Contextual Background
As a photography specialist at LCF, I teach and support students in a variety of courses with different levels of experience, learning styles and technical abilities. My current teaching approach is to offer standardised technical workshops in multiple courses that are consistent but do not always address the unique needs of each course. The emphasis is on hands-on experience with the equipment, but there is limited structured support for students who need additional help.
A technical workshop run in collaboration with a fashion styling technician needs significant revision. Originally designed as a full-day masterclass for MA Fashion Photography students, the workshop introduced composition techniques, the rule of thirds, the history and principles of still life, and techniques for photographing and lighting different surfaces and textures. The practical outcome was achieved through collaborative experimentation. The workshop has since been adopted by some courses in the School of Media and Communication and shortened to two hours, with no change in learning outcomes despite the drastically reduced timeframe. The students come with different levels of knowledge—many lack basic camera and lighting skills. The workshop has become a play space rather than an opportunity to engage in ‘desirable difficulties’—the process of learning through strenuous challenges that improve retention (Bjork & Bjork, 2011). Even if student engagement is high, refining the structure will deepen learning and improve the acquisition of technical skills.
Moving Forward
The limitations of the shortened still-life styling workshop have highlighted the need for a more structured learning process. To improve skill acquisition, retention and engagement, I would like to use strategies that align with the instructional hierarchy (Haring et al., 1978) and stages of learning.
Revise the workshop structure for progressive learning – Following scaffolded instruction, I would like to restructure the workshop into sequential phases. By providing basic online resources, the principles of composition and lighting will be introduced prior to the event so that participants can engage with the core concepts in advance. This allows participants to get to grips with the key concepts in advance. This pre-learning phase helps to manage cognitive load and ensures that time in the lesson is focused on application rather than fundamentals. The only challenge that may arise is that students often show up for class without having done their homework.
Differentiated instruction and gradual skill development – Based on peer observations and pedagogical research, I will try to incorporate graduated activities geared toward different levels of experience. For example, beginners could focus on basic camera operations and lighting setups, while more experienced students could explore more advanced composition and styling techniques through guided experimentation.
Incorporate ‘desirable difficulties’ for deeper learning – Rather than simplifying tasks, I could incorporate ‘retrieval practice’ (Roediger & Butler, 2011) and problem-solving tasks. For example, students could recreate an existing still-life image under different lighting conditions to promote critical thinking and adaptive learning.
Extended learning through post-workshop engagement – To consolidate knowledge, I could also introduce a structured follow-up. I could ask students to submit a reflection assignment or guide them to further develop these skills in their personal work. This corresponds to the fluency and generalisation stages (Haring et al., 1978) and ensures that students review and internalise the key techniques beyond the first lesson.
Introduce structured feedback loops – To test these improvements in the future, I will seek qualitative and quantitative feedback from students to assess engagement, understanding and confidence. Iterative adjustments based on this feedback could refine the delivery of the workshops and lead to wider improvements in the technical workshops.
By introducing these evidence-based strategies, I aim to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and create a more responsive, structured and engaging workshop environment. These improvements will improve both students’ confidence and technical skills, ensuring that they retain and develop their skills in a variety of learning contexts over the long term.
References
Groshell, Z. (2024) ‘S4E3: Brendan Lee and Zach Groshell on the nuances of teaching effectively’, Progressively Incorrect, 20 September. Available at: https://educationrickshaw.com/2024/09/20/s4e3-brendan-lee-and-zach-groshell-on-the-nuances-of-teaching-effectively/ (Accessed: 9 February 2025).
Bjork, R. A., & Bjork, E. L. (2011) ‘Making Things Hard on Yourself, But in a Good Way: Creating Desirable Difficulties to Enhance Learning’, in Gernsbacher, M. A., Pew, R. W., Hough, L. M., & Pomerantz, J. R. (eds) Psychology and the Real World: Essays Illustrating Fundamental Contributions to Society. New York: Worth Publishers, pp. 56-64.
Haring, N. G., Lovitt, T. C., Eaton, M. D., & Hansen, C. L. (1978) The Fourth R: Research in the Classroom. Columbus, OH: Merrill.
Roediger, H. L., & Butler, A. C. (2011) ‘The Critical Role of Retrieval Practice in Long-Term Retention’, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(1), pp. 20-27.