Staring at a Blank page

 My plan for this week was to work hard on my research proposal and the MORE form. I have a week off from teaching so knew that I had the time to really knuckle down and start to make sense of all my notes and reading that I have undertaken over the last few weeks. 

First hurdle was the MORE form which I have struggled with as it is more in depth than the one we have discussed, and there are sections that I cannot complete until I have created my survey or questionnaire so I am baffled.

I am now sitting staring at a blank page with no idea how to start writing my research proposal, maybe I have bitten off more than I can chew? ~Maybe I am being too ambitious to think that I am capable of writing at MA level? 

My philosophy has always been - its not where you start its where you finish - so my learning will be the end product of this process but I have a long way to go to get to the finish! 

Thinking back to the sessions on writing with Peter Thomas, he suggested not starting at the beginning, so I am about to go back to my blank page and start with my literature review. 

A very good book!

 I wanted to read more about methodologies and and theoretical frameworks as I was struggling to decide where to place my research - which method , which rationale forged the philosophical framework to my research!

This book has far more depth in different methodologies and then links the philosophies with those methods.

It made more sense to me and I highly recommend this book if you are struggling! It is on the recommended reading list! 

Briggs.A, Coleman.M, Morrison .M : Research Methods in Educational Leadership and Management

Literature review!

 This is now the main part of my study. I am searching and reading and asking questions of different professionals who are involved in the current development and delivery of teaching qualifications for dance teachers. There are books on Anatomy relevant to teaching Ballet, but not for other genres. There are many journal articles pertaining to the recent understanding of how to incorporate  fascia release techniques to facilitate safe stretching but how can a teacher who does not have a fairly in depth knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology be expected to incorporate these techniques into their pedagogic practise. 

Although I am reading what I can find, I m struggling to understand what I need to incorporate in my literature review. I’m not sure if I am thinking too much into this? Maybe my mid term session will help my understanding.

Sunday Discussion group

 This was the first discussion group of the year and it was a great opportunity to hear new and returning students thoughts on the topics of "Knowledge, Information and Learning".

It was interesting to hear how, as dance teachers, the majority of comments ended up referring to the transfer of knowledge or information from us to our students and as one person said - " as a teacher we are seen by our students to have the knowledge to pass on to them".

The word map produced from the discussion group does open up enquiry for me. I look at the words and reflect on how each of the words is relevant to my teaching practise and to my understanding of the areas of knowledge, information and learning.

Transmission and communication make me think of how I communicate or transmit my knowledge and then afterwards reflect on the responses of the students. Was my transmission or communication effective? Did the process get the results that were intended? Did this action supply me with new information which stimulated my learning process.

As Helen said we need to flip the lens back to us and our learning process through the course of the MA.

The process to date has been difficult for me from this perspective as I have tended to veer away from anything that I was uncomfortable with. The terminology used by one speaker about having an "a-ha" moment typifies my learning to date. I struggled with understanding the requirements of the AOL's and wanted reassurance that what I was writing was "correct", but as was mentioned that Adesola says - 'just do it". 

As a learner, which is what I consider myself to currently be, I need to have these lightbulb moments where I start to make sense of the messy feelings that are sparked by the tasks of reflecting and understanding that these three words are always running in a circle. Things change, new information is produced which impacts your learning and ultimately your knowledge and when you question that information it opens up enquiry and you are made to realise that the circle of knowledge is infinite.

Thesaurus!

 I am reading through the module two handbook for the fourth time and this time I have dug out my Thesaurus (at Helen's suggestion) to be able to get a clearer understanding of some of the text.

Sadly, my old Thesaurus, published in 1985 seemed to be lacking some of these words, so I opened an on-line Thesaurus, only to find no options there either. Epistemology is not listed, so literally taking from the text in the handbook, it is the discussion of knowledge, so is it from the root of the word "epistle' meaning communication or message?  No alternatives for "monism" either, but this is easily understandable from its root "mono" meaning singular. There are many words that I have not heard before but I am determined to ensure that I have a broader understanding of them so that I can feel confident in using these words in my writing or even in my verbal communication, knowing that I am using them in the correct context!

Yes, it's out of my comfort zone, but I am trying not to be defeatist any more and want to make the most of my learning whilst undertaking this MA.

New Term, New Year, New Module, New Lockdown!

 So here we are in 2021, ready to start the new Module and eager to get going. Whilst in lockdown again, it is an absolute godsend to have something to focus on and to challenge the mind.

I have read my feedback from Module one and I am hoping that I have done enough to pass. I know that I do try to find "easier" routes if I think something is too hard to grasp particularly as I sometimes find scholarly writing difficult to understand and I know that I am not a very philosophical thinker so this is out of my comfort zone at times.

Having read through the Module two handbook for the second time, I am really interested in how to develop my theoretical framework. Reading the comparison between positivist and non-positivist starting points of research, I would instantly say that I would start from a positivist viewpoint. `I have always understood Quantitive research methods as it is concrete and based on data and cannot be changed. However, when reading the analogy about teaching a pirouette for example, it is clear in my mind that as a dance teacher I would use a non-positivist approach, however, it would depend on what I was teaching  as there are instances when things are concrete -i.e. fifth position is fifth position ( although I accept that some students may need several explanations to achieve it!)

Has anyone decided on a body of work to study? If so, are they of the Contemporary or Classical genre? for example, could we look at Fosse or Gillian Lynn or a choreographer of Musical Theatre?  Does it need to be a dancer who has written texts or articles about their work? I am guessing that the suggested names are easier to study - although I find Contemporary at times a more philosophical dance genre as, at times, it is open to interpretation by the audience and people will see or feel different things.

Anyway, here's to the Spring and the rest of 2021 moving onwards and upwards.

Reflection essay

So I have been writing all afternoon and the words seemed to flow from me, so I kept writing. However, I am now discussing how I identified my Areas of Learning and  although I have submitted two AOL's and I have a third one part written, I don't know if ultimately I am going to need more areas and if so, how do I write about them in my Reflective essay?