Who we learn with makes such a big impact on ‘what’ we learn. For example, in this class: Design for this Century Recitation, week after week we read the prescribed content individually, reflect on it (again individually) and come together to discuss our thoughts and opinions. At the end of every class, what we gain is not only from the readings, but we also absorb different perspectives and thoughts, a result of everyone’s individual backgrounds and experiences.

Learning must occur in context, with each person familiarising themselves with the rest of the group so as to successfully co-create and share (Jahoda 109). With the MFADT cohort being a large one, and students having different classes and schedules, most of us don’t know each other yet. There have been certain instances where I hear a name and ask myself if they are a DT student. I think for MFADT as a whole to be a full-fledged ‘community of practice’, we need to get to know each other better. We are still a work in progress.

On the other hand, each elective, Major Studio and DftC section that we are a part of can be seen as separate, but not independent, communities that we belong to, all within a larger structure. Since we meet outside of class and discuss our work, progress and projects, these communities that we participate in facilitate cross – pollination of ideas (Seelig).

Through a set of proposed philosophies and strategies such as defining inquiry-based, critical dialogue driven towards community and social justice, forms a recipe for co-creation (Jahoda 110-111). Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonamy pyramid outlines how we as participants in communities of practice manifest what we learn. However this tool talks of learning in steps whereas in reality the process is like an interconnected web with a number of factors involving observation, emotion, reflection and so on.

Publics and Counterpublics talks about how ‘a public’ as an idea is different from the general public we usually refer to (Warner 50). A public is a set of people at any given time that successfully receives or imbibes what we address. I had a few questions/ thoughts while reading this:

• If public speech is addresses to us and to strangers: Is this like how people interpret pop culture references or easter eggs in teasers and trailers when they have been previously come across the content in question. This results in some people ‘getting it’ while the rest feel left out.
• If a public is constituted through mere attention, does this mean that every time one spaces out or multitasks while they are watching/listening/reading, they are momentarily not part of the public?

 

Works Cited

Jahoda, Susan, and Caroline Woolard. 2019. Making & Being Embodiment, Collaboration, and Circulation in the Visual Arts: A Workbook. Pioneer Works Press, 2019.

Jahoda, S., & Woolard, C. (2019). Making & being embodiment, collaboration, and circulation in the Visual Arts: A workbook. Pioneer Works Press.

Warner, Michael. 2002. “Publics and Counterpublics.” Public Culture 14 (1): 49-90. doi:10.1215/08992363-14-1-49.