Intervention and Reflective Report

Introduction + Context

As a Visiting Practitioner within the Outreach team, I support learners transitioning through secondary school, college, and higher education, guiding their portfolio development and exploration of creative pathways. This report examines gaps in resources and support for these learners, reflecting my positionality as someone delivering workshops directly and observing how limitations affect engagement and learning outcomes.

The workshops I lead are typically four hours long and draw on my undergraduate course, Creative Direction for Fashion. Activities are pre-planned for students aged 13–16 and 16+, but adaptable across secondary and college settings in England. I have delivered sessions in locations including London and Brighton, condensing elements of my degree, photography, production, and creative thinking into structured, practical learning experiences integrated with pre-university guidance. This approach translates academic training into teaching practice, helping students explore creative pathways and begin building portfolios for further study.

Challenges arise due to limited accessible resources, which restrict participation, confidence, and engagement. Without print materials, digital platforms such as Adobe Creative Cloud and Miro, equipment like cameras and lights, or suitable creative spaces, it is difficult to demonstrate how interests in fashion and music can lead to employability.

The proposed intervention aims to address these gaps by improving access to essential resources. It supports students’ practical learning and understanding of creative industries, enabling portfolio development and preparation for future study or professional pathways. 

Inclusive learning

1. Representation, Resources, and Relevance

Inclusion is particularly important within my discipline, which remains a predominantly white space. bell hooks (1992) argues that limited representation in media and cultural industries can significantly affect students’ engagement and sense of belonging. Mainstream media, through advertising, film, music videos and fashion catwalks, predominantly features white people, meaning students from underrepresented backgrounds rarely see themselves reflected and therefore won’t have the knowledge or interest to contribute in those spaces. 

I have observed instances where classes have had clear gender imbalances. In one predominantly female class, a male student’s engagement noticeably increased when I referenced male figures in creative industries within my presentation slides, such as Virgil Abloh, a notable American fashion designer, trained architect and entrepreneur. Prior to this, the student had remained reserved and less interactive, suggesting that seeing someone he could relate to encouraged greater participation.

This idea of representation is echoed at a cultural level in Chadwick Boseman’s acceptance speech at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Reflecting on the success of Black Panther, he stated, “we all know what it’s like to be told there is not a place for you to be featured yet you’re young, gifted and Black, we all know what it’s like to be told there is not a place for you to be featured… we know what it’s like to be told there’s not a screen for you to be featured on, a stage for you to be featured on,” (TNT, 2019). These reflections closely mirror how students from underrepresented groups may feel unseen or excluded within creative learning spaces when they don’t see versions of themselves in media to even think it’s possible to create 

In schools I have visited, students have often lacked sufficient data on their phones to access interactive parts of presentations, or had no phones at all. In addition, outdated visual references and a lack of spare materials have limited students’ ability to participate fully in practical activities, such as styling tasks.

Without access to appropriate resources or media that reflects their identities, students are less able to create work that is personally meaningful, which limits their confidence and participation. This links closely to my own experience as a kinesthetic learner, as I learned most effectively through doing, experimenting and producing work rather than through passive observation. The design of my workshops responds directly to this by prioritising hands-on, practical learning opportunities. Through active making and experimentation, students are able to learn by doing and reflecting in real time. This approach is informed by constructivist learning theory, which emphasises that learners construct knowledge through active engagement and experience. By enabling students to work directly with equipment, digital platforms and materials, the workshops create an inclusive learning environment where all learners can engage meaningfully.

2. Equity of Opportunity

Creative industries are highly competitive and often rely on portfolios and practical skills. Without inclusive access to resources, students from underrepresented or lower-income backgrounds may struggle to develop their creative potential. Providing equitable access to equipment, digital platforms and materials enables all learners to explore their creativity fully and prepares them to pursue further study or careers within the sector.

Reflection

While visiting different schools, I observed a range of recurring issues that informed my decision to design this intervention. These included outdated or limited access to laptops, a lack of cameras for photography workshops, non-functioning classroom boards, and students arriving without basic materials such as pens. In some settings, students either did not have phones or had phones without internet access, and there were no studio facilities or technical support available. The disparity in resourcing between schools meant that some had very limited equipment while others had partial access, making it difficult to determine which resources would be essential until arriving on site. Even simple issues, such as a lack of volume on a classroom board, could prevent essential videos from supporting an activity. Limited access to computers also made it difficult to deliver editing tutorials effectively, so I often had to rely on pre-printed worksheets and adapt activities in real time. These challenges required flexibility and on-the-spot problem-solving to ensure all students could participate fully.

These experiences shaped my decision to create a pre-planned workshop structure that could be delivered across different schools and age groups, alongside a portable resource kit. This kit included cameras, USBs, speakers, printed worksheets, relevant print media, and a selection of styling materials such as belts, hats, and scarves, as well as general craft materials. A shared device, such as a communal iPad, would also support designing and research activities where possible. While there are grants and funding opportunities in the UK that could support such outreach initiatives, I found it challenging to identify schemes not primarily targeted at STEM subjects, musical instruments, or traditional academic equipment, rather than creative industries or practical art-based projects.

Feedback from peers and colleagues focused largely on the potential cost of assembling such a kit and on deciding which resources should be considered essential rather than optional or luxury items. In response, I prioritised resources based on the core workshop activities that directly contributed to portfolio outcomes. These included creating a styling look informed by magazine publications, structured brainstorming tasks, and a practical photography workshop. While these activities overlapped conceptually, each required specific resources to ensure students could complete a finished piece of work.

Potential risks were also identified. If the resource kit were delivered by another teacher, the quality of delivery could vary depending on whether they prioritised the same materials or recognised which resources were most appropriate for different learners and activities. Materials could also be lost or stolen when transported or shared across schools.

Action

This intervention can be used by myself or other educators to deliver structured workshops across schools. The portable resource kit provides all the essential materials and guidance to ensure that students can participate fully, regardless of the resources available on site. Activities are adaptable, allowing teachers to adjust them depending on the school context and age group, while the structured guidance ensures core learning outcomes are met consistently. The kit also enables practical projects to run smoothly, even when schools have limited or inconsistent equipment. In addition, a full list of kit items can be made available to partnering schools, providing a guide for them to upgrade their own in-school facilities if they wish.

In terms of my personal academic practice, developing this intervention has strengthened my ability to plan contingencies and adopt a “just in case” mindset, ensuring all bases are covered if a student lacks the necessary tools to participate fully during the workshops. It has also encouraged me to prioritise quality over quantity, giving students the time to master one skill rather than overwhelming them with multiple techniques at once. Focusing on fundamentals, such as researching through print media or learning the basics of a camera before moving on to editing, will improve the effectiveness of my lessons.

Portable Resource Kit – Example Contents

  • Digital cameras or simple point-and-shoot cameras
  • Tripods or stabilisers
  • Memory cards and card readers
  • USB drives for transferring and storing work
  • Shared device (communal iPad)
  • Spare laptops
  • Portable LED lights or reflectors
  • Craft materials: paper, scissors, glue, markers, paints, brushes
  • Styling props: belts, hats, scarves, jewellery, costume pieces
  • Colour swatches or fabric samples
  • Adhesive materials: tape, sticky tack, pins, clips
  • Notebooks or sketchpads
  • Relevant magazines or print media for styling inspiration

In a wider work context, this intervention promotes fair access to creative education, enabling students from under-resourced schools to engage fully in practical projects and develop portfolio work. It also provides a framework for collaboration with other educators and offers a scalable model for future outreach initiatives, ensuring that high-quality creative learning can be delivered consistently across different settings.

Evaluation of your process + Conclusion 

Through this process, I have learned the value of planning for gaps by assuming that students may not only be unfamiliar with the concepts I am sharing, but may also lack the resources to engage with them. Adopting this perspective allows me to pre-emptively design flexible activities and solutions, ensuring that all students can participate meaningfully. Drawing from my own experience as a student, I sometimes felt unable to fully engage with creative subjects because I didn’t have access to a laptop, materials, or mentorship. Recognising these barriers has shaped my approach as an educator: the goal is to provide support and opportunities, not to highlight disadvantages. 

As bell hooks notes in Teaching to Transgress (1994), teaching requires attention to the lived experiences of learners and the conditions that shape their access to knowledge. This idea is echoed in Viola Davis’s 2015 Emmy acceptance speech, where she states, “the only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity.” While this report is not solely focused on the experiences of Black or Brown students, her point highlights how inequitable access can limit potential and reinforces that providing support and opportunities enables all learners, in this context students, to thrive.

If I were to implement this intervention, I would know it is working by monitoring student engagement and participation, reviewing the quality of portfolio outcomes, and gathering feedback from both learners and other educators. Observing active use of resources, completed projects, and positive reflections from students would indicate that the workshops are successfully supporting inclusive, practical learning. Designing lessons with this awareness ensures workshops are empowering, inclusive, and responsive, rather than assuming all students start on an equal footing.

This process has reinforced the importance of reflective practice and adaptability in creative education. I recognise that my positionality shapes how I design and deliver workshops, and that encountering restrictions or barriers is not a limitation but an opportunity to pivot creatively. Each new challenge and diverse learner provides a chance to rethink activities, explore alternative approaches, and make the learning experience more engaging and inclusive.

References