Creative Arts: Textiles TEKST

Prerequisites

A minimum of 60 ECTS in Education in the Arts or the equivalent.

Course Objectives

This course will increase students’ knowledge and experience of the creative use of textiles, and they will learn to recognise the opportunities and possibilities offered by creative activity, teaching and dissemination. It will further develop students’ awareness of the potential and values of this specialisation subject, in which people, learning, culture and environment are vital components. It will stimulate curiosity, interest in research and joy of the subject, and reinforce and encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning and an active learning environment.

Students will:

• develop knowledge and competence within the subject area of creative work with textiles.
• develop an understanding of design and an ability to express themselves through creative work.
• increase their skills and experience using materials, tools, techniques and various working methods appropriate to the subject area.
• develop their knowledge and experience of how ideas and themes are created and result in visible expressions in concrete materials.
• develop the ability to understand, experience and assess their own work and that of others.
• develop their knowledge within the field of arts and crafts, and develop an understanding and skills with regard to both traditions and innovation within the field of creative use of textiles.
• develop their ability to plan and carry out teaching adapted to pupils at different levels.
• acquire knowledge and experience of professional development work.
• acquire knowledge and skills in dissemination, documentation and presentation.

Course Description

Textiles are an import part of our culture. A thorough understanding of the uses of textiles, both past and present, should therefore be included in our general education. Practical work with textiles forms the main part of the course.

Through alternating theory and practice, students will develop their ability to make decisions and defend professional practices. On this basis, the course will provide a background for improvement and an awareness of the potential and values of the subject area in relation to the individual, schools and society. Knowledge, skills and familiarity with creative processes and aesthetic, functional, communicative and craft-related qualities are central elements of the course. In building further on the general knowledge emphasised in the Foundation Course, students’ standards for insight, understanding of concepts and critical competence will be raised.

Course Unit 1: Materials, Tools and Techniques

The conversion of ideas into concrete ideas depends upon knowledge and skills in a variety of areas.

This course unit emphasises developing students’ understanding of materials, subject theory and skill training within a subject didactics’ framework. Students will become familiar with the tools and techniques required for working on and creating objects using textiles as the basic material. In addition to aspects of the course unit mentioned above, its content may also be integrated into the work with the other course units.

Students will be able to:

• evaluate, choose and employ materials based on the knowledge of their characteristics and areas of use.
• investigate the interaction between materials, tools and techniques in creative processes and the resulting products.
• master textiles’ techniques such as: sewing, knitting, embroidery, prints, matting and dyeing with plants.
• carry out elementary construction of patterns and adaptation of patterns.
• maintain textiles, tools and equipment.
• keep the workshop in order.
• judge the degree of difficulty of various techniques in order to
• ensure professional progression when teaching.
• use computer software as a tool in the design processes.

A number of smaller assignments relating the subject material to practical applications will be given.

Course unit 2: Utility Objects, Design and Product Development

The work with on this course unit emphasises the creation of practical objects in material as a continuous process from idea to finished product. Students will work on an analysis of needs and function, development, visualisation and documentation of design processes. The course unit builds upon course unit 1.

Students will learn to:

• analyse their own products and those of others within the same field.
• develop their understanding for traditional forms and contemporary designs, both nationally and internationally.
• adopt an evaluating and analysing attitude towards their own creative work.
• develop an awareness of the interdependence of materials, tools, techniques and the desired function and expression of form.
• develop knowledge regarding materials used for clothing.
• develop their knowledge regarding decoration and construction of patterns.
• document and use their knowledge of traditional and contemporary textiles.
• develop their creativity in the work with experimentation in the use of materials and techniques.
• learn skills in dissemination, documentation and presentation of their own work and that of others.

Course unit 3: Textile Expressions, Sculpture and Installation

This course unit will focus on a varied and experimental use of textiles in two and three-dimensional expressions. Knowledge of the work of textiles artists in the past and present will also be in focus.

Students will learn to:

• investigate various types of textures/surfaces and understand the importance of the surface quality for artistic expression.
• show the ability to build further on earlier experiences and expand their knowledge and skills through their own work.
• use textiles in various expressions.
• reason about current topics in society and base their own work upon these.
• present their own work and that of others in exhibitions or other forms of presentation.

Subject didactics

This includes the study of the arts and crafts’ goals and possibilities, and how instruction may be organised to fulfil the intentions of the curricula, particularly with respect to the learning and development of pupils in upper secondary schools.

Students will be able to:

• find the time and opportunities to participate in current subject pedagogical debates.
• plan, carry out and evaluate teaching assignments in the subject, particularly in relation to upper secondary education.
• prepare themselves to meet the learning and expressive needs of pupils and be able to inspire and guide them towards the development of active and inquisitive working methods.
• apply subject didactic knowledge and experience from the teaching practice period as a basis for personal and professional growth, critical evaluation and further development of the subject.
• gain an overview of the current curricula and textbooks used in upper secondary schools.
• reflect over the pedagogic consequences of teaching in their particular field of specialisation.
• debate and reflect over the values which the subject can contribute to culture and society in general.
• discuss how our relationship to the objects around us influences our daily life.
• analyse and evaluate current study programmes and curricula.

Research methodology

The work on this subject area will provide students with knowledge and experience in fundamental methods and approaches to the acquisition, development and processing of knowledge.

Students should be able to:

• limit the field of study, devise approaches to problems, use source materials and present and evaluate results.
• explain the main methods and approaches used for the acquisition of knowledge on the subject.
• use research literature, databases, informants and other sources.
• recognise the possibilities for renewing and combining methods within research and development work, based on the nature of the subject.

Learning Methods

The course is organised into three course units, a period of teaching practice, an individual written examination and a final project. The course units aims at covering various aspects of the creative use of textiles in a pedagogical context. The course units prepare and qualify students for the graded assessment part of the course: the individual, written examination and the final project which counts for 20 ECTS.

The course units:

1. Materials, Tools and Techniques, 10 ECTS
2. Utility Objects, Design and Product Development, 18 ECTS
3. Textile Expressions, Sculpture and Installation, 12 ECTS

Subject theory and the didactics, worth 15 ECTS, are integrated in all phases of the course.

Students will mainly be engaged in individual work in the workshops which will run in parallel with the teaching of subject theory. An important focus will be group work which will provide students with experience with the supervision of co-students using various approaches to professional challenges, minor seminars, debates, discussions and joint exhibition projects.

The teaching consists of demonstrations, practical exercises, guided skill-development, lectures, discussions and debates. In addition to the collective instruction, supervision will be provided both individually and in groups. The practical and theoretical aspects of the course form a whole. The teaching practice will provide students with the opportunity to try out and experiment with material and ideas of the course.

Emphasis will be placed on the students’ responsibility for their own independent work and ability to cooperate. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 37.5 hours per week working on their studies. They will be supervised by their teachers about half of this time.

Joint theory for specialisation courses

Some of the subject material may be considered common for all of the specialised courses. This will be mediated largely though seminars/lectures for the BA programme, Subject Teacher: Education in the Arts. The subject material that is presented in these joint seminars may vary from year to year; consult the course reading list.

Other activities

In addition to these periods, there will be scheduled activities such as ‘Open Door’, research days and possibly other external activities. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in course-related extracurricular activities. Through such activities students will gain experience in meeting the public and mediating topical material though exhibits and oral and audio-visual demonstrations.

Visits to exhibitions are also included in the course. There may also be the opportunity of short study trips.

Teaching practice

Three weeks of the academic year is reserved for teaching practice, which is normally associated with the teaching of crafts in upper secondary schools, folk high schools or other pedagogic environments. The course covers the whole country, consequently, the teaching practice may be placed outside the university college’s immediate geographic area. The practice groups consist of 3 to 4 students. Those students who are not currently studying to be teachers, or have not taken teacher training at an earlier date, will normally be assigned alternative practice.

Students will cooperate with their teaching practice mentors and subject teachers in planning, executing and evaluating their teaching plans.

Teaching practice reports must be submitted, at the latest, one week after the practice period is completed. Both the teaching practice efforts and the report are used in evaluating the student’s overall performance. The teaching practice is described in a practice plan for BA Subject Teacher: Education in the Arts.

Student council

Students choose their own student council consisting of 2-3 students who function as intermediaries between the teaching team and the class. When appropriate, the student council may participate in team meetings in order to discuss matters related to the planning of class activities.

Assessment Methods

There should be a relation between the aims, content, teaching and learning methods and assessment of the course. The assessment will form an important part of the actual learning processes, and act as a means of allowing the individual student to both develop understanding of the aims of the course and to acquire insight into their own suitability for creative work and the teaching profession. Reviewing and assessing teaching and learning methods, sketches, rough drafts, models and products, together with subject didactic reflection will reveal the students’ contributions and progression in the course, and provide insight into, and awareness of, their professional advancement and learning.

The assessment is also intended as an aid to the individual student in the form of supervision. Students may, for example, receive feedback related to processes and results, and their ability to work together.

Both students and teachers must participate in the course assessment with the aim of further developing the course. Consequently, the assessment should also include the content and organisation of the course.

All the assignments must be completed, submitted at the appointed times, and evaluated as passed in order to take the final graded examinations. Students are personally responsible for holding themselves oriented about assignment requirements, other requirements and deadlines. Missing assignments and failing grades on required elements may affect whether the student may continue with the course or take the final examination. This should be viewed in connection with the rights and responsibilities the student has according to the examination regulations at the university college; please refer to the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges § 40.

Examination:

Individual written examination; 5-day home assignment

The student will write an assignment with a subject theoretical/subject didactic focus on a given topic. There are specific requirements related to organisation, structure and the student’s ability to use the subject material in relation to the topic. The written assignment should include a maximum of 10 pages, using 12-point font and 1.5 line spacing. See ‘Guidelines for Written Work at Telemark University College’.

Final project, 20 ECTS

Twelve weeks are allocated to a project. Students choose the topic/problem approach in consultation with the subject teacher. The final project has a mandatory requirement of supervision, and the individual student is responsible for contacting the subject teacher and arranging supervision. In the final work, particular stress is placed on creative work, theoretical background and the ability to analyse and organise one’s work with materials. Specific demands are made for the final project with respect to structure and use of elementary scientific methods. The project will primarily be associated with expressions in textiles and must be school-related. The goal is to allow the student to gain experience in executing an independent professional assignment with a research aspect, and one that provides an opportunity to specialise in one or several aspects of the subject.

The result will consist of practical creative work in materials, thorough documentation including a written paper fulfilling the normal requirements for report writing, and a comprehensive presentation. There will also be the possibility to present the project through other techniques, such as multimedia, providing the requirement concerning documentation is fulfilled. Students will, in addition, organise their own syllabus literature related to the project, which should include about 200 pages on subjects associated with documentation in the report.

On the diploma, the title of the final project will be entered. A letter grade will be given, on a scale from A to F, where A is the highest possible grade, and E is the lowest passing grade. Both parts of the examination must receive passing marks before the examination is considered passed. The teaching practice period must be given a passing grade in order to receive a diploma.

Please refer to Telemark University College Examination Regulations for further information.

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