REFLECTIVE POST 03 – The use of Nonviolent Communication in feedback 

Posted on 31st March 2025 by Claudia Nuzzo

The PgCert readings and the final in-person session on feedback were particularly interesting for me as this was something I had already been reflecting on a lot by myself. The discussions with my tutors and peers during the session gave me plenty of food for thought. 

One of the main aspects I have been considering is the use of language in feedback, which can be challenging for me. Firstly, because I come from a south Italian culture where communication is quite direct, which can sometimes contrast with UK academic norms. Secondly, as I am not a native English speaker, and I need to be particularly careful in choosing words appropriately to avoid misunderstandings with students. 

After the session on feedback, I started thinking about how I could structure feedback using principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), something I have been studying in the past, but I never had the chance to apply within the feedback context. From my research, I also found out that the NVC approach was very much in line with the guidelines on how to provide feedback available on the UAL portal. (See link in References about UAL Resources and Guidelines for assessment) 

As the only way to use NVC is to put it into practice, I decided to do a practical exercise where I imagine giving feedback to my audiovisual journalism students, keeping in mind the four key principles of NVC: observing without judging, expressing feelings to build connection, addressing needs and learning goals, and making actionable positive requests.

1. Observing without judging 

Negative: “Your video feels a bit dull and does not capture the audience’s attention.” 
Positive: “Your video follows a clear narrative, but adding more dynamic shots or varied pacing could help maintain audience engagement.” 

2. Expressing feelings to build connection 

Negative: “Your story is too simple and does not have much emotional impact.” 
Positive: “I really appreciate how clearly you tell the story. I feel it could be even more powerful if you included more personal testimonies or background music to create an emotional connection.” 

3. Addressing needs and learning goals 

Negative: “Your camera work is shaky and not professional.” 
Positive: “I can see that you experimented with different shots, which is great. Using a tripod or stabilising techniques might help make your footage look more polished.” 

4. Making actionable positive requests 

Negative: “Your script is not engaging enough.” 
Positive: “Would you be willing to add more descriptive language or visual storytelling elements? That could help bring the narrative to life.” 

These excercise helped me understand the right approach to feedback to improve communication with my students and make them feel valued and boost their self-esteem while learning. Moving forward I will incorporate this approach more into my written feedback as I think this is the right way to go! 

References 

Broadfoot, P. (1996) ‘The social purposes of assessment’, in Education, assessment, and society: a sociological analysis. Buckingham: Open University Press, pp. 19–38. 

McDonald, J.K. and Michela, E. (2019) ‘The design critique and the moral goods of studio pedagogy’, Design Studies, 62, pp. 1–35. 

Rosenberg, M.B. (1995) Words Are Windows or They’re Walls: A Presentation of Nonviolent Communication. Create Your Life-Production. 

Turner, J.C. (1984) ‘Failure and defeat as determinants of group cohesiveness’, British Journal of Social Psychology, 23(4), pp. 303–314. 

UAL Resources and Guidelines for assessment 

University of the Arts London (n.d.) Assessment and feedback resources. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/teaching-and-learning-exchange/resources/assessment-and-feedback (Accessed: 25 March 2025). 

University of the Arts London (2024) Supporting inclusive and developmental crits: A guidance for staff at UAL. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/451180/Crits-Guidance-Sep-2024.pdf (Accessed: 25 March 2025). 

University of the Arts London (2022) Compassionate feedback: Ideas for prompting reflection on compassionate approaches to feedback. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/381364/Compassionate-feedback-prompts_Final_November-2022-3.pdf (Accessed: 25 March 2025). 

University of the Arts London (n.d.) Take 5 – UAL’s Assessment Criteria. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/stories/take-5-uals-assessment-criteria (Accessed: 25 March 2025). 

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REFLECTIVE POST 02 – The importance of using reflective models in journalism education 

Posted on 31st March 2025 by Claudia Nuzzo

In my first year of teaching BA and MA journalism students, I found it challenging to provide clear guidelines on the best reflective model to use when evaluating their final work. 

At the same time, I realised this was a gap I needed to fill, as learning more about reflection would not only benefit my students but also help me assess my own performance as a lecturer and plan future improvements in my teaching. 

Through my research, I discovered various reflective models, including ERA (Jasper, 2013), Kolb (Kolb, 1984), Gibbs (Gibbs, 1988), and the Four Fs (Greenaway, 2015). Each of these models offers a different approach and level of complexity, all of which are valuable in their own way. 

Among these, I found ERA to be the simplest and most effective. It provides a clear structure without unnecessary complexity, making it particularly useful for journalism students when evaluating their audiovisual portfolios. The ERA cycle offers a practical framework for students to analyse their experiences, learn from them, and improve their future work. 

The ERA cycle consists of three stages: experience, reflection, and action. Unlike more complex models, such as Kolb’s reflective cycle, ERA helps students focus on key aspects of their learning journey. 

Going forward, I plan to provide students with examples of different reflective models, along with links I have gathered from colleagues and my own research. This will give them a broader perspective on reflection and allow both them and myself to conduct more effective evaluations, ultimately leading to improved work in the future. 

Resources to share with my students: 

ERA (Jasper, 2013) 

https://crowjack.com/blog/strategy/reflection-models/era-cycle

Kolb (Kolb, 1984) https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/media/MyCumbria/Documents/Library/Kolb.pdf 

Gibbs (Gibbs, 1988) 

https://www.tsw.co.uk/blog/leadership-and-management/gibbs-reflective-cycle

The Four Fs (Greenaway, 2015) 

https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/four-f

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MICROTEACHING SESSION – Reflection –

Posted on 15th February 2025 by Claudia Nuzzo

As part of the object-based learning micro-teaching session, I decided to use an archive of photographs depicting animals, landscapes, objects, and scenes from everyday life. The activity was designed for a maximum of six teachers attending the PgCert Academic Practice in Art, Design, and Communication course.

This session aimed to build community and strengthen connections, improve emotional awareness and empathy to reduce social exclusion and conflict and enhance visual literacy skills and imagination. The key methodologies used were: 

  • Social Action Photography and Therapeutic Photography Techniques: Inspired by Judy Weiser, these methods encourage emotional engagement and meaningful discussions. The activity focuses on identifying challenges and exploring potential solutions to promote well-being and positive change at community, societal, or broader levels.
  • Non-Violent communication principles: Drawing on Marshall Rosenberg’s principles, the workshop fostered a respectful and supportive environment for sharing and feedback. These principles enhanced the emotional and creative processes throughout the session.

I learned the Social Action Photography techniques during a course with Judy Weiser and have since had the opportunity to apply and adapt them in various contexts, including in school prisons with under-18 detainees and in hospitals with psychiatric patients. However, this was my first time experimenting with these techniques in an academic setting with colleagues and every time the outcome is different.

Activities

The first activity I introduced was called “Exploring personality and memories”. I placed the photographs on a table, and participants were invited to walk around and select one image that resonated with them. I then guided participants through a reflective exploration of their chosen image, asking questions to help them connect the photograph to their personality, life, or memories. Each participant shared their reflections with the group.

The second activity, “Addressing workplace challenges,” involved participants selecting a second photograph to reflect on the challenges they face in their work environment. I encouraged them to expand the frame of the photographs by imagining additional elements or people that could improve the depicted scenario. This exercise aimed to foster a group discussion about potential solutions to workplace challenges, encouraging a positive and constructive dialogue.

This activity proved to be very powerful, as participants shared deeply personal experiences. One participant selected a picture of a penguin standing alone on an icy landscape, staring at the sea. He explained that this image reflected how he sometimes felt when facing professional challenges alone. When asked to imaginatively expand the picture and introduce positive elements, he visualised a group of penguins emerging from the side of the image, standing on a floating piece of ice, coming to support him.

Another participant chose an image of a typical London bus as a metaphor for the generational gap she feels with her students. “It’s like we are on different floors,” she said, describing her main challenge as a lecturer. This sparked a productive discussion as this was a shared feeling among participants.

A third participant selected an image of an Egyptian painting depicting a person holding a stick to protect a group of small birds from a cat. Through reflection, she associated this scene with the sense of responsibility she feels toward her students, who she perceived as vulnerable and in need of protection. By introducing a symbolic chair into the picture, the interpretation evolved, the chair became a place for the teacher to rest and recharge while the students (birds) gained independence and no longer required constant protection.

Feedback and lessons learned

The feedback on the session was overall positive. Participants described the technique as powerful and emotional, highlighting the use of images as an effective tool for discussing challenges and solutions. One key question that emerged was: If people get emotional how do you handle it?

This was an important consideration, as emotional responses are common in sessions like these. Reflecting on this, I identified a few areas for improvement:

  1. One mistake I made was not properly introducing the activity due to time constraints. In my session plan, I had written the following introduction:
    “Participants will be informed that some questions during the activity may elicit personal emotional responses…(read more in the attachment)
    Had I taken the time to explain this at the beginning, participants would have been better prepared for the emotional responses that emerged during the activity.
  2. Another key lesson was the need to stress that emotional reactions, including crying, should not be seen as signs of weakness but rather as expressions of strength and authenticity. In activities like these, emotions are not disruptions but integral parts of the process. The goal is to ensure that discussions occur within a safe and supportive environment, where emotions can lead to positive outcomes rather than discomfort.
  3. Moving forward, I plan to refine my facilitation approach by integrating clearer grounding techniques at the start and end of the session. Simple strategies, such as breathing exercises or a short reflective pause, can help participants process their emotions in a more structured way.

Overall, this micro-teaching experience was an invaluable opportunity to explore the impact of visual methodologies in an academic setting. It reinforced the importance of preparation, emotional awareness, and the need to create a safe space where participants can engage in deep and meaningful discussions. This session has given me important insights that I will carry forward in my teaching and future participatory workshops.

Bibliography

Hardie, K (2015) ‘Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching’. Available at: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets.creode.advancehe-document-manager/documents/hea/private/kirsten_hardie_final_1568037367.pdf (Accessed 15 Feb 2025).

Rosenberg, M.B. (2015) Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. 3rd edn. Encinitas, CA: PuddleDancer Press.

Salamon, M. (2018) ‘Drawing Laboratory: Research Workshops and Outcomes’, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal.

Weiser, J. (1999) Phototherapy techniques: Exploring the secrets of personal snapshots and family albums. Vancouver: Photo Therapy Centre.

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REFLECTIVE POST 01 – How does the ability to evoke memories differ between drawing and photography?

Posted on 24th January 2025 by Claudia Nuzzo

The article by Michelle Salamon, “Drawing Laboratory: Research Workshops and Outcomes”, captured my attention.

This article explores a pilot series of six workshops at Central Saint Martins (2015), which examined how drawing can enhance memory, concentration, and creativity by acting as a tool for encoding and retrieving information. 

The reason I decided to read this article is that I was particularly interested in exploring how drawing can recall information from memory. This is an area I have explored with photographs, as I regularly use photo elicitation and some therapeutic techniques inspired by Judy Weiser, which have been proven to be powerful tools for recalling memories and improving emotional awareness (Weiser, 1999).

The main question I have been asking myself is how drawing differs from photography in its ability to recall memories?

On the connection between photographs and memory, John Berger writes:
“Memory is a strange faculty. The sharper and more isolated the stimulus memory receives, the more it remembers; the more comprehensive the stimulus, the less it remembers. This is perhaps why black-and-white photography is paradoxically more evocative than colour photography. It stimulates a faster onrush of memories because less has been given, more has been left out…” (Berger, 1992: 192–193).

Perhaps this explains why drawings can be so powerful in evoking memories, as drawing acts as a synthesis of reality itself.

The anthropologist Franz Boas was one of the first to use drawings and photographs to study the culture of the Trobriand Islands (Hurworth, 2003). He understood the power of drawing not just as a means of documentation but also as a way to initiate conversations with Aboriginal people about their rituals and ways of living.

The article by Michelle Salamon also demonstrates that drawing can do more than serve its usual artistic role; it can help with learning, encourage teamwork, and improve understanding of memory. The workshops revealed how drawing can trigger sensory cues, create memory aids, and enhance Art and Design education.

For example, the activity in which students drew the shoes they wore as children was particularly intriguing. In their feedback, students noted that the more they drew, the more vivid their memories became, enabling them to recall details of their past. This highlights the power of drawing to evoke memories, sharpen memory, and explore hidden memories, which can even have therapeutic applications.

Moving forward, I want to incorporate more drawing activities into both BA and MA journalism courses. One idea is to use drawing in interviews as ice-breaking activities to help students get to know each other. Interviews could begin by asking interviewees to draw something related to the topic of investigation as a way to start the conversation. This approach could be an interesting area to explore and might also be a valid tool for students in conducting professional interviews.

References

Berger, J. (1992) Keeping a Rendezvous. New York: Vintage International.

Berger, J. (2012) Berger on Drawing. Edited by J. Savage. Aghabullogue, Ireland: Occasional Press.

Hurworth, R. (2003) ‘Photo-interviewing for research’, University of Surrey Social Research Update, 40. Available at: https://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU40.PDF (Accessed: 24 January 2025).

Salamon, M. (2018) ‘Drawing Laboratory: Research Workshops and Outcomes’, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal.

Weiser, J. (1999) Phototherapy techniques: Exploring the secrets of personal snapshots and family albums. Vancouver: Photo Therapy Centre.

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A LITTLE ABOUT ME

Posted on 13th December 2024 by Claudia Nuzzo

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