I have experienced a room silence, both as an academic and a student. For me, this is such a fully loaded documentary, which poses more questions than answers when I consider its power and relevance to our own higher education Institute at UAL.
Sharing this video documentary to students is a powerful tool, in encouraging all our students to be brave in their content when sharing creativity. We should have spaces that empower our student voices and the student-centred in our focus. As academics, I feel we must have a growth mindset, where we are always willing to learn from our student’s expertise, which intern helps us develop knowledge in subject areas which our students have interest in.
How do I combat a room of silence? I ask the student to explain with the level of expertise, the topic, and then give an honest response, if required, and there is so much to learn, in a non-hierarchical system, which encourages our students to participate and engage within activities we create a framework for. To cite an example, as a senior academic member of staff. Often, when in meetings, race is a point of discussion, I am usually comfortable sharing my point of view. It is usually after this, when I experience a room of silence. So, it is not only our students who experience this, but also our academics.
Image taken from: https://vimeo.com/161259012