Proposal: A New Approach to the First Two Weeks of the Academic Year – Embedding Nonviolent Communication and Community Building
To promote inclusive learning within MA Commercial Photography at LCC, I propose a new approach to the first two weeks of the academic year, focused on non-violent communication (NVC) and community building. This intervention is designed to support the early integration of our international cohort and lay the groundwork for inclusive, collaborative learning across the course.
The idea to incorporate NVC emerged after a colleague shared its potential during a recent staff workshop – it struck me as a timely and powerful way to foster empathy, trust and dialogue among a diverse student group. To prepare, I will take part in UAL’s NVC staff development programme in late June and July, led by certified trainer and mediator Ceri Buckmaster, alongside Dr. Anna Troisi from the Creative Computing Institute. Their combined expertise in NVC and higher education will guide how I shape and deliver the workshop. I’m hoping to be able to design for the Pgcert unit submission but plan to improve the structure following my own training.
Our cohort is diverse in many ways – including nationality, language, age, lived experience and worldview. As we navigate global tensions, differing values and potential misunderstandings, a sense of community becomes central to our success. As bell hooks writes, “the classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy” (hooks, 1994, Teaching to Transgress). The first week will centre on the required inductions to LCC & early community building. Perhaps a peer folio review followed by a gallery visit and a social gathering somewhere suitable for all students.
In week two, students will take part in an NVC workshop and receive their first photographic brief. Up until now, the first photographic brief has centred on the student creating work alone in London. Realising how community building is integral to the success of our cohort the intervention will conclude with diverse student pairings for the first unit brief, This is London Now, delivered by Kalpesh Lathigra. Collaboration is the most essential skill in the commercial photography industry – this early investment ensures students are ready to navigate it with confidence and mutual respect.
I am also considering whether MACP’s fractional staff should participate in NVC training as a way to help ensure the language they use (when feeding back to our cohort) is appropriate, supportive and constructive. I will decide this after participating in the training.
Reference:
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. Routledge.
2 responses to “Intervention Proposal”
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Hi Rachel
I hope you’re well. Thank you for sharing your intervention design ideas. I think this is an intervention with a lot of potential that includes a meaningful link to industry (e.g. collaboration), aligns well with values of equity and empathy, and focuses on relational pedagogy through Nonviolent Communication (NVC), which seems very timely addresses a key challenge: how to support early belonging, connection, and collaboration in diverse HE settings. (L04).
The design clearly responds to known barriers international and marginalised students often face, including culture shock, linguistic anxiety, and fear of being misunderstood (LO2). Drawing on hooks (1994) helps position learning environments as spaces of possibility rather than hierarchy, but you could also bring in Crenshaw’s intersectionality when considering how people may be excluded even within inclusion efforts and Rekis (2023) to frame this as a risk of epistemic injustice (e.g. if students feel silenced, misread, or devalued because of how they communicate, or are perceived in academic/professional spaces, or their forms or knowledge are not acknowledged). It’d be good to also situate the intervention within the wider context, considering institutional guidance/policies/ frameworks along with, sector ones (Advance HE’s principles of inclusive pedagogy) or industry ones (professional bodies), which would help demonstrate LO1.
The intervention hints at your values but going forward, it’d be good to articulate elements of your your identity, experiences, observations, discussions, readings, or worldviews that inform your choice of intervention and approach. Why are you drawn to NVC? Why does this matter to you as a photographer, educator, or facilitator? A short reflection would strengthen LO3; Bayeck (2022), Shiffer (2020) or Ahmed (2019) could support you in exploring positionality more explicitly.
There are some resources below you may find useful and I’ve included the learning outcomes too to provide a focus for the reflective report when you come to it.
Regards, Victor
Potentially useful resources
Ahmed, S. (2012) On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life (the one recommended by Christin)
Rekis, J. (2023) to discuss epistemic injustice and inclusive communication
Malcolm, F. (2021) to consider freedom of speech and silence in HE
Bayeck, R. Y. (2022) on positionality, identity
Advance HE (2021). Embedding Inclusive Teaching and Learning
Offers guidance on aligning inclusive curriculum design with national HE policy.
https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/framework-inclusive-learning-and-teachingBelow, just a reminder of the learning outcomes.
LO1: Critically evaluate institutional, national and global perspectives of equality and diversity in relation to your academic practice context. [Enquiry]
LO2: Manifest your understanding of practices of inequity, their impact, and the implications for your professional context. [Knowledge]
LO3: Articulate the development of your positionality and identity through the lens of inclusive practices. [Communication]
LO4: Enact a sustainable transformation that applies intersectional social justice within your practice. [Realisation]-
Hi Victor,
Thank you for your generous and thoughtful feedback (both written here and in our recent tutorial). I found your comments really useful, especially your suggestion to reflect more on my positionality. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot since our tutorial – and will now bring more explicitly into my report.
As a female, first-generation university attendee from a working-class background – as a mother – and as someone who is neurodiverse – I’ve often felt like an outsider in both higher education and the photographic industry that I have been a part of for 20+ years. That ongoing sense of not quite belonging has made me deeply aware of how easily people can feel excluded – even in spaces that aim to be inclusive. These experiences have fostered a strong, empathetic need to ensure that everyone in our cohort feels seen, valued and able to take part fully from the very beginning.
I hope that Nonviolent Communication speaks to this commitment – offering a way to build learning environments that prioritise care, understanding and equity across difference. I begin my training this afternoon and will discuss with colleagues in tomorrow’s presentation. For the reflective report, I’ll draw on Bayeck, Shiffer and Ahmed to explore how my identity and lived experience shape my approach – and to strengthen LO3 by grounding the intervention in a more personal, reflexive and socially conscious pedagogy.
Thanks again – I really appreciate your support and direction.
Best,
Rachel
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Victor feedback + my response:
| Victor Guillen 1 approved v.guillen@arts.ac.uk 172.16.178.127 | Hi Rachel I hope you’re well. Thank you for sharing your intervention design ideas. I think this is an intervention with a lot of potential that includes a meaningful link to industry (e.g. collaboration), aligns well with values of equity and empathy, and focuses on relational pedagogy through Nonviolent Communication (NVC), which seems very timely addresses a key challenge: how to support early belonging, connection, and collaboration in diverse HE settings. (L04). The design clearly responds to known barriers international and marginalised students often face, including culture shock, linguistic anxiety, and fear of being misunderstood (LO2). Drawing on hooks (1994) helps position learning environments as spaces of possibility rather than hierarchy, but you could also bring in Crenshaw’s intersectionality when considering how people may be excluded even within inclusion efforts and Rekis (2023) to frame this as a risk of epistemic injustice (e.g. if students feel silenced, misread, or devalued because of how they communicate, or are perceived in academic/professional spaces, or their forms or knowledge are not acknowledged). It’d be good to also situate the intervention within the wider context, considering institutional guidance/policies/ frameworks along with, sector ones (Advance HE’s principles of inclusive pedagogy) or industry ones (professional bodies), which would help demonstrate LO1. The intervention hints at your values but going forward, it’d be good to articulate elements of your your identity, experiences, observations, discussions, readings, or worldviews that inform your choice of intervention and approach. Why are you drawn to NVC? Why does this matter to you as a photographer, educator, or facilitator? A short reflection would strengthen LO3; Bayeck (2022), Shiffer (2020) or Ahmed (2019) could support you in exploring positionality more explicitly. There are some resources below you may find useful and I’ve included the learning outcomes too to provide a focus for the reflective report when you come to it. Regards, Victor Potentially useful resources Ahmed, S. (2012) On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life (the one recommended by Christin) Rekis, J. (2023) to discuss epistemic injustice and inclusive communication Malcolm, F. (2021) to consider freedom of speech and silence in HE Bayeck, R. Y. (2022) on positionality, identity Advance HE (2021). Embedding Inclusive Teaching and Learning Offers guidance on aligning inclusive curriculum design with national HE policy. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/framework-inclusive-learning-and-teaching Below, just a reminder of the learning outcomes. LO1: Critically evaluate institutional, national and global perspectives of equality and diversity in relation to your academic practice context. [Enquiry] LO2: Manifest your understanding of practices of inequity, their impact, and the implications for your professional context. [Knowledge] LO3: Articulate the development of your positionality and identity through the lens of inclusive practices. [Communication] LO4: Enact a sustainable transformation that applies intersectional social justice within your practice. [Realisation] |
| Rachel Louise Brown 4 approved rachel.brown@lcc.arts.ac.uk 212.132.207.157 | In reply to Victor Guillen. Hi Victor, Thank you for your generous and thoughtful feedback (both written here and in our recent tutorial). I found your comments really useful, especially your suggestion to reflect more on my positionality. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot since our tutorial – and will now bring more explicitly into my report. As a female, first-generation university attendee from a working-class background – as a mother – and as someone who is neurodiverse – I’ve often felt like an outsider in both higher education and the photographic industry that I have been a part of for 20+ years. That ongoing sense of not quite belonging has made me deeply aware of how easily people can feel excluded – even in spaces that aim to be inclusive. These experiences have fostered a strong, empathetic need to ensure that everyone in our cohort feels seen, valued and able to take part fully from the very beginning. I hope that Nonviolent Communication speaks to this commitment – offering a way to build learning environments that prioritise care, understanding and equity across difference. I begin my training this afternoon and will discuss with colleagues in tomorrow’s presentation. For the reflective report, I’ll draw on Bayeck, Shiffer and Ahmed to explore how my identity and lived experience shape my approach – and to strengthen LO3 by grounding the intervention in a more personal, reflexive and socially conscious pedagogy. Thanks again – I really appreciate your support and direction. Best, Rachel |
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