McDonnell, B., 2020.

Teaching Photography via Photography

This reflective paper draws on an evaluation of current online pedagogy but also the authors practice as an artist that revolves around forming a relationship between image and sound. As such 'Listening' and 'Looking' are used as a broad structure for six short essays that draw on experiences of moving to online delivery to consider the virtual classroom as an amorphous, fluid space that can be both problematic but also present opportunities for innovative teaching and learning. In addition to the six reflective essays; Latency, Volume, Spaces to Speak, Lebenswelt, Screenshare and The Thingness of Making, The Thingness of Teaching the article draws on an anonymous survey of second and third (final) year undergraduate students and an online conversation group initiated with colleagues that teach at undergraduate and post graduate level at both Manchester School of Art and the Royal College of Art. Rather than propose a definite set of conclusions the article suggests that the online platform is inherently a visual one, but using listening as a way of understanding it could open up the possibility of creating a teaching space that is concurrently difficult to grasp but potentially easily accessible and less hierarchical.