My initial thoughts on Module 2 were not very positive. I read the Handbook and read through the first reader and was stumped. I had to take a step back and think about a set of questions that were relevant to my practice. I started looking at other people's Blogs and commenting on their questions (Appendix 1). We also started a Facebook group for all the Module 2 students to chat with each other and talk about any issues, which was a nice tool just for a little moral support! (Appendix 2).
Once I had taken some time to think about an inquiry that would be of some benefit to my professional development, I came up with some initial questions which I posted on my Blog to see what people thought of them (Appendix 3). I was quite pleased with the comments that were posted in response to my initial questions as it made me realise that this could be quite a relevant line of inquiry to all dance teachers regardless of which sector they worked in. However they were quite broad and I had think about how to direct the questions so that I was able to come to a final question for my inquiry.
I created a SIG on Facebook which was a closed group to which I invited friends who are dance teachers of all different ages and also based in different countries to post some responses to some questions to see what sort of response I would get. (Appendix 4). Unfortunately, this did not produce much response from anyone, so I thought that I would look at a different line of inquiry (Appendix 5), but after some consideration, I felt that I was probably thinking of changing direction to make it easier for me as there are many inquiries about boys in dance as well as pieces of literature. Having researched into literature relative to my topic I have found several articles relating to females and ageing in the workplace as well as ageing dancers(Appendix 6) My feelings were that my initial inquiry was more relevant to my and my development. My approach to task 6a was to conduct in informal trial by conducting a survey through www.surveymonkey.com which would require straight forward answers. (Appendix 7). This did produce some responses and although my choice of answers was quite limited, the respondent's answers did vary and I found some of the data quite interesting.
Once I had decided on my path of inquiry, I made the decision to think about using observations and a focus group for my research tools for the actual inquiry.(Appendix 8) Although data collection of any type involves a set of ethical considerations, observations need to be approached very carefully. I anticipate using observations overtly with the teachers taking the classes and covertly with the students that are participating in the lessons as I did not want to force any behaviour that would not naturally occur. My initial thoughts on ethical considerations were based on what I know as a teacher is the ethical way to carry out my responsibilities,(Appendix 9) however, it is evident once you start to research your ethical considerations there are many things that you have to ensure are covered in order to protect your participants and the data that you collect.
Bibliography :-
Middlesex University, Reader 4, 2013. BA(Hons) Professional Practice Module 2 Developing Lines of Professional Inquiry (Online) Link to Reader
Middlesex University, Reader 5, 2013 BA(Hons) Professional Practice Module 2 Principles of Professional Inquiry (Online)Link to Reader
Middlesex University, Reader 6, 2013. BA(Hons)Professional Practice Module 2 Principles of Professional Inquiry (Online)Link to Reader
Walton, Kym (2013), Kym Walton's Blog (online) Link to Blog
Tuesday 31 December 2013
Task 6C - my award title
I have looked at the list of proposed award titles and also thought about whether or not there was a need for me to create my own title. As I am a dance teacher and my intention is to continue teaching for the foreseeable future I have chosen the title BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance teaching).
My inquiry for module 2 is directly linked to dance teaching and I am anticipating that once I have completed my research that I will be able to produce a piece of work which will help teachers as they progress through their careers.
My inquiry for module 2 is directly linked to dance teaching and I am anticipating that once I have completed my research that I will be able to produce a piece of work which will help teachers as they progress through their careers.
Campus session
In November I was able to attend my first campus session. I found this day useful, not just for my work but also to be able to vocalise my thoughts about my progress as well as hearing others thoughts on their progress. It was also good to meet our tutors in person as I find that it becomes easier to communicate electronically to someone you have met. The session started with us looking at words and thinking about how they related to us as individuals, to our direct contacts and then externally. It was interesting to think about these words and how relevant they were to us.
We then worked with the Module one students and talked about their and our progress and also discussed our thoughts at that stage on our Module 2 inquiries. It was interesting again to see people's immediate reactions and responses to our proposed inquiries and how relevant people thought they were to us as individuals as well as to our working community.
All in all, although it is difficult for me to attend the sessions, I am pleased that I have been able to attend one at this stage and I am hopeful that I shall be able to attend one next term for Module 3 as I think they help just to settle any doubts that you may have.
We then worked with the Module one students and talked about their and our progress and also discussed our thoughts at that stage on our Module 2 inquiries. It was interesting again to see people's immediate reactions and responses to our proposed inquiries and how relevant people thought they were to us as individuals as well as to our working community.
All in all, although it is difficult for me to attend the sessions, I am pleased that I have been able to attend one at this stage and I am hopeful that I shall be able to attend one next term for Module 3 as I think they help just to settle any doubts that you may have.
Wednesday 27 November 2013
6b -Critical reflection on the four tools of inquiry
I have read through the reader and looked at the merits of all four tools of inquiry and also looked at their relativity to my inquiry.
The first method, interview, is a good way of obtaining information or data relating to someone's actual activities or their thoughts on a topic. It is interpersonal and can lead to many things being uncovered. It is possibly quite a time consuming method of collecting data but would be very useful if working in a specific environment as you can interview an individual in their workplace and record their answers. However, for my topic I do not think it is necessarily one of the best methods. I would think that on a one to one basis you may not always get an honest answer to your questions as the participant may feel uncomfortable doing so.
I used the second method for my informal trial as I was interested to see if people answered honestly if they were acting anonymously. However, what I have found, is that because it is anonymous I was not getting any answers! I have prompted my SIG to take my survey to see the response and managed to get a little more response. Was this because they felt they had nothing to say on the topic, were my questions not really effective, did the respondents not feel that the questions were not relevant? A survey could be a very useful research tool if the answers are limited or if the content of an answer is relatively succinct, but I suspect that if a person feels that they have a lot to say for an answer that they may not feel that this is the right place to put it.
The third method of a focus group is one that I feel would be useful to my inquiry. If there is a group of people in a room answering questions about my topic then I feel it will encourage people to openly discuss their feelings and their thoughts on the subject. My only concern would be if anyone felt that they did not wish to say something that may offend someone in the room? However, I think that people would speak objectively and I am hoping that if I conduct my Focus Group over Skype then that possible issue may not arise as I find that people speak more freely over Skype.
The fourth method for me is the most important tool for my inquiry as you can physically see if there is a palpable difference in the reactions and responses of the children as they are being taught by different teachers. I can see that for some inquiries it may not be the best method as you need to question people to establish their answers as they may not be any physical demonstration that would be relevant.
Therefore , in conclusion, my two methods will be observation and a focus group.
The first method, interview, is a good way of obtaining information or data relating to someone's actual activities or their thoughts on a topic. It is interpersonal and can lead to many things being uncovered. It is possibly quite a time consuming method of collecting data but would be very useful if working in a specific environment as you can interview an individual in their workplace and record their answers. However, for my topic I do not think it is necessarily one of the best methods. I would think that on a one to one basis you may not always get an honest answer to your questions as the participant may feel uncomfortable doing so.
I used the second method for my informal trial as I was interested to see if people answered honestly if they were acting anonymously. However, what I have found, is that because it is anonymous I was not getting any answers! I have prompted my SIG to take my survey to see the response and managed to get a little more response. Was this because they felt they had nothing to say on the topic, were my questions not really effective, did the respondents not feel that the questions were not relevant? A survey could be a very useful research tool if the answers are limited or if the content of an answer is relatively succinct, but I suspect that if a person feels that they have a lot to say for an answer that they may not feel that this is the right place to put it.
The third method of a focus group is one that I feel would be useful to my inquiry. If there is a group of people in a room answering questions about my topic then I feel it will encourage people to openly discuss their feelings and their thoughts on the subject. My only concern would be if anyone felt that they did not wish to say something that may offend someone in the room? However, I think that people would speak objectively and I am hoping that if I conduct my Focus Group over Skype then that possible issue may not arise as I find that people speak more freely over Skype.
The fourth method for me is the most important tool for my inquiry as you can physically see if there is a palpable difference in the reactions and responses of the children as they are being taught by different teachers. I can see that for some inquiries it may not be the best method as you need to question people to establish their answers as they may not be any physical demonstration that would be relevant.
Therefore , in conclusion, my two methods will be observation and a focus group.
Monday 18 November 2013
Task 5b
In the previous task, I have talked about the professional codes of conduct and the various legislations that are in place that affect my job as a teacher. Working in a private school made me wonder if the school had any policies in place that would be different to those you expect to find in a state school. I have enquired at the school about any codes of conduct or ethics that the school set out for teaching staff when they start working there. There were a few minor differences, mostly based on the fact that it is a boarding school, so the expectation of pastoral care is slightly different to the normal school situation. As part of the peripatetic team of staff, it could be quite easy to ignore this sort of ethical responsibility, but I think that dance is an emotive subject and often the students will find it easier to tell me about their issues or problems than maybe another member of staff.
There are differing regulations regarding health and safety due to the amount of freedom that the children are given about the school grounds outside of normal school hours. There are also rules and regulations relating to behaviour,for the older children who are allowed offsite in the evenings.
There are differing regulations regarding health and safety due to the amount of freedom that the children are given about the school grounds outside of normal school hours. There are also rules and regulations relating to behaviour,for the older children who are allowed offsite in the evenings.
Tuesday 12 November 2013
Talking is good!
Very positive group Skype call today with Adesola. Group consisted of myself, Natalie Kirk also from Module 2 and Georgie Bird who is on Module 3. Both Natalie and I were struggling with the Ethics part of Module 2 but I now have a much better understanding of what is required for this topic. I am not sure how much help we were to Georgie, but she was certainly a help to us. As I have said in the past, it sometimes helps to talk through your problems and listen to other people talk through their problems and their solutions. I recommend that anyone having any sort of doubt or if you feel that you have hit a brick wall, these chats really help! It has also helped me understand the difference between doing this preparatory work in Module 2 to eventually carry out your inquiry in Module 3.
Another one tonight at 8.45pm so get on line and talk it through!
Another one tonight at 8.45pm so get on line and talk it through!
Monday 11 November 2013
Change of Direction!
Following my original Blog regarding the questions for my inquiry, I have formed a Facebook group with several other dance teachers in my area, inviting them to comment and help with my inquiry. However, I have had such little response that I have decided to change tack completely. My new line of inquiry has partly been inspired by a conversation over the weekend with the parent of a boy who was due to take a dance exam in three weeks and has now withdrawn. I am certain that if his exam was in tap or modern I would not have had this conversation, but of course, it was in ballet and being a 13 year old boy I think he may have fallen victim to peer pressure. So, my new line of inquiry is related to gender and dance and specifically how to encourage male participation in dance.
Anyone else following this line? Any comments would be gratefully received!
Anyone else following this line? Any comments would be gratefully received!
Friday 1 November 2013
Task 5a - My thoughts on the codes of practice or regulations which guide my setting!
Sitting down and thinking about the codes of conduct or regulations which affect my current place of work, there are various things which spring to mind.
As a member of the British Ballet Organisation, I know that there is the teachers' code of conduct which details the ways a teacher is expected to behave ethically and morally within the community and in the best interest of the their students. I know of the rules pertaining to data protection and the safeguarding of students. There is also the requirement to hold an enhanced CRB clearance or DBS as it is now.
There are also the health and safety regulations which are relevant to my dance studio and also to the school environment that the studio is in. There are obviously a set of school rules and regulations applicable to the students and also the expected behaviour and professionalism of myself as a teacher.
As a member of the British Ballet Organisation, I know that there is the teachers' code of conduct which details the ways a teacher is expected to behave ethically and morally within the community and in the best interest of the their students. I know of the rules pertaining to data protection and the safeguarding of students. There is also the requirement to hold an enhanced CRB clearance or DBS as it is now.
There are also the health and safety regulations which are relevant to my dance studio and also to the school environment that the studio is in. There are obviously a set of school rules and regulations applicable to the students and also the expected behaviour and professionalism of myself as a teacher.
Wednesday 23 October 2013
Literature
I have started investigating literature relating to my line of inquiry and I have come across a series of articles produced by www.communitydance.org.uk which are very informative. I particulary like this article http://www.communitydance.org.uk/DB/animated-library/conflict-content-and-context-in-the-ageing-body.html?ed=14041 where the author has literally created a piece of reflection on her creative practice which deals with the ageing performer but also talks about older teachers that have inspired the author. It also lists other articles, pieces of literature which are relevant to this topic, so I am looking forward to further reading.
More to come.....
More to come.....
Tuesday 8 October 2013
Task 4a- Questions,questions,questions??
Having spent the last week pondering over my questions and which line of enquiry I was going to follow, I think I have finally made my decision. Having spoken to Alan yesterday, it became clear to me that I needed to focus on a line on enquiry that would be of benefit to me in developing MY professional practice.
I have, therefore decided to pursue the topic of the mature teacher. I am hoping to learn from this how people perceive the older dance teacher, both students and younger teachers, and also maybe challenge my own thoughts on how the more mature teacher is perceived.
Therefore:-
I am certain that more questions will develop as I start to speak to other colleagues. I am not certain how many other students on the course may find this line of enquiry relevant to them, but I will be using other teaching friends and colleagues as targets for my enquiry.
Please feel free to comment on the relevance to you and your teaching. Thank you !
I have, therefore decided to pursue the topic of the mature teacher. I am hoping to learn from this how people perceive the older dance teacher, both students and younger teachers, and also maybe challenge my own thoughts on how the more mature teacher is perceived.
Therefore:-
- Do older dance teachers command more respect from the students? Do they command respect from younger teachers? Should older teachers EXPECT to have more respect shown to them?
- What are perceived by mature teachers as the pro's and cons of being older?
- How do younger teachers perceive older ones and vice versa?
- Is physical ability essential to be a good teacher or are limitations acceptable?
- Should age be seen as a negative in a teacher/choreographer?
- Why do many advertisements for teaching vacancies apply an upper age limit?
I am certain that more questions will develop as I start to speak to other colleagues. I am not certain how many other students on the course may find this line of enquiry relevant to them, but I will be using other teaching friends and colleagues as targets for my enquiry.
Please feel free to comment on the relevance to you and your teaching. Thank you !
Wednesday 21 August 2013
Making me think!
Well its been a long summer and this is the first time I have thought of blogging for a while. What prompted this sudden urge?? Well, it's GCSE results day today and my youngest daughter is full of nerves and trepidation! But, I have already started seeing reports that the number of A*-C passes has dropped again this year due to stricter marking!! Little consolation for the children who have worked just as hard as their predecessors and possibly even written exactly the same answers but will achieve a lower grade? Very frustrating for the students, but I found myself thinking about it from a teachers perspective. Here you are with a class of students that you have calculated should be due x percentage of A*-C grades, then when you analyse the results they are lower than in previous years and your expectations. You must start to have doubts about your teaching skills?? As a dance teacher I can pretty much gauge how well a child is going to do in their dance exams, allowing for mess ups on the day, but if I started to see a drop in the marks across the board I would immediately be questioning MY ability.
I could understand if they had already implemented changes to the exams - i.e. the publicised return to two levels of exams like the old 'O'Level and CSE combinations that were available when I took my exams. This would be clear to anyone in the future, as it was to me as an employer when GCSE's first started to appear on application forms for jobs. But as they are still GCSE's and effectively the same exams how can a future employer be expected to remember that up until 2011 the marks were easier to attain than in 2012 and 2013. Ridiculous!!!! Rant over, but wishing all GCSE students a happy day!
I could understand if they had already implemented changes to the exams - i.e. the publicised return to two levels of exams like the old 'O'Level and CSE combinations that were available when I took my exams. This would be clear to anyone in the future, as it was to me as an employer when GCSE's first started to appear on application forms for jobs. But as they are still GCSE's and effectively the same exams how can a future employer be expected to remember that up until 2011 the marks were easier to attain than in 2012 and 2013. Ridiculous!!!! Rant over, but wishing all GCSE students a happy day!
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Done and dusted!!
Well Module one assignment submitted and received. It did seem strange trying to summarise all that was learnt over the last few months in a mere 750 words. However, I think I have covered it all! Hope everyone else was on time! Just the results to wait for now. Having a bit of a break and then gong to plough on with Module 2 over the summer as it school holidays for me to plenty of time to do the work!! (In theory!) Keep in touch over the summer fellow bloggers!
Friday 10 May 2013
Something strange going on???
Well, I have just looked at my Blogger page where I can see any posts made by people I am following and all my Blogs have disappeared, it says I have no Blogs in my reader list!!! Marvellous so I shall have to go though the BAPP Blog list again and add them all again!
Sunday 5 May 2013
Assignment!
Well, draft of assignment done. I found it quite useful to summarise everything that we have looked at over the course of this module and you do realise that you have actually learned something!
Sunday 28 April 2013
3c - My five most important sources of information
If I had been answering this question about ten years ago, then there is no doubt that the content of my answer would be different to today. The increased accessibility to the internet making it not only accessed via PC or laptop but now on mobile devices has most definitely impacted my information sources. How many times would I have said ten years ago - "I must go and Google that?".
I have become increasingly reliant on the Internet as my main source of information. There are many reasons for this. For example, the exam board that I teach for has a teacher area on their website, which is an invaluable source of information to ensure that your teaching and syllabus knowledge is kept up to date. This area of information has developed rapidly over the last four years and has mostly eliminated the need for paper communications being mailed to teachers.
I am also constantly using YouTube as a source of choreography ideas and when attempting to source music. Of course, the information needed to study my BAPP course is also all accessed via the internet. Of course, you do need to ensure that anything that is sourced on the internet is reputable and verifiable. Iona Holland talks in her Blog about being wary of information on sites like Wikipedia which cannot be confirmed as accurate due to the nature of the amount of access everyone has to the information. So you do have to use your own judgement to make decisions as to how to use information gained from various websites.
My professional network is also a vital source of information. I have a network of other dance teachers, colleagues, old dance friends and choreographers. It is important to feel that you can approach people for help with questions that you may have on a variety of topics. I have also found my network invaluable in arranging events and workshops for my students, as well as sourcing information about on-going vocational education to pass on.
My third important source of information comes from good old printed text, or publications. I always ensure that I have the printed syllabus available for reference whilst teaching a class. Despite the fact that I may have taught the same grade for many years, it is always important to refer to the syllabus to ensure that you do not develop your own interpretation of the set choreography or exercises.
It is interesting to read the Blogs of people who are still performers and the fact that they are very similar in their sources. Georgie Bird mentions in her Blog about using the notice board at Pineapple Dance studios as well as other dance studios to access information about upcoming auditions. This has not changed in the 30 years since I was performing!
My BAPP colleagues have been an invaluable source of information whilst studying for this degree. I initially started communicating with a network of people who were completing the ROL module with me via Facebook. We created a Facebook group and used it to communicate and support each other whilst studying. We have now tried to migrate this network via our Blogs and have also added in other people who are completing Module 1 with us.
My last source is that of face to face communication. I quite often find that I am having a conversation with a parent, a friend, a colleague or even a family member and you will find yourself learning something from them. Whether it is a price of direct information that is useful to you, or whether it is a link to another source, it is all valuable and I am always certain to follow up.
I have become increasingly reliant on the Internet as my main source of information. There are many reasons for this. For example, the exam board that I teach for has a teacher area on their website, which is an invaluable source of information to ensure that your teaching and syllabus knowledge is kept up to date. This area of information has developed rapidly over the last four years and has mostly eliminated the need for paper communications being mailed to teachers.
I am also constantly using YouTube as a source of choreography ideas and when attempting to source music. Of course, the information needed to study my BAPP course is also all accessed via the internet. Of course, you do need to ensure that anything that is sourced on the internet is reputable and verifiable. Iona Holland talks in her Blog about being wary of information on sites like Wikipedia which cannot be confirmed as accurate due to the nature of the amount of access everyone has to the information. So you do have to use your own judgement to make decisions as to how to use information gained from various websites.
My professional network is also a vital source of information. I have a network of other dance teachers, colleagues, old dance friends and choreographers. It is important to feel that you can approach people for help with questions that you may have on a variety of topics. I have also found my network invaluable in arranging events and workshops for my students, as well as sourcing information about on-going vocational education to pass on.
My third important source of information comes from good old printed text, or publications. I always ensure that I have the printed syllabus available for reference whilst teaching a class. Despite the fact that I may have taught the same grade for many years, it is always important to refer to the syllabus to ensure that you do not develop your own interpretation of the set choreography or exercises.
It is interesting to read the Blogs of people who are still performers and the fact that they are very similar in their sources. Georgie Bird mentions in her Blog about using the notice board at Pineapple Dance studios as well as other dance studios to access information about upcoming auditions. This has not changed in the 30 years since I was performing!
My BAPP colleagues have been an invaluable source of information whilst studying for this degree. I initially started communicating with a network of people who were completing the ROL module with me via Facebook. We created a Facebook group and used it to communicate and support each other whilst studying. We have now tried to migrate this network via our Blogs and have also added in other people who are completing Module 1 with us.
My last source is that of face to face communication. I quite often find that I am having a conversation with a parent, a friend, a colleague or even a family member and you will find yourself learning something from them. Whether it is a price of direct information that is useful to you, or whether it is a link to another source, it is all valuable and I am always certain to follow up.
Wednesday 24 April 2013
Hoorah!!
Task 3b done - Phew! Good luck everyone! I am certain however, that even though the task is completed my mind is still going to continually reflect on these theories as it has been something of a challenge but it has REALLY made me reflect for the first time! I am certain from reading other Blogs that this is the same for other BAPP students.!
3b - Critical reflection on theories relating to networking
This has been the hardest task to date for me. I think it is because the task and the reader really made you reflect on the content and you could not treat this task lightly. Although previous tasks have made me think about and reflect on my current practices, this is, as stated in the module guide, a task to make to look outwards at theories that are out there and other peoples thoughts on those theories. This made me take a critical look at these suggested theories and planted several seeds in my mind.
I have spent several hours reading the material provided as well as other Blogs and also trying to research the theories and discover other theories.
Looking at the concept of co-operation, I was initially intimidated by this. The first time I read through the reader the thought of competition or co-operation dependant on your individual needs at any given time was something that I did not think was ever applicable to me and my current or previous working roles. However, after more study as well as playing the game "Prisoners Dilemma" a few times where I tried to manipulate the outcome made me have more understanding of this concept. Interestingly the research carried out by Robert Axelrod, the results of which are published in the "Journal of Conflict Resolution" (Axelrod 1980a and 1980b) showed that Game theory where people gain mutual benefit form co-operation but can allow one person to gain an upper hand by competing or exploitation of their opponent, found that the most successful strategy was "Tit for Tat" where the you would simply copy your opponents move after your initial move of co-operation. When I applied this to the "Prisoners Dilemma" game the opponent also chose co-operation every time so it ended with a tie!
As for my personal thoughts on co-operation, on reflection I have realised that I will have used both co-operation and conflict when needed.
As a professional dancer in the past I will have used conflict during an audition process as it is important to be selfish in order to be able to stand out as an individual. However in developing my teaching career I have found it vital to use co-operation in communicating with parents and other teachers to ensure that there is a good relationship established between us. However, the thought that I would co-operate to maximum benefit and then defect would not be of benefit to me as I would potentially lose my network of parents and clients.
The concept of affiliation has a few variations in its theory. Having studied the reader and looked at all the theories, there seems to be a basic recurring theme that affiliation leads to social well being. The theories suggest that there is a basic psychological need to affiliate with other people, which I agree with. Even the youngest children will form affiliations with other children and adults. However, as an adult I find that the concept of privacy regulation is something that is very relevant to me. Altman (1975) I do not think that children have the ability to chose to regulate their affiliations. However, I think that I am a prime example of someone who uses privacy regulation on an hour by hour basis. I am often in a teaching situation in the gym for an hour where I am interacting socially with colleagues and clients, but as soon as I walk out of the door my privacy takes over!
As a professional I think it is important to be able to hold affiliations but also to balance privacy when necessary. This is particularly relevant in the teacher/pupil affiliation. You need to create an affiliation with your student, but in my mind it is imperative that this affiliation does not overstep the mark and invade into either the students privacy or mine as a teacher.
Interestingly the example given by my fellow BAPP colleague Katie Hurley in her Blog is referring to Girl A and Girl B for the concept of affiliation could also be a good example of co-operation as Girl A clearly uses Girl B until she has reached maximum benefit , but could then defect!
I like the theory of Hannah Shepherd relating to affiliation. Certainly in the type of business we work in there would be many people who would maintain an affiliation "just in case" they could be of use in the future.
The concept of social constructionism is also a concept that I had to read and study many times. Constructionism claims that meanings are constructed by human beings as they engage with the world they are interpreting. In other words the human race has developed or constructed meaning to everything in their environment. However, one persons interpretation of a situation or an object may not be the same as someone else's, even though the object is no different.
The extract from Crotty, M (2005) talks about a tree being a tree to everyone, but the view of that tree being different dependant on the persons environmental situation i.e. someone living near a forest as opposed to someone living in a treeless slum.
I have found through researching that Social constructionism is used as a psychological therapy. I have found this website
http://socialconstructiontherapies.yolasite.com/what-are-social-construction-therapies.php
which discusses how social construction has been developed into psychotherapists interventions with families. It talks about the analyst working with the family rather than creating interventions about the family.
In the professional environment I can see that this concept relates to how a person may appear to you within the work environment, but may appear as a completely different personality within another environment.
Connectivism is the theory that is mostly referring to computer networking or networking over the web. However, in relation to professional networks it pertains to how networks provide the means for individuals to connect and learn. It states that the traditional method of teaching - i.e. teacher to pupil, should be abandoned or modified as modern methods of learning are from the pools of knowledge available on the Internet or in the classroom.
I agree entirely with Iona Holland on this theory in relation to teaching dance. The thought that the child would use the Internet as their learning tool for dance is a good idea for maybe attempting to copy styles and choreography. However, from a teachers perspective there would be no-one to tell them exactly how the steps should be performed technically. If no-one is physically coaching and correcting you, how can you progress? There is no way a child would be prepared for an exam without traditional teaching methods.
Driscoll (2000) defines learning as “a persisting change in human performance or performance potential…[which] must come about as a result of the learner’s experience and interaction with the world”. This definition clearly states that learning results in a changed state in emotion, physiology and mentality bought about by experiences and interactions with content and other people.
One of the most current theories relating to connectivism is in relation to the shrinking half life knowledge. The fact that the amount of knowledge in the world today is double what is was ten years ago is staggering and is currently doubling every eighteen months according to he American Society of Training and Documentation. George Siemens (2004) wrote a paper on Connectivism and the Digital learning age which challenges current and ongoing learning techniques.
Lastly communities of practice is the final concept to reflect upon. This is the method of learning through socialising within a community. It is establishing a learning environment where everyone can contribute and work together rather than one person being in charge and dictating the learning process.
On reflection in my current role as a dance teacher I would say that I use this concept occasionally with the older students to give them a feeling of inclusion in the decision making. I will often say to a class whilst in the middle of choreography "what feels best to you" or " which leg do you naturally want to use next?" it gives the class a feeling of community.
Overall, on reflection, although this task was extremely detailed and difficult, it really made me think. I found that after the second reading of the reader I was thinking about the different concepts and how they relate to me and my current professional networks. It is probably the first task that has made me actually think about what I had researched and how all the theories actually interlink and cross over.
I have spent several hours reading the material provided as well as other Blogs and also trying to research the theories and discover other theories.
Looking at the concept of co-operation, I was initially intimidated by this. The first time I read through the reader the thought of competition or co-operation dependant on your individual needs at any given time was something that I did not think was ever applicable to me and my current or previous working roles. However, after more study as well as playing the game "Prisoners Dilemma" a few times where I tried to manipulate the outcome made me have more understanding of this concept. Interestingly the research carried out by Robert Axelrod, the results of which are published in the "Journal of Conflict Resolution" (Axelrod 1980a and 1980b) showed that Game theory where people gain mutual benefit form co-operation but can allow one person to gain an upper hand by competing or exploitation of their opponent, found that the most successful strategy was "Tit for Tat" where the you would simply copy your opponents move after your initial move of co-operation. When I applied this to the "Prisoners Dilemma" game the opponent also chose co-operation every time so it ended with a tie!
As for my personal thoughts on co-operation, on reflection I have realised that I will have used both co-operation and conflict when needed.
As a professional dancer in the past I will have used conflict during an audition process as it is important to be selfish in order to be able to stand out as an individual. However in developing my teaching career I have found it vital to use co-operation in communicating with parents and other teachers to ensure that there is a good relationship established between us. However, the thought that I would co-operate to maximum benefit and then defect would not be of benefit to me as I would potentially lose my network of parents and clients.
The concept of affiliation has a few variations in its theory. Having studied the reader and looked at all the theories, there seems to be a basic recurring theme that affiliation leads to social well being. The theories suggest that there is a basic psychological need to affiliate with other people, which I agree with. Even the youngest children will form affiliations with other children and adults. However, as an adult I find that the concept of privacy regulation is something that is very relevant to me. Altman (1975) I do not think that children have the ability to chose to regulate their affiliations. However, I think that I am a prime example of someone who uses privacy regulation on an hour by hour basis. I am often in a teaching situation in the gym for an hour where I am interacting socially with colleagues and clients, but as soon as I walk out of the door my privacy takes over!
As a professional I think it is important to be able to hold affiliations but also to balance privacy when necessary. This is particularly relevant in the teacher/pupil affiliation. You need to create an affiliation with your student, but in my mind it is imperative that this affiliation does not overstep the mark and invade into either the students privacy or mine as a teacher.
Interestingly the example given by my fellow BAPP colleague Katie Hurley in her Blog is referring to Girl A and Girl B for the concept of affiliation could also be a good example of co-operation as Girl A clearly uses Girl B until she has reached maximum benefit , but could then defect!
I like the theory of Hannah Shepherd relating to affiliation. Certainly in the type of business we work in there would be many people who would maintain an affiliation "just in case" they could be of use in the future.
The concept of social constructionism is also a concept that I had to read and study many times. Constructionism claims that meanings are constructed by human beings as they engage with the world they are interpreting. In other words the human race has developed or constructed meaning to everything in their environment. However, one persons interpretation of a situation or an object may not be the same as someone else's, even though the object is no different.
The extract from Crotty, M (2005) talks about a tree being a tree to everyone, but the view of that tree being different dependant on the persons environmental situation i.e. someone living near a forest as opposed to someone living in a treeless slum.
I have found through researching that Social constructionism is used as a psychological therapy. I have found this website
http://socialconstructiontherapies.yolasite.com/what-are-social-construction-therapies.php
which discusses how social construction has been developed into psychotherapists interventions with families. It talks about the analyst working with the family rather than creating interventions about the family.
In the professional environment I can see that this concept relates to how a person may appear to you within the work environment, but may appear as a completely different personality within another environment.
Connectivism is the theory that is mostly referring to computer networking or networking over the web. However, in relation to professional networks it pertains to how networks provide the means for individuals to connect and learn. It states that the traditional method of teaching - i.e. teacher to pupil, should be abandoned or modified as modern methods of learning are from the pools of knowledge available on the Internet or in the classroom.
I agree entirely with Iona Holland on this theory in relation to teaching dance. The thought that the child would use the Internet as their learning tool for dance is a good idea for maybe attempting to copy styles and choreography. However, from a teachers perspective there would be no-one to tell them exactly how the steps should be performed technically. If no-one is physically coaching and correcting you, how can you progress? There is no way a child would be prepared for an exam without traditional teaching methods.
Driscoll (2000) defines learning as “a persisting change in human performance or performance potential…[which] must come about as a result of the learner’s experience and interaction with the world”. This definition clearly states that learning results in a changed state in emotion, physiology and mentality bought about by experiences and interactions with content and other people.
One of the most current theories relating to connectivism is in relation to the shrinking half life knowledge. The fact that the amount of knowledge in the world today is double what is was ten years ago is staggering and is currently doubling every eighteen months according to he American Society of Training and Documentation. George Siemens (2004) wrote a paper on Connectivism and the Digital learning age which challenges current and ongoing learning techniques.
Lastly communities of practice is the final concept to reflect upon. This is the method of learning through socialising within a community. It is establishing a learning environment where everyone can contribute and work together rather than one person being in charge and dictating the learning process.
On reflection in my current role as a dance teacher I would say that I use this concept occasionally with the older students to give them a feeling of inclusion in the decision making. I will often say to a class whilst in the middle of choreography "what feels best to you" or " which leg do you naturally want to use next?" it gives the class a feeling of community.
Overall, on reflection, although this task was extremely detailed and difficult, it really made me think. I found that after the second reading of the reader I was thinking about the different concepts and how they relate to me and my current professional networks. It is probably the first task that has made me actually think about what I had researched and how all the theories actually interlink and cross over.
Sunday 21 April 2013
Task 3b
Well fellow BAPP bloggers, how are we all doing with Task 3b? Is it just me or have you ground to a hhalt? I have now read the reader three times, I have looked at other pieces of information referencing the concepts in the reader and I am struggling. I do end up reflecting on what I have read, but I am not sure that I am quite grasping what is required. Anyone else in the same boat please?
Tuesday 16 April 2013
3a-Current Networks
I have read through this task a few times before I made my decision as to how to approach it. There are a few variations of interpretation on other Blogs, some people have diagrams showing their networks for example Iona Holland, others have used bullet points and text.
I have decided to approach it from a conversation point of view where I can question and answer my thoughts.
I have many current networks that I have established over the years. On the outside it may seem that some of these have no relation to other parts of my network, however, occasionally there can be a cross-over.
With my Pilates teaching, one of the best networks that I have is my existing clients. When I initially started teaching there were very few teachers in the area, so I was able to secure classes within a gym environment. I have, over the years, used the clients from these classes as contacts for people who wish to participate in a Pilates class but do not belong to a gym. Thankfully because of the specificity of Pilates it is easy to use networks to promote yourself. I have used professional networks of physiotherapists and osteopaths/chiropractors to promote myself and also offer advice to their clients.
Interestingly I have not used and digital media or social networking for this particular part of my job. There is of course the possibility of using Facebook and my existing network on Facebook to promote my business and this could potentially introduce some younger clients?
I rely very strongly on personal promotion, face to face with current an potential clients. I have, in the past covered various fitness classes for people and participants have spoken to me afterwards about bad hips or backs and I have encouraged them to attend a Pilates session by explaining who something mechanical could be affecting them.
I have two professional friends who use Facebook for promoting their classes and there approach and the amount of work that they put into this is fantastic! Please see https://www.facebook.com/debbie.jenner.01?fref=ts and https://www.facebook.com/SamHortonFitness?fref=ts
The first person - Debbie Jenner although she does not directly use her Facebook page for her business, she constantly posts about her website and how you can view classes on line. She actually teaches sessions via webcam to anyone who subscribes to her website.
I do, however use Facebook to promote my Zumba classes, having created a page, I encourage participants to "Like" the page so that their friends can see the information. I can also use this to post information about the class and also messages of encouragement! When I first started teaching Zumba, I used my "friends" network on Facebook and invited them all to "Like" of join the class!
As a dance teacher, I have several networks that cross over. At the public school where I run the dance department, I have the parents, the teachers at the school and the pupils themselves.
The parents are a big part of my network for both the Prep school and the senior school which has day students and boarders.
I use email to contact all boarders parents for timetables, invoicing and any other issues that my arise! This has proved invaluable as the majority of them live overseas. I have a lot of face to face contact with the parents at the Prep school, and although I use email and texting as back up communication, I try to speak to them face to face as I believe this personal side is very important when you are teaching their children. The difficulty with this is that I am aware of keeping conversations short so as not to disrupt and class that may be due to start. In the dance school environment, where I teach for another lady, there are often situations like this where she is able to continue any conversations with parents as I can carry on teaching the children. However it is not viable to have an assistant work for me at the school so that I can occasionally speak to a parent.
I have a very good network of other BBO teachers in my area as well as all over the UK. We meet at various courses that are put on for continuing Professional development. The teachers local to me are available to help with all sorts of issues such as only having one group to take an exam! Equally I would do the same for them. We use email, Facebook and texting to communicate, although we have the teachers area on the website to use for information. The days that we have on teachers courses, either at Elmhurst Ballet school or at HQ in London are very important for networking. Still the old fashioned personal communication, and I often come away feeling motivated and encouraged from discussions with other teachers.
In the future, I think it would be fantastic if we were able to have training courses via Skype. For example, if there is a change made to a syllabus then it could be demonstrated via webcam with commentary and the feedback discussions could be held via Skype. This would certainly enable many other teachers to participate in the training as often to attend in person is prohibited by time and finances.
All in all, although I have many networks of friends, parents, clients, fellow teachers, Zin network ( for Zumba teachers), very old friends from my performing days, I think I use them quite well, but could probably make more use of them if I wanted to really promote myself.
I have noted from a few other Blogs that self promotion is more relevant dependant on age and career. In this day of digital media, this has to be an essential tool for an actress, musician or dancer or even a business person with something to sell.
Although I feel that I do make good use of my current networks, I am certain that if I was new to my profession that I would making even better use of them.
I have decided to approach it from a conversation point of view where I can question and answer my thoughts.
I have many current networks that I have established over the years. On the outside it may seem that some of these have no relation to other parts of my network, however, occasionally there can be a cross-over.
With my Pilates teaching, one of the best networks that I have is my existing clients. When I initially started teaching there were very few teachers in the area, so I was able to secure classes within a gym environment. I have, over the years, used the clients from these classes as contacts for people who wish to participate in a Pilates class but do not belong to a gym. Thankfully because of the specificity of Pilates it is easy to use networks to promote yourself. I have used professional networks of physiotherapists and osteopaths/chiropractors to promote myself and also offer advice to their clients.
Interestingly I have not used and digital media or social networking for this particular part of my job. There is of course the possibility of using Facebook and my existing network on Facebook to promote my business and this could potentially introduce some younger clients?
I rely very strongly on personal promotion, face to face with current an potential clients. I have, in the past covered various fitness classes for people and participants have spoken to me afterwards about bad hips or backs and I have encouraged them to attend a Pilates session by explaining who something mechanical could be affecting them.
I have two professional friends who use Facebook for promoting their classes and there approach and the amount of work that they put into this is fantastic! Please see https://www.facebook.com/debbie.jenner.01?fref=ts and https://www.facebook.com/SamHortonFitness?fref=ts
The first person - Debbie Jenner although she does not directly use her Facebook page for her business, she constantly posts about her website and how you can view classes on line. She actually teaches sessions via webcam to anyone who subscribes to her website.
I do, however use Facebook to promote my Zumba classes, having created a page, I encourage participants to "Like" the page so that their friends can see the information. I can also use this to post information about the class and also messages of encouragement! When I first started teaching Zumba, I used my "friends" network on Facebook and invited them all to "Like" of join the class!
As a dance teacher, I have several networks that cross over. At the public school where I run the dance department, I have the parents, the teachers at the school and the pupils themselves.
The parents are a big part of my network for both the Prep school and the senior school which has day students and boarders.
I use email to contact all boarders parents for timetables, invoicing and any other issues that my arise! This has proved invaluable as the majority of them live overseas. I have a lot of face to face contact with the parents at the Prep school, and although I use email and texting as back up communication, I try to speak to them face to face as I believe this personal side is very important when you are teaching their children. The difficulty with this is that I am aware of keeping conversations short so as not to disrupt and class that may be due to start. In the dance school environment, where I teach for another lady, there are often situations like this where she is able to continue any conversations with parents as I can carry on teaching the children. However it is not viable to have an assistant work for me at the school so that I can occasionally speak to a parent.
I have a very good network of other BBO teachers in my area as well as all over the UK. We meet at various courses that are put on for continuing Professional development. The teachers local to me are available to help with all sorts of issues such as only having one group to take an exam! Equally I would do the same for them. We use email, Facebook and texting to communicate, although we have the teachers area on the website to use for information. The days that we have on teachers courses, either at Elmhurst Ballet school or at HQ in London are very important for networking. Still the old fashioned personal communication, and I often come away feeling motivated and encouraged from discussions with other teachers.
In the future, I think it would be fantastic if we were able to have training courses via Skype. For example, if there is a change made to a syllabus then it could be demonstrated via webcam with commentary and the feedback discussions could be held via Skype. This would certainly enable many other teachers to participate in the training as often to attend in person is prohibited by time and finances.
All in all, although I have many networks of friends, parents, clients, fellow teachers, Zin network ( for Zumba teachers), very old friends from my performing days, I think I use them quite well, but could probably make more use of them if I wanted to really promote myself.
I have noted from a few other Blogs that self promotion is more relevant dependant on age and career. In this day of digital media, this has to be an essential tool for an actress, musician or dancer or even a business person with something to sell.
Although I feel that I do make good use of my current networks, I am certain that if I was new to my profession that I would making even better use of them.
Wednesday 10 April 2013
The Inquiry Task - 2d
What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?
I have found this question relatively easy to answer as I am very enthusiastic about my current daily practice. Having danced professionally for many years I was not interested in teaching children when I stopped. I tried several office based jobs, ensuring that my knowledge was backed up with qualifications each time. I managed a travel agency branch for six years taking various management qualifications and then trained in accountancy and ran an accounts department for eight years. However, it became clear to me once I had turned forty that I was not happy and longed to be in a physical profession. As I had also had my children by this time, I realised that I was now ready to teach them as this would enable me to utilise my lifelong passion of dance. I am enthused every day by the response and reaction of the children as I am teaching them and when you see something finally click into place it is enthusing and rewarding!
Having read some of the other BAPP blogs on this task, I found that anyone who was teaching seemed to have the same enthusiasm. Carla Mason is enthusiastic about her new dance school, and Anna Timms is enthusiastic about the results she sees from her children. Interestingly, Chelsie Johnson was coming from another angle as she is still training and is not yet teaching, but shows enthusiasm for her teachers and her boyfriend.
If I was to cite anyone as someone that I admired, I think it would be an old jazz teacher of mine from Arts Ed. Everyone that I know who trained at the same time as me, and quite possibly after us, talk about this particular lady. Her name is Jackie Bristow and she was the toughest most disciplined practitioner that I and the other students of the day,have ever experienced. However much we disliked her at the time, she made us all very strong and disciplined and the fact that we still talk about her shows her legacy! She has only recently retired.
What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found away to work around the sadness or anger?
There are two things that make me angry or sad. Firstly, It makes me sad when you are teaching a child with obvious ability, but they have nothing coming from inside to support that natural talent. I try repeatedly to get them to feel the passion that I have and to project that passion to improve and enhance their performance. I find it harder to teach this type of child than the other way round. There are always children who may not have the best ability but their enthusiasm is boundless. This can also, at times, make you sad as you can teach them the technical aspects and really try to hone their skills but not always with the best results. I admire any teacher who is able to find a way of working with children who challenge their teaching skills without feelings of sadness. But, there again, if this emotion is missing, would it mean that their teaching skill is weakened?
Things that make me angry are very similar to the frustrations experienced by Anna Timms. As I teach in a boarding school, there are always issues caused by the school to annoy me! For example, I have the use of a beautiful purpose built dance studio which is used for all sorts of storage, table tennis groups, lectures etc. which mean that often I have to move sports equipment, table tennis tables, exam desks etc. before I can start my lessons.
There is also the lack of commitment that makes me angry. Some children and their parents appreciate the level of commitment required to enable them to get the most from their lessons. However, there are always people who don't appreciate the amount of work that is needed to be successful in exams or in performances and I am often missing children due to netball/hockey matches, just going home instead of staying for dance and a variety of silly excuses. Then the parents wonder why the children did not get the best result for their exams. This makes my angry.
Again, I admire any practitioner who experiences anger or sadness at this lack of commitment and who has to deal with it and try to get the best performance at the end of the day.
What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?
This is easy I love the art of dance in all forms. I love the passion, the energy, the skill and the audience appreciation of the skill.
Dancers tend to emote through their work and although there are times when there is tiredness, anger, frustration, there are also times of great joy, laughter and happiness all as a result of expressing to music.
Although I may not be physically as able as I used to be, I still enjoy the feeling of moving to music, of using my body to express the music and I try to pass this on to my students. I love talking to them about different dancers/performers who have inspired me and frequently get them to look up performances on YouTube to try and make them understand what I am looking for.
There are many clips on YouTube of Mikhail Baryshnikov, whom I admire tremendously for his passion and his level of performance. Then you see this passion evident in people like the Lukas McFarlane, the winner of this years' "Got to Dance" and of course the older movie stars like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
Obviously there are many successful practitioners of dance and everyone has their favourites and I feel it is important to educate the children to appreciate the performers of the past and the legacy that they have left in the dance world.
What do you feel you don’t understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?
The things that I don't understand are the things that make me angry. I do not understand people without passion, I certainly do not understand how people cannot stick to commitments and how they do not understand how they let other people down as well as themselves.
It's difficult to say who I admire in this case as it I suspect that everyone would feel the same. So I guess I admire all teachers of the arts who will experience the same issues but have learned to accept them when they arise.
I am not entirely certain that I have a full understanding of reflective practice yet, but I admire the people who seem to have grasped it from the content of their Blogs. For example Iona Holland who is also currently studying Module 1 seems to write with ease a understanding of the tasks.This is also clear to me in Georgie Birds Blogs, who is currently on Module 2.
I have found this question relatively easy to answer as I am very enthusiastic about my current daily practice. Having danced professionally for many years I was not interested in teaching children when I stopped. I tried several office based jobs, ensuring that my knowledge was backed up with qualifications each time. I managed a travel agency branch for six years taking various management qualifications and then trained in accountancy and ran an accounts department for eight years. However, it became clear to me once I had turned forty that I was not happy and longed to be in a physical profession. As I had also had my children by this time, I realised that I was now ready to teach them as this would enable me to utilise my lifelong passion of dance. I am enthused every day by the response and reaction of the children as I am teaching them and when you see something finally click into place it is enthusing and rewarding!
Having read some of the other BAPP blogs on this task, I found that anyone who was teaching seemed to have the same enthusiasm. Carla Mason is enthusiastic about her new dance school, and Anna Timms is enthusiastic about the results she sees from her children. Interestingly, Chelsie Johnson was coming from another angle as she is still training and is not yet teaching, but shows enthusiasm for her teachers and her boyfriend.
If I was to cite anyone as someone that I admired, I think it would be an old jazz teacher of mine from Arts Ed. Everyone that I know who trained at the same time as me, and quite possibly after us, talk about this particular lady. Her name is Jackie Bristow and she was the toughest most disciplined practitioner that I and the other students of the day,have ever experienced. However much we disliked her at the time, she made us all very strong and disciplined and the fact that we still talk about her shows her legacy! She has only recently retired.
What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found away to work around the sadness or anger?
There are two things that make me angry or sad. Firstly, It makes me sad when you are teaching a child with obvious ability, but they have nothing coming from inside to support that natural talent. I try repeatedly to get them to feel the passion that I have and to project that passion to improve and enhance their performance. I find it harder to teach this type of child than the other way round. There are always children who may not have the best ability but their enthusiasm is boundless. This can also, at times, make you sad as you can teach them the technical aspects and really try to hone their skills but not always with the best results. I admire any teacher who is able to find a way of working with children who challenge their teaching skills without feelings of sadness. But, there again, if this emotion is missing, would it mean that their teaching skill is weakened?
Things that make me angry are very similar to the frustrations experienced by Anna Timms. As I teach in a boarding school, there are always issues caused by the school to annoy me! For example, I have the use of a beautiful purpose built dance studio which is used for all sorts of storage, table tennis groups, lectures etc. which mean that often I have to move sports equipment, table tennis tables, exam desks etc. before I can start my lessons.
There is also the lack of commitment that makes me angry. Some children and their parents appreciate the level of commitment required to enable them to get the most from their lessons. However, there are always people who don't appreciate the amount of work that is needed to be successful in exams or in performances and I am often missing children due to netball/hockey matches, just going home instead of staying for dance and a variety of silly excuses. Then the parents wonder why the children did not get the best result for their exams. This makes my angry.
Again, I admire any practitioner who experiences anger or sadness at this lack of commitment and who has to deal with it and try to get the best performance at the end of the day.
What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?
This is easy I love the art of dance in all forms. I love the passion, the energy, the skill and the audience appreciation of the skill.
Dancers tend to emote through their work and although there are times when there is tiredness, anger, frustration, there are also times of great joy, laughter and happiness all as a result of expressing to music.
Although I may not be physically as able as I used to be, I still enjoy the feeling of moving to music, of using my body to express the music and I try to pass this on to my students. I love talking to them about different dancers/performers who have inspired me and frequently get them to look up performances on YouTube to try and make them understand what I am looking for.
There are many clips on YouTube of Mikhail Baryshnikov, whom I admire tremendously for his passion and his level of performance. Then you see this passion evident in people like the Lukas McFarlane, the winner of this years' "Got to Dance" and of course the older movie stars like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
Obviously there are many successful practitioners of dance and everyone has their favourites and I feel it is important to educate the children to appreciate the performers of the past and the legacy that they have left in the dance world.
What do you feel you don’t understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?
The things that I don't understand are the things that make me angry. I do not understand people without passion, I certainly do not understand how people cannot stick to commitments and how they do not understand how they let other people down as well as themselves.
It's difficult to say who I admire in this case as it I suspect that everyone would feel the same. So I guess I admire all teachers of the arts who will experience the same issues but have learned to accept them when they arise.
I am not entirely certain that I have a full understanding of reflective practice yet, but I admire the people who seem to have grasped it from the content of their Blogs. For example Iona Holland who is also currently studying Module 1 seems to write with ease a understanding of the tasks.This is also clear to me in Georgie Birds Blogs, who is currently on Module 2.
Tuesday 9 April 2013
Critical Reflection
Find below the link to my critical reflection essay.I have tried to focus on the theories that I thought were most relevant to me and my learning styles
.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UToJrHeAFRGERMZOO4yzpJsDvtKqCOiQ6Jr7iuIQJEM/edit?usp=sharing
.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UToJrHeAFRGERMZOO4yzpJsDvtKqCOiQ6Jr7iuIQJEM/edit?usp=sharing
Monday 8 April 2013
Thank you
Dear Katie and Carla, thank you for your offers of help! Not sure if you have already sent the documents to me, but they haven't arrived! Would be grateful if you could send asap to kymwalton@hotmail.com. Published this as a post as it seems to get through to you all, whereas I am not sure my replies yesterday did!Thanks again!
Sunday 7 April 2013
Help needed urgently!
Hello to all my fellow BAPP bloggers! Due to work commitments over the past few weeks, I was unable to spend any time on my Blog but was prepared to spend the Easter break catching up and getting the module completed. One of the luxuries of taking a distance learning course! HOWEVER, I have been hit by an unexpected obstacle.......the readers for section 2 and 3 of Module 1 are not currently available on the libguides and it would appear that they have to be requested from Paula - who is on holiday!!! So, I am asking for a little assistance please. If anyone out there has downloaded readers 2 and 3 for module 1 and would be able to email them to me, I would, of course, be extremely grateful as time is running out and I am panicking slightly!
Thursday 4 April 2013
Journal writing experience
Well, I have been writing my journal on and off for the past few weeks. I have had a busy time with the production of the biennial dance show. Needless to say my journal has some stressful entries along with some very brief ones! I have found that I have used some of the suggested ways of writing automatically, such as description and initial reflection. Some days I will have written a description of an event or events and reflected immediately on how it made me feel or something that happened as a result of that event.
When I started to look at using the other methods of writing I actually found it very difficult to write anything, particularly from another view. This method, to me, was really hard to use as the journal is personal to you and things that have happened to you, or feelings that you have had, but it was amusing to see my day from another perspective and it did highlight to me that some of the things that I may have considered important events or feelings would seem inconsequential to someone viewing from the outside.
It became apparent to me that I am most confident using lists, description, reflection and evaluation. It was actually useful to use evaluation about a week or so after the initial entry as events that seemed important and extreme at the time were, upon reflection and evaluation, usually quite trivial. I did not find the diagram method useful at all, but it was interesting to try it to see if it worked for me. My mind I think is too random and messy to be able to create a diagram as I was constantly altering it by adding events and feelings and then taking others away.
However, the "What if?" method was probably the most surprising to me in the volume of writing it produced. I used this method on a particularly stressful day after the show. The problem is that I am very critical of myself and analysed every little part of days events and then applied the "What if? to it. The problem I found was that "hindsight" becomes the main focus and although there are always things to learn from hindsight you cannot change what has happened, although you can ensure that you learn and use your experiences to improve your performance.
Keeping entries succint and to the point encouraged me to continue with my journal as this would mean a couple of words or feelings would summarise my day, whereas long entries would find me rambling away. I have also discovered that trying to reflect the same day does not work for me as emotion often takes over as well as tiredness and I am much better reflecting and evaluating after a day or so, when other things do not take over your thoughts!
When I started to look at using the other methods of writing I actually found it very difficult to write anything, particularly from another view. This method, to me, was really hard to use as the journal is personal to you and things that have happened to you, or feelings that you have had, but it was amusing to see my day from another perspective and it did highlight to me that some of the things that I may have considered important events or feelings would seem inconsequential to someone viewing from the outside.
It became apparent to me that I am most confident using lists, description, reflection and evaluation. It was actually useful to use evaluation about a week or so after the initial entry as events that seemed important and extreme at the time were, upon reflection and evaluation, usually quite trivial. I did not find the diagram method useful at all, but it was interesting to try it to see if it worked for me. My mind I think is too random and messy to be able to create a diagram as I was constantly altering it by adding events and feelings and then taking others away.
However, the "What if?" method was probably the most surprising to me in the volume of writing it produced. I used this method on a particularly stressful day after the show. The problem is that I am very critical of myself and analysed every little part of days events and then applied the "What if? to it. The problem I found was that "hindsight" becomes the main focus and although there are always things to learn from hindsight you cannot change what has happened, although you can ensure that you learn and use your experiences to improve your performance.
Keeping entries succint and to the point encouraged me to continue with my journal as this would mean a couple of words or feelings would summarise my day, whereas long entries would find me rambling away. I have also discovered that trying to reflect the same day does not work for me as emotion often takes over as well as tiredness and I am much better reflecting and evaluating after a day or so, when other things do not take over your thoughts!
Keeping a journal!
Although I have been keeping my journal for a few weeks now, I have not had time to work on my Blog until now.
My initial reaction to keeping a journal was not the best! I have never kept a diary of any sort, even as a child it was not something that ever appealed to me! The first few entries of my journal were definitely descriptive and had initial reflection. This seemed the most natural method of recording events and feelings to me. However, this can be time consuming and I did naturally revert to Lists when I had little time. The lists would be very brief and some entries only one word, but I was able to refer back to a day and evaluate the events and my feelings usually quite clearly from the list.
I have looked at other Blogs to see if other people in similar professions have identified the same methods as me. It would seem that initially they start with description and evaluation, but then when they try other methods they are all finding different methods useful. I shall be interested to see how my thoughts develop as I try the other methods of writing!
Tuesday 5 March 2013
A blogging conversation??
Just had a very useful group Skype call with Adesola, Sophie, Ahmet and myself! Very insightful and useful. It is nice to have a vocal conversation rather than digital communication. I said that I find it hard sometimes to decide how people intend their writing to sound...in other words you cannot determine the intonation in writing but when you hear someone speak the intonation is usually clear and although you have more time to think about what you are writing that can maybe seem contrived as it is not an instant reaction to a previous speaker! All in all a very useful call and we are planning to have them on the first Tuesday of every month for anyone who is around!! Organised brilliantly by Adesola....don't worry if you cannot make the start of the call, I joined half way through as I was teaching! Hopefull speak to more of you next month!
Wednesday 27 February 2013
Tuesday 26 February 2013
YouTube!!
Ok chaps, now I realise that I am a little long in the tooth, but I have made a lovely little powerpoint presentation with a highly appropriate piece of music, but I can't get it to upload to Youtube!! Typical!! I have Googled for a solution and apart from buying a piece of conversion software no success. Can anyone help me please?????
Saturday 23 February 2013
Professional Communication Technologies ......continued!
I have been reading various items on the internet over the last 24 hours and I have realised I have more to say about this topic than I first thought.
I have already been using YouTube as a tool to find original choreography of dance numbers and also research different versions of songs. I have alse viewed many videos which have been reposted by people in Facebook as something exceptional. These have caused conversations and commentary as people have posted their thoughts and then other people have agreed or even posted alternative videos.
YouTube has also been used very successfully to promote and, indeed, discover people who are now major stars, probably the most famous of which is Justin Beiber!
I was watching a television interview with a singer this week and she actually employs an online promoter. This person monitored posts and reactions to posts on Facebook and Twitter by the singer. She described how they would monitor the number of "likes" and comments of photos to see which pictures were more successful. This is Web 2.0 being used to a very commercial level and showing how technology is now used to successfully market people.
The recent use of Skype by Adesola to have a multi way conversation with students is surely a version of Web2.0. Using technology to connect a group of people from potentially all over the world to communicate, react and respond to each other instantly is very efficient and a very cost effective option.
Another professional networking site that I am signed up to is Linkedin, although I have never really made use of this. Having not spent any a mount of time on the website, my view from the outside is that it is really a network of professionals to exchange work ideas and to self promote.
In conclusion, the use of technology to promote yourself or your business, to find work, to communicate your ideas and thoughts is a relatively new innovation. If you look at the speed with which it has become part of our every day lives to use technology, not just to view a website but to deal with all our interactions, it is truly astounding. To us people who were well into adulthood before any of this technology was even developed it has been a time to open your eyes and try to embrace it and not let it wash over you.
I have already been using YouTube as a tool to find original choreography of dance numbers and also research different versions of songs. I have alse viewed many videos which have been reposted by people in Facebook as something exceptional. These have caused conversations and commentary as people have posted their thoughts and then other people have agreed or even posted alternative videos.
YouTube has also been used very successfully to promote and, indeed, discover people who are now major stars, probably the most famous of which is Justin Beiber!
I was watching a television interview with a singer this week and she actually employs an online promoter. This person monitored posts and reactions to posts on Facebook and Twitter by the singer. She described how they would monitor the number of "likes" and comments of photos to see which pictures were more successful. This is Web 2.0 being used to a very commercial level and showing how technology is now used to successfully market people.
The recent use of Skype by Adesola to have a multi way conversation with students is surely a version of Web2.0. Using technology to connect a group of people from potentially all over the world to communicate, react and respond to each other instantly is very efficient and a very cost effective option.
Another professional networking site that I am signed up to is Linkedin, although I have never really made use of this. Having not spent any a mount of time on the website, my view from the outside is that it is really a network of professionals to exchange work ideas and to self promote.
In conclusion, the use of technology to promote yourself or your business, to find work, to communicate your ideas and thoughts is a relatively new innovation. If you look at the speed with which it has become part of our every day lives to use technology, not just to view a website but to deal with all our interactions, it is truly astounding. To us people who were well into adulthood before any of this technology was even developed it has been a time to open your eyes and try to embrace it and not let it wash over you.
Friday 22 February 2013
Professional Communication Technologies
Well my thoughts on Web 2.O and on the Reader are quite straightforward. I have been lucky enough to watch the development of the use of a PC right through to the now wide and common use of tablets and the Internet.
I remember using the Internet primarily for e-mail when working in an office environment and thought it was a fabulous improvement on the level on communication that had preceded it.
We started to use and develop websites to enable people to view our products and our our company details. But at that stage Web 2.0 was still under the radar for the majority of people.
My first introduction to Web2.0 was using Friends Reunited, where you were able to search for old friends and then communicate with them. It rapidly became a very useful tool for potentially locating and communicating with people that you had not seen or spoken to for many years, primarily old school friends. At roughly the same time, my daughters' were both using BEBO and MSN chat, however, I found both of these systems did not hold any interest to me.
The development and rapid rise of the success of Facebook became an overnight wonderment to me. I was able to find old dancing friends, communicate with people privately or publicly, discover things about people that I probably would never have discovered and also post my thoughts and feelings on my wall.
The statistics in the reader made me think about the averages given. Some of the statistics are quite staggering and I think there is definitely a case of limiting your friendship circle. As a dance teacher I often receive friend requests from the students that I teach, but I politely refuse and tell them that I consider it unethical from a teacher/pupil perspective. I have, however, created a Facebook Group (open to invited members only) for the dance school students and parents where I keep them informed of events, timetables, class changes. As a closed group any photographs are not visible to anyone outside of the group which, to me, is a vital part of the use of Web2.0. However, they are able to access the general information and contact details to enable prospective new s
My security and the security of my friends is important and my friendship circle is limited to "Friends" and not acquaintances. The statistics and to be fair some of the other students comments about the amount of friends they have, show that many people will add someone the day after they have met them in a bar/audition/other social setting and I wonder how many of those people would be friends that they would communicate with on a usual basis - i.e. telephone, face to face, email!!
I like the simplification of the description of Web2.0 at the end of the paragraph of Ulrich et al (2008). Web 2.0 is the development of communication from a one to one and one to many basis into a many to many basis, where potentially thousands of people can respond and react and interact with each other over one single item of information. For example, many comments posted about a YouTube video.
I have enjoyed the reader and it has made me think beyond my current limits, however as someone who grew up without computers, the Internet and mobile phones I have been very open to developing and improving my knowledge of technology as they have developed.
I remember using the Internet primarily for e-mail when working in an office environment and thought it was a fabulous improvement on the level on communication that had preceded it.
We started to use and develop websites to enable people to view our products and our our company details. But at that stage Web 2.0 was still under the radar for the majority of people.
My first introduction to Web2.0 was using Friends Reunited, where you were able to search for old friends and then communicate with them. It rapidly became a very useful tool for potentially locating and communicating with people that you had not seen or spoken to for many years, primarily old school friends. At roughly the same time, my daughters' were both using BEBO and MSN chat, however, I found both of these systems did not hold any interest to me.
The development and rapid rise of the success of Facebook became an overnight wonderment to me. I was able to find old dancing friends, communicate with people privately or publicly, discover things about people that I probably would never have discovered and also post my thoughts and feelings on my wall.
The statistics in the reader made me think about the averages given. Some of the statistics are quite staggering and I think there is definitely a case of limiting your friendship circle. As a dance teacher I often receive friend requests from the students that I teach, but I politely refuse and tell them that I consider it unethical from a teacher/pupil perspective. I have, however, created a Facebook Group (open to invited members only) for the dance school students and parents where I keep them informed of events, timetables, class changes. As a closed group any photographs are not visible to anyone outside of the group which, to me, is a vital part of the use of Web2.0. However, they are able to access the general information and contact details to enable prospective new s
My security and the security of my friends is important and my friendship circle is limited to "Friends" and not acquaintances. The statistics and to be fair some of the other students comments about the amount of friends they have, show that many people will add someone the day after they have met them in a bar/audition/other social setting and I wonder how many of those people would be friends that they would communicate with on a usual basis - i.e. telephone, face to face, email!!
I like the simplification of the description of Web2.0 at the end of the paragraph of Ulrich et al (2008). Web 2.0 is the development of communication from a one to one and one to many basis into a many to many basis, where potentially thousands of people can respond and react and interact with each other over one single item of information. For example, many comments posted about a YouTube video.
I have enjoyed the reader and it has made me think beyond my current limits, however as someone who grew up without computers, the Internet and mobile phones I have been very open to developing and improving my knowledge of technology as they have developed.
Wednesday 20 February 2013
Best of British!!
Sat watching the Brit awards and some fabulous British Talent so why do we need American artists performing and presenting? I suppose they have International award categories as well, but it is the BRIT awards. Rant over!! Trying to plan my youtube clip. Got some music sorted and now planning how my 45 seconds will look!! Still contemplating my comments on the "Reader"!!.
Sunday 17 February 2013
Commentary on Task 1a
So, having posted my profile about 10 days ago, I was expecting to receive an influx of comments about it - good and bad. However this does not appear to have happened. I have seen my name mentioned in another persons Blog as a profile that they found interesting. I have spent even more time this week looking at other posts for Task 1a and there are some that interest me and others that don't. I particularly liked the "About Me" section of Georgina Bird as it gave me a good amount of detail about her training and work to date as well as showing me a bit of her personality however, she had uploaded versions of her two CV's which I found did not retain my interest. Then I found that I liked the CV posting of Emily Hunt. It was succint and to the point and very clearly set out, however, I thought her profile in the "About Me " section did not contain enough detail, so I had to refer back to her older posts to find her CV.
I found Adesola's Blog - "How you are experienced" very useful as it sort of confirmed my thoughts on this task - I never had any intention of uploading my personal details to be on display ot the world!
Is there a right or wrong way to complete this task or is it all down to interpretation? There is so much variation out there, I chose to only upload to my profile and not to actually put my CV on the Blog...is that correct? It is, however, my interpretation of the task as described in the Manual.
I found Adesola's Blog - "How you are experienced" very useful as it sort of confirmed my thoughts on this task - I never had any intention of uploading my personal details to be on display ot the world!
Is there a right or wrong way to complete this task or is it all down to interpretation? There is so much variation out there, I chose to only upload to my profile and not to actually put my CV on the Blog...is that correct? It is, however, my interpretation of the task as described in the Manual.
Thursday 14 February 2013
Wednesday 13 February 2013
Confused.com!!
I know that this is new to me, but as yet, I am yet to see the benefit of a Blog over say a Facebook page/group. It would appear that this is, not yet anyway a two way conversation (although there is obviously the scope for that) but apart from my first Blog I have had no comments or replies to anything, whereas with Facebook you get an immediate nofication when someone replies or comments on your posts ( which they do!!) Maybe things will improve with time and I am determined to try my utmost to make this work! Anyone else feel the same way please?
Monday 11 February 2013
Task 1a
Well I have spent some time reading other Bloggs from BAPP students and after several revisions, I have posted my CV as my profile on my Blog. There seem to be some variation in the interperetation of the instructions for Task 1a, but I have taken this approach and loaded it as my profile. So its not exactly a CV but a precis version that gives a brief overview of my career and aspirations to date. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!!
Thursday 7 February 2013
Creating a Blog!
Well slowly getting there! I have altered the settings now so that at least my name is showing correctly and I have uploaded a photo. However, since my first post my "about me" paragraph has disappeared! Can anyone help with how I can get this back on display please? I have created a new "Circle" for my BAPP colleagues and have been able to add most but some are showing as private viewing only! Are we making progress, I guess we are!! Eventually it will seem as easy as FB I am sure!
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