Session to be observed: 27th February 2025 – Technical workshop. Basque part 2, BA Fashion Contour year 1 group B., 9.30am – 12.30pm.
Observer: Grace O’Driscoll
Observee: Jade Gellard
Part One
Jade completed prior to the observation:
What is the context of this session within the curriculum?
I am delivering the second part of a three – part workshop, where I demonstrate how to make a Basque, and students complete their own sample for hand in to be assessed.
How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?
This is a 1st year class – September 2024. 5 months.
In the capacity of delivering the groups technical workshops.
What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?
The intended learning outcomes:
- Students learn new construction techniques.
- Students can take this and apply it to their own samples if suitable.
- Deepening the understanding of patterns, notches, and the language used for garment construction.
- Practicing using the specialist sewing machines required for contour to improve their overall garment finish.
What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?
The students follow along and complete their own Basque sample as part of their hand in requirements for block 2. The sample will not be completed until the following week, as there is a lot of sewing to be completed.
Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?
There is sometimes a ‘bottle neck’ of students requiring specialist machines at the same time. This can cause queues, or machinery breaking from speed and change of hands, resulting in long wait times. This can mean that students are not able to keep up with the demonstrations. My students have varying degrees of skill and use on a sewing machine. This can make it hard to balance the flow of the room, so that students aren’t waiting for the next steps, or are unable to keep up with the speed of the demonstration.
How will students be informed of the observation/review?
Students will be notified via their weekly email. The week before, I send an email to remind students of what to expect in the next session, and what materials/ equipment to bring along. I will check that everyone is comfortable, explain that the observation is part of my own hand in, and that there is no need to behave in a different way.
What would you particularly like feedback on?
The general atmosphere of the room. I want my sewing workshops to be encouraging, warm, and inviting. I want the students to be actively listening, engaged, and comfortable. But is this actually the case?
Is my language clear and concise?
Are all students treated equally, with no unconscious bias?
Is the flow and speed of the workshop suitably paced?
How will feedback be exchanged? Over email.
Part Two
Grace’s observations, suggestions and questions:
The general atmosphere of the room.
The atmosphere of the room was very warm and friendly while still being professional and productive. This was especially apparent as students arrived and were all greeted individually then issued brief encouragements on getting organised with any equipment and materials needed, and to check their sewing machines.
A noticeable factor was several very clear reminders of Health and Safety that Jade took time to include, both at the beginning of the session and again when the students started to work on their pieces. These were detailed and clear so their importance was well communicated. Jade then demonstrated this importance in real time when the fire alarm went off, communicating to students that this was not an expected test and so to evacuate immediately and calmly, and stating “I am switching the power to the machines off now”. I found this very impactful as in the library we often find students will wait a few minutes to see if the alarms stop and are quite reluctant to evacuate – Jade’s immediate approach was instructive and I felt a very useful lifeskill for students to see demonstrated.
Inclusive practice was shown through genuine concern for a student who arrived and reported attending despite feeling unwell, with encouragement to leave if not feeling well enough to persist and Jade giving clarity about ways to catch up on the content.
Active listening and engagement
The setup of the room was excellent, with a camera trained on the sewing machine as Jade worked through the exercise. Students were observed to be watching the screen carefully, with one student recording the tutorial and others taking detailed notes. Most had their materials and progress to date in front of them and could be seen glancing at the relevant pieces to ensure they understood the steps and instructions.
Jade was very careful with the camera placement and took time to zoom or re-position at regular intervals, ensuing that the images on screen were optimised to show as much detail and action as possible. This showed real concern for inclusion of all students who may be more visual learners and for those who may miss out on fine details otherwise.
Clear and concise language
Jade’s language and pace were very clear and succinct, she repeated some phrases at intervals which really helped their importance to sink in; for example explaining about the right / soft side of the materials, the placement of notches and the seam allowances, so that there was no chance to miss vital basics amongst the specific task instructions. Jade also checked and referred to her written list of task instructions which added clarity and reassurance that every step was covered. As an observer this was also a good reminder to myself to think in a step-by-step approach, so I think this would also be conveyed to students. I didn’t see any students with a copy of the step-by-step list Jade had and I wondered if it would be helpful to hand out a printed copy of a version of this for those that might benefit from a tick-list (it’s possible students had a digital or printed copy that I didn’t see).
One other thing I think the room would benefit from in addition to the camera and screen setup is a mic. Jade projected her voice really well across the room well despite being sat at a machine doing close-work, however she was at times in a position of needing to verbally explain while also looking down towards her sewing. A mic could be turned on to make it easier to project at a clearer volume in this situation.
All students treated equally
All students who arrived before the session start were greeted and welcomed to the room. Something I noticed particularly was that students arriving later were not commented on, and their arrival was not mentioned. I found this very inclusive practice – we don’t know the reasons students might run late and they might already be feeling stressed or anxious and may not be ready to interact. This is something I will try to remember in future, I’ve tended to try to smile and say hello which gets repetitive.
At the point where students were starting to work independently on their pieces Jade spoke to a student who may have missed the previous session as they were getting started on, rather than progressing their item. Jade offered them an alternate route of steps so that they could align with the session on the day, and then complete the previous steps independently to get the best out of the taught content without rushing their work and risking errors. Again, I found this to be an inclusive and compassionate approach.
Following the demonstration part of the tutorial Jade walked the room several times stopping to check on each student’s progress and confidence as they worked on their task, helping students who needed support and answering questions. This 1:1 checking approach ensured that everyone got equal access to help and time without having to call Jade over or approach her, which some students might be less comfortable to do.
Another noticeably inclusive element was Jade’s recognitions of more challenging or particularly tricky elements of the task. I find this especially important in elements of teaching or training where expertise is involved or assumed. Some students can write themselves off as ‘not good at’ certain skills, whereas they are actually just less experienced or less practiced. Jade used the phrase “even though I have been sewing a million year this is still something I have to double check / do slowly and carefully”. I found this a really inclusive and encouraging turn of phrase.
Flow and speed of the workshop pace
The workshop flowed very well, it was very clear that it was a ‘next steps’ workshop and the pace was very productive. A noticeable element was the clear communication of time allowances. This flowed through from before the start when verbal reminders of ‘5 minutes and ‘two minutes’ to start were given. For the student’s hands-on element a 45 minute allowance was clearly communicated at the start, then when 15 minutes had passed this was notified and Jade confirmed ‘you have 30 minutes, lots of time left’ which again was really encouraging, helping students to avoid rushing and making errors. Also, near the end of the first set of instructions before the independent working time Jade checked with the group whether they had taken on enough information and wanted to make a start on the hands-on element or whether she could add a little more before starting – the group wanted to make a start before any more content and Jade listened to this and adjusted her lesson plan which was very responsive and student-centered. Perhaps one reminder to students to ask for any help needed as Jade walked the room would have reassured anyone who is shy, but if the class already know their technician well this is probably not needed.
