Positionality statement
My role
At LCF I’m a garment technician supporting the course MA fashion design technology.
The course is based on teaching students how to create a fashion collection which has values like sustainability, collaboration, gender awareness and make-through-craftsmanship.
My personal background is 27 years in industry working for design houses, having my own bridal brand and now five years teaching, my industry background allowed me to create beautiful garments through my hands and methods of pattern cutting and garment construction. This knowledge helps me support the students with converting their 2D work into 3D garments using a variety of make methods.
Self-reflecting on my positionality
Being on the Pg-Cert course now for six months has made me realise and allowed me to actively think more about my role as a technician. From the comments above, it has made me realise the stars I have rewarded myself to my role, but not always considered my own personal biases, which may reflect on students or peers.
Kendall A. King in the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics says: “Positionality statements have increasingly become the norm….. promises and perils of such statements, including their performativity and lack of reflexivity” need to be considered.
“The promises:
Optimally, positionality statements are part of an ongoing process of reflexivity wherein scholars critically reflect
The perils:
Mann’s survey of published articles that utilized interviews for data collection revealed that most of the articles presented the interview data as objective, neutral participant reports rather than the result of co-constructed interactions by the interviewed and the interviewer.
Performativity:
Positionality statements can function as performative gestures” and their use as such could be considered questionable if that was their sole purpose.
Insider/Outsider:
This statement made me consider very carefully the extent to which my own experiences have come into my head when thinking about it. Is it a good thing to relate to a student because I share values with them or would I be more objective if I wasn’t? “so-called “outsider researchers,” typically those who are not members of the group targeted by the study, are sometimes deemed more objective and neutral. “Insiders,” in turn, are often assumed to have more direct access to the research site or population and possibly deeper insights into the sociocultural mechanisms at work (Aiello & Nero, Reference Aiello and Nero2019).” (Reference Mann2011)
In my intervention, something I’ll be aware of is the tick box system on my survey when considering the impact of positionality.
I realise now that positionality is time and space, interaction and movement, when giving your opinion. Through creating a collection, conversation, and research methods increases our awareness of my positionality.
I am dyslexic
Being open about this with the students and my peers means that I need to find alternative ways of problem solving, so in this instance it has involved the help of both university student-support and my partner in polishing my grammar, which is something I haven’t previously benefited from in my earlier education. I find this openness helps students and students with neurodiverse learning needs, though using studio demonstrations where I can adapt to the specific needs of diverse students whilst accommodating the groups’ needs which cannot be done online. Increasingly students rely on technology, which has its place, but which requires literacy and for dyslexic and overseas students can be limiting. I encourage students to attend these sessions by asking them “How can a garment be successfully created unless you touch, see, feel and move the fabric”.
Kate Green, PGCE Secondary Programme Director at the University of Southampton provides an insightful paper on the subject, which I found to be very accessible because it is presented in dyslexia-friendly colours and blocked into clear sections, which is something I would like to consider doing in the future. The extract below shows this and the content is also really good for all teaching staff to know.
As a gay man
I have tried to make my workshops more gender inclusive so that the students are able have discussions around this aspect if they want to.
In March 2024, Elliot Colburn spoke in parliament about the value of inclusivity from his position as a gay man “Key messages taught throughout relationships education include that people do not have to conform to narrow stereotypes and that discrimination, bullying and prejudice are harmful and wrong. Indeed, that principle is woven throughout the British values element of school teaching, the aim of which is to encourage and foster respect, kindness, equality and inclusion. Those are British values: they are intrinsic to the ethos of most schools, and families are supportive of them.”
Linking back to dyslexia, names are something I struggle with but images help me to remember, so here’s a photo of him outside parliament:
Elliot Colburn (Carshalton and Wallington) (Con)
Being of Indian heritage
Born in the UK and always living in London, has made me realise there will be biases with my teaching practises, as I cannot always relate, understand or feel what my students may feel as a lot of them do come from different parts of the world where heritage, culture and tradition will vary.
This now has an impact on my teaching practise as I am even more aware about the impact disability, faith, race, and hierarchical systems has at the universities through education, something we all need to work on to remove biases.
References
King, K. A. K. (2024). Mr. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics.
Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/annual-review-of-applied-linguistics/article/promises-and-perils-of-positionality-statements/D9C00E5B1EC049674BC50C4DDA0930F6# (Accessed 22 June 2024)
Green, K. Ms. (undated) Supporting dyslexic trainees teachers
Available at: https://www.patoss-dyslexia.org/write/MediaUploads/Resources/Supportingdyslexictraineesteachers.pdf (Accessed 22 June 2024)
Colborn MP, E. Mr. (2024) ‘Relationships Education LGBT Content’ Hansard: Parliament. House of Commons. debated on Monday 18 March 2024, Volume 747, column number 202WH. Available at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-03-18/debates/4135DD73-1BD4-4F3A-9D5C-8C2C08832790/RelationshipsEducationLGBTContent (Accessed 22 June 2024)