College One: Workshop Activities...

Throughout the workshops, I encountered a broad range of materials and approaches to how a workshop could run. I responded to each activity and an outcome was produced for all of them, however, I liked some workshops more than others.  I particularly enjoyed working over someone else's work! This task demonstrated the idea of adapting myself to suit and work around a particular problem. It made me focus on risk assessing my workshop ideas and always having other possibilities in case any errors occurs.

I preferred working with materials because of my Textiles background but I did enjoy exploring the elements of 3-d and the idea of forming a shape using limited resources. For example: making a Totem pole that had the theme of Manchester using only railcard tickets, card and shredded paper. I did not like working with sweets, they made my hands sticky and the smell was sickly, I do however, understand why children would get excited to work with them. I found 2 workshop tasks to be challenging and these were the Origami Crane bird and the dot to dot. Considering I had the instructions on how to make a Crane bird directly in front of me, I found this exercise more difficult than I anticipated, it took up a lot of time. Creating a dot to dot using only 50 dots was not any easier, having limitations on workshops is what challenges our creativity. I ended up having 50 dots but 51 numbers because one dot was used twice, I underestimated a simple like a dot to dot, I need to be able to recognise what a suitable workshop is for my class' age.

Working individually adds more pressure on one's self but working in pairs or groups allows the ideas to bounce of each other and evolve. I think working in groups creates a better outcome because it is a collaborative of ideas but I also think it can hinder quieter people in a group. Every student will have an idea, it is about drawing it out and building on their confidence's to express them.

These workshops have made me aware of a variety of elements that I will ensure and think about when preparing my workshops, for example: all the students will respond to each tasks differently, to encourage the students creativity and imagination, some students characters and personalities are more dominant than others, to be aware of other people's distractions, limited resources can be a good thing and that clearing up is just as important as the activities as it signifies the completion of one.