Two Camps: tensions 
between practice and teaching 
in creative arts subjects 
 
 
 
Dr Alison Shreeve 
Director Creative Learning in Practice 
Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning 
University of the Arts London 
 
 
Two ?worlds? or two practices 
  
 
 
  
Structural 
component 
of practice 
teaching 
relations 
 
  
Referential component 
  
 
Transferring 
knowledge 
from 
practice 
 
Using 
knowledge 
from 
practice 
 
Exchanging 
knowledge 
between 
practice and 
teaching 
 
Eliding 
knowledge 
between 
practice and 
teaching 
 Asymmetrical 
 
 
1 
 
 
2 
 
  
 
  
 
Symmetrical 
 
  
 
 
3 
 
 
4 
 
  
 
Holistic 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
5 
 
The phenomenological representation of relations 
experienced by practitioner tutors 
  
 
                           mediating artefacts                                         mediating artefacts 
of practice e.g. computers, materials,                  of practice and education e.g.  
language, concepts                             tutorials one to one, projects 
  
  
  
 
        subject                           object  outcome       subject                   object  outcome 
designer                          practice product       teacher                   learning practice 
artist 
  
 
 
 rules        community         division            rules      community            division 
of practice   of practice      of labour  of practice   students              of labour 
       & education    tutors   
               administrators etc 
 
                   CREATIVE PRACTICE  ART AND DESIGN TEACHING 
  
 
An Activity Theory Analysis of Practice and Teaching 
Two Camps 
? There is a symmetrical relationship 
between practice and teaching, but they 
are seen as two different and separate 
things and tension exists between them. 
Knowledge from practice is used in 
teaching students. 
 
All I know is that I feel now, because I am 
financially in this place where I feel quite 
secure??.but I so desperately want to 
do my own thing more. And it?s really hard 
and I think how do I do it? (?) I just kind 
of, I think, I mean I really enjoy the 
teaching but I don?t want to be defined by 
the teaching I do want to achieve other 
things.  
Two Camps 
  
         Tools                   Tools 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
division community       rules       rules        community       division 
of labour              of labour 
  
  PRACTICE   TEACHING 
  
 
outcome object         subject           object outcome  
 
The case study indicates: 
? Major tensions: 
? Between both activity systems 
?  object of activity to earn money/ to 
practice your art/ to teach students 
about your art? 
? The subject, community and division of 
labour 
? Subject and rules 
 
Issues undermining identity 
? Lack of ?legitimisation? in either practice 
or teaching  
? Role in education unclear 
? Contribution to education under used 
? Non reconciled aspects of identity 
? A position of liminality between both 
practices which contribute to being a 
practice based academic