Record of Observation or Review of Teaching Practice
Session/artefact to be reviewed: Fashion Styling and Production, Year 3 unit, Personal and Professional Project
Size of student group: 66
Observer: Rory Parnell-Mooney
Observee: Danny Treacy
Note: This record is solely for exchanging developmental feedback between colleagues. Its reflective aspect informs PgCert and Fellowship assessment, but it is not an official evaluation of teaching and is not intended for other internal or legal applications such as probation or disciplinary action.
Part One
Observee to complete in brief and send to observer prior to the observation or review:
What is the context of this session/artefact within the curriculum?
This session was part of the scheme of learning, in a Year 3 unit, Personal and Professional Project. It was tiltled ‘On set Role Play’.
How long have you been working with this group and in what capacity?
3 months, as a member of staff that teaches on the unit.
What are the intended or expected learning outcomes?
The intended learning outcomes were aligned to professional practice, as this is integral to the unit’s ethos. Specifically, one of the learning outcomes for the unit is – Critically evaluate and articulate reflections of personal working methodologies, and the application of your findings to the processes that govern your practice
What are the anticipated outputs (anything students will make/do)?
The students observe a live role play, that is presented as a (flawed) situation of a professional scenario that the students can expect to encounter (a photographic shoot, with producer, photographer, stylist, and designer.
The students are then asked to remark on their observations, to comment on ‘bad practice’ and to offer suggestions that would turn the role play into a successful situation.
So the learning becomes reflective.
Are there potential difficulties or specific areas of concern?
If no-one offers any solutions or has any observations of the bad practice enacted by the actors.
How will students be informed of the observation/review?
N/A (observer not available for the role play session).
What would you particularly like feedback on?
The structure of the session, the idea/concept itself, as this is new.
How will feedback be exchanged?
Verbally, in a Teams meeting, and in the form of notes taken.
Part Two
Observer to note down observations, suggestions and questions:
The On-Set Role-Play workshop, delivered by Danny along with other members of staff from his team, provided an engaging and thought-provoking session aimed at broadening students’ understanding of the conflicts that can arise on set between different creative roles. The session posed important questions regarding best practices, conflict resolution, and the necessity of clear communication and thorough preparation in professional environments.
The observation took place remotely via Microsoft Teams. Danny provided an overview of the workshop structure and shared the teaching materials, ensuring clarity on the session’s aims and content. A group of academic staff enacted various on-set roles—such as Photographer, Stylist, Producer, and Designer—each performing specific examples of “bad practice” to illustrate common professional challenges. Students were then encouraged to critically engage with these scenarios, identifying problematic behaviors and proposing alternative approaches.
The decision to have academic staff perform these roles in front of students was particularly effective in breaking down hierarchical barriers, fostering an open and interactive learning environment. This approach allowed students to observe professional dynamics from a safe yet realistic distance while maintaining an active role in critiquing and responding to the scenarios presented.
The accompanying slides, which served as a comprehensive lesson plan, were well-structured and provided strong scaffolding for the session. This level of detail was particularly beneficial when managing a large group of students and ensuring that discussions remained focused and constructive. However, if the materials were to be used by another group of staff to replicate the session, incorporating visual elements—such as a room plan and photographic references of the original session —could be helpful.
One potential area for development could involve a more interactive conflict resolution component. For example, rather than solely identifying issues, students could be given an opportunity to actively intervene within the role-play, directing how the scenario unfolds in real time. This could involve a pause point where students discuss and vote on possible resolutions, then watch two diverging outcomes play out based on their suggestions. Such an addition would further immerse students in problem-solving and negotiation techniques, making the learning experience even more dynamic.
The workshop’s relevance and applicability suggest it could be beneficially integrated across different year groups within the course. A simplified version could be introduced to first-year students to establish foundational knowledge, while a more in-depth and collaborative iteration could be delivered to third-year students, potentially incorporating industry professionals or alumni to simulate real-world interactions.
A valuable addition to the workshop could be a structured reflective element, allowing students to assess their own experiences on set and their personal conflict resolution and communication skills. A post-session journal entry or guided discussion could encourage students to relate the observed scenarios to their practice, fostering deeper self-awareness and professional development.
Overall, the role-play workshop was an innovative and effective learning experience that encouraged students to critically engage with the complexities of on-set dynamics. The use of staff-performed role-play successfully leveled hierarchical structures, facilitating open dialogue and analysis. While the session already provides a strong foundation, incorporating elements of live conflict resolution, expanding its implementation across different year levels, and integrating reflective practices could further enhance its impact and long-term value in preparing students for professional set environments.
Part Three
Observee to reflect on the observer’s comments and describe how they will act on the feedback exchanged:
Rory provided lots of insightful feedback, which I am very grateful for. I will consider recording the role play session in future, as it can be used as a resource for other year groups, and for those students who may have missed the session.
While the idea regarding the student’s ability to intervene as the role play unfolds, and vote on possible resolutions is excellent, I will work on ways in which we can develop this idea as a team.
The idea of recording the student’s entries, in allowing greater reflection is also excellent. We use Padlet at times, and so in this case, Padlet could be a great way for the students to generate structured reflective observations, that can then help with their own approaches to professionalism in their practice.