OB2 Peer Observation Report
Date of observation: 8th February, 2023 – 1.5 hours……….…………………
Observer: Smriti Mehra…………… Observee: Asuf Ishaq…………………
Observer to complete the following:
Observations and suggestions:
You led an in-person group session tutorial for students to talk about their offsite installation projects and plan their exhibitions. One student had let you know that were not going to be able to attend the session and you requested another student to voice-record the session for them.
Students are working on Negotiated Projects – an opportunity for which they made an application in which they proposed an installation in a public space. It is an opportunity for students to collaborate with real life partners to realise their ideas.
Polly, Axle and Ruby attended the session with you in person and you introduced me to them. Since your session was at the Glasgow School of Art and I am in London, I observed the session online. After the introduction I turned my camera off so as not to draw attention to myself or be a distraction.
You set the agenda for the session with a handout and a timetable. This is very useful as it made it easy for students to look at a calendar and chart out their plans then and there.
You emphasized the importance of making a detailed plan including key dates to communicate with the partners who would fabricate the final outcomes and also to consider the time it would take for production.
Each student discussed their project and their plans for it. You made yourself approachable by listening to them carefully, answering their questions and giving them options when they identified hurdles in their process.
You discussed a group visit and the logistics it involved. You discussed everything they needed to keep in mind about their collaborations.
- To find out all the techniques the company has to offer
- To ask technicians questions
- Plan for and make 2-3 visits for the production
- And most importantly to challenge them. Gauge the room they need for experimentation and not underestimate the time they need for this.
- You also emphasized what the company had said, which was for students to keep an open mind and not get too attached to their ideas. It is important to be reflexive both ways.
I appreciated the ease of the discussions and how comfortable the students were with you. The session was punctuated with laughter and everyone had time to talk about their work. You provided them with valuable milestones and communicated the importance of planning things well in advance. Providing a timetable made the task at hand immediate and effective. You helped them articulate the questions they needed to ask and gave them practical tips on how to structure their process – what needed to be done beforehand and what could they do onsite. You were open about what you did not know about their projects and students filled you in. You brought the conversation in and ended with what the students could expect from this process.
- The exhibition is a way to test their work with an audience.
- How could they be reflexive in this exchange
- To make the most of this opportunity
At the end of the session, you left handouts for Elanor and Juliet who missed the session.
The class was inclusive and it was a pleasure to observe you in action.
Observee to complete:
This was a small group tutorial of three sculpture students at the Glasgow School of Art, to discuss their project and exhibition. This session was focused on the planning and logistics of working with a fabricating factory and planning their exhibition. I was nervous for my first observation and began behaving out of character, Smriti joined live on Teams and offered to switch the camera off, which helped. This was my first tutorial with Polly, Axel and Ruby and two other students who couldn’t attend. It is an opportunity for all three students to share their ideas with staff and peers and support each other because all three are working with the same acrylic fabricator factory. The tutorial was useful for me to get to know the student and their work. My handouts for the schedule planner and list of key top-do lists were useful for students to plot timetables. One by one each student described the work they were making. This process Smriti observed I did this well, Polly, Axel and Ruby were comfortable with me leading the conversation. Providing insights into how to engage with a commercial factory and the importance of developing a relationship with them.
This logistics and planning tutorial was straightforward, students felt supported and felt comfortable sharing with each other. As Smriti observed I was preparing students to make the most of this opportunity, working with an external partner. And supporting them in planning and organizing their project. The tutorial was informal and fun, Axel had recorded the session for the absent two students, and there was good peer-to-peer support too. In this observation not much came up from Smriti that I could improve on, it was a straightforward group tutorial. I enjoyed the session and found Smriti’s observation useful to read and reflect on.