A Model for Design Learning by Stuart Harvey

Design Educate Liberate II

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Contents

Introduction & Context 3

Literature 5

Models - Intorduction to Theories 14

Authors reflections and thoughts 16

Reflective Log 16

Development 22

Case Studies 25

Conclusions 35

Bibliography 44

Further Reading 45

Appendix One 46

List of Illustrations

Prototype Model 15

Notebook Tutorial 18

Development Thinking 19, 20, 21

Humanist Learning Model Elements 22, 23, 24

Humanist Learning Manifesto 37

Humanist Learning Model Experiments 38-43

Design Educate Liberate II

Words 18 567

Author Stuart Harvey

Student ID 10026403

Date August 2011

Programme MA DPP

3

Introduction and Context

At an age when many students elect to start an

undergraduate education, creative students with

a measure of ambition and an interest in career

possibilities in art and design apply to undertake a

Foundation Course. This is the traditional, diagnostic

route for Fine Art and Design students, enabling them

to identify a subject specialism and apply to suitable

degree courses. In 2004/5 there were two hundred and

three Foundation Diploma courses (Legg, 2006, p4)

and today most degree courses prefer students with a

Foundation Diploma. (Hilpern, 2010), (British Council)

In most respects the students are adults but they

undergo a rapid change both because of the rigours

of a Foundation Course and because most are new to

adult-hood and are expected to embrace the challenges

of this phase of their lives, leaving behind school and

classroom culture. Against this background, the role

of the lecturer is complex, being partly art or design

practitioner and lecturer but also coach and counsellor,

guiding the student through a transitional process which

takes them from an ‘A’ level subject to a specialist,

industry based subject. Alongside this transition the

students ‘grow up’, becoming self directed and reflective

learners but also confident and reflective citizens, able

to critically de-cypher their worlds.

Many educators observe this process, not least

colleagues of the author, but it is the intensity of the

Foundation Course which forces it under the lens of this

paper. The sheer speed, one academic year equating

to nine months, at which the course progresses, the

demands on the students and staff and the problems

associated with guiding young adults, some older than

the usual eighteen or nineteen, through an intellectually

stimulating yet challenging journey will be familiar

to Foundation Course tutors. This paper examines

that process from the point of view of the relationship

between the student and the tutor. It is the contention

of this paper that art and design learning and teaching

must be humanist in approach to succeed and that a

truly humanistic application brings with it responsibility

and discipline. Furthermore, it is proposed that the

following models and discussions are relevant to design

education at all post-graduate levels.

The Foundation Course at Leeds College of Art, one of

the oldest in the country, dating back to Harry Thubron’s

Basic Design Course (which was in turn based on

Itten’s Basic Design Course) publishing its prospectus

in1958, (Owen, 2003, p78) is split into four subject

specialisms. These are ‘Fine Art’, ‘Textiles, Fashion and

Design for Performance’, ‘Object and Spatial Design’

and lastly, ‘Graphics, Illustration and Digital Media’ for

which the author is responsible. The students specialise

in October and remain in their specialist areas until

the end of the course. This context has provided a

site in which to make a study of design teaching and

this paper makes a distinction between Design and

Fine Art and will concentrate on design teaching and

learning. However, ‘The goal of education - any kind of

education, but especially a humanistic education - is

traditionally understood as twofold. First the students

are supposed to acquire a certain professionalism in

the field in which thay are being educated. Second,

the students are supposed to be changed as human

beings, formed anew by their education - to become

different, more accomplished, even a better example of

humanity.’ (Groys, 2009, p26)

Designing and delivering a programme which aims to

equip students with a range of design skills, an ethos

which endeavours to prepare them for independent, self

directed study in combination with subject specialisms

such as graphic design, advertising and illustration

which demand a critical engagement with contemporary

culture means that students are required to challenge

notions of how their worlds fit together. They are subject

to, what seems at first, a deeply unfamiliar learning

culture, their understandings of what art and design is

are completely overturned. The critical, reflective and

evaluative demands of design demand that the students

change as people and it is this transformative learning

that this paper will address.

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It is fortuitous that a study of humanist teaching and

learning practice has grown out of a course which puts

great emphasis on one to one teaching. However,

design is usually taught in this way, (Schön, 1987,

p45) with additional crits and seminars ensuring that

students receive the full range of design learning

but it is this ‘one to one’ element which is the most

important to the development of the student of design.

Design is reflective, evaluative and demands deep

thinking and problem solving skills. However these

things are difficult to learn individually. ‘Designing is

a holistic skill. In an important sense, one must grasp

it as a whole in order to grasp it at all. Therefore, one

cannot learn it in a molecular way, by learning first to

carry out smaller units of activity and then to string

those units together in a whole design process; for

the pieces tend to interact with one another and to

derive their meanings and characters from the whole

process in which they are embedded.’ (Schön, 1987,

p158) The development of the designer as a person

and self-directed, professional, creative being is also

a design process itself. It requires understanding of

the motivations and inhibitions which are affecting

learning and a sensitivity to the relationship which must

exist between student and tutor in order for learning

to take place. It assumes and argues that students

learn differently and so a single teaching and learning

strategy is not effective. The evidence suggesting that

the incidence of dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD in art

schools is due to those students having a predisposition

towards visual creativity (Barton, 1998) was part of the

inspiration for undertaking the required research for

this paper which aims to describe a relationship which

adressed diverse learning needs, model it, in order

to understand its functioning, discuss how it can be

applied in the design studio and how it came to function

in the authors practice of design educator and designer.

Part one of this investigation (Harvey, 2010) aimed to

set out a manifesto for design teaching and learning.

This second investigation is focused on the relationship

between tutor and tutee but under pinning this study

are the same beliefs in critical theory, thinking and

emancipatory education. In the section on the authors

thoughts and reflections, these belief and convictions

are discussed in more detail.

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Literature

By far the most influential and vital text in terms of

informing this study is ‘On Becoming a Person’.

(Rogers, 1961) Person to person approaches and

attempts to understand and guide practices during

tutorials coupled with the emancipatory aspects of

critical theory and thinking drew the author to read and

re-read this volume. There are other good studies of

mentoring and tutorial techniques, among the most

useful being Cohen,1995, but ‘On Becoming a Person’

addresses the problem of client centred learning.

Rogers sets out to pin-point the similarities between

person centred psychotherapy and education,

culminating in his earth shattering statement that

‘anything that can be taught to another is relatively

inconsequential and has little or no significant

influence on behaviour’ and ‘I realize increasingly that

I am only interested in learnings which significantly

influence behaviour’ so, ‘I have come to feel that the

only learning which significantly influences behaviour

is self-discovered, self appropriated learning’ and in

conclusion, ‘Such self-discovered learning, truth that

has been personally appropriated and assimilated

in experience, cannot be directly communicated to

another.’ (Rogers, 1961, p276) So what of the role of

the teacher? As this study unfolds it will be seen that

the notion of ‘teacher’ is questioned and re-framed. In

the same section, Rogers confesses ‘As a consequence

of the above, I realize I have lost interest in being a

teacher.’ (Rogers, 1961, p276)

This statement also had deep felt consequences for the

author who, was already questioning his role as creative

being with ambitions related to a professional creative

practice and college lecturer. Was it possible that there

was a way of not teaching which may instigate a deeper

and more significant learning in design students?1

1 The period of study which has led to the development of

the Humanist Learning Model has resulted in some decisions

about my own creative practice. I still do not know what that

is. Part of the aim of the year was to investigate a symbiosis

betwen creative and educative practice but this did not

happen, the conclusion being that the two can never occupy

the same space. I am still not sure what I have learned.

The PGCE felt a bit like I was not really doing it for myself

but the MA is and I have chosen to continue my PGCE. The

original idea was that the MA should be an antidote to the

PGCE but because of the MA I now think the PGCE was for

myself.

The label of ‘teacher’ is given to me not so much by my job

but by society. I am, if not a teacher, a kind of a teacher, but I

have come to realise that I am really not any kind of teacher.

This is a recent experience and it is the first time I have

realised that this year of study has been for me. The aim to

find a coexistance between design and educative practices

has failed but in re-reading Rogers and reflecting on learning

models I have come to realise that I am just a designer and to

design is to learn.

‘On Becoming a Person’ establishes a hypothesis for

personal growth and Rogers states that ‘in my early

professional years I was asking the question, How can

I treat, or cure or change this person? Now I would

phrase the question in this way: How can I provide

a relationship which this person may use for his own

personal growth.’ (Rogers, 1961, p32) He describes

‘The Relationship’ (Rogers, 1961, p33) as having three

elements, the first being that the therapist should as far

as possible be genuine. ‘This means that I need to be

aware of my own feelings, in so far as possible, rather

than presenting an outward façade of one attitude, while

holding another attitude at a deeper or unconscious

level’. (Rogers, 1961, p33) The second ‘condition’

(Rogers, 1961, p34) is that the therapist should have

a ‘warm regard’ for the client. ‘It means a respect and

liking for him as a separate person, a willingness for him

to possess his own feelings in his own way. It means

an acceptance of and regard for his attitudes of the

moment, no matter how negative or positive…’ (Rogers,

1961, p34) The third condition is empathy to enable

understanding of the clients feelings, ‘Acceptance

does not mean much until it involves understanding’

(Rogers, 1961, p34) which creates a further condition

of freedom, ‘freedom to explore oneself at both

conscious and unconscious levels’ and ‘freedom from

any type of moral or diagnostic evaluation, since all

evaluations are, I believe, always threatening.’ (Rogers,

1961, p34) This final statement, far from calling into

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question that notion that design students must be able

to evaluate themselves, their own and the work of

other practitioners, addresses educational assessment

directly. The implication for this thesis is that design

teaching should provide a stable trusting relationship

with a tutor and should not transmit design knowledge

at all.

In connection with diagnostic evaluation is the attitude

of professionalism which Roger describes as ‘aloofness

- a “professional” attitude, an impersonal relationship.’

(Rogers, 1961, p52) Most education is subject to

checks and procedures which make the process of

learning impersonal and whilst assessment, moderation

and verification are facts of life for all educators, they

must not affect the relationship between tutor and

tutee ‘it is safe to care… it is safe to relate to the other

person…’ (Rogers, 1961, p52) Rogers discusses the

conditions which have to exist within ‘The Relationship’

in more detail in the context of significant learning

but first explains significant learning (and he is now

discussing learning in psychotherapy), ‘It is learning

which makes a difference - in the individuals behaviour,

in the course of action he chooses in the future, in his

attitudes and in his personality. It is pervasive learning

which is not just an accretion of knowledge but which

interpenetrates with every portion of his existence.’2

2 I have said that design is the setting and solving of

problems but I am as a consequence of researching these

(Rogers, 1961, p280) The most important conditions

are Congruence and Empathic Understanding but firstly

the client must face a problem. This is another place

where design education and practice find resonances

in humanist psychology because surely, design is, at its

most fundamental, the setting and solving of problems.

The student has the problem of setting out to learn

something, the processes which constitute design but

also the problem of how to learn.3 The tutor also has to

theories of a new opinion that design is thought. I use the

term ‘realisation’ a lot as if the truth were ‘out there’ until I

found it but I think that is what significant learning feels like.

3 Perhaps the one thing I am learning is that design is a

way of freeing the mind. Rather than finding meaningful

structures to shape ones thinking it requires a banishing of

the ‘D’ motivation to model thinking. It requires a dissolving

of pre-conceptions which do not only exist in the eighteen or

nineteen year olds but build up like lime-scale in a water pipe

eventually restricting clear thought and perception in all of us.

Perhaps design is purely about thought - not thought that

leads to products. Perhaps problem solving and production

are aided by design thinking but at its purest design is, I am

sure, about thought. But thought wants to be structured. It

wants cause and effect, a model, a diagram and tries hard to

build a lifeworld and maintain it. But design wants to be free

of all constraint, all structure.

What, then, of the brief? The brief supplies constraint just

when our thoughts are freest but perhpas a brief cannot be

successfully interpreted without a liberated mind. When I and

other commentators talk about emancipation and liberation,

this is what is meant, that approaching problems from this

learn how the tutee learns and for that reason further

reference to tutor will be made as Learner ‘T’ and tutee

will be Learner ‘S’ since both parties, in what will be

further discussed, have to become learners. The third

condition is ‘Unconditional Positive Regard’ (Rogers,

1961, p283) ‘a caring which is not possessive, which

demands no personal gratification.’ (Rogers, 1961,

p283)

Congruence is about being real or genuine. Rogers

implies that unless the therapist is a ‘congruent person’

(Rogers, 1961, p282) ‘unified…integrated’ (Rogers,

1961, p283) therapy will not occur. The contention

of this paper is that learning will not occur if Learner

‘T’ is not congruent. ‘What I mean is that within the

relationship he [Learner ‘T’] is exactly what he says he

is - not a façade, or a role, or a pretense…Unless this

congruence is present to a considerable degree it is

unlikely that significant learning can occur.’ (Rogers,

1961, p282) It appears to be the case that any hint of a

front or façade causes wariness or caution in the other

person.4 Trust is misplaced and the relationship, if it can

perspective means both effective problem solving and

significant learning.

4 How long has it taken me to realise that the students react

more meaningfully if I allow them to see me as a real person?

Whenever this happens it feels dangerous but at the same

time I am more myself with the students than not - well, that

is the way it feels. Friends have remarked that they cannot

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be called a relationship is not one ‘in which defenses

can be dropped or in which significant learning and

change can occur.’ (Rogers, 1961, p283)

Rogers describes a further condition which has two

aspects. These are Psychological Safety and Freedom

and these conditions should have been arrived at as a

consequence of Congruence, Unconditional Positive

Regard and Empathy. If these are achieved, the client,

or Learner ‘S’ exists in a climate of Psychological

Safety and Freedom. If Learner ‘T’ can genuinely feel

that Learner ‘S’ ‘is of worth in his own right and in his

own unfolding, no matter what his present condition

or behaviour’ and can sense ‘the potentialities of the

individual and thus be able to have an unconditional

faith in him, no matter what his present state’, the imagine me as a teacher and I have made the same kind

of remark to teacher friends. A student said to me whilst we

were talking about his aspirations to become a teacher that I

had cause quite a few of them to re-evaluate themselves after

a particular briefing. In the briefing I was trying to address

poor attendance and a kind of relaxed attitude to the limited

amount of time the students had. They would typically sign in,

go for a coffee, have a break an hour later, take a long lunch,

have an extended afternoon break and pack up half an hour

before the end of the day. My speech was impassioned,

contained swearing, personal confessions of drug taking,

alcoholism and time wasting. I pleaded with them not to

waste their time. It was not an act. I was angry and the

students saw me angry and a little out of control. (At the same

time I know they value patience and control.)

learner will ‘sense a climate of safety’. (Rogers,

1961, p357) Not only will the learner be able to grow

psychologically and experience significant learning but

will be operating in a creative environment, experiencing

design. To be able to provide a climate of psychological

safety means also the absence of ‘external evaluation’

in which ‘we cease to form judgments of the other

individual from our own locus of evaluation [my italics]’.

(Rogers, 1961, p357) Structured education means

assessment and however this is conducted, it threatens

the stability and efficacy of the learning relationship

but, of course, assessment is a reality and in some

respects all students expect and want to be assessed

so that they can receive a measure of progress. The

relationship a tutor has with her tutees must be resilient

enough to conduct formal, summative assessment

without affecting the learning of the student. In short

Learner ‘S’ must implicitly trust Learner ‘T’ who is

conducting the assessment in the understanding that

assessment criteria are being applied fairly, carefully

and rigourously and that Learner ‘T’ is not judging

Learner ‘S’ on her own terms. As Rogers states,

‘Evaluation is always a threat, always creates a need

for defensiveness, always means that some portion

of experience must be denied to awareness’ (Rogers,

1961, p357) but, also cautions, ‘to cease evaluating

another is not to cease having reactions.’ (Rogers,

1961, p358)

Psychological Freedom means freedom of ‘symbolic

expression… complete freedom to think, to feel, to

be, whatever is most inward within himself’ but not

at the expense of the rules of society as expressing

‘all feelings, impulses and formings may not in all

instances be freeing. Behaviour may in some instances

be controlled by society, and this is as it should be.’

(Rogers, 1961, p359) Psychological Freedom however

means symbolic expression so that rather than

physically attacking a hated object, a symbol of it is

attacked and, in the context of this paper this means

critically attacking an object. Students beginning a

Foundation Course have not developed critical skills

and appear to require permission to criticize established

art, design and practices. Psychological Freedom

allows this critical thought to develop.

The phrase significant learning has already been

used and will continue to be used throughout this

paper. In terms of design teaching it signifies a deep

understanding of principles, of evaluative and reflective

praxis, of practical problem solving and manual skills

but all these are secondary to fundamental significant

learning. Only Rogers is definitive but from a tutors

point a view, the student who has been the subject of

significant learning understands this significance and it

inspires him or her to seek this feeling or state of mind

again. It is a peak experience which really does change

the individuals experience and ‘interpenetrates with

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every portion of his existence.’5 (Rogers, 1961, p280)

Abraham Maslow is the other major influence in the

development of this thesis and he uses the term

‘rubricizing’ to describe a kind of superficial learning ‘a

cheap form of cognizing, ie. not-cognizing, a quick, easy

cataloguing whose function is to make unnecessary the

effort required by more careful, idiographic perceiving

or thinking’ (Maslow, 1968, p141) in fact, just the

type of false learning the development of a Humanist

Learning Model aims to avoid. Maslow focuses on

cognition like Rogers and Mezirow and defines the

goal of human growth by the term ‘self-actualization’

but also confusingly warns that it is not the ultimate

goal and represents more of a ‘dynamic process,

active throughout life’ of becoming rather than ‘an

ultimate or final state of affairs’. (Maslow, 1968, p32)

This is one reason why once the learning relationship

is established it cannot be left to see to itself but must

be fed and watered. ‘Growth’, Maslow defines as ‘the

various processes which bring the person towards self-

actualization’ (Maslow, 1968, p32) and these processes

are broken down into ‘growth motivations’ like ‘talents,

capacities, creative tendencies [and] constitutional

5 It is not only eighteen or nineteen year olds or university

students who are struggling with design. Design requires

constant learning because only significant learning can

liberate the mind. Perhaps if I am not learning, I am not

designing.

potentialities’ (Maslow, 1968, p33) but growth can

also be affected by deficiency motivations or ‘deficit-

motivation’. Maslow observes that ‘So called learning

theory in this country has based itself almost entirely

on deficit-motivation with goal objects usually external

to the organism, ie. learning the best way to satisfy a

need.’ (Maslow, 1968, p44) Students leaving ‘A’ level

courses are observed to exhibit deficiency-motivated

learning needs, often questioning why they are not

being taught anything and when they will be taught

Photoshop or screen-printing or any other practical skill.

The culture shift can be as difficult as the shift from

child-hood into adult-hood.

The development of the Humanist Learning Model,

which this paper sets out to document, borrows

Deficiency Motivation and Being Motivation from

Maslow but deficiency and growth (growth and being

are interchangeable in Maslow) can be applied to

perception and Maslow clarifies using a slightly different

terminology. ‘I think our understanding of perception

and therefore the perceived world will be much changed

and enlarged if we study carefully the distinction

between need-interested and need-disinterested or

desireless perception. Because the latter is so much

more concrete and less abstracted and selective…[the

person] can perceive simultaneously the opposites

and dichotomies, the polarities, the contradictions and

incompatibles.’ (Maslow, 1968, p45) The person who

has developed the cognitive functioning to perceive at

a critical level, to question this perception and to form

judgements based on this perception can be said to

be critically aware and reflective. This is the goal of the

Humanist Learning Model but it is justifiably conceded

that this lofty ideal may not be achievable in all its

participants, however the principle under development

asserts that any progress towards this goal is significant

learning.

Not only are the students arriving from their ‘A’ levels

on the verge of adulthood, they are ‘D’ motivated ‘(D

= Deficiency, B = Being)’ (Maslow, 1968, p223) and

are embarking on a course of education where self

actualization is a distinct possibility because of the

nature of design thinking and processing. (The reader

must not confuse ‘D’ motivation with demotivation which

is a consequence of ‘rubricizing’ and something the

Humanist Learning Model has to address frequently.)

To explain ‘D’ motivation in more detail, Maslow uses

‘D’ this time with cognition. ‘D cognition could be called

selfish cognition, in which the world is organized into

gratifiers and frustrators of our own needs, with other

characteristics being ignored or slurred. The cognition

of the object, in its own right and its own Being, without

reference to its need gratifying or need frustrating

qualities, that is, without primary reference to its value

for the observer of its effects upon him can be called B

cognition (or self-transcending, or unselfish or objective

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cognition)’. (Maslow, 1968, p223)6

The Humanist Learning Relationship must adopt a

role of identifying ‘D’ motivations because these inhibit

true or significant learning, preventing learners from

transcending and initiating shifts in their own lifeworlds.

However, it is impossible to banish them entirely

and indeed they are essential in identifying practical

processes and skills which should lead to significant

learning. ‘D’ motivation induces a desire to assimilate a

practical skill without a reflective context. Jack Mezirow

uses the term transformative learning in the same

context as Rogers uses significant learning but with a

subtle difference in that transformative learning implies

a change in frames of reference so that as a ‘condition

of being human…we have to understand the meaning

of our experience. For some, any uncritically assimilated

explanation by an authority figure will suffice.’ (Mezirow,

1997, p5) Mezirow makes a direct link when defining

the term frames of reference with Habermas’s concept

of lifeworld (see below) in which particularly adult

learners ‘have acquired a coherent body of experience

- associations, concepts, values, feelings, conditioned

responses - frames of reference which define their life 6 Having an MA means more options for earning money

from something I love; a ‘D’ motivation. When I ‘realise’ I

have certain views, that they fit together although they may

be extreme, that those feelings are fleeting or dangerous,

that one of my students has this ‘realisation’, that they are an

individual because of the way they think...

world.’ (Mezirow, 1997, p5) In young design students

this can also include preconceptions, expectations of

what design is, how it works and how it can be learned.

The development of a learning relationship, aims to

affect change, transformation in the learners lifeword or

frames of reference, as Mezirow states, ‘Transformative

learning develops autonomous thinking’ (Mezirow,

1997, p5) not just a component of design thinking but

an essential tool for future, significant learning and

progression through education.

Mezirow breaks down frames of reference into two

components (which seem in some way to reference

Maslow’s ‘Being’ and ‘Deficiency’ motivations) namely,

‘points of view’ and ‘habits of mind’ which ‘are primarily

the result of cultural assimilation and the idiosyncratic

influences of primary caregivers’ habits of mind being

‘more durable’ than points of view.7 (Mezirow, 1997, p6)

The primary means of instigating significant learning

is facilitating critical self reflection and in the design

education context this means critical reflection of

the results of design problem solving also since it is

7 Until recently my point of view was that I was a teacher

who wanted to (re) build a design practice and that these

two things had to mesh or I would not achieve what I wanted

to achieve. Perhaps a habit of mind has been broken in that

I realise its all about thought - not just accepting another

opinion but a change in deep seated beliefs. And using the

term ‘beliefs’ is a little difficult because we are not supposed

to challenge our beliefs are we?

proposed herein that design has to address the self

as well as the brief. Mezirow, extensively referencing

Habermas, borrows the term communicative learning

where two parties aim for a consensus. ‘Communicative

learning involves at least two persons striving to reach

an understanding of the meaning of an interpretation

or the justification for a belief. Ideally communicative

learning involves reaching a consensus’. (Mezirow,

1997, p6) The Humanist Learning Relationship aims

to establish a consensus that allows for critical self

reflection in both parties, both learners. It will be

proposed that the learning which takes place in the

Humanist Learning Relationship is not one way and not

significant in just the student of design but in Learner ‘T’

also.

Critical Reflection, then, is the key to adult learning but

Foundation students are eighteen years old and turn

nineteen on the course for the most part. To instigate

significant learning, growth, becoming or being, that is

personal growth, requires maturity and experience at

least and this responsibility and inevitability cannot be

ignored. Mezirow calls this process ‘psychoeducational’

and warns that for adults to ‘overcome such ordinary

existential psychological distortions’ requires ‘skilled

adult counselors and educators as well as therapists.’

(Mezirow, 1990, p17) This statement provokes the

question and point that teachers are not therapists so

how can they ‘deal’ with the psychological needs of

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students on a day to day basis? Mezirow adds that it is

‘crucially important’ that educators address learning at

a psychological level ‘inasmuch as the most significant

adult learning occurs in connection with life transitions.’

(Mezirow, 1990, p17) Psychological distortions are

preconceptions arising from ‘presuppositions generating

unwarranted anxiety that impede taking action.’

(Mezirow, 1990, p16)

The Humanist Learning Relationship is a discourse that

has to be developed in order for learning at a significant

level to take place. It cannot isolate itself from the

psychoeducational processes of personal growth by

focussing on subject knowledge and maintaining what

has been called ‘professional distance’.8 The Humanist

Learning Realtionship is a ‘dialogic community’ which

Learner ‘T’ is responsible for facilitating and monitoring

using reflective practices but enables ‘learners to

engage in rational discourse and action’ (Mezirow,

1990, p354) but it may seem that once the Learning

Relationship is set up, it can be left to take care of itself.

The Relationship is a process, a praxis which contains

8 Most educators have experienced their more senior

colleagues’ warnings about ‘getting involved’. The

Humanist principles being discussed in this paper require

wholehearted involvement. Until developing these theories,

I kept a little of myself hidden under the mistaken view that

I should not ‘give’ the students all of myself. These words

seem so naive now. There is no danger. There is no negative

consequence of being congruent.

two learners who are consensually transforming and

so requires constant nurturing because ‘reflective

discourse and its resulting insight do not make for

transformative learning. Acting on these emancipatory

insights, a praxis, is also necessary…The learner must

have the will to act upon his or her new convictions.’

(Mezirow, 1990, p355)

Before leaving Mezirow it seems fitting to discuss a

final paragraph where he uses the term ‘precipitates’

and the reader will hopefully forgive this extended

quotation but there is some important definition in its

contents. ‘The adult educator actively precipitates

transformative learning when, in the process of helping

learners address their expressed needs, he or she

seeks to move the learners interest beyond their

articulated needs to understanding the reasons for

them and the way psychocultural forces have shaped

the learner’s interpretation of the worlds of others, and

of themselves.9 Here, the role of the educator calls

for a higher degree of creative effort, to conceptualise

ways of drawing learners into critical self-reflection

about their own ideas and assumptions. As this process

of transformative learning begins, its initiative and 9 My perception of the students has changed steadily over

the past three years but this year has felt like letting go. My

colleagues say that I always say “Its been a great year” but

because of this ‘letting go’, which seems like a much more

intuitive approach to the relationship with the students, it has

been a great year.

control reside in the learner; increasingly the role of

the educator is to provide a sound board for testing

new learner realities.’ (Mezirow, 1990, p365) The

Humanist Learning Relationship is the mechanism

that precipitates significant learning and the above

paragraph applies to Learner ‘T’ as much as to Learner

‘S’. It also describes a design learning methodology.

Donald Schön describes the ‘predicament’ of the design

student as ‘likely to find the costs of commitment greater

than its expected rewards’ (Schön, 1987, p94) and

for many graduating Foundation course students this

seems to hold true because it is not until later, on their

degree programmes that the value of having undertaken

a Foundation course starts to be realised. Many

students return to Leeds to talk about their experiences

on their degrees with the benefit of reflecting upon

how Foundation learning has been applied in a

degree course context. The author also speaks from

experience here. Schön, however also defines the

same ‘predicament’ but it also applies to what faces

students at the beginning of a four year period of design

education. ‘More important is the sense of being at

risk. Swimming in unfamiliar water, the student risks

the loss of his competence, control, and confidence.

He must temporarily abandon much that he already

values… And he may fear that, by a kind of insidious

coercion, he may permanently lose what he already

values.’ (Schön, 1987, p94) Schön is talking specifically

11

about design but design students are routinely asked

to ‘temporarily abandon’ ideas about who they are

and how they fit into the world so the passage above

equally applies at a psychological level. ‘Designing is

a holistic skill. In an important sense, one must grasp

it as a whole in order to grasp it at all. Therefore one

cannot learn it in a molecular way, by learning first to

carry out smaller units of activity and then to string

these units together in a whole design process’. (Schön,

1987, p158) Students beginning to think about this

notion can become confused and attempt to look for

formulas, steps to follow, a flow diagram of design. The

task of shifting a mode of thinking attuned to an ‘A’ level

syllabus to one which, asks for a massive reshaping of

psychologies and cognitive processes seems almost

inhuman and it is one which lays at the feet of the tutor

a huge responsibility. ‘However much the master may

dislike asking the student to give up his autonomy, he

must invite him to enter into a temporary relationship of

trust and dependency.’ (Schön, 1987, p95)

Schön describes the relationship between a selection of

architecture students and their tutor Quist but it seems

from the perspective of developing a Humanist Learning

Model that Quist, although a skilled and reflective

designer, is not concerned with any other transaction

than the design process. He seems rather cold infact.

The purpose of Schön’s description of Quist and his

students is to demonstrate how he, Quist, is in reflection

almost the whole time he is discussing the problems

posed by the architecture brief. Schön calls Quist’s

series of responses to the students project ‘moves’.

‘Each move is a local experiment that contributes

to the global experiment of reframing the problem.

Some moves are resisted…while others generate new

phenomena.’ (Schön, 1987, p57) Although Schön’s

focus is reflection and learning he in no way addresses

any sort of client/therapist relationship as in Rogers or

Maslow, but he sets out the complexities of reflection

in-action-in-design. For both parties involved, Schön

uses the terms coach and student, ‘two kinds of

practice are involved in the practicum: the substantive

designing she tries to learn and the reflection-in-action

by which she tries to learn it. Each kind of learning

feeds the other, and the resulting learning circle may

be virtuous or vicious.’ (Schön, 1987, p164) There is a

correlation in this statement to the effect that ‘one type

of learning feeds the other’ because the proposal under

investigation with regard to the Humanist Learning

Model is that lifeworld and psychological transformation

affect how learning, particularly design learning takes

place.

There is no doubting Quist’s skill as a teacher. He is

practicing ‘responsive listening, and asking ‘open ended

questions’, providing ‘descriptive feedback’, ‘perception

checks’ and offering ‘nonjudgmental sensitive

responses’ (Cohen, 1995, p29) but he maintains

professional distance. In some respect it seems that

Schön’s model can be a little unsympathetic to the

‘predicament’ of the student. He correctly identifies the

need for a dialogue between tutor and tutee and the

fact that the ‘student must be able to take part in the

dialogue if she is to learn the substantive practice [of

design] and she must design to some degree in order

to participate in the dialogue’ means that learning can

be ‘hindered’. (Schön, 1987, p165) This would hold

true for the Humanist Learning Model also but the tutor

accepting and instigating the Model is seeking empathy

from first meeting the student and ‘as she learns the

reflection-in-action of the dialogue, she increases her

ability to draw from it lessons useful for designing. And

the greater her design competence the greater her

capacity for the reflection-in-action of the dialogue.’

(Schön, 1987, p165) The student new to design will

always feel overwhelmed and in awe of the task ahead,

of learning design and the realization that design cannot

be learned by rote. The Humanist Learning Model

anticipates this predicament but also proposes that

psychoeducational change is part and parcel of learning

design. If both learners in the Humanist Learning Model

are to learn then personal transformation is necessary.

There are criticisms of Schön’s work on reflection

(Moon, 1999, p46) but within a design learning context

they appear to be helpful. Moon’s volume offers an

extensive overview of reflection and suggests sensible

12

practica in learning and professional development.

One of the criticisms of Schön’s work is concerned

with terminology, in particular the term reflection-in-

action. (Moon, 1999, p46) From a creative point of view,

reflection-in-action is vital to the process of designing

and the Humanist Learning Model would not work

without subscription to this theory.

Central to the thesis being developed is the idea

of the lifeworld, a complex matrix of suppositions,

preconceptions, and frames of reference which

all adults have developed to enable them to form

judgements about their environments and others who

they come in to contact with. Design-Educate-Liberate

(Harvey, 2010) proposed that design learning required

critical thinking that asked students not to accept their

worlds as they find them, to critique and question and

that personal growth was connected to this process

of becoming critical. This paper focuses down on the

mechanism for achieving those aims and the critical

theorists seem almost convenient in what they have to

offer to the Humanist Learning Model. Kellner (1989)

has the place of the most useful introduction to the

history of the Frankfurt School and it consequent

incarnations but Brookfield (2005) places critical

theory firmly in the context of adult education with the

emphasis on emancipation.

‘Any one who claims that adult education is about

empowering adult learners (in my experience a majority

of those who identify themselves as working in the field)

must engage with Foucault’s work.’ (Brookfield, 2005,

p121) The most important point Brookfield makes in

terms of Foucault (apart from justifying him as a critical

theorist) is that ‘Foucault criticizes the belief that society

at large, and adult educational practices in particular,

contain zones of freedom uncontaminated by the

presence of power.’ (Brookfield, 2005, p129) Even given

the strive for empathy and psychological freedom within

the Humanist Learning Relationship, there is still an

issue of power that Learner ‘T’ must be eminently aware

of. It cannot be dissipated because the teaching team

must be able to ‘police’ a cohort in order to maintain

the rules of a normal society but it will always threaten

the fragility of the Relationship as if ‘a multitude of

often minor processes, of different origin and scattered

location, [which] overlap, repeat, or imitate one another

according to their domain of application, converge and

gradually produce the blueprint of a general method’

of control. (Foucault, 1977, p138) Foucault makes the

onset of power insidious but it is not the purpose of

this thesis to discuss power per se. Since Learner ‘T’ is

responsible for maintaining the Learning Relationship,

it is Learner ‘T’ who is likely to be perceived as having

‘disciplinary power’ (Brookfield, 2005, p131) so must

trust the functioning of the Relationship so that the

power balance does not undermine trust. Indeed

Learner ‘S’ may even expect that the power in the

Relationship is mainly with Learner ‘T’.

Brookfield discusses Fromm in terms of ideology

critique, Gramsci on hegemony (Brookfield, 2005, p170)

and in particular consumer malleability (Brookfield,

2005, p160) and it is an aim of both design learning in

both subject specialist terms and design thinking and

processing, and the encouragement of criticality and

cultural awareness that are central aims of the Learning

Relationship.10 In a similar way that is described by

Maslow as a property of peak experiences, the ‘self-

validating, self-justfying’ moments which carry their

‘own intrinsic value’ that are ‘so valuable an experience,

so great a revelation, that to attempt to justify it takes

away from its dignity and worth’, (Maslow, 1968, p90)

‘Marcuse turns to the liberating power of art…To him

true autonomy - separation from the contaminating

influences of conformity and consumerism - arises out

of the individual’s opportunity to abstract herself from

the day-to-day reality of the surrounding culture.’11

10 My feeling is that design and consumerism are in fact

incompatible. I liken the antipathy to the music industry where

disposable pop is produced to generate capital to support

new music. Design has answers but consumerism dulls the

senses. For instance Defuturing or ‘confronting and remov-

ing the authority of the foundations of thought, upon which

the narratives of the like of ‘world’, ‘future’, ‘production’ and

‘progress’ stand...’ (Fry, 1999, p2)

11 Design is a political act. Design as thought, frees

perception from wordly, that is capitalist, constraint. The Peak

13

(Brookfield, 2005, p196) Marcuse, discussed by

Brookfield, theorised that solitary appreciation of art was

liberating and revolutionary because ‘we are moved

by primal aesthetic and creative impulses, not the

dictates of majority opinion or common sense criteria of

beauty.’ (Brookfield, 2005, p198) Although the Humanist

Learning Relationship is central to the learning of both

parties involved, the learning it precipitates is more

important than the relationship because this learning

should, if all is going well, be significant, deep and life-

changing.

The author has a belief that design can and hopefully

will change the world, even save it from extinction.

Marcuse did not believe art could change the world

but did believe that ‘it can contribute to changing the

consciousness and drives of the men and women who

could change the world.’ (Marcuse, 1978, p32) Perhaps

the goal of the Humanist Learning Relationship is to

inspire designers who will make the best use of the

resources the Earth has left or has already used. It is

they who will change the world.

Experience is the phenomena of the self-realisation of the

freed mind. Design is critical because it is not conformist or

shaped by commercial influences. Design is Marxian. Kellner

uses this term instead of Marxist to denote the progression of

social theory from the original Marxist critiques to ‘a response

to the vicissitudes of twentieth century history’. (Kellner, 1989,

p1)

‘When adults deal with situations that demand actions

from them, glimpses of the lifeworld become possible.

Pieces of it also come into view in the process of what

Habermas calls symbolic reproduction.’12 (Brookfield,

2005, p240) The concept of Lifeworld is also central to

the functioning of the Humanist Learning Relationship.

Brookfield is sympathetic to those of us who have read

Marcuse’s explanation and précis him thus; ‘I think of

the lifeworld as the background rules, assumptions,

and common sense understandings that structure how

we perceive the world and how we communicate that

perception to those around us. This kind of primordial,

prereflective knowledge hovers on the periphery

of consciousness, a shadowy frame to all we think

and do. The lifeworld is all pervasive, the oxygen we

breathe without ever really being aware of our rhythmic

inhalations or the way they keep us alive. (Brookfield,

2005, p238)

Although the Humanist Learning Relationship is

empathic, mutual and trusting, it must also be

challenging. The lifeworlds of both parties have to be

tranformed. ‘Habermas allows the possibility of our

becoming aware of the false knowledge, distorted

assumptions and self-destructive presuppositions

12 Discussion or discourse is essential for design as thought.

To challenge a lifeworld, problems have to be set which

induce shifts in thought, in motivation and so in lifeworlds.

Criticality can achieve this whether by self or another.

the lifeworld contains when we are confronted with a

particular situation which demands action.’ (Brookfield,

2005, p240) This is when symbolic reproduction takes

place as the assumptions and collected knowledge we

had relied upon cease to serve us in the challenges of

a new situation. The Humanist Learning Relationship

is a site of communicative action. ‘In communicative

action our assumptions and intuitive preunderstandings

are all the time being put to the test as we are asked

tacitly to accept suggestions, justifications and social

arrangements that are presented to us as obvious

facts.’ (Brookfield, 2005, p241) The lifeworld, if not

addressed in learning prevents growth and underpins

conformity, in Habermas’ words ‘in communicative

action, which requires taking yes/no positions to claims

of truth and efficiency, the background knowledge of the

life world is submitted to ongoing tests across its entire

breadth.’ (Habermas, 1987, p321)

14

Models - introduction to theories

Understanding, monitoring and establishing a learning

relationship with a student is complicated, hard work

and is time consuming. Previous research (Harvey,

2010) identified a manifesto for design learning but did

not successfully examine the relationship between the

tutor, Learner ‘T’ and the student, Learner ‘S’ which is

the site of psychological transformation, growth and

significant learning. This paper sets out to map this

relationship which is based on humanist psychological

principles so that it may be useful for educators

working in a design education context. Although this

thesis describes deeply held beliefs about teaching,

learning and design, the one thing it does not set

out to do is instruct. It may be that if these word are

read by design professionals, they may recognise

some of the problems or some of the difficulties of

teaching something as intangible as how to design

something and that is all one can ask because there

are many things written about teaching and learning,

wrong ways and right ways but herein we are dealing

exclusively with design and adults striving to understand

themselves as well the labyrinth of design process.13

13 Even though I am reaching significant conclusions

about design, the Humanist Learning Model, and my

practice, I am by so doing, ganing the confidence to swim

into deeper, rougher waters. Design can not be understood

The above literature review identifies key concepts

which inform the thesis but to recap, the learning

relationship revolves around two people, the student

and the tutor, Learner ‘S’ and Learner ‘T’ and is about

their interaction. Both are considered learners because

each has to embark on a cognitive journey, Learner

‘S’ into the intricacies of creative thinking and practical

problem solving combined with a growing maturity and

adult psychology, whilst Learner ‘T’ has to precipitate

and support this process by learning how best to

encourage it. The relationship between the two people

is called the Humanist Learning Relationship (HLR)

and wholeheartedly embraces the humanist principles

of Rogers and Maslow with the transformative theories

of Mezirow and the critical commentaries of Marcuse,

Habermas and Fromm. The HLR also has the function

of providing a model called the Humanist Reflective

Model (HRM) and both together, the complete thesis

is modelled and called the Humanist Learning Model

(HLM). The discussion will try not to rely solely on

abbreviations.

The prototype model was a reflective template

devised with guiding reflection in mind. (page 15) It

is a little confusing and requires some effort to apply

it to reflective thought, however it did serve to aid

methodologies with case studies of which more later.

The blue squares were positioned to visually separate

as a totality. It is as if moving towards a horizon.

the progression from yellow concepts, through red

to blue but this in hindsight adds to the mistaken

supposition that the process illustrated has a beginning

a middle and an end. However further development

made use of the squares to contain different aspects of

the model. The reflective notes that follow describe the

context for the building of the Humanist Learning Model

as it stands currently.

15

Prototype Humanist Reflective Model.

16

Author’s reflections and thoughts

Throughout the development of this thesis, the author,

in the context of a specialist design pathway on a

Foundation course wrote up notes for case studies

and kept a reflective log. The reflective log is unedited

and tracks changes in thinking and the reasons for

abandoning or continuing with a particular activity or

methodology. They contain also some more personal

notes on the case studies which may not have fitted

tidily into the case study notes themselves. Of note

is the struggle to instigate the practice of Leaner

‘S’ and ‘T’ drawing on the same sheet of paper in-

tutorial. Time unfortunately did not allow for this

experiment to proceed but it is proposed that in the next

academic year it will be fully embraced as a vital part

of the Humanist Learning Model. Also of note is the

abandonment of any attempt to contrast the author’s

design practice with that of the thesis research.

When the tutor leaves the students workstation, the

student is left to consider the time with their tutor.

Rogers in particular is scathing of any procedure

that will potentially undermine trust or empathy in the

relationship between client and therapist but many

lecturers are required to record tutorials on forms.

This is very distracting and was the key determinant in

selecting methodologies for conducting case studies.

Schön is particularly helpful in this context in describing

how for his subjects ‘the graphic world of the sketchpad

is the medium of reflection-in-action.’ (Schön, 1987,

p165) It is very simple. Learner ‘S’ and Learner ‘T’ draw

as they talk and Learner ‘S’ keeps the drawing at the

end of the tutorial. The ‘drawing’ contains thumbnail

sketches, names of practitioners, websites, books,

methodologies, visual possibilities and snatches of

the conversation. The purpose of producing a drawing

whilst the tutorial is in progress is not only to aid

reflection-in-action but also to establish a focus and to

produce a record which can be reflected upon after the

tutorial by both parties.

Reflective Log Semester 3

May 5th 2011This preliminary paragraph introduces the student case

studies at a time when they are severely stressed and

preparing for the end of the course. There has been

a short break both for Easter and for me to hand in

assignments. There are two important developments

connected with this. The first is that there are no

longer any tutorials with the students. They are, at

present installing their work for the final assessment in

the course and have two days left to complete. Work

continues with the case studies and all other students

with this focus in mind. Alex continues to be illusive

but his work is progressing. Cat was seen a few days

ago for the reason that she qualifies for Extenuating

Circumstances but the plan to make very brief notes

during the tutorial was unfortunately forgotten about.

However, there may still be some time to trial this idea

particularly in light of Schön. (See paragraph above)

Staff room conversations between colleagues have

often discussed drawing during tutorials but it seems

that the practice of tutor and tutee both drawing as

a focus for discussing work is a valuable one and

could provide a practical record of the tutorial for both

parties. Schön describes a tutorial in detail between

and architecture student, Petra and her tutor Quist. ‘For

Quist and Petra, the graphic world of the sketchpad

is the medium of reflection in action. Here they can

draw and talk…The act of drawing can be rapid and

spontaneous, but the residual traces are stable. The

designer [both designers, tutor and tutee?] can examine

them at leisure.’ (Schön, 1987, p75)

The prospect of constructing work in the transformed

studio space ‘throws’ most students as they have

little experience of preparing for a public exhibition

and presenting their work to a high and professional

standard. Many revert to ‘A’ level practices as they have

no conception of what ‘professional’ is or means. This

lack of knowledge is not necessarily an inhibitor, but

most students, rather than apply their design education

acquired over the past year to solve the problem, revert

to practices commonly seen on all secondary school

17

notice-boards. For instance, the use of black sugar

paper, drawing pins, etc. This behaviour has simply to

be stamped out.

It seems natural for my team and I to build a group

identity in our pathway specialism. Although the

students are in competition with each other for

university places I do not feel that I should encourage

either my team or the students to take this competition

too seriously.14 Perhaps it is my discomfort with conflict

or aggression which I associate with competition that

makes me want to build a supportive community within

the GiD area. The other team members seem to agree

with my ethos but they understand that they are in

competition with so many other industry professionals

for work. But I do not think it is necessary to make this

industry competition real on the Foundation Course.

Our unofficial motto is ‘Work Hard. Be Nice to People’

from the Anthony Burrel poster. Rogers discusses

Psychological Safety in On Becoming a Person.

(Rogers, 1961, p357) Although in some respects,

what he proposes is impractical in an educational

setting - what I mean to say is that to embrace his

recommendations fully would mean for instance 14 Is this capitalism - comodifying them if I encourage

competition? Even if I belive it is, cooperation above

competition, in my view, encourages collaboration,

partnership and group practices - that are nevertheless

in competition with other groups but it seems a way to

challenge capitalisms insistance on competition and profit.

eliminating assessment so as to provide a ‘climate in

which external evaluation is absent’, (Rogers, 1961,

p357) the fostering of a group identity as separate from

the other pathways seems to benefit the students in a

positive way. For instance on the residential trips they

look after one another. They are always accommodating

and polite to each other, well, for the most part and are

nearly always polite to support staff. They are pleased

to be part of something which they feel is helping them

to engage with the culture of design. I should discuss

psychological safety and also psychological freedom

(Rogers, 1961, p357) more fully in the thesis.

The days immediately before the final project deadline,

when students are installing their work in the exhibition

spaces are strange transitory days where learning

changes to a reliance on the technical skills of the

staff. In some ways this time is the culmination of the

Learning Relationship when both parties are under

pressure and working to a looming deadline. It could

be a test of the Relationship. If it has gone well, both

parties should be communicating easily and the work

should run smoothly and to time. There should be a

deep trust that the staff member is working at the same

level as the student, that is in the utmost best interest of

the student and her work. Learning does not stop when

the studio is dismantled. It continues but the emphasis

is on practical problem solving and reflection happens

very much in action as there is not time to reflect post

event.

Written work for the previous semester established

that the Humanist Reflective Model was either similar

or the same as a model of The Humanist Learning

Relationship. This idea requires further investigation but

Rogers is correct when he criticises how procedures

have been placed between the parties involved with

counselling and teaching. (Rogers, 1961, p52) Schön

talks of design education as having a ‘predicament in

which design, by its very nature cannot be taught by

transference but requires the student to embark on

an enquiry into the unknown. ‘He [the student] must

temporarily abandon much that he already values. If

he comes to the studio with knowledge he considers

useful, he may be asked to unlearn it. If he comes with

a perspective on what is valuable for design, he may

be asked to put it aside.’ (Schön, 1987, p94) Although,

the Humanist Learning Relationship must be mapped

in some way as to make it both useful/functional and

assessable, it must not be formulated in such a way

as to restrict the participants in any way. It must be

liberating rather than binding, so mapping must work

with this concept. The work that has already been done

as far as studying the learning relationship must not be

allowed to colour the objective which is to champion the

humanist approach and facilitate design teachers. It is

becoming increasingly evident that the act of applying

the Humanist Learning Relationship should be one of

18

liberation and enpowerment which begins to infer study

of critical theory.

Schön will be continually referenced in the coming

months because he offers insight into design teaching,

reflection in and on action and the communication

which has to take place between tutor and tutee so

that learning can take place the purpose of this study

is to get to the psychological root of that partnership, to

understand its functioning and disfunctioning so that to

model, in some way, what needs to be established for

the relationship to exist and grow.

May 17th I think it is important to consider originality as a factor

when constructing the Humanist Learning Manifesto

(this could be the working title of the thesis). It is

also important to get to the psychological root of the

Relationship rather than (although it will be necessary

to illustrate how the Learning Relationship facilitates

the mechanisms of learning) concentrating on the

communication and learning processes which result

from the Humanist Learning Relationship.

In the cases of students who are receiving support from

tutors or specialists other than their tutors, the tutor has

a duty to communicate with these sources of support.

These may be Student Services and Learning Support

tutors. however there is a problem of confidentiality

in that neither student or support staff are at liberty to

divulge any information but since the HLR requires that

(all) inhibitors to learning are reflected upon, how can

this problem be framed?

May 31st The opportunity to test the idea for tutorials has now

passed because this years cohort of Foundation

Course students graduate on Friday 3rd June. However

I have decided to test the idea on myself. The re-

branding of the design and educative identity of ‘Stuart

Harvey’ appears to have become an important part

of understanding the conflict, dichotomy and parallels

of Educative and Design practice. The brand of

Lycanthrope appears to fit this concept with its folklore

and inherent sadness of the irreconcilable parts of the

self. So I have decided to conduct a reflective tutorial

with myself to establish where ‘I’m at’ and to trial the

tutorial idea but first a synopsis of the idea.

Tutorials are, as Schön argues, a forum for reflection.

They are the site of operation of the Humanist Learning

Relationship (HLR) but established practice means

two things. First that the tutorial should be recorded.

There are numerous procedures for this, forms and

practices. Second is that the student must be able to

reflect on the tutorial after it is over. She must be able

to remember what was said and the aims set out in

the tutorial, the advice given and support offered. The

case study of Quist and Petra (Schön, 1987, p46-79)

describes the functioning of the design studio and

process but falls short of illustrating the HLR (but Schön

of course did not intend to discuss the relationship

between the tutor and tutee, indeed his tutor is a little

reserved and lacks integrity). What makes this process

fascinating and important to the development of the

HLR is the joint drawing involved in the tutorial. Quist

and Petra draw on the same sheet of paper. What if

this practice as embraced as part of the functioning of

the HLR? Student and tutor could draw not only design

19

will include promotional details and business cards. This

will be screen-printed.

The most pressing matter at the moment is re-

modelling the Humanist Reflective Model so that it

functions as both a reflective model and a model for

the Humanist Learning Relationship. It is constructed

on three squares which are meant to denote three

elements of the reflective praxis but in the original

they are not clearly defined as the model represents

a flow of communication between the tutor and tutee,

identified in the model as Learner ‘S’ for student and

Learner ‘T’ for tutor because both parties are required to

learn. So the task is to define firstly the central system

which is the dynamic system of the actual Learning

Relationship. Next the learning consequences of the

central relationship need to be clearly identified and

grouped together. One consequence is the ‘education’

of both parties in that they understand, empathise

and trust each other but the other result is significant

learning in the student, changes in psychologies, beliefs

and lifeworlds and coping mechanisms for what I am

beginning to term ‘inhibitors’ like autism spectrum

conditions and negative past experiences of education.

Maslow uses the term ‘deficiency’ to denote a belief or

psychology which is blocking growth and it is not clear

as to whether this terminology should be included in

the new models. The point would be to continue to use

the squares but depending on the order and proximity

the functioning of the whole model would be changed.

Perhaps it is becoming too complicated and a simple

set of guidelines would suffice? I think I need to do

some reading.

After some thinking with scraps of paper and mock-

up squares, the model seems a little more complete.

The whole process which consists of establishing a

learning relationship (for which there would still need

to be some guidelines - another square?) and then

guiding the learning which can happen as a result of the

effectiveness of the relationship, which again can result

in a number of applications, is complicated.

The squares help to break the process down into

understandable units. This is simply questioning

whether the original Humanist Reflective Model is

working. Does it say what it should say? Is it addressing

the ideas it should be? This method of using rough

rectangles of paper was also helping to establish if the

new idea of using squares to divide and contain the

variations but lists, aims, objectives, research leads in

fact anything that would mean that the tutorial becomes

deeply reflective and integral to the design process.

Could it take place in the sketchbook of the student?

The first test is to self-tutorial by drawing in a note-book.

The aim is to stay with one page or open spread and

to not turn the page so that all thoughts are recoded in

effect on one sheet of paper.

The results of the test will be summarised in due

course. It seems important that a period of days elapse

before revisiting the tutorial.15

June 23rdMy learning plan for the final semester of the course

includes the completion of the Red Hills Book - a

project which frankly has been dragging on because

it is always put to one side as other tasks take priority.

So far I have done nothing to further this aim but I am

confident that I shall. The project is designed so that I

can ink-jet print the main pages. The cover will function

as it should but will also contain a fold out section which

15 I think in adult learning, reviewing the last tutorial is

condescending and seems to undermine trust. It did not

seem necessary to do this in my self-tutorial. It felt like

going backwards. Thinking had moved on. The drawing still

maintains its function of being a focus for the tutorial and

records thought processes at the time. I suppose in some

cases looking back at what happened will be useful but it

does not have to be a hard and fast rule.

20

elements of the model will work.

In this version both learners are separated but this These are mock ups of the original Humanist Reflective

Model clarified into three squares which represent the

actual Learning Relationship, learning for growth and

applied learning. Applied learning also feeds back to

As above but asking questions about the order of the

squares.

approach does not seem to fit since the whole concept

is about the interaction of Learner ‘T’ and Learner ‘S’.

Top middle has had Design Processing and Self

Evaluation added to it. It is essential to remember that

the completed model is intended for the design studio

and hopefully design-like educational processes.

both learners and the red inhibitors Autism Spectrum

and Past Negative Experiences (of education) are

addressed by learning resulting from the Relationship

and growth squares. The reflection and confidence

ensuing positively affects the psychologies-growth

cycle.

With the addition of what seem relevant test notes from

the other tests.

21

The test pieces have been made more square-like and

refined. So here self reflection is represented with a

square on which appear two Learner ‘S’s, a Maslow

square, a square which is almost like the learning

outcomes of the whole process and a square outlining

the qualities of the Humanist Learning Relationship.

to do because they take place on Thursdays when

I am working. The first was during a weeks break

and the second was on a day when as a member

of the University and College Union, I was on strike.

This classroom consisted of just my tutor and I so it

functioned as an hour long tutorial towards the end of

which he asked me about my motivations for embarking

on this body of research. Where was it going to get me?

I found this a difficult question to answer because apart

from making me a better teacher (I have real problems

using this title because actually the HRM is designed

to make better learners), I do not know where it will

take me. I don’t know the answer. Anyway here is my

response to the problem.

It seems unnecessary even self-indulgent to consider

ones own motivations and career aims when designing

a learning model for the education of young designers.

Professional possibilities, the future, seem very unclear,

even confusing because the journey to this point has

been unplanned. It is possible that the emphasis on

the belief that ‘other people’ have been responsible

for career choices has highlighted a lassitude towards

any personal ambition. There is a very clear aim when

working with young designers and that is to produce

thoughtful critical people who are more or less able

to solve the problems that life might put in their way.

Before addressing the problem of personal ambition,

it seems appropriate to wonder about the challenges

which might require a humanist learning model. The

main one is the squeeze on funding which will mean

eventually that lecturing staff will be able to spend less

time than at present with the students. The benefits of

a structure that will enable them to quickly establish a

learning relationship so that reflection and evaluative

thought is ‘up and running’ so to speak cannot be

doubted.

So what are the possibilities for the HLR in terms of

professional development and how can it be used

to illuminate a way forward in terms of professional

ambition? If the Humanist Reflective model is supposed

to be used for re-appraising problems through reflection

and it has a self-learning application, it should aid the

identification of personal goals and ambitions. I am

going to make an excuse, however, because I do not

know where my career is going and at the end of an

academic year I feel depressed, tired, burnt out and

feel a sense of loss but I always feel like this at the

end of a year. To research and develop a humanistic

learning model means that being involved with learning,

particularly design learning, is something extremely

valuable. When many teachers start to think about

course management and relinquishing contact for admin

in order to take on greater responsibility, the study of a

learning methodology means this is not a direction to be

contemplated. Perhaps roles which involve overseeing

a year group, as now, can be considered but perhaps

Here, the expected colour coding has been added.

Yellow represents elements which pertain directly

to the Learning Relationship. Orange represents

the transformation of the qualities of the Learning

Relationship to its effects in the growth-psychologies

cycle. Red represents psychologies and ‘D’ motivations.

Purple represents applied learning. Possibly Design

Processing should be added to the Red square which

contains Peak Experiences and should be coloured

Purple. This thinking may be subject to change because

my feeling is that it is not quite there yet.

July 3rd I was able to join two virtual classrooms recently which

has been something I have never before been able

22

at a higher and more prestigious academic level. But

the problem remains as to a creative practice. I have

dreams…

It may be necessary to adopt some pragmatism and

aim to secure some commercial work as soon as this

current phase of study is complete. If the contemplation

of never giving up on creative practice is too much

to bear, then perhaps more effort should be made to

embrace ambitions in developing a specialist graphic

design, landscape interpretation practice. The HRM

is for guiding reflection-in-action so time should not

be spent reflecting on how to initiate action. In other

words, ‘just get on with it’. There is much capital as an

educator in having a design practice and after all it is

the reasonable belief that one cannot teach what one

does not know - and to know is to do.16

July 17th Although it has been established that participating in

design informs learning in the Humanist Models herein

developed, the practicalities of continuing with the Red

16 The role of a tutor is to throw the proverbial spanner.

If a tutor had not forced me to consider my own learning, I

would not have considered postponing The Red Hills Book

positively. I cannot say that I am considering my learning in

conjunction with my students but rather juxtaposed with it.

The development of a model for student learning (although

there are two learners in the model) and the falling of time

means that as a consequence of developing the HLM, I am

transformed, my thought is being freed.

Hills Book at present seem very difficult to manage. It

seems more realistic to continue ‘designing’ the two

models - I have begun to realise that that is what I

am doing. To begin with I accepted that I was simply

discussing and modelling something that was already

there, and in some ways it is because I use some of

the techniques in my educative practice but perhaps I

am designing something new. The processes involved

do feel like the processes involved in design. It seems

strange and cyclical. The aim of building a practice

based on the completion of the Red Hills Book must

remain however - if only for my sanity.17

Development

The reflective log above outlines the problem of the

prototype Humanist Learning Model in that it plainly

requires more elements because it simply does not

describe the Humanist Learning Relationship in real life.

It seemed to describe peripheral cognitive processes

and did not address the core of the Relationship. The

following represent the refinement of the model, aspects

of the model contained within squares in which these

aspects relate. They are colour coded also.

17 It is the correct decision to postpone The Red Hills Book.

I had proposed completing it but it is more important to

continue and see through this process which is transforming

thought. From this new position I will look again at the long

postponed project.

LifeworldThe squares do not really have an order but this is the

first square, modified by placing the wording in side,

contained within it. The square represents both learners

influencing lifeworld and preconceptions to precipitate

learning.

23

PsychologiesThe second square addresses the cyclical influences at

work between growth and deficiency, those motivations

which inhibit learning and those that promote it.

Applying LearningThe third original square includes severe inhibitors

to learning but also represents that learning can be

applied even under extreme circumstances provided the

Humanist Learning Relationship is operating effectively.

CongruenceThis is the square that describes the core of the

Humanist Learning Relationship, the conditions which

have to exist for deep and significant learning to occur.

The task of Learner ‘T’ is to create this climate in which

Learner ‘S’ (and indeed Learner ‘T’) feel psychologically

safe and that trust exists between the two.

24

Reflective/PracticalThis square addresses being and growth through critical

reflection and growing criticality resulting in practical

problem solving in design problems and life situations.

MotivationsBeing or growth and deficit or deficiency, applied to

beliefs, which relate to the lifeworld and psychologies

or motivations. The effects on learning speaks for

themselves but Learner ‘T’ has to be aware of all

these elements. In extreme cases there can be ethical

problems because Learner ‘T’ may need to be in

possession of information that Learner ‘S’ has disclosed

to another party, for instance a student counsellor.

Learner ‘T’ must maintain the utmost level of trust in the

relationship under these circumstances.

MetacognitionThe Humanist Learning Model is a guide to reflective

practice and here Learner ‘T’ has become another

Learner ‘S’ engaged in deep critical reflection and

autoethnography resulting in meta cognitive learning.

Also learner ‘S’ is able to look back at him or herself to

reflect objectively on thoughts and actions.

25

In the original this was intended to illuminate a flow

through the diagram but perhaps the Model is not meant

to be read as any sort of progression. The colours now

signify relationships. Note all the backgrounds are

washes rather than solid colours. This seemed to make

for more ‘human’ feeling visuals.

Case Studies

It is with some regret that the plan of making ‘drawings’

during the tutorial as discussed above was not tested

at all but the author is greatly optimistic that this

methodology can be tested and refined during the

next academic year. Reflecting, post tutorial appears

to have provided some useful insights but there can

be no doubting the potential of having ‘drawings’ on

which to reflect also. (It is envisaged that the drawings

will be made on an A4 layout pad and photocopied,

Learner ‘T’ keeping a copy for planning Learner ‘S’s

future tutorials and for reflection. To please the record

keeping protocols, the copy can be kept in the students’

record cards.) It will be noted also that the frequency

at which reflection took place, not tutorials, is perhaps

not as rigourous as it could be but nevertheless, the

notes are useful. The dates are the dates when the

notes were made. It is important to point out that these

notes cannot be concluded in themselves because the

experience of making them, and reflection inspired by

them, informed for a major part, the construction of the

Humanist Learning Model. The following are extracts

from the project planning phase and highlight the use of

McNiff (1988) to guide action research.

Tutorials and reflections by the tutor post tutorial

constitute both field notes and interviews. It was

concluded in previous research that taking notes during

tutorials was distracting for both parties and prevented

real reflection in action. (Harvey, 2010) ‘Live interviews

are, however, very valuable in giving immediate

feedback on the enquiry and suggestions for its future.

In this way such conversations are crucial in the

validation of researchers claims that improvement has

taken place.’ (McNiff, 1988, p79) The improvement that

McNiff refers to arises from the ‘Perspectives of Action

Research’ (McNiff, 1988, p2) which provide an effective

structure through which to generate aims and outcomes

for action research. ‘The first perspective describes

the outcomes when a teacher decides to intervene in

his own practice…The second perspective attempts

to identify the criteria of these activities; to formulate

systems that will account for the improvement that is

an anticipated outcome of the self reflective practice.’

(McNiff, 1988, p2)

‘Questionnaires. These are notoriously difficult to create

in order to get the information desired and are liable

to misuse. In an action enquiry, questionnaires will

probably be used in an exploratory fashion to get an

idea of trends. Enquiries conducted in action research

mode are usually to do with values, and it is difficult

to capture the nuances of opinion associated with

questions of value through the precise formulation of

questionnaires. Questions of value often take the form

of “Yes, but…” and this sort of tentativeness is not

accommodated in questionnaires.’ (McNiff, 1988, p78)18

The students names have been changed and all signed

a consent form agreeing to be the subjects of research.

(Appendix One)

Katherine

March 8th 2011Katherine understands the use of sketchbooks and is

beginning to conduct systematic visual experiments

and is thinking reflectively about her research. The

initiation of her project is constituted of a healthy mix of

18 The purpose of producing drawings in a tutorial, (see my

self-tutorial - I call this a drawing even though it comprises

lists and memos) is not really to collect information for

research. It is to record the tutorial for both Learners and to

provide a site of visual interaction but it would also provide

an effective mass of data. The drawing represents where

structure meets the freedom of thought. The paper is the

only structure containing the drawing but it is also free from

institutional procedures because it is not an official form or in

duplicate. It is free from outside influences apart from those

of the two Learners and represents utopian thought and

feedom from capitalism.

26

contextual research and visual testing. It all seems very

confident and sophisticated. She becomes stressed

however, when doubts creep in and she wonders where

it is all going. Her subject matter is her own childhood,

in part, but she knows she will have to bring in new

ideas to augment her main concept which is about her

childhood memories of living all over the world as her

parents travelled and worked. Her doubts concern the

purpose of telling the story. Interestingly she is confident

even when explaining her misgivings. She is reflective

and knows that her conversations with me are part of

this process. Her media play is inventive, thoughtful and

sophisticated but she knows her work will be empty if

she does not work on concepts.

nb. The following have been made with some attempt

to use the prototype Reflective Model, what became the

prototype Learning Model, to contextualise the notes in

terms of the future development of a Humanist Learning

Model.

March 20th

From reflective model. (Abbreviated to RM from now

on.)

Katherine recognises that she must make her idea

relevant to an audience she has identified. She is

interested in mapping and is setting out to investigate

the methodologies of this discipline of graphic design.

It is difficult to tell if she is genuinely accepting advice

from her tutor. She makes affirmative gestures but I am

in doubt as to whether she agrees with my comments.

Her confidence and unique experiences on which

she is drawing so much for her project are her only

constants and maybe inhibiting any thought processes

which may make her project more accessible. However

she believes that putting the hours into her work will

move it forward and has the ability to reflect in action,

maintaining an effective engagement with her practice.

To grow as a person she will have to recognise that her

(privileged) childhood may not have significance for

her intended audience, given that she has identified it.

Although she is capable of engaging reflectively across

media, concepts and intentions, she has yet to develop

a more objective reflective practice which will help her

process these parts of her work. Nevertheless she is

beginning to demonstrate this skill and my conversation

with her should encourage her to think reflectively and

critically.

March 27th RM

I talked to Katherine last Monday to find that the

reticence she had had about working with three

dimensional materials was being exorcised and she

was investigating the possibilities of mapping the

data she was analysing using vacuum forming and

blocks of carefully cut MDF. There was an obvious

inhibitor/motivator at work, the cause of which I could

not pin down but she seems to have recognised this

in the form of a deficiency and then set out to address

what she saw as an irrational belief that she was “not

very good with three dimensional thought”. I suspect

there are two reasons for her actions, the first being

a rapidly developing understanding of her reflective

self and second being an innate belief that a risk is

worth taking. My task is to keep up with her learning,

in a way, because she may lose confidence as she

works more and more with three dimensions. (In

the Graphics Illustration and Digital Media specialist

area it is significant that a student is undertaking

three dimensional work in an area that is perceived

as being a 2D area. However contemporary graphic

design approaches are increasingly addressing three

dimensions). As her practice develops however, her

reflective skill increases and she may be able to

see problems on the horizon and be ready for them.

Perhaps my task is to make sure she is looking for

problems.

May 8thThe construction of Katherine’s work is nearing

completion and she has solved the problems involved

with vacuum forming tiles from acrylic sheet which

represent a quantifiable ‘bit’ of memory. My last tutorial

with her was focussed on how all these tiles would be

assembled to make a Periodic Table of Memories given

the constraints of the exhibition space, the aesthetic

27

of the whole piece and time. A plan was devised to

suspend the tiles on fishing line after considering other

cabling options which were deemed too complicated

and intrusive. There are serious constraints as regards

fixing to the fabric of the building so Katherine’s work

will be suspended between wooden brackets and

beams, painted white against a white wall on which the

title for her work will be applied. This is constructed from

laser-cut acrylic letters.

June 7thDuring the installation of her work it was evident that

Katherine was at once out of her depth technically,

reliant on my experience and also, in contrast to the

expected position one would find a student in this

situation, in control. It took me a few minutes to realize

this. There was much she was unable to do and that

was new to her, in terms of construction and joinery,

but she insisted on understanding what was to happen,

the order things were to happen and when considering

the demands of other students on my time and skills

set. The easy thing about a student like Katherine is

knowing you can push them to do things that make

them very uncomfortable, processes, materials

methods, thought processes but the hard thing is

knowing if they understand the significance of what

you are asking of them. The HLR is crucial in not over

powering the student with new cognitive pathways. It is

not really the tutor who is suggesting that the student

embark on a new process or train of thought but the

HLR. It comes from both tutor and tutee as two parts of

a reflective praxis.

It is easy to say that Katherine is intelligent and highly

reflective but not so easy to say why. Every new

cognitive thread thrown into the circle of beliefs, growth,

psychologies and deficiencies caused growth in the

beliefs of the person and shifts in the psychological

motivations of the person which resulted in significant

and effective learning. She was out of her depth, but not

for long. The brackets she designed which suspended

her work in front of the wall broke when I tried to attach

them to the wall. To her this was intolerable and it was

only at this point that I sensed how stressed she was

but also how controlled she was. For me it was a matter

of a couple of screws but for her it was a major problem.

The HLR here was something she could trust implicitly.

Also before we actually began to assemble the work,

I had to change the location of her work because of

a technicality. This also made her quite stressed but

she trusted my decision and her work was installed

successfully.19

19 The HLR worked because Katherine was very able. She

looked for new problems or risks because she knew that that

is how to change her perception or thinking. Even if she did

not fully understand the mechanism for this she understood

that a risk meant possible failure but could percieve the

learning value in this. Robert, (see below) was not in the

same position. One of my tasks for next year is to use the

HLM to form a more effective relationship with the ‘Roberts’. I

Susan

March 8th 2011Susan crossed her name off my tutorial timetable twice

this week. I do not know why this is but when I had a

spare time slot she was happy to speak. Her concern

was with her sketchbook which she had abandoned in

favour of another, identical one. This was puzzling to me

because there is no reason at all why she should start

again. She said she hated her first ideas and wanted

to make a clean break with them. My explanations of

decision making and evaluation seemed to be of no

interest to her. She seemed worried that she had made

a mistake, was doing it wrong. This is worrying because

she does not understand the principle of evidencing

her thinking at this stage in the course. Perhaps her

ambition for a successful project and good grade have

distracted her from this principle. I must investigate this

with her at our next meeting.

nb. Again RM means the Reflective Model is being

used.

am not sure how to do this at the moment but it could be that

I must emphasis the necessity of seeing them regularly. I do

not blame Robert. It is my fault that he referred (he passed

eventually) and did not take as much from the course as

I would have liked but this does not mean he will not be a

success in the future.

28

March 27th

RM

Last weeks crit. was significant for Susan. She is

interested in multiples and repetition and initially set

out to draw a single object in many variations. Recent

interview experiences and the staff team’s Monday

morning briefings brought it home to her that she

needed to address more in the way of graphic design

problems, namely type and lettering. She correctly

identified a deficiency in her practice but was prevented

from addressing type and lettering directly by her belief

that she had to have something to say, a message

to communicate. The subject of typologies turned

into typographies in the crit and it seemed to those

present that there was a codification at work. Susan

was excited by this, especially when it was suggested

that her multiples could exist in sets of twenty six and

refer to type. When I saw her at a tutorial later she had

started to produce abstract variations of the letter ‘A’ in

a particular typeface by both adding to and subtracting

from its form. This process of actioning a deficiency

motivation has meant that she has addressed a

perceived weakness in her practice but I am not

sure whether she has grown as a graphic designer

as a result. That remains to be seen. She is drawing

motivated and this can prevent her from addressing

communication problems but it is important for me to

allow this process to take her in the direction of practical

type treatments which may say something about

typographic communication in the concluding processes

of her project.

April 3rd Recently Susan spoke to one of my colleagues. This

is normal practice and it is healthy for the students

to talk to more than one tutor. This time, however

Susan wanted to change the direction of her work. The

typographic element to her investigation, as relayed to

me by the colleague who had spoken to her was to be

abandoned in favour of a purely illustrative investigation

of repetition. I will be seeing Susan after the end of

term, two week break so cannot comment but I will not

be able to challenge this direction so near to the end of

the course. I wonder if she is avoiding my input because

it challenged her own point of view? She has applied

to a graphic design course but her work is illustration

(although I do not subscribe to these two disciplines as

being absolutes). It is common that students will seek

an alternative opinion if it disagrees with their own. I

have to be aware that she might be right, that she is

‘glimpsing her lifeworld’ and instigating growth because

the process if avoiding me is a ‘B’ motivation. But I am

suspicious.

nb. I did not trust her a self-directed learner and I felt

betrayed. This is inexcusable and very selfish.

May 5th At Susan’s final tutorial before the students are due

to begin preparing for the End of Year Show and

assessment, we reviewed progress of here project

which had the predisposition to ramble and lose

direction. Indeed, Susan felt that this was the case.

When looking through her note books however, it was

obvious that there was a sensitivity to linguistics which

she could not see the potential of. So we discussed

this in the context of graphic design as previously I

had worried that she was too illustration focussed and

was not thinking in terms of communication and not

exploring how type would accompany her images. The

word games she was hinting at were humourous, dry

and intervened with her drawings simply and inventively.

I was troubled however because she could not see

the connection between the type, some of it made with

wood block letter-press, and the mixed media images.

In this instance, within the context of the tutorial I

insisted that she look up semiotics and continue to find

links between type and image. For instance she had

deliberately spelt pear, paer and had thought about hare

and pair.

June 12th Normally, perhaps at an earlier stage in the course,

I would have tried to instigate reflection-in-tutorial so

that the student would come to realise the possibilities

staring at me from her note-book but with Susan at

29

this late point in the project I decided to risk being

prescriptive in the hope that she would learn-in-action.

Perhaps there is a (simple?) relationship which can be

applied here? Since the student is not aware of what

she is doing, from a theoretical point of view, the tutors

knowledge can come into play. The tutor must facilitate

the student in researching the theoretical point. In

Susan’s case she was losing confidence in her ability,

losing momentum, confidence in her manual skills and

beginning a downward dip in motivation which must be

interrupted. The relationship between psychologies,

deficiencies, beliefs and growth is changed by the

interjection of new material, new knowledge or a new

growth motivator, in this case a look at semiotics.

She emailed me around the time that final products

were being outputted and printed, extremely worried

that her screen and letterpress prints were not

achieving the finish she wanted. Curiously she had not

contemplated digital methods but that is what I advised.

It may be that the same thing was happening again,

a loss of confidence and growth motivation causing a

deficient psychology which prevented her from problem

solving.

At the assessment it was commented that the way

she had hung her work was exemplary, each small

pin precisely positioned at the edges of the prints.

She achieved a Distinction which actually surprised

me because I though she would receive a Merit but

her work encouraged a slow read which began to

make sense as the assessors thought through it - like

osmosis. This is something many graphic designers aim

for. Perhaps I should give Susan credit for achieving

this but I am not convinced she fully understands how

her work operates. This is acceptable at the end of a

Foundation Course, however because my hopes for

her are that she develops this understanding at Degree

level.20

Natalie

March 9th 2011Today I found out that Natalie had not been selected

for interview at Leeds College of Art BA Graphic

Design. She was upset, in tears. She sees every

missed assessment point or forgotten submission as

deep failure - catastrophic failure. She is dyslexic and

has ADHD which makes her both a perfectionist and

unable to focus for lengths of time, unable to organise

efficiently and aware of her perceived inadequacies.

Her learning is greatly affected by her ambition and

20 No matter how empathic and trusting the relationship is,

sometimes the fact that the student wants only to please the

teacher comes into play. If they feel unable to, problems arise

such as avoidance and this will never change. The trust built

in the HLR should mean that any avoidance is short term and

any negative learning consequences are offset. I wonder how

this works in the meata cognitive situation?

her natural (and nurtured) striving for success. Most

students begin to realise that not being selected for a

particular course is not rejection of themselves or their

work, (however older colleagues remember the pain of

these rejections well into their careers) but with Natalie,

these feelings are amplified. I am very worried about

her. I think there may be pressures at home also.

nb. Reflective Model used from here.

March 20th

RM

Last week again Natalie seemed distressed and said

to me “its over” meaning undoubtedly that she thought

she would not succeed on the course and her dream

of a creative career was over. This is not ‘dramatics’. It

is her deep rooted belief that failure is inevitable. She

is heavily reliant on myself and our learning support

tutor Shaun. We informally speak about her but I think

I should be having regular meetings with Shaun so that

our approaches have some coordination. The report

from her crit was that she was floundering under an

immense body of research which was worrying in the

extreme. I decided that I should bolster her confidence

(and I am not sure how my reflective model has helped

me come to that decision because it seems just a

human reaction - I want to make her feel better.)21

21 Pefect. Thinking free of constraints.

30

March 27th

RM

To pin all Natalie’s learning motivations down to

organisation would be simplistic. Her father is a

dominant force in her life and she respects him and

wants to prove to him that she is clever, intelligent

and academically robust. She is all these things. The

student counsellor has spoken to me about how she

needs coping mechanisms to structure her learning and

her life outside of college. I would like our conversations

to affect her self-belief. She should be viewing her

lifeworld from her own perspective. Natalie is the most

complicated of my case studies to reflect on and to

apply a reflective approach to. I am purely attempting

to be genuine and human with her but also offering her

questions which will help her to organise and reflect.

Her autism is compounded by negative educational

experiences at ‘A’ level and pressures from her father.

These have motivated beliefs which are inhibitors and

will not affect growth motivation in her psychology. I

have to over-turn these beliefs so that her learning can

soar. One belief is that her organisational problems

cannot be over-come. She is right in one sense but

there is evidence that organisational structures are

helping her structure her actions and reflection. I

wonder whether this is the key. If I can help her to

organise, that is, super-organise, she can reflect and

progress work within the timescale required.

This week she seemed to be on top of everything but

triggers from any part of her life can erode this state so

quickly. It seems that she can lose her place with her

learning so quickly. I have promised her that I will be

there for her whenever and that she must find me if she

begins to have doubts and find herself in a lost place.

April 3rdRM

Natalie had promised me she would not disappear. This

means that if anything happened that meant she would

not be able to come into college, she would contact

me. However, she disappeared for four days. I saw her

talking to her friend on Thursday evening but I did not

manage to talk to her until Friday when all students

were required to attend a final assessment briefing. It

was plain she was avoiding me but could I be certain

that she thought I was angry with her for breaking our

deal? I invited her to the office for a tutorial as it was

more private than the studio or computer suite where I

eventually found her. The tutorial was effective and we

discussed her project and her aspirations for it. The first

significant piece of information she gave me was that

she may have to move with her family again. This cast

doubt on what she would be able to do next year as far

as taking up a degree place. The second, and by far

the more significant was that she asked that I did not

ask about her home life and that I was just her tutor.

This hurt me because I am convinced that I cannot

facilitate learning unless I understand the whole person,

I understand ‘B’ and ‘D’ motivations. There are events

taking place in her home life that are affecting her

learning and I am unable to know what they are. Do I

need to know? Is it enough to know that they are there?

That she would not, could not confide in me was a blow

but am I being egocentric? Has my fix all theory failed?

Upon reflection it is vitally important that I am supporting

her on her terms and not mine. She did indicate that

she did not want to show weakness in front of me but

she is not weak, she is irrationally hard on herself.

She has to trust me but I must not ask her to confide

in me if this makes her uncomfortable. She may think

that I will judge her. She may just prefer her tutorial

support organised in certain ways that are conducive

to her learning. I have requested that she see me on

Wednesday, because generally she needs to see me

twice a week. The thought that a learning relationship

has been threatened by my selfishness is sickening

and I intend to repair this damage. I cannot identify her

learning deficiencies clearly but I can reflect in action

on her growth motivations - her intellect, her obsessive

tendencies, and her passion for her subject.

June 12th From a point two weeks before the Final Project

deadline, I had the feeling that Natalie was avoiding

me. I had to insist that we have a tutorial. It is observed

that certain students will avoid tutorials of they feel

31

they will not be able to ‘please teacher’ and it may be

the case with Natalie. I also thought that she may have

felt that my tutorial style was too informal or perhaps

too personal, which the HLR is as it has to consider

motivations not immediately associated with the

learning taking place in the studio. Previously she had

asked that I not ask too much of her personal life which

I knew to be difficult particularly her family life. There

is only one course of action in the HLR and that is to

acquiesce. The students’ desires are paramount but

the Humanist Learning facilitator (what an awful title. I

must think about how the teacher can be labelled in the

HLR.) However, it seemed important that I remained

both genuinely understanding of her wishes but also

available if she should wish to talk.

The last tutorial I had with her was to explain that

because of her severe dyslexia etc. she was eligible

for Reasonable Adjustments in which extra time can be

given for her to submit. She seemed greatly relieved

after we negotiated an extension for her. When time

came for her to submit her work she was not ready so

I had to spend a couple of hours with her printing out

and making the final decisions on things like typefaces.

Exasperating but so fascinating.

I am sure that the HRM is applicable to Natalie but I

am unsure of the mechanism which prevents her from

applying learning. In fact, I am unsure of this. It is plain

that her understanding of her subject matter, and I

am talking design here, is profound. Her research is

skilful and thorough and she can interpret research

to high level. Her main deficiency motivation is in

decision-making. So does this mean that she not only

grows as a person but challenges her own beliefs and

lifeworld, changes her psychologies and over-comes

any resistance to change? It may well mean that she

is cycling round the middle section of the model which

means she is reflective but that she cannot apply the

learning which has resulted.

Natalie achieved the grade of Merit. She was ecstatic.

I have mentioned pressures from her father above. He

has requested clarification of her grade.

Robert

March 8th 2011Robert is often difficult to find. His attendance is at

around eighty percent and he misses crits and tutorials

regularly. He has gained two university places and has

some inventive ideas, his project aiming to investigate

with illustration contemporary and historical music

recording. To understand his thought process, it seems

necessary to impose some organisational rules on

him and the way he works in his studio notebooks. For

instance, he has I believe, a drive to draw but this can

be unsystematic and does not set out to solve problems

but is imaginative and intuitive. He draws in the back of

his sketchbook if he thinks that particular drawing has

little relevance to his project work or his wider practice.

My primary task with Robert is to aid his reflection

and learn how this is not happening. Sometimes he

seems very tired and struggles to keep focussed in our

conversations. It is too easy to imagine the distractions

of youth in trying to account for this. My feeling is that

he is unable to reflect effectively and has not developed

an intimate connection with his drawing. He seems lazy,

defaulting to drawing from his head rather than looking

for reference material.

March 20thA recent crit which was lead by one of my colleagues,

has had some effect on Robert. He was spoken to firmly

and accused of laziness in that he did not research for

his drawing and did not put the hours into developing

technically. This surprised me because I took a softer

approach with him although I am glad that Matt, an

illustrator by profession, has spoken to him in this

way. Matt cannot stand lazy drawing. However, I feel

it is my task to deal with Robert’s inhibitors so that our

conversations start to affect his reflective processes.

The students do not want me to intrude into their

thoughts or lives but I think I must without demanding

personal disclosures - and I mean both the serious kind

and others, like relationships with parents etc. I have no

evidence that Robert has serious problems. He knows

32

he is struggling with his Final Project though. I manage

to talk to him regularly I think we can affect his learning

by challenging the way he processes his drawing, the

way he thinks about it when he is doing it, reflection in

action. That will be my line of questioning when I next

see him.

May 5th Are my worries allayed?

He seems to be working hard but does his work have

the invention I am looking for?

Can it be said that I have not done my best to nurture

the learning relationship with Robert?

How can the relationship be summed up - or can it be

summed up at this stage?

May 15th I know at this stage in the course that Robert has

referred on his Final Project assessment. This makes

me question whether I have failed him and in some way

I have. It is easy to argue that Robert may not have

been my most able student and that he was a little

lazy or unmotivated but it is my duty to find out why

he has these inhibitors. Where the Humanist Learning

Relationship breaks down is that it requires that the

student and tutor must see each other regularly so

that the relationship can be fuelled by the developing

communication and trust. The fact remains that I did not

manage to see him the week before the deadline even

though he was in college. It may be that he saw me as

a derailing influence rather than a supporting influence.

Even so, it is still my duty to make sure he sees me. It

could be argued that his learning style has meant that

he could not complete his learning by the final project

deadline and that the Referral system is there for

people like Robert. At least I can give him some efficient

one to one time after the end of the course. It has

been difficult to establish the relationship with Robert

because of his tendency to avoid me but one of my

aims as a teacher is to reach this type of student.

June 7th It is certain now that Robert has referred Unit 7, the

Final Project unit. For reasons of his own he was not

at the awards ceremony and so did not pick up his

results. Nether did he come into college to remove his

work from the End of Year Show. I have emailed him to

tell him his results (because the phone number on his

record card does not work) and to remind him to discuss

how he can re-submit so that he will eventually pass the

course. Not wanting to leave to chance the possibility

that Robert may not understand that a referral means

the opportunity to re-submit I emailed him again. The

transcript of the communications are below.

-----Original Message-----

From: Robert

[mailto:-----------@students.leeds-art.ac.uk]

Sent: Sat 6/4/2011 5:17 PM

To: Stuart Harvey

Subject: Collecting Work

Hi Stu, hope you are well, due to unforeseen

circumstances i was unable to

come into college on thurday and friday, so was unable

to collect both my

work and my results, is there any possibility that i would

be able to get

these tomorrow some time , or has the old work already

been removed from the

spaces. Regards Robert

From: Stuart Harvey

Sent: Sun 6/5/2011 3:56 PM

To: Robert

Subject: RE: Collecting Work

Hello Robert

All remaining work is in room 170 now.

You’d best come and see me on Monday because I’m

afraid you referred Unit 7. I am unavailable Tuesday,

Wednesday Thursday because of meetings and am out

of the office on Friday. You need a tutorial to discuss

what to re-submit.

Regards

Stuart

33

From: Stuart Harvey

Sent: Tues 7/6/2011 8:13 PM

To: Robert

Subject: RE: Collecting Work

Hello Robert

I’m not sure if you understand that if you re-submit you

can pass the course. Any offer from Universities is not

affected by your referral, so long as you submit your

referral work which is agreed with me. I can see you on

Friday now because I no longer need to go to London.

Don’t leave it too long Robert. Your referral work must

be submitted by 30th June.

Call me if you need to but come in on Friday.

Regards

Stu

The notion that I have failed him remains. It is possible

that he may have referred on a technicality, namely

not submitting his critical journal (the written element

of the project). However he was warned that this was

something he needed to put more effort into. Written

language was not his strong point but he convinced me

that he was ‘OK’ with his critical journal. He may not

have trusted me but I cannot pin point the epicentre

of any mistrust. To me the Learning Relationship has

failed because he did not pass the course. If it had

been successful his belief motivations would have

been influenced but to the last his apparent lassitude

prevailed. There is so much I do not know about him

but he did not trust me enough to ask for help with

his project. In the middle of his project Robert was

beginning to understand the significance of everything

he drew, even though it was difficult for him to research

and find references for his drawings. The crafting of the

drawings was mature however. At this point I thought he

was beginning to understand the necessity of research

and process in drawings but I was wrong.

With Robert I am perplexed. I have one last tutorial

with him, I hope in which I aim to try to discover a clue

as to why his learning was flawed. As soon as I write

‘flawed’ I realise this is inaccurate because I think he

was learning but not in the way the course asks him to.

This is difficult because the course teaches design and

is predominantly constituted of sound practices. We

will see but I cannot conclude Robert’s file until I have

worked successfully with him.

Zoe

March 10th Zoe is struggling to build momentum in her final

project for the Foundation Course. She has decided

to research neurology and has done a reasonable

and thorough job in assembling some useful source

material. Her choice for the next three years is graphic

design and so her task now is to identify the intention

of her project and the means through which she will

communicate her message. Not easy with such a

complex theme. She admits that she does not know

what she is doing or where her project is going to go,

which, on one hand is good at this research stage of

her project. Zoe is bright, intelligent and individual. She

lacks confidence in her own reasoning powers but has

produced some sophisticated resolutions to the set

briefs she has worked with in the GiD specialist area.

Our last conversation was as a result of the tutorial the

same week. She had not figured out how she wanted

to use the theme of neurology to investigate graphic

design problems or how she would initiate some visual

research. My line of questioning was to probe her

for why she had chosen neurology ion the first place

and what her real interest was but she is unable or

unwilling to enlighten me. In previous conversations

she has ‘closed down’ when she has not wanted to

discuss something or at the thought of having to explain

34

her motivations for attempting a piece of work or a

visual line of enquiry but this time she closed down

altogether. I felt that something critical was happening

and took her aside to another small private seminar

room but to no avail. In the end I decided to leave

her alone and not pressure her to explain her work.

She will be attending a crit chaired by me and I do not

know how to approach her now. It is imperative that

I find a way to communicate with her, hence my off

plan inclusion in my case studies. (I had intended and

had started to use another student but this incident

made me change to Zoe.) My only plan at the moment

is to reflect so that perhaps I can work through the

problem. Since, I propose that both student and tutor

must learn through a dialogue and relationship forged

in the studio and seminar room, when that dialogue is

threatened, action must be taken. But what action? At

the moment I only wish to talk to Zoe on a social level

so that any discussion of her work is left to one side

for a short period of time but she understands that I

do not disapprove in any way what so ever of her as a

person. It is important that she understands that she

can approach me when she is ready.

March 27th RM

My action was to make sure I was not judging her in

any way. So I made a point of saying good morning

to her and talking to her about her friend, another

tutee of mine who was struggling with some aspects

of her progression. In some ways this goes against

my decision to always be genuine. If I am angry with

her, why should I not show it? Rogers insists that we

are genuine with our emotions in the presence of the

client (quotation) but, in a situation where time is not

a resource, other actions must be taken. (This is an

important point in my personal humanist philosophy

of learning. I have adapted my behaviour in response

to the student, based on reflective processes, so that

the student has ‘space’ to reflect and knows without

doubt that her tutor is not judging her and continues to

be on her side.) It transpired that Zoe and her friend

discovered that I was at a concert that they had both

attended. This appears to have changed the way Zoe

approached me, which she did later in the week, to

consult me as to some new ideas. I had also decided

that I would encourage her peers to feedback to her

as much as I could in the crit. which took place on

the Monday morning. This further allowed me to step

back from her work so as to take pressure away from

her. Was she feeling that she was not achieving the

standards I expected from her? Zoe asked me to talk

to her late on Thursday afternoon, after 4pm when I

usually finish teaching but I am always happy to talk to

them after time. Her project had progressed in terms

of concepts, considerably because she had decided

that neurotoxins were where she wanted to focus.

She had discovered that substances that are known

to be essential for life can become toxins if taken in

high concentrations, for instance vitamin A. Moreover,

our conversation was free flowing and comfortable

with some humourous moments. Both parties seemed

pleased with the new state of affairs.

May 8th I regularly make visits to the Printroom because

many Graphics student can be regularly found there.

Zoe’s project will consist of a printed booklet so she

is also to be found in the Printroom. She seems much

happier and will enthusiastically chat or discuss her

work with me when I visit the Printroom. She will talk

about a technical aspect of registration, of the quality

and transparency of the stock on which she is screen

printing or the colour palette she has chosen. I wonder

whether she has discovered her capacity to think in

action and reflect in action? I observed that she seemed

unworried by the tasks ahead of her and the impending

deadline. She explained that she was only worried

when she was worried about her work. At the moment

she said she was not worrying about her work so she

was not worried.

nb. This is a case where ‘D’ Motivation is precipitating

reflection in action and thus it becomes a ‘B’ Motivation

as Zoe achieves significant learning.

35

June 7th I found this perhaps, inaccurate description of a

complex set of cognitive processes and reflections

she was experiencing fascinating and have tried

to understand this with reference to the HRM.

(Humanist Reflective Model. Also Humanist Learning

Relationship has become HLR) I wonder whether she

has discovered what my team and I advise, being that

to do nothing was to not solve the problem but to do

anything, something, a different action, a change of

process meant a change in thinking would occur which

may help to work through the problem. The HLR is

there to underpin this process of reflection in action. It

is not directly involved. This would inhibit the cognitive

processing which leads to reflection. It simply needs to

be there. It is like a safety net. When I meet Zoe in the

Printroom, the HLR we share, means that I can accept

whatever she is doing without question, advise, ask

her how she is feeling and receive an interesting reply,

affirm that I am intensely and genuinely interested in

what she is doing and leave her to continue.

Before this, Zoe came to see me twice on consecutive

Thursday evenings when I am often in college. I could

not give her my complete attention because I was with

a colleague but both times she talked in detail about her

project. I cannot turn my students away and perhaps I

should but at this point she was eager to demonstrate

that she needed my input. I was not comfortable with

her doing this because she should not have to but we

had had a curious tutorial where she had been vague

and distracted. Perhaps she should have the right to do

this after all.

Zoe’s beliefs have evolved so that she thinks as she is

making. This has motivated her to attempt a complex

print project but has also affirmed for her ability to

problem solve. This situation is not so unusual in

design but what is a mature motivating psychology

is the realisation that significant thinking functions at

a deep level whilst producing or making. I hope Zoe

realizes this. She achieved the grade of Distinction for

her project but this is in no way a justification for the

success of the HLR.

36

Conclusions

‘The ultimate abstract, analytical thinking, is the greatest

simplification possible, i.e., the formula, the diagram,

the map, the blue print, the schema, the cartoon and

certain types of abstract paintings.’ (Maslow, 1968,

p229) The Humanist Learning Model and its counter-

part The Humanist Learning Relationship are not meant

to be simplified. To visualise one or the other means

to distil and group certain elements so that a model, a

diagram can be applied to a real life situation. The aim

of this is to give the educator who assumes the role of

Learner ‘T’ and possibly even Learner ‘S’ the means to

nurture the many Humanist Learning Relationships that

have to be formed in the average tutorial group. It is

the expressed intention not to make a definitive model

because although there are certain elements which

will always occur in Humanist Learning Relationship,

Congruence being the most important, the model has to

deal with people, and as the above case studies have

demonstrated, no two learning relationships are alike.

By manipulating the squares or ‘Elements’ in Adobe

Illustrator it is possible to find combinations which

describe many aspects of a Humanist Learning

Relationship, to reflect on how the elements apply to

real life situations and two reflect on how the elements

influence one another. It is envisaged that the HLM

Elements be made available so that educators can

download and print them out or manipulate them in

Illustrator (or even Buzan’s mind mapping application)

using simple arrows to examine how the Elements

influence each other. For instance, the Humanist

Learning Relationship can be modelled with particular

emphasis on ‘B’ and ‘D’ motivations or reflective and

practical processes.

This thesis attempts to prove that learning design

depends on a good relationship between tutor and

tutee, that learning design is inextricably linked with

personal growth and becoming critical and thirdly that

learning can be framed within the HLM if Humanist

principles are adopted. The Model does not assume

that any tutor or lecturer has one or half a dozen

students to see in a week. That is all well and good if

this is the case but realistically Learner ‘T’ interacts

with many more, each student engaging in one to one

contact for as little as twenty minutes and no more

than an hour and a half per week. The Humanist

Learning Model is an aid to establishing and nurturing

the Humanist Learning Relationship which will mean

significant, effective learning, the Elements allowing

what is going on in the studio and tutorial to be reflected

upon. No one is saying that at the end of every day,

educators should meditate on the Elements. This is

simply not practical but perhaps from time to time they

may find it useful.22

22 What about meta cognition, me on my own? What do

The aim to develop something like the Humanist

Learning Model, the case studies and developing the

Elements and diagrams, has crystallised for the author

the theory that learning, particularly in design benefits

from these approaches. It has taken two years to reach

this conclusion and the thesis was tested to some

extent over the course of academic year 2010/11 but

next year will provide a more complete testing ground

as the thesis was not formulated until near the end of

10/11. As for a final conclusion it seems appropriate

to set out the thesis in conjunction with the Elements

in succinct terms - a manifesto if you will. Following

this there are six experiements with the layout of

the Humaist Learning Model elements containing

explanations which are brief but aim not to be over-

explanatory. It only remains to put the Humanist

Learning Model into practice.

I need as a learner? And now where? I asked the above

questions and then thought that I would rephrase to ask

what do I need as a designer? The proverbial spanner most

definately but also some time to apply my learning, apply my

theories. I am not sure that I have had so many ‘realisations’

over the past three years so I will look for more. Last year

I realised that design could for-arm the person against

capitalism. This year it has released my world view from the

problem of design and productivity. Design is nothing to do

with consumerism and is capable of undermining it. Design is

pure thought.

37

Humanist Learning Manifesto

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Design Educate Liberate II BibliographyBarton, Susan (1998) Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, Inc. available at http://www.dys-add.com/symptoms.html - gifts last accessed August 1st 2011

Brookfield, Stephen, D, (2005) The Power of Critical Theory – Liberating Adult Learning and Teaching. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Brookfield, S. & Preskill, S. (1999) Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms. Josey-Bass, San Francisco,

British Council, Undergraduate Courses: Entrance Requirements - subject specific available at http://www.britishcouncil.org/portugal-educacao-licenciaturas-requisitos-adicionais.htm last accessed July 31st 2011

Cohen, Norman, H., (1995) Mentoring Adult Learners: A Guide for Educators and Trainers, Krieger Publishing Company, Florida.

Foucault, Michael, (1977) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Vintage Books, New York.

Fry, Tony, (1999) A New Design Philosophy: An Introduction to Defuturing, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.

Groys, Boris, (2009) Education by Infection in Madoff, Steven Henry, ed. (2009) Art School: Propositions for the 21st Century, MIT Press, p26 - 32.

Habermas, Jurgen, (1987) The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity: Twelve Lectures. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvey, S. (2010) Design - Educate - Liberate: A Manifesto for Design Education, available athttp://issuu.com/lycanthropedesign/docs/design-educate-liberate last accessed August 23rd 2011

Heidegger, M, 1968, What is called thinking? Hater Torchbooks, New York.

Hilpern, Kate, (2010) Art: There are a huge range of art courses, but which one is best for you? The Independent on Sunday, July 30th 2010, available at http://www.independent.co.uk/student/into-university/az-degrees/art-1630750.html last accessed July 31st 2011

Kellner, Douglas, (1989) Critical Theory, Marxism and Modernity, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Legg, Chris (2006) Review and Evaluation of the

Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art & Design) Learning

Skills Council available at http://readingroom.lsc.gov.

uk/lsc/National/Review_and_Evaluation_of_FAD.pdf

last accessed 31/7/11

Madoff, Steven Henry, ed. (2009) Art School: Propositions for the 21st Century, MIT Press.

Marcuse, Herbert, (1978), The Aesthetic Dimension: Toward a Critique of Marxist Aesthetics, Beacon Press, Boston, Massachusetts.

Maslow, A. H. (1968) Toward a Psychology of Being: Third Edition 1999. Foreward by Richard Lowry. John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York.

McNiff, J, (1988) Action Research: Principles and Practice, Routeledge, London.

Mezirow, Jack, (1997) Transformative Learning: Theory to Practice, in New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, no. 74, Summer, 1997, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Mezirow, Jack & Associates, (2000) Learning as Transformation: Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress, Jossey- Bass, San Francisco.

Mezirow, Jack & Associates, (1990) Fostering Critical Reflection in Adulthood: A Guide to Transformative and Emancipatory Learning, Jossey-Bass Inc., San Francisco.

Moon, Jennifer A, (1999), Reflection in Learning & Professional Development – Theory & Practice, Kogan Page Limited, RoutledgeFalmer, NY

Owen, Chris, (2003) Firm Foundations: The Process Continues, in Miller, Corinne, (2003) Behind the Mosaic: One Hundred Years of Art Education, Leeds Museums & Galleries.

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Rogers, Carl, 1961, On Becoming a Person – A therapists View of Psychotherapy, Houghton Mifflin Co.,Boston, New York.

Rogers, Carl, 1969 Freedom to Learn, Charles E Merrill, Ohio.

Rogers, Carl; Frieberg, H. Jerome, 1994, Freedom to Learn – Third Edition, Prentice Hall, New Jersey

Schön, Donald, A., (1987) Educating The Reflective Practitioner, Jossey-Bass: A Wiley Imprint, San Francisco

Further ReadingAustin, J., & Hickey, A., (2007) Autoethnography and Teacher Development in International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Volume 2, Number 2, Common Ground Publishing, Melbourne.

Bauman, G, (1996) Contesting Culture, Cambridge University Press, Canbridge in Holliday, A., Hyde M., & Kullman, J., (2010) Intercultural Communication: an advanced resource book for students, Routledge, Oxon.

Ehmann, Debra (2005) Making a Difference: 2005 Evaluations and Assessment Conference. 30 November-1 December, Sydney. Using Assessment to Engage Graphic Design Students in their Learning Experience Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australiahttp://www.iml.uts.edu.au/EAC2005/papers/Ehmann2005.pdf

Fiedler, Jeannine, Feierabend, Peter, 1999, Bauhaus, Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Cologne.

Fiske, S.T., Gilbert, D.T., & Lindzey, G., (1998) Handbook of Social Psychology; Fifth Edition, Volume 2, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey.

Hickman, R, (2007), (In Defense of) whippet-fancying and other vices: Re-evaluating assessment in art and design, In Rayment, T. ed. (2007) The Problem of Assessment in Art & Design, Intellects Books, University of Chicago Press.

Holliday, A., Hyde M., & Kullman, J., (2010) Intercultural Communication: an advanced resource book for students, Routledge, Oxon.

Rayment, T. ed. (2007) The Problem of Assessment in Art & Design, Intellects Books, University of Chicago Press.

Robinson, Ken, (2006) available at TED Talks http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html, last accessed 21/6/2011

Tan, Shaun, Dir. Writer. (2010) The Lost Thing, (Animated Film), Interviewed in Extras, Passion Pictures, Australia

Tschichold, J. (1928) Die Neue Typographie: Ein Handbuch für Zeitmäss Schaffende, Brinkman & Bose, Berlin, Translated by Ruari McLean, (1995) University of California Press, Berkley, Los Angeles and London.

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School of DesignInformed Consent Form for research participant

Title of Study Design - Educate - Liberate II

Person(s) conducting the research Stuart Harvey

Programme of study MA Design Professional Practice

Address of the researcher for correspondence

c/o Leeds College of Art, Foundation Office, Vernon Street, Leeds, LS2 8PH

Telephone 0113 202 8153

Email stuart.harvey@leeds-art.ac.uk

Description of the broad nature of the research

Investigation of one to one teaching paying particular attention to humanist psychological methodology in a learning and growth context.

Description of the involvement expected of participants including the broad nature of questions to be answered or events to be observed or activities to be undertaken, and the expected time commitment

Questionnaires aim to assess the tutor - tutee relationship with a view to future action research aimed at collecting data about the learning relationship and assessing its efficacy. Further research will involve interviews and notes made about individual students.

Information obtained in this study, including this consent form, will be kept strictly confidential (i.e. will not be passed to others) and anonymous (i.e. individual and organisations will not be identified unless this is expressly excluded in the details given above).

Data obtained through this research will not be reproduced. It will not be used for purposes other than those outlined above without your permission.

Participation is entirely voluntary and participants may withdraw at any time.

By signing this consent form, you are indicating that you fully understand the above information and agree to participate in this study on the basis of the above information.

Participant’s signature Date:

Student’s signature Date:

Please keep one copy of this form for your own records

Appendix One

47

The Humanist Learning Manifesto and Elements are available to print for a small price at:

http://public.fotki.com/Stuart-Harvey/humanist-learning-model/

‘Design-Educate-Liberate: a manifesto for design learning’ is available at:

http://issuu.com/lycanthropedesign/docs/design-educate-liberate

‘Design Educate Liberate II’ is available at:

http://issuu.com/lycanthropedesign/docs/designeducateliberate2

48