Mid Week Workshops

The induction workshop yesterday highlighted the fact I need to sign up for the Teaching workshop, but also a good start to get to know other PhD students from other departments.

Today's workshop, Writing Skills, went really well. A good understanding was taken away on how to structure the Thesis, each chapter was discussed in smaller groups and then presented to the entire group. Working with a technology student, my partner and I had the Literature Review section to address. I thought we worked well together, I presented our thoughts on the function, relationship and writing style/tone of the Literature Review Section.

What really suprised me was the way in which each group ( two people ) reacted and presented their ideas. I as PhD student from the Art & Design department, and being in architecture education for five years now, I went straight in to a mind map, illustrating the entire A1 sheet with ideas, concepts, linking them using various line weights, styles and arrows.

How we get caught up in our own little worlds.

Others had reacted differently, listing their ideas, answering the questions in order, not a wrong approach, but I was struck at how recently I'd started to think everyone reacts in a similar way to me.

The essense of the idea is that after a long time I've had the chance to step out of my own architecture world, of tutors other students and architecture friends circle, and I'm learning once again, like we were in school, we are all different and should acknowledge and accept that.

I hope to see more of the diversity within the PhD students later this week