Pras Ramluggun
Oxford Brookes University, United KingdomTitle: ‘A picture speaks a thousand words’ – The potential of picture collage as an innovative pedagogical reflective practice tool in mental health practice.
Abstract
Aim and objectives: To explore the potential of picture collage as an innovative developmental pedagogical tool to facilitate reflection in mental health practice by adopting a culturally responsive approach to empower students? self-expression.
Method: This project took place in the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) with a cohort of nursing students at the end of their mental health clinical placement. Picture collage was used as a potential creative medium to enhance students? reflection by enabling them to effectively explore their thoughts and feelings about their clinical learning experiences. The students were prepared for the undertakings of the picture collage activity in their penultimate reflective practice group meeting. The picture collage activity was over ninety minutes which consisted of students creating and telling the stories of their individual picture collage which reflected their journey in their clinical practice, a collective narrative of the assemblage of all the individual pictures collage followed by a group discussion and debriefing.
Findings: Picture collage can potentially enable students to engender a contemplative engagement with their clinical learning experience without undermining their own cultural values. It can aesthetically convey meanings to their clinical learning experiences. The metaphorical representation of students? clinical experiences through the assembly of pictures was an effective mode to enable their self-expression. It provided a malleable way to meaningfully engage students with emotive and culturally sensitive topics and challenged their own assumptions and biases about mental ill health. The visual element of the picture collage and the metaphorical representation of their journey in the mental health placement invariably imbued a sense of joy, fun and catharsis for the students.
Conclusion/Recommendations: Depending on the context and the nature of the clinical experiences not all students are comfortable and confident to fully reflect on their learning experiences. This is especially important where there may a cognitive dissonance, which has emerged from culturally specific ways for the subject the students are being taught. Therefore, it is incumbent upon educators to adopt various strategies to arouse students? interest, stimulate their thinking to focus them on their learning experiences. Educators could consider art-based approaches such as picture collage to transform students? tacit to explicit knowledge for culturally sensitive topics.
Biography
Pras Ramluggun is an assistant professor and researcher in mental health. He has authored several papers including editorial articles and book chapters. His recent book chapter on the fear of providing care during the pandemic by student nurses has featured on national news in the UK. His current pedagogic research focuses on students? emotional intelligence, resilience, and overall mental well-being.
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