Doc_04 | Questioning & Chat GPT
Coaching is often the most utilised teaching practice that I use in my classes, as so much of the dialogue between the students and myself is related to the work they are doing between classes. The projects being undertaken by the students is ongoing throughout the semester and a part of my role as a teacher is to analyse and provide feedback.
These feedback discussions, primarily about visual work which the student presents during the class, are often reactive and a back and forth comes naturally. However there are occasions where students need help to initiate the dialog, and asking questions I have observed is the most effective method to achieve this.
During the conversations and in the context of the work, questions naturally arise relating to the work and in the context of printed textiles, such as the following:
1. How do your visuals relate to the broader themes of your concept?
2. Is the design practical, in terms of realising and executing the print?
3. Does your print design concept make sense in the context of the designer whom you are referencing?
What I have observed is that students can benefit from the introduction of more general questions. By utilising ChatGPT it has been possible to generate questions which are informed by a more sources than myself in my specific experience of printed textiles. For example:
1. How do you select the color palette for your prints, and how does it relate to the mood or story you want to convey in your collection?
2. How do the prints you’ve chosen complement or contrast with the garment shapes and silhouettes in your collection?
3. Are your prints intended to be the focal point of the garment, or do they play a more subtle, background role?
4. What role do you think pattern and print play in expressing a garment's function or wearability?
5. What challenges have you faced in designing prints for your collection, and how have you overcome them?
The use of a modern technology as a means to foster interaction with the students relates to my questions about encouraging dialog. I have experienced that simply by informing the students about using Chat GPT it immediately encourages a conversation because of the opinions that people have.
In one particular workshop where I noticed the students were split between focusing on digital or analog processes, I used a series of questions that I had come up with, alongside a series from Chat GPT.
By using the Ai generated questions with the analog students and vice versa, it initiated an atmosphere where students felt comfortable to express their thoughts and opinions. Taking the CAR as an educational model, the activity demonstrated how relatedness and the removal of a distinct hierarchy can encourage a rich and effective dialogue.