Abstract
This dialogic paper emerged from the need of a reflective sharing space for our daily pedagogical activities. It delves into moments and interactions with first year design students and attempts to comprehend and reflect upon educational practices. This paper follows fragmental discussions between two scholars, educators, and new colleagues, Angeliki and Vibeke, in the form of digital correspondence, during a hectic autumn semester. Our aim is to decentralize these reflections from our pedagogical skills and toolboxes and to position them within the broader discussion of critical pedagogy and students’ agency to influence the pedagogical activities within their education. Our reflections and discussion come to a tentative closure with an understanding that fostering socially responsive practices and deeper professional growth — particularly in relation to class dynamics and their impact on students' lives — requires the creation of dialogic and informal spaces. These spaces are essential for genuine critical engagement and reflection, as well as the co-creation of knowledge by and with students.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.146
Citation
Dimaki-Adolfsen, A.,and Sjøvoll, V.J.(2025) Uncertain first encounters and dialogues in design education, in Clemente, V., Gomes, G., Reis, M., Félix, S., Ala, S., Jones, D. (eds.), Learn X Design 2025, 22-24 September 2025, Aveiro, Portugal. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.146
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Conversation
Uncertain first encounters and dialogues in design education
This dialogic paper emerged from the need of a reflective sharing space for our daily pedagogical activities. It delves into moments and interactions with first year design students and attempts to comprehend and reflect upon educational practices. This paper follows fragmental discussions between two scholars, educators, and new colleagues, Angeliki and Vibeke, in the form of digital correspondence, during a hectic autumn semester. Our aim is to decentralize these reflections from our pedagogical skills and toolboxes and to position them within the broader discussion of critical pedagogy and students’ agency to influence the pedagogical activities within their education. Our reflections and discussion come to a tentative closure with an understanding that fostering socially responsive practices and deeper professional growth — particularly in relation to class dynamics and their impact on students' lives — requires the creation of dialogic and informal spaces. These spaces are essential for genuine critical engagement and reflection, as well as the co-creation of knowledge by and with students.