‘Thematic Societies of Practice’ (TSOP’s) are topics that underpin Units, Projects and Tasks; TSOP’s help nurture a healthy IVM community during year 1.
During year 2 TSOP’s facilitates student interaction and becomes a vehicle for authentic communication, stimulating learning, mentoring, coaching, and self-reflection.
In Year 3 the TSOP’s topics help students refine their area of study in conjunction with their personal experiences, research and creative pursuits.
A List of the Thematic Societies
- Printmaking – relief, intaglio, lithography, and screen printing
- Editorial Illustration / Comic Narrative / Reportage
- Animation / Character Design
- Digital Art / Concept Art for Film and Games / Transmedia Storytelling
- Painting / Sculpture / Art Installation / Drawing
- Performance / Figuration and Representation / Soundscape / Sequence and Rhythm /
- Multidisciplinary / Visual Media / Type as Image / Lettering /
- Computational and Generative Art to come in the curriculum through specific workshops
Adobe Illustrator Artwork by Sze Hang Lo Year 1 2021
‘Thematic Societies of Practices Defined’
‘Thematic Societies of practices’ TSOP’s are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact with one another regularly. This definition reflects the fundamentally social nature of human learning.
In all cases, the TSOP’s Key Elements are:
The Domain: members are brought together by a learning need they share (whether this shared learning need is explicit or not and whether learning is the motivation for their coming together or a by-product of it)
The Society: their collective learning becomes a bond among them over time
The Practice: their interactions produce resources that affect their practice.
According to Wenger (1998), communities of practice provide five critical functions.
They:
Educate by collecting and sharing information related to questions and issues of practice.
Support by organising interactions and collaboration among members.
Cultivate by assisting groups to start and sustain their learning.
Encourage by promoting the work of members through discussion and sharing.
Integrate by encouraging members to use their new knowledge for real change in their own work.
Our Thematic Societies of Practices (TSoP’s) connect all three years of the BA IVM and the MA IVM and has helped to establish a stronger IVM community over the last two years.
Benefits of Thematic Societies of Practices (TSoP’s)
Connecting students from all years and levels of study (BA and MA).
Enable dialogue between students and professionals and allowed exploration of new possibilities.
Capture and share existing knowledge to help people improve their practice.
Generate new knowledge to help people transform their practice.
Build a community from diverse networks.
Thematic Societies of Practices (TSoP’s) offer a robust strategy for professional learning through:
Implicit knowledge
Collaborative work
Knowledge sharing
