Constellation PDP

I would like to start off this reflection by stating that I have enjoyed constellation more and more since the start of the year, predominantly from the start of second term. I found the first constellation session in the first term very tedious. Of course these study skills sessions were put in place to prepare us the rest of the module. I just found myself losing concentration quite easily, especially with certain teachers. Some of the teachers are great and I found that their communication was good. For example, Alexandros was one of the teachers I thought interacted well with the students and that made me more inclined to pay my full attention to what he was teaching. Others I thought were quite monotonous. Despite this, some of the sessions were useful. When we started second term I liked that each teacher gave a small presentation on the outline of their subject, outlining what would be covered if we chose that subject. After choosing the subject we wanted to study for the rest of the term by a 1 to 10 rating, I was given my third choice – After Modernism. Although this wasn’t my initial first choice I found I was really interested in the topics we were learning about. I particularly enjoyed the Pop Art session which led me to choosing the title ‘Is Pop Art a Celebration or Critique of Consumer Culture?’ for my constellation essay. At first I struggled to start writing this essay but once I started to skim through a variety of books on the topic, the facts and links I found increased my motivation as my knowledge increased. Although the Pop Art session was probably my most favourable, I did enjoy the other sessions as well such as the first session which taught us about Abstract Expressionism and other sessions including Fluxus and Minimalism.The teacher I had for After Modernism was Jon Clarkson. I really liked Jon’s approach to each session. He would give a presentation on the topic in a particular session and constantly be asking the class questions and what our opinions were. I liked this interaction with the students and I found it also made me think more about my own opinions and interpretations of what he was teaching. I think this continued to make me enjoy constellation throughout this term. Jon also organised a group trip to London to visit the two Tate galleries to help inform our learning. I really appreciated being taken here with the university as I got to see and experience the excellency of Tate Modern which had some amazing work on show. In my opinion, trips are a great way to interact with and get the attention of students. The trip was also another good way for me to get to know a few more people in my class and as I am quite a social person, I always like to meet new people. I am pleased to now have the new knowledge I have and to have had practice in writing longer essays as I have not done a long piece of writing since my A-Levels two years ago. The new writing skills I have will certainly help towards my preparation and writing of my dissertation starting next year. Overall I have found constellation quite enjoyable and stimulating.

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