RomanyPgCert

Designing my workshop Mark to Material has been a way to bring my previous intervention, Unravelling the Norms, into a new, practical context. That earlier project explored how sketchbooks in textile education can sometimes act as exclusionary spaces, reinforcing narrow ideas of what creativity “should” look like. I wanted to question those norms by creating a workshop that encourages play, experimentation, and accessibility, especially for those who might feel alienated by the traditional expectations of the sketchbook.

As I began planning my workshop, I realised how central reflection and data collection would be,  not just for the sake of assessment, but for understanding whether the workshop genuinely shifts thinking. My tutor’s feedback encouraged me to move beyond surface-level evaluation and think more deeply about what I was really asking: did participants find the workshop playful? Did new materials make creative practice more accessible? Did the “no right or wrong” ethos reduce fear of failure? And ultimately, did this broaden their understanding of what creativity can be?

These questions resonated with the purpose of my project, to challenge dominant ideas of creative “success” and make space for diverse ways of making and knowing. They also align with ideas from McNiff (2002), who reminds us that action research is about “learning from experience, systematically and reflectively, to improve practice.” My workshop isn’t just an activity; it’s a small act of inquiry into how teachers can rethink process, play, and inclusion in their own classrooms.

Collecting Data Ethically and Reflectively

I decided to use a combination of pre- and post-workshop questionnaires, a group reflective discussion, and observational note-taking to collect my data. This mixed-method approach, as Cohen, Manion, and Morrison (2012) describe, allows for both measurable and interpretive insight, a way of balancing structure and reflection.

The questionnaires will provide a baseline understanding of participants’ attitudes toward experimental drawing, sustainability, and inclusivity before and after the session. The reflective group discussion will allow for a more organic sharing of experience, encouraging participants to explore how they felt during the process, moments of play, discovery, or even uncertainty. I’ll record this discussion through field notes taken by an assistant, rather than audio, to maintain a relaxed, conversational atmosphere.

Following ethical guidance from UAL Insights, participants will be informed that their responses and reflections are being used solely for my PgCert Action Research Project and professional development. All data will be anonymised, securely stored, and presented only in aggregated or illustrative form.

This process feels in tune with Alvesson’s (2012) idea of ‘reflexive methodology’, where data isn’t just collected but ‘co-created’ through dialogue. Similarly, Ellis and Bochner (2006) argue that qualitative inquiry should “evoke, provoke, and engage,” which reflects how I want my workshop to feel, not like a survey, but a shared conversation about practice.

Prompts for Reflective Group Discussion

At the end of the session, I’ll facilitate a short group reflection to gather deeper qualitative data. These prompts are designed to connect directly to my research question while encouraging participants to speak from experience: (please see previous blog post)

These questions aim to create space for honest reflection, not just evaluation, recognising, as Tjora (2006) suggests, that rich data often comes from “the dynamics of dialogue.”

Looking Ahead

Thinking about data in this way has reframed how I see my role in the workshop. I’m not just facilitating a creative session, I’m learning through it. The feedback, reflections, and discussions become part of a collective inquiry into how we might make art and design education more inclusive, playful, and open-ended.

As McNiff (2002) reminds us, action research is as much about ‘becoming aware’ as it is about changing practice. In that sense, Mark to Material feels like both a workshop and a mirror, reflecting back to me what inclusive creativity might look like when we stop worrying about doing it “right.”

References

-Alvesson, M. (2012) ‘Interpreting Interviews’. London: Sage.

-Cohen, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, K. (2012) ‘Research Methods in Education’. London: Routledge.

– Ellis, C. & Bochner, A. P. (2006) ‘Analyzing Analytic Autoethnography’, ‘Journal of Contemporary Ethnography’, 35(4), pp. 429–449.

-McNiff, J. (2002) ‘Action Research for Professional Development: Concise Advice for New Action Researchers’. Dorset: September Books.

-Tjora, A. (2006) ‘Writing Small-Scale Research Projects in the Social Sciences’. London: Sage.

Group reflection Prompts: Unravelling the Norms: Inclusive, Process-Led approaches to Textiles Education

Purpose: To explore participants’ deeper reflections on the workshop, focusing on inclusivity, accessibility, play, and perceptions of creativity.

1. Playfulness & Engagement

• Did you find the workshop activities playful or engaging?
• Can you describe a moment that felt particularly playful (or not)?

2. Materials & Accessibility

• How did you feel about working with low-cost, everyday, or upcycled materials?
• Do you think introducing these kinds of materials makes creative activities more accessible for your students? Why or why not?

3. Fear of Failure & Experimentation

• How did the “no right or wrong” approach affect your own experience of making?
• Do you think these approaches could help reduce the fear of failure among your students? Can you give an example of how?

4. Supporting Diverse Learners

• Did the workshop give you any ideas for supporting students with different learning needs, backgrounds, or abilities?
• Can you imagine adapting any of these methods in your own classroom?

5. Broadened Understandings of Creativity

• Did the workshop shift or broaden your understanding of what creativity can look like?
• How might this influence the way you frame creativity to your students?

6. Practical Application

• Which activity or idea from the workshop feels most usable or adaptable in your teaching practice?
• Are there barriers you anticipate to trying these methods in your own context?

7. Final Reflection

• If you had to sum up the workshop in one word or phrase, what would it be?
• Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience today?

Reflecting on my pre and post questionnaires I felt they align closely with my research focus on inclusivity, process-led practice, and challenging creative norms.

I wanted to think about ‘Were these good questions to ask?’ They build directly on my research aims: to explore how playful, process-led textile workshops can reduce barriers to creativity and foster inclusive approaches to making.

Tutor feedback around ‘how participants perceived the affective and pedagogical dimensions of the workshop (e.g. play, fear of failure, accessibility, and creative norms) which are core to my project’s ethical and educational rationale.

Here’s how they align:

(Suggested Focus /Why it’s Valuable /Links to Research Aim)                                     

Playfulness and experimentation/  Reveals how freedom and open-endedness affect engagement /Tests the impact of process-led, “no right or wrong” approaches |

Accessibility of new materials  /Assesses the inclusivity of low-cost, sustainable resources / Addresses barriers to participation and resource inequality     |

Reducing fear of failure  /Captures emotional/psychological responses to creative risk /Evaluates whether the workshop lessens performance anxiety    

Support for diverse learners  /Gathers perspectives on inclusivity in pedagogy  /Relates to neurodivergence, language diversity, and ability     |

Broadening understanding of creativity / Encourages reflection on values and norms /Directly tests my action research hypothesis                  |

I am using a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach, which I think seems suitable for action research in education.

Questionnaires (Pre & Post)

-Provide quantifiable indicators of change (confidence, perception shifts, inclusivity awareness).

-Support comparison between before and after the intervention.

-Simple Likert scales + open-ended items capture both breadth and depth of response.  Cohen, Manion & Morrison (2012) describe questionnaires as effective for collecting “structured yet flexible data” in educational contexts (Research Methods in Education, Ch. 12).

Follow-up Interviews / Group Reflection

– Alvesson (2012) and Ellis & Bochner (2006) support using ‘reflexive, dialogic interviews’ to generate rich data grounded in participants’ lived experience.

-Invite a number of teachers to discuss their experiences in greater depth.

-Use semi-structured prompts:

Did you find the workshop playful or freeing in any way? Or Do you think these methods could reduce students’ fear of failure?” Or How might these approaches support more diverse learners?”

Observation & Reflective Notes

During the workshop, take notes (assistant) of:

-Participant body language and engagement./Spontaneous comments about materials, process, or play./ Group discussions and emergent ideas. As Tjora (2006) highlights “observation as a contextual complement” in qualitative action research, providing insight into interactional dynamics.

Artefacts / Visual Data

– Gray & Malins (2004) discuss the use of artefacts as “visual evidence of reflective process” in ‘Visualizing Research’.Collect anonymised images or notes from participants’ sketchbooks or mark-making outcomes (with consent).

-Use these to reflect on how process-led making manifests visually.

In Summary

– Align with my research question (on inclusivity and creative process)

– Capture affective, pedagogical, and conceptual change.

-Allow for triangulation (questionnaire + reflection + observation).

Pre-Workshop Questionnaire (before session begins)

Purpose: capture expectations, current practices, and perceptions around drawing/textile experimentation.

1. How confident do you currently feel about using experimental drawing or mark-making in your teaching?
   1. Very confident / Somewhat confident / Neutral / Not very confident / Not at all confident
2. How often do you incorporate sustainable or low-cost materials in your classroom practice?
   1. Always / Often / Sometimes / Rarely / Never
3. To what extent do you feel there is a “right” or “wrong” way to approach drawing or textile making?
   1. Strongly agree / Agree / Neutral / Disagree / Strongly disagree
4. What challenges do you face when encouraging students to take creative risks or experiment?
   (Open-ended)
5. What are you hoping to gain from today’s workshop?
   (Open-ended)

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Post-Workshop Questionnaire (after session ends)

Purpose: evaluate shifts in confidence, perceptions of accessibility, and relevance to practice.

1. After today’s workshop, how confident do you feel about using experimental drawing or textile techniques in your teaching?
   1. Very confident / Somewhat confident / Neutral / Not very confident / Not at all confident
2. How has your understanding of sustainability in creative practice changed, if at all?
   (Open-ended)
3. Did the workshop help you see ways to make creative activities more accessible and inclusive in your classroom?
   1. Yes, definitely / Yes, somewhat / Not sure / Not really / Not at all
   1. Please give an example if possible. (Open-ended follow-up)
4. How did the process-led, “no right or wrong” approach affect your experience of making during the session?
   (Open-ended)
5. What, if anything, will you take forward into your own teaching practice?(Open-ended)
6. Reflective space (Optional) sketch, doodle, or use non-verbal marks to respond.

A 3-hour CPD workshop for secondary school teachers, with a focus on drawing, mark making, yarn and fabric making

Themes of experimentation, sustainability, accessibility and process-driven creativity. Duration:

3 hours (2 sessions of 90 minutes with a shorter lunch break)

Overview:

This hands-on CPD workshop introduces secondary school teachers to playful and sustainable approaches to textile design, inspired by practices on the BA Textile Design course at Central Saint Martins. Focusing on process over perfection, the session explores accessible and experimental ways to engage students with drawing, mark making, and material exploration using upcycled and everyday materials. Participants will leave with practical skills, adaptable techniques, and inspiration to take back into their own classrooms.

Introduction

I’m Romany I am a HPL on the BA Textiles Knit programme at Central Saint Martins I also work at WSA. My practice and research explore inclusive, process-led approaches to textile education, with a focus on accessibility, sustainability, and challenging traditional creative norms.

This workshop is designed to give you hands-on experience with playful, sustainable, and accessible approaches to drawing and textile making. Over the next three hours, we’ll focus on process rather than perfection, experimenting with marks, patterns, and materials in ways that can be adapted for the classroom.

You’ll be exploring how drawing can evolve into surface and textile design, using low-cost and everyday materials to spark creativity. We’ll look at how experimentation can reduce fear of failure, build student confidence, and open up new approaches to teaching.

By the end of the session, you’ll leave with practical techniques, new ideas for embedding sustainability in your projects, and inspiration drawn from the ethos of Central Saint Martins’ BA Textile Design course. Most importantly, you’ll have a set of approaches you can take back to your students to encourage curiosity, play, and process-led making.

Let’s begin by loosening up with some experimental drawing and mark-making.So less emphasis on instructions and examples and more on ‘play’ and experimentation

Session 1: Drawing & Mark Making (70 minutes)

Focus: Observation, intuition, experimentation, pattern, and texture

Activities:

– Warm-up: Responsive Drawing Exercises & Drawing without looking (faces) 5 mins

 -Mark making- Using sticks, string, feathers, or found objects dipped in natural or recycled inks to draw plants, textures, or abstract forms. Emphasis on loosening up and embracing imperfection.

15mins

– Texture & Layering Techniques (Collage)

  Drawing with resist (e.g., wax, tape), rubbing surfaces, blind contour, and mark making with non-traditional tools (sponges, forks, old brushes).

20mins

– Pattern Translation 

  Extracting motifs from drawings to develop repeat or abstract patterns. Quick exercises in enlarging, rotating, and deconstructing.

25mins

– Group Reflection

  Sharing different marks and discussing how drawing can inform textile processes and stimulate classroom creativity.

LUNCH

Session 2: Making Yarns, Surfaces and fabrics (60 minutes)

Focus: Transformation of materials, tactile making, sustainable practices

Activities:

– Making Experimental Yarns 

  Twisting, knotting, wrapping, and binding scrap fabric, plastic bags, string, and paper to create yarns with varied texture and colour.

– Surface/Fabric Building 

  Using handweaving, knotting, looping, and layering techniques on card looms or grids. Exploring ways to turn the drawn patterns or yarns into textile-inspired pieces.

– Material Conversations 

  Encouraging awareness of waste materials and how to rethink their potential in textile contexts — linked to circular and sustainable design thinking.

– Closing Reflection 

  Group sharing of outcomes, and discussion of how these processes might translate to classroom activities with limited resources.

Learning Outcomes:

– Experience low-cost, accessible techniques for textile experimentation 

– Explore the value of process-led making and how to encourage student confidence through play and material curiosity 

– Understand how drawing can connect to textile design and material creation 

– Gain insight into the ethos of BA Textile Design at CSM, particularly in relation to sustainability and innovation

Ethical Action Plan (500-750 words)*

This document is a chance for you to begin shaping your project while thinking through its ethical considerations, implications, and responsibilities. We know this might feel early in your action research journey, but this short plan is here to help pin down your ideas and work-in-progress.

Use whatever writing format that suits you – lists, bullet points, statements or paragraphs – and follow the suggested links stated alongside some of the questions for guidance.

A good starting point is the BERA Guidelines for Educational Research, fifth edition (2024) alongside the ‘Ethics Files and Resources’ on Moodle.

When you’re ready, email your draft to your allocated tutor 48 hours in advance of you first group tutorial in the week commencing 6 October 2025, so it can help guide the focus of discussions and support your project development.

Name: Romany Taylor

Tutor: Mallika Kanyal

Date: 26/09/25

What is the working title of your project? Also write a few sentences about the focus of your project.   Unravelling the Norms: Inclusive, Process-Led Approaches to Textile Education   This project explores how experimental, process-driven workshops can challenge exclusionary practices in textile education, particularly the dominance of sketchbooks as the primary form of creative documentation. The focus is on designing and running a CPD workshop for secondary school teachers that introduces inclusive, sustainable, and low-cost approaches to mark-making, drawing, and material exploration. The aim is to test how playful, accessible methods can reduce fear of failure, support diverse learners, and broaden understandings of what counts as creativity.

What sources will you read or reference? Share 5 to 10. Inclusive and intersectional pedagogies bell hooks (Teaching to Transgress) Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed) Sara Ahmed (Living a Feminist Life). Critical perspectives on art and design education Gray & Malins (Visualizing Research), Steven Scrivener on practice-led research. Neurodiversity, disability, and creativity in HE works by Fiona French, Runswick-Cole, and writings from Inclusive Teaching in HE networks. Sustainability and material practices Kate Fletcher (Sustainable Fashion and Textiles), Louise St. Pierre (Design and Nature). Textile pedagogy CSM/UAL resources on BA Textile Design ethos, recent research on sketchbook practices and inclusivity.

What action(s) are you planning to take, and are they realistic in the time you have (Sept-Dec)?   -Deliver a 3-hour CPD workshop (From Mark to Material: Explorations in Experimental Textiles) with 30 secondary school teachers, arranged through UAL Insights. -Facilitate activities in experimental drawing, mark making, yarn/fabric making, and reflective group discussions. -Provide a lunch break with catering that takes into account participants’ dietary requirements to ensure inclusivity and accessibility. -Administer pre- and post-questionnaires (developed for this project) to capture participants’ perceptions of accessibility, sustainability, and experimentation. -Collect reflections, outcomes, and feedback as qualitative data to inform analysis. -Write a reflective blog/report to critically analyse outcomes and implications for inclusive textile pedagogy.

Who will be involved, and in what way? (e.g. colleagues, students, local community…). Note, if any of your participants will be under the age years of 18yrs, please seek further advice from your tutor.     -Researcher (Romany): Responsible for designing and facilitating the ‘Mark to Material’ workshop, managing participant communication, and collecting data in line with UAL’s ethical research guidance. The researcher will also conduct reflective analysis, synthesising data from questionnaires, group discussions, and observation notes.   -Participants (secondary school teachers): Participants will be invited through the UAL Insights programme and will take part voluntarily. They will engage in the workshop activities, complete short pre- and post-workshop questionnaires, and may choose to contribute to an informal reflective group discussion at the end of the session. Lunch will be provided, with all dietary needs accommodated to ensure inclusivity and comfort. -As the researcher I will ensure that all participants have received the ‘Participant Information Sheet’ outlining the purpose of the research, what participation involves, and how their data will be used, this will be verbally presented at the beginning of the workshop with the relevant consent forms to be signed if they are happy to participate.   -UAL Insights Team: The Insights team will manage participant recruitment and coordinate consent prior to the session. They will also oversee data handling and storage in compliance with UAL ethics protocols.   -Institutions (Central Saint Martins ): These institutions provide the academic and contextual framework for the project, supporting reflection on inclusive and process-led pedagogies in textile education.   -Ethical Approach to Consent and Participation: Participant consent will be obtained before the workshop begins through signed UAL consent forms, ensuring participants are fully informed of the research aims, their right to withdraw, and how their data will be anonymised. Consent will cover participation in the workshop, completion of questionnaires, and optional inclusion in the group reflection.   The group reflection will be guided by a small set of prompt questions designed to encourage discussion around accessibility, experimentation, and inclusivity in creative practice. This reflection will not be recorded, to maintain a relaxed and open atmosphere. Instead, an assistant (UAL student ambassador) will take brief anonymised notes capturing key themes or phrases from the discussion. These notes will later be used as qualitative data and thematically analysed alongside the pre- and post-workshop questionnaires.   Participation in the reflection and any shared comments will be entirely voluntary. Participants will be reminded that they can choose not to contribute, and that any feedback or examples shared will not be attributed to them individually in the final report.   -Summary of Method -Pre- and post-questionnaires to capture changes in confidence, understanding, and perceptions. -Facilitated reflective discussion with optional verbal contributions, guided by prompts. -Anonymised note-taking by an assistant rather than recording audio, to protect privacy and maintain participant comfort. -Triangulation of data from questionnaires, field notes, and workshop observation to inform reflective analysis.

What are the health & safety concerns, and how will you prepare for them? https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/42587/health-and-safety-hub https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/45761/health-and-safety-policies-and-standards   -Materials: Use of scissors, needles, inks/paints, and glue will be monitored; non-toxic materials selected where possible. -Environment: Workshop held at UAL, ensuring compliance with university health and safety protocols. -Physical comfort: Adequate breaks and provision of lunch with dietary requirements considered to support well-being. -Accessibility: Ensuring the venue is physically accessible and all participants can fully take part. -Emergency procedures: Follow UAL venue guidance (fire exits, first aid). -Risk management: Clear demonstrations of tool use, provision of protective coverings (aprons, wipes), and safe disposal of waste materials.

How will you manage and protect any physical and / or digital data you collect, including the data of people involved? https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#consenthttps://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#privacy-data-storage   -All participants will be informed that insights from the workshop will contribute to my PgCert Action Research Project, and that their participation helps explore inclusive, process-led approaches to creative education. This will be clearly stated in the Participant Information Sheet and consent form, so that participants understand how their anonymised data may be used in reflective analysis, academic writing, or presentations related to this research. -All participants will sign consent forms managed by UAL Insights, who will ensure compliance with institutional ethics and data protection procedures. -Physical data (e.g. completed questionnaires, workshop artefacts, anonymised notes from group reflections) will be stored securely in a locked folder or cabinet and digitised where appropriate for analysis. – Digital data(e.g. scanned documents, anonymised notes) will be stored on encrypted university servers or password-protected devices, in accordance with UAL’s data protection policy. -Identifiable data will never be shared in reports or presentations. All findings will be presented in aggregated or anonymised form, ensuring participant confidentiality is maintained throughout the research process.

How will you take ethics into account in your project for participants and / or yourself? https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#responsibilities-participants https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#responsibilities-sponsors https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024-online#responsibilities-wellbeing See Emotionally Demanding Research PDF on Moodle   –Participant well-being: The workshop is designed around accessibility, low-pressure engagement, and the principle of “no right or wrong,” aiming to reduce performance anxiety and fear of failure. Providing lunch, with all dietary requirements accommodated, further supports inclusion, comfort, and care. –Inclusivity: Activities and documentation methods are multimodal, allowing participants with diverse learning styles, needs, or access requirements to engage meaningfully. –Voluntary participation: Participation in the workshop and associated research is entirely voluntary. Teachers are free to withdraw at any time without consequence. However, as the workshop involves group discussion, it may not be possible to fully remove contributions already made in that shared context. –Scope of consent: Participants’ consent covers the use of their questionnaire responses and reflections solely for this PgCert Action Research Project and associated professional development assessment. Their data will not be used for any other research or publication without renewed consent. –Anonymity: All reflections, data, and examples will be anonymised before inclusion in written analysis, presentations, or assessment submissions. No individual participant will be identifiable. –Researcher reflexivity: Ongoing self-reflection will ensure sensitivity to positionality, power dynamics, and the potential emotional impact on participants. –Institutional oversight: Ethical compliance and data protection are supported and overseen by UAL Insights, who manage consent and safeguarding structures in line with university policy.

* The form itself is around 300 words, so with your additions the total length will come to a maximum of about 1,050 words.

As my ‘Mark to Material’ workshop develops, I’ve been thinking carefully about how ethics shape every stage of the process, not just in formal terms like consent and data management, but in how the workshop itself reflects values of care, inclusion, and respect. Because this project is about challenging exclusionary norms in textile education, the ethical dimension feels embedded in its core: it’s about creating a safe, democratic space for experimentation, where no one feels judged or “wrong.”

In planning my ethical action plan, I’ve tried to think about ethics not only as something procedural, but relational. As Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2012) note, sampling and participation in educational research require sensitivity to who is included, who is excluded, and whose voices are heard. By running the workshop through CSM’s Insights programme with secondary school teachers, I’m aware that my participants are not students but educators themselves, each bringing their own contexts, responsibilities, and constraints. Ensuring that participation is voluntary, informed, and genuinely collaborative is key.

Participants will be given a clear information sheet and consent form outlining how their contributions will be used, their right to withdraw, and how data will be anonymised and stored securely. As with all Insights activities, signed consent forms and data handling will follow UAL’s ethical protocols. I’ve also considered the small but real ethical moments that happen ‘within’ the session; for example, making sure that all materials and instructions are accessible, that participants with different needs can take part comfortably, and that there’s an atmosphere of mutual respect. Lunch and materials will be provided with dietary and access needs considered, reinforcing the idea that care is part of ethical practice.

On a deeper level, I see ethics as linked to the workshop’s pedagogical aims. McNiff (2002) reminds us that action research is a form of “living inquiry” it asks us to act with integrity, reflectively and responsively, within our own practice. For me, that means being attentive to power dynamics in teaching and research, and striving for a space where play, experimentation, and imperfection are celebrated.

In ‘Mark to Material’, ethics isn’t just about protecting participants, it’s about nurturing trust, openness, and curiosity. It’s about creating the conditions for people to explore, to take risks, and to learn together.

References

Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2012) “Research Methods in Education”. 7th edn. London: Routledge.

Ellis, C. and Bochner, A.P. (2006) ‘Analyzing Analytic Autoethnography: An Autopsy’, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 35(4), pp. 429–449.

McNiff, J. (2002) “Action Research for Professional Development: Concise Advice for New Action Researchers”. Dorset: September Books.