Chuck kindly came to observe a session on radio art that I ran as a one-off class with MA Sound Arts students at LCC on 18th January. Chuck wrote me a valuable letter outlining their feedback, which is inculded in the ROT form.
Full ROT form here.
Summary of feedback from observer:
Overall
- Excellent session with a strong connection between theory and practice.
- Effective use of technical (PowerPoint, Padlet) and physical (radios, morse code receiver) resources.
- Delivery was warm, knowledgeable, and engaging.
- Well-researched material with a diverse range of references.
- Successfully merged theory and practice live, e.g., morse code and music example.
Setting Up the Space/Session
- Horseshoe table setup worked well, but students outside it were less engaged.
- Latecomers could be encouraged to sit within the horseshoe to foster inclusivity.
- Register-taking could be more equitable—consider all students introducing names and pronouns.
- Clear and exciting session introduction, but displaying the session plan visually would improve clarity.
- More time introducing yourself and your practice would provide helpful context for new students.
- Moving around the space more and considering sight lines would improve engagement (e.g., holding up objects higher).
Teaching and Supporting Learning
- Great choice of readings and resources, but students hadn’t read the pre-distributed text—confirm with course leader in future.
- Padlet helped real-time engagement but might be challenging for slower readers.
- Students were engaged, and discussions were well-managed with open questions.
- Two students on the back row were chatting privately—checking in with them would improve focus.
- Managed technical questions well, e.g., AM/FM physics—offering further reading could enhance learning.
- Practical task was well-designed; headphone splitters encouraged collaboration.
- Some students spoke over sharing—addressing interruptions would improve group listening.
Final Thoughts
- The students enjoyed the session, as did the observer.
- Inspiring session with engaging content and effective delivery.
- Ending with a reflective discussion and sharing your website was a strong finish.
I responded with a letter to reflect on how I will implement this feedback. Here is a summary:
- Happy that the session was engaging and effectively combined theory with practice.
- Pleased that using the morse code receiver and radio experiments helped demonstrate key concepts.
- Recognized that students outside the horseshoe were less engaged and will be more intentional about seating arrangements in the future.
- Plan to encourage latecomers to join the main group for better collaboration.
- Hadn’t considered sightlines before but now sees their importance and will adjust accordingly.
- Will introduce myself and my practice more thoroughly at the start to help students connect with the session.
- Appreciate the suggestion to have all students introduce themselves in an equitable way, possibly using gestures to aid name recall.
- Will check in more with students who are chatting or disengaged to keep focus and inclusion.
- Aim to move around the room more and set up seating to facilitate better interaction.
- Plan to prepare a short resource list for students interested in the physics of AM/FM.
- Very appreciative of the time and effort put into the feedback and follow-up discussion.