project where they are introduced to knitting on domestic machines, where they are shown by the technicians and technical moodle 22 techniques which they develop a collection of swatches from based off a previous sketchbook project ‘The order of Things’

How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?

Over 2 weeks, 2 prior sessions, x1 session briefing/individual tutorials x1 session individual tutorials

What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?

That they are

-Aware of the submission requirements

-Show competency of the techniques shown

-Understand how to translate their sketchbook work in to fabric developments,

-Show process, testing, evaluation.

-Give contextual research and show its relevance to their final outcomes.

-Show an understanding of yarns, fibres, colour proportion,

-Understand decision making when selecting what techniques to take forward.

– Create visualizations of how the end ‘use’ of their developments

– Present all of this in a cohesive way.

What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?

Create, sketchbooks, fabrics, technical files and visualizations

Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?

-Yes, some students often feel the time is too short, but time management is key and they have a lot of access to machines over the time frame.

-Often students focus too much on the technical aspect and don’t leave enough time for experimentation

– Quality of feedback from the tutor (myself) and their peers verbally and written notes from myself and another student

How will students be informed of the observation/review?

It will be conducted online as an observation of my teaching practice

What would you particularly like feedback on?

Ways to ensure everyone is engaged, often it’s the same students giving feedback and I would like to create an atmosphere that everyone is participating in constructively. Also how to make it feel less daunting than I think the students think it is.

How will feedback be exchanged?

Verbal & Written in note form

Part Two

Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:

We acknowledged the feeling of precarity in your role as an hourly paid lecturer and the conflicting feelings of not wanting to upset the status quo, whilst also wanting to change approaches to suit students’ needs better.

The lack of time and paid hours means you are not in as often as needed. This can affect your familiarity with students and how often you ‘check in’ on their projects.

You described difficulties in getting students to engage in quality peer to peer feedback. Students are reluctant to offer up ideas or constructive criticism. Due to a lack of familiarity with students, you struggle to create open dialogue. My suggestions are as follows:

-Start the session with icebreakers to help foster familiarity.

– Provide a checklist for presentations: bind sketchbooks, steam samples, lint roll, bring everything to the crit even if it didn’t work. etc.

– A short introduction to the crit could set the tone and create opportunity to brief students and provide options of how to receive feedback ie; Silent, Gossip, written,

-Ask students to time crit presentations to ensure they do not overrun. The timing could be part of the briefing, with students held to the expectation that they will present for 5 minutes, and feedback will be delivered for 10 minutes. It is good practice for the students to keep to time. This may create more urgency and increase student engagement in feeding back to their peers.

– You could also give students prompts;. i.e. how have they included sustainable practice? Have they been experimental with use of technique/material? This may stimulate more constructive feedback.

-’Rebrand’ crits as peer reviews to create accountability to contribute feedback and create a more informal tone, which may inspire more conversation around projects. This may help it be viewed more as a ‘practice run’ before hand-in. There may need to be wider discussion with the academic team to give cohesive messaging about the renaming.

-The crit room is disruptive and a thoroughfare, meaning there is not much agency over the arrangement of the space. This could be raised with whoever books the room, as it is impacting the feeling of a brave space to share ideas and focus.

-Include prompts on the feedback form for students to ask questions and consider before the crit. Could you remove the ‘visualisation’ box as you mentioned the students often do not do this element or open it up to other criteria of ‘Realisation and Communication’. Can you make the graphics smaller to make more space for writing? Are the check boxes necessary?

– Is there a way you can emphasise the importance of the experimental side of the project, and the need for the students to push beyond the technical aspects? Give an outline of expected technical outcomes and put more weight onto the exploration and development of these samples through marking/tutorials.

-You give your students autonomy and empower them to push through creative blocks, without influencing their decision making. You show awareness of colleagues and the importance of giving clear and unified messaging to students. You are aligned with student support and understand students’ needs. Despite the little student facing time you have, students seek you out for both academic and pastoral support and see you as a safe and supportive tutor.

Part Three

Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the

feedback exchanged:

This feedback provides insightful reflections on my approach to teaching, particularly in relation to the crit process, and highlights areas where I can improve to better support my students. I am grateful for the recognition of my commitment to supporting students, even with the challenges of my hourly-paid role. The feedback identifies several key areas of focus that I can work on to enhance student engagement, peer feedback, and the overall learning experience.

Due to the short duration of the project, the time between tutorials is often not enough for students to implement feedback effectively. The tutorials themselves can feel rushed because of the high volume of students, but my colleague and I have regular updates after each session to ensure students are on track and getting the support they need. I plan to build upon this, incorporate more structured tutorials and encourage weekly updates from students, helping them to stay focused and manage their time more effectively.

The feedback also points to the difficulty of encouraging meaningful peer-to-peer feedback during crits. The suggestion to begin with icebreakers and use a more structured approach is great. I intend to implement this by starting crit sessions with an icebreaker to build rapport and create a more relaxed, open environment. I will also provide a checklist/brief that students can follow to come prepared, ensuring that all necessary materials are brought and the session runs smoothly. Experimenting with various feedback methods, such as silent or post-it note feedback, will allow students to choose an approach that feels comfortable to them. Additionally, introducing time limits for both presentations and feedback will foster a sense of urgency and encourage more focused discussions.

The idea of rebranding the crit as a peer review is something I find particularly interesting. By positioning the crit as a collaborative learning opportunity rather than a formal evaluation, I believe students will take more ownership of the process and feel more comfortable contributing constructive feedback. I will explore ways to reframe this in the classroom and work with my colleagues to ensure a consistent approach across the team.

Another key point is the emphasis on the experimental side of students’ projects. While technical proficiency is important, I want to ensure that creativity and experimentation are given greater weight. To support this, I will add prompts to the feedback form that encourage students to reflect on the development of their work and explore how they could push their ideas further. I will also focus on highlighting the importance of experimentation early on in tutorials, ensuring that students understand the value of pushing beyond technical outcomes to explore new possibilities in their work.

Finally, the feedback regarding the room setup and feedback form offers practical suggestions. I will raise concerns about the disruptive space with the appropriate staff and advocate for a more suitable layout to improve the flow and create a more focused environment for critique. I will also revise the feedback form to make it more streamlined, providing more space for students to reflect on their work rather than focusing on rigid checkboxes and see it as something they can build on and work from.

I am grateful for such constructive feedback, which offers clear directions for improvement. By incorporating these changes into future crits, I hope to foster a more engaging, supportive, and reflective environment where students feel empowered to develop their creativity and engage in meaningful peer feedback.

Record of Observation or Review of Teaching Practice 

Session/artefact to be observed/reviewed: Specialist Machinery induction ROT

Size of student group: 1-2 

Observer: Romany Taylor 

Observee: Charlie Lewis 

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? 

-Machinery induction to assist in BA Fashion student’s final collection garment/sample development 

How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity? 

-If a final year student I would have worked with them for the last 3 years, advising on machine set up, suitability of materials, sewing workshops to teach them practical skills, inductions into machinery and workspaces. 

What are the intended or expected learning outcomes? 

-Student to understand how to use machinery correctly and safely and how to setup to work with their fabric 

What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)? 

-Sample for sketchbook or finished garment 

Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern? 

-Student doesn’t show to scheduled appointment,  

-Late to appointment and another student needs to use it 

-Double booked by staff  

-Interruptions from other student requests as we are in an open studio space disrupts flow 

-machine is damaged prior to booking and out of order 

-Machinery fails 

– fabric/intended outcome is not suitable for machinery 

– Machine doesn’t like the fabric used and doesn’t work – particularly prominent on coverstitch for jersey 

– Machine repairs are not sufficient leading to expensive damage and/pr machine being out of service – embellisher misaligned  

-Student is not planning on using machinery immediately, just getting induction – then have to re-induct student later on as they forgot without use  

How will students be informed of the observation/review? 

-Via email or verbally on day, booked into Excel spreadsheet 

What would you particularly like feedback on? 

-How I interact with students, whether the instruction is clear/concise/digestible 

-Any resolutions to the issues raised 

-Any areas for improvement/tips 

How will feedback be exchanged? 

-Verbally 

Part Two 

Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:  
A key issue raised in our session was the lack of student awareness regarding the value of machinery and technical skills until after their year in industry. Many students fail to realise that basic machinery knowledge enhances their design decisions and creative problem-solving. As a result, the role of support technicians is often undervalued and seen as secondary to academics, diminishing the importance of technical training. 
 
Ways to address this issue include:  
–  Incorporating Technical Tutorials as part of the design process or linking machinery skills to creative success. 

–  Encouraging early exposure to machinery skills throughout the course can ensure students have basic familiarity before needing them in their final projects. 
 
The pressure to balance practical skills with creative freedom creates tension due to the ‘culture’ promoted within the department. As a technician, you manage a large workload and juggle student and staff expectations, often without sufficient support. Students may fail to understand that learning how to use machines properly can improve their work even if not part of the assessment. 
 
Managing expectations could be improved by: 
-Encouraging early sampling and focusing on quality over quantity.  
-Students should be reminded that technical knowledge, even if not immediately necessary, will improve the final product.  
-Clear, collaborative communication between academic staff and technicians about managing student progress and expectations is essential for reducing tension, which I know you feel quite powerless in pushing for now. 
 
Possible solutions to inefficient space and scheduling issues: 
 
-A structured timetable and staggered project hand-ins could beNer manage space and reduce conflicts over machine usage. 
 
-Students and staff should be reminded of the importance of respecting the schedule for an efficient workflow. 

 -Being consulted on timetables could prevent conflicts and improve machine utilization. 
 

 -An organized booking system can further reduce clashes and ensure better use of available machines.  

-Educate students on the importance of respecting their scheduled times for better workflow. 
 
Balancing creative freedom with necessary technical skills is challenging, as students’ designs are sometimes unrealistic due to a lack of technical understanding. Technicians should be seen as key contributors to the design process, not barriers to creativity. However, pushing for this recognition feels difficult due to academic indifference. Implementing case studies or student feedback could help promote this shift in perspective.  

Regular team meetings focused on “collaborative feedback for growth” or “team-driven suggestions for enhancement” foster a supportive environment that strengthens community, trust, and solidarity within the technical team. With a view to enhance communication, improve problem-solving, and create a more cohesive and supportive work environment, leading to better cooperation and overall team growth. 
(Recommended reading- Rosenberg, M. (2005). Observing without evaluating. Nonviolent 
Communication: A Language of Life. CA: Puddledancer Press.) 

Encourage students to take ownership of their learning, including understanding how machines can aid their creative process. Focusing on skill-building throughout the course/years, rather than reacting at final stage, allows for more proactive and thoughtful preparation in both student development and technical processes. 

While you’re coping with a significant workload, redefining your role with clearer boundaries and expectations could reduce stress and increase cohesion. By seeking stronger support from above, you can navigate challenges with greater confidence, ensuring a more balanced and productive environment for both you and the students, you are clearly a great asset to the department. 

Part Three 

Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the feedback exchanged: 

-I will approach newer pathway leaders who I feel are open to change and integrate more technical aspects into the course about incorporating sign up inductions in second year (when there is more time and less ‘overwhelm’ of information). This would mean the students would have optional inductions into using the machines and sampling the specialisms. Another idea I had is to send out a monthly ‘newsletter’ informing students of interesting work produced on a ‘machine of the month’ to increase awareness. This could be incorporated into the fashion academic newsletter. 

 
-I will work on building more communication with academics and improving relationships to open up more conversation around promotion of the value of technical skills. We have seen improvements in recent years when building stronger relationships with academics. The team would like to push for technicians to be included in tutorials and engage with students in the research and development stages of projects, before the work is at the final stages and it is too late to prevent issues and errors. We could take the initiative and go around and speak to students about their work on a one-to-one basis. This is reliant upon having time to do this, when I am currently overstretched.  

 
– The team, as a whole, has been pushing for more involvement and clarity with the timetable, particularly around the need for staggering of deadlines to ease studio capacity.  
 

– The technical team collectively needs to improve boundaries and having a unified message with the students to ensure students arrive on time and have accountability and take ownership of their organisation and time keeping.  

-Regular meetings held on a weekly basis need to focus on the collective accountability of the team. This is sometimes difficult to enforce due to my standing in the team and most members of the team being in senior positions. We also suffer from a lack of a present manager which creates difficulties.  

-I will read Rosenberg, M. (2005). Observing without evaluating and Nonviolent 
Communication: A Language of Life. CA: Puddledancer Press. I hope that the idea of nonviolent communication will help build my confidence in being assertive and more confident.