Unravelling the Norms
In my role as a HPL on the BA Textiles Knit at CSM, I propose a workshop-based intervention titled Unravelling the Norms, designed to challenge assumptions around how creativity is expressed and valued in knitted textiles. This initiative promotes inclusivity in relation to disability, neurodivergence, mental health, language diversity, socioeconomic background, faith and gender identity, areas often overlooked in creative teaching spaces.
The workshop invites students to explore alternative processes of making, documentation, and communication, celebrating embodied knowledge, intuitive methods, and collaborative practice. It would ask: Who decides what counts as “good” or “valid”? What happens when we loosen the rules?
promoting ideas:
· Multi-sensory material exploration (touch, sound, texture)
· Reflection on affordable and accessible materials for those with limited resources
· Visual symbol mapping instead of written descriptions
· Photo or video journaling to document and reflect creatively
· Open-ended collaborative projects emphasizing diverse roles
· Reframing assessment criteria to value process and experimentation
· Inclusive sketchbook creation – encourage learners to build sketchbooks using mixed media, found materials, audio notes, and tactile elements, making them personal, sensory, and non-linear
This workshop seeds an evolving inclusive practice toolkit, co-developed with students and shared via Moodle. It responds to feedback that traditional expectations, like rigid sketchbook formats, can feel exclusionary, especially for those with neurodivergence, language barriers, financial constraints, caregiving duties, or differing cultural norms.
Aligned with my values of process-led, inclusive teaching, the workshop questions what is measured and who is supported, especially in a physical, time-intensive discipline like knit.
Though budget and teaching hours are none existent, embedding this into a timetabled session enables change within existing structures. It’s a small but meaningful step toward broader definitions of creativity and inclusion, centring diverse voices and ways of making.
Romany – this is a great intervention. It disrupts some of the usual practices whilst remaining achievable in scale. I particularly like the emphasis on process and use of sensory materials to support alternative learning styles and access needs. I look forward to seeing this develop!
Thanks Hannah, me too!!!
This is a great idea Romany, i particularly like how you plan to build this with the students, co planning it, this then allows for some of the ways of working you approach in this session to filter into all aspects of their learning which hopefully then enhances their learning experience and allows for inclusive environments outside of your workshops.
Similar to my intervention i feel like there is a lot to tackle at once, do you know where you might initially start with this idea so that it doesn’t become overwhelming for you to manage? I am struggling with how i might trial anything at this particular point in the academic year, my students are all submitting work or already finished for the summer and teaching staff are currently in assessments along with next academic year planning. It feels impossible to really put something together for this intervention that could actually create a consistent change, I guess that’s where the term 3 longer form plan comes in.. sorry just musing and ranting now lol!
Thanks, Ellie. Honestly, I’m not even sure how to go about this. I often find myself full of ideas but with very little power to actually implement them. The hours I teach are mainly tutorials and quite minimal, so everything feels rushed, there’s rarely time or space to go deeper. Realistically, this kind of work would have to be done in-kind, and even then, it’s hard to see where it could fit within the existing timetable or project structures, which don’t really allow space for this kind of intervention.
I would love to embed elements of this into a briefing or use it to frame part of a session, but I think I need to step back and reassess what’s actually possible. Writing the intervention plan felt a bit futile at times, because I’m aware I don’t really have the authority to change how things are taught. This was me being an idealist, trying to imagine what could be, even if I’m not sure how to get there.
Romany, there were so many interesting elements to this post, and particularly the different aspects of learning that you identified as underrepresented in the current mode of teaching.
I wondered if you had come across any research that discussed the creative practice – was there a logic or rationale for the way the school currently marks, or are these tired traditions? As I do not work in the practice-based component I was curious as to how sketchbooks are currently meant to be developed. These sound like innovative interventions, and I can sense your frustration about how it is out of your control to implement them. I particularly appreciated the collaborative potential – as I think our education systems still privilege the singular artist/genius model of creation, which is not the reality of a lot of design companies!
Thanks so much, Christin! I really appreciate your reflections. Sketchbooks can be a great tool for creative development, but the way they’re currently assessed often feels restrictive, students quickly learn there’s a “correct” way to present them, which can stifle experimentation. There’s a real tension between encouraging creative risk and the pressure to produce tidy, markable outcomes. It would be great to rethink how we assess creativity in a way that values process, collaboration, and divergence more meaningfully.
Romany, this looks like it has great potential. It reminded me a little of the micro teach session that you led last unit. I remember that you presented yarn as a material that could be approached by ‘non-kintters’ (I’m sure there’s a better word to describe that!) I really enjoyed your session, as it became a way to overcome concepts of good/bad success/failure, and instead allowed the participants to engage with the materials on their own terms. So perhaps there’s something that could be borrowed from that session?
Cheers Danny! Yes, the micro-teaching session was definitely an influence on my intervention. It really highlighted how removing the pressure to “get it right” and allowing people to engage with materials on their own terms can open up more inclusive and creative learning experiences. I’m interested in how we can borrow from that approach to shape more process-led, less hierarchical ways of teaching in creative education.