Some years ago, in the thick of online teaching in Blackboard Collaborate due to Covid-19 restrictions, I wrote and ran a workshop on Creative Drawing for Foundation students. One of the tasks was to make a self portrait that we would pop up to introduce some 3D thinking into the work. I asked students to draw a front and side profile of themselves and assemble it like in the example above. While I gave the group time to do this, one student raised their virtual hand and spoke up
“My religion does not allow me to draw faces. Can I draw an object instead?”
I replied that of course they could, but as I stared at the list of names of students I had never met in person on the other side of my screen I realised that this was the first time I had heard about this. It’s called Aniconism and is not uncommon in some religious faiths. Defined by Encyclopaedia Britannica, aniconism in religion is: opposition to the use of icons or visual images to depict living creatures or religious figures.
Since then this has made me reflect on the importance of inclusive teaching and adaptability. Advance HE mentions inclusive teaching and learning to:
“maximise the participation and engagement of all students in the learning environment.
This could include acknowledging different identities, understanding different backgrounds or anticipating different requirements” (AHEA)
I write curriculum for my area alongside my colleagues and this is something that is not always present at the moment of crafting a project. Adaptability is possible, especially in art and design subjects, but until we are faced with a challenge we don’t often think about it while writing the material. Being fractional staff means that the time allocated to writing is limited and not always allows to cover all the bases before a project goes live.
Something I noticed while teaching online was the loss of any visual cues that could give me some insight into students. This is important from a safeguarding point of view, but there is a danger with the assumption that appearance and clothing can determine how a student will act or any beliefs they might have. Ibtihal Ramadan talks about the impact that the use of certain items of clothing can mean for female academics, and I think this relates to students too.
‘The hijab or the niqab are central to these discourses that highlight gendered Islamophobia. The discourse surrounding hijab or niqab designates MW’s ‘radical otherness’ and associates it with religious oppression and cultural backwardness’ (Ramadan)
To what extent are students worried about how they are being perceived by tutors and peers? Are the curriculum, projects and references presented supporting inclusivity?
Sources:
AHEA. (2018) ‘Religion and belief: supporting inclusion of staff and students in higher education and colleges’, Advance HE, pp. 01 – 23
Ramadan, I. (2021) ‘When faith intersects with gender: the challenges and successes in the experiences of Muslim women academics’, Gender and Education, pp. 01 – 16
Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Aniconism | religion. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/aniconism. (accessed 9 July 2025)
I really liked the way you have used your lived, personal experience to validate and explain your perspective on a rarely discussed subject. Your description taps into what probably exists, for most of us, in our subconscious awareness, but vocalising it in such an accessible, understandable dialogue, brings it to the front of mind when planning and considering course content and interaction with our students. It also highlights one of the key benefits of this course, in that there is so much we can learn from each other!
This is a very valuable and thoughtful post, thank you. It really shows you learning, and sharing your gains through research and reflection on these matters.
Thank you for your comment, Tim! This Unit has made me reflect on things I hadn’t even considered part of the job when I started teaching, so Im happy to have this chance.
I think your anecdote really brings to live that we can find ourselves in a situation in which we are confronted with knowledge gaps leading to an awkward moment at first. She seems to have not taken offense and proactively proposed a way she could navigate the task instead. Because of you sharing this here, others and I can keep this aspect in mind to support diverse faith-based principles.
Thank you for your comment Eva. Teaching constantly faces you with gaps in knowledge and taking them as a chance to grow is part of the job I think! Im happy that that particular student was able to speak up and advocate for herself. It makes me think about all the times that a student maybe didn’t feel like they could ask questions, completely unbeknownst to me.
Your story perfectly highlights how moments of student disclosure can reveal gaps in our assumptions, and how important it is to design our teaching structures with adaptability in mind from the outset. I appreciated your honesty around the constraints of curriculum writing, especially as a fractional staff member. I wonder if building in moments to share drafts or ideas with colleagues, even briefly, could offer helpful outside perspectives and surface inclusivity considerations early on?
You are absolutely right about exposing the gaps in assumptions. It’s a cliche, but you never stop learning when you teach. I agree with building in moments with other staff to discuss things even if they are brief. We don’t always have to arrange lengthy meetings to make impactful changes, sometimes casual dialogue is more productive! Thank you for your comment 🙂
Thank you for your comment Julia. Trying to use my lived experience to make sense of the topics covered during this Unit has really brought to light how often I encounter things during teaching but how little reflection time I give them after. Making that reflective practice a habit is something I would like to do more in the future!