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.
Sunday 28 April 2013
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!
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