New Beginnings - Evolving Times

The last six months in particular have been a period of reflection not just in relation to this course, but of my life generally.  Whilst I listened to today's discussion on Skype, as I did not feel well enough to actively participate, I was drawn to three key themes:  expectations, mistakes and how we learn.  

Expectations or in some cases perceived expectations are in my experience a fundamental component that results in the development of our belief systems.  How we believe that life should be flavours our interpretation of the world around us.  No one could have expected that a virus could have caused so much havoc to the modern day world and whilst much of what is occurring is beyond our control, the implications on our lives within society as a whole has been profound.  I have now been teaching again for four weeks, after a six month gap.  30 years of teaching did not prepare me for this situation and it has been an absolute roller coaster.  The policies, procedures, risk assessments that I have had to write just to hire the venue that I have been teaching in for the last 14 years and the implications of social distancing all my pupils, having to rethink all my teaching strategies and evaluate how I am going to continue preparing candidates for dance examinations whilst they are dancing in two metre square boxes is an evolving learning process from which I currently feel inept to deal with.  

Aside from what is going on in the world around me, I have also been extremely ill owing to the relapse of a long standing medical condition.  I would have relapsed anyway, but nothing is now as I expected it to be.  I had to defer instead of finishing this course in last summer, I had a successful dance school, which although now is offering classes in person again, numbers are extremely low and it will take considerable time to build it up again, not to mention the talented dancers I have lost, because they now have to concentrate on school work and no longer feel that they have time for recreational pursuits.  However at least I have the beginnings of a business again and my reputation, which means that I am still getting new pupils through the doors.  I'm even having to work more hours as a physio, for less money, owing to Covid restrictions.  This leads me to question what happens when expectations aren't met?  How realistic are they anyway?  Are they externally driven thought processes developed from our experiences or preconceived ideals imposed upon us by others?  

Can the same frameworks then be applied to mistakes?  What are mistakes?  Within the context of my dance training and today's discussion, it leads me to question why do all dancers seemed to perceive mistakes as something negative?  Surely mistakes are just something from which we learn from?  Maybe it's so ingrained in many of us from our traditional dance training that we believe mistakes are to be avoided and are always perceived as negative, but then this leads onto the question that if that is the case why does dance training also teach us to cover up our mistakes so well?  Other than in specific repertoire when a change in choreographic content will be obviously noted, surely the role of any dancer is to hide their mistakes from the audience, so if they are not noticeable to the paying audience, why are dancers belief systems wired to make them feel that they did not give a satisfactory performance?  Is it just an innate tendency of the strive towards perfectionism, which is in my experience evident in so many dancers?  

What does appear to be apparent is that we learn throughout life influenced by our experiences.  Throughout this course reflecting on my dance training, my dance teaching and other aspects of my life has been an interesting journey exploring not only how I, but also as to how I can enhance the learning outcomes of others.  So now as I aim to complete Module 3, I find myself reflecting on both mine and others learning and questioning what I thought were definitive answers.

                  

Communicating Ideas

Our group Skype discussion on Sunday 17th November was focused around communicating our ideas, during which it became more apparent to me that this course is a journey.

In Module One I found the focus to be on evaluating the past and how that had informed my practice as a dance teacher. Accepting experience had academic value was a revolutionary thought process for me and I found writing the AOL's enlightening.  I am now more aware of my practice and why I apply certain principles and teach aspects of my classes in specific ways.

In Module Two having finally chosen a topic for my Inquiry I realise that now the focus has shifted towards how my research will inform my future practice and listening to Sunday's discussion it is evident that in Module Three this journey will further continue.

From the discussion it became apparent to me that this journey has many different pathways and that it is a journey of discovery.  There may be contradictions, interconnections and published literature will influence my findings.  It is also essential to remember that my life experiences and co-existing belief systems will have an impact upon how I will interpret information so it will be imperative to keep an open mind throughout this process.

From the Skype discussion is was evident that having time to think and keeping focused on the task in hand will be vital in completing Module Two and entering into Module Three, but hopefully by considering others experiences as I progress throughout this course, it will aid my future journey.

Module Two - Research Focus - Where Do We Begin?

In our Module Two Skype session on 16/09/19 we discussed the research process and where to begin.  Here is my interpretation:

Firstly our research needs to link to our practice and to help us grow within our profession.  By initially looking at the current literature surrounding our topics of interest it will enable us to develop questions, highlight keys areas not already studied and question why?  Any questions resulting from our wider reading should lead to more questions and not answers.  There are no answers - difficult for a perfectionist to hear!  However this will enable our thought processes to evolve which will eventually lead to the development of our research question and once again my perfectionist personality trait does not like it - there is no perfect research question and probably no 'light bulb' moment which from discussion I know that a few of us have been waiting/ hoping for!  However whatever we choose to research it needs to be 'do able' within the time frame and potentially will only 'scratch the surface' of our chosen topic.

We then discussed types of research and how this course lends itself to a more qualitative (non positivist) approach.  This is because there is often different ways of doing things within our professions.  An example of how to teach a pirouette was given.  Lots of teachers will teach the build ups in a different way, plus it will be determined by a variety of factors the weight placement of the student, their turnout (in ballet) etc etc so there is no one way to teach a pirouette.  Whereas with quantitative (positivist)  research there is a definitive answer i.e.  does a drug help cure an illness? - it either does or it does not.

Following which we looked at some types of Methodology:  observations, participant observation and interviews etc and how they may be appropriate to use within our research.  However we are not limited to formalised methods and may develop our own methodology if appropriate. 

We will then need to analyse our data which will vary dependent upon what methodology was used.

Ethical considerations were then discussed.  We will need to highlight any implications of our research and complete a MORE application form with structured questions.  Our research needs to accepted by the University and all ethical considerations need approval otherwise our research would be void.  It was suggested that we look at the MORE form as it will help the structural format of our proposal for this module.

So far the content of this module has felt vast and although I studied research methods at Undergraduate Level I am still struggling to understand all of the terminology and approaches etc.  Fortunately I was able to find cover for work to attend the Skype session, so I hope that my interpretation of what was discussed will help others that were not so lucky.  Good luck everyone!

Theories and Frameworks revisited

As I listened to the content of our Skype session on the 13/10/19, I was drawn to the fact that it was a very different conversation from when the topic was visited during my preceding module.  What was apparent though was that what constitutes a framework and a theory is open for negotiation, as is the relationship between them. 

If a framework as suggested gives us context could a theory be regarded as a hypothesis?  A hypothesis being purely a question which poses the basis for research.  Research in it's widest context is then what we use to underpin our practice.  In relation to this course the qualitative approach is the preferable methodology for our research as it can be utilised to gather experiences which may vary from within the dance teaching profession or our chosen area of expertise. 

When researching literature it was highlighted to discover where there are gaps in research.  Why have certain areas of our practice not been researched and why?  By questioning and answering each question with more questions it is hoped that we can gain a deeper understanding into our chosen profession which will underpin our future practice and enable us to develop further within our chosen career pathway.

Knowing and Learning

I saw this quote on Facebook the other day: 
           
         "Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.  Albert Einstein"

I have no idea if it is a genuine quote but it made me reflect upon how far I have come in this process.  I come from a very academic family where traditional methods of academia are the norm.  In module one watching the video by Sir Ken Robinson I felt liberated as I realised that all the experience that I had from teaching dance could equate to academic value and that there was more than one way of judging academic success. 

Not everyone can dance and even if they can, not everyone has the skills to teach dance. I know from personal experience people often do not see teaching dance as a career, more of a hobby, and even the other day someone said to me that I only work two days a week as a physio so why was I tired? and then I pointed out the other 4 days I work as a dance teacher plus all the administration involved in running a dance school and the fact that I was doing this MA course!  Everyone has different skills in life and these should be acknowledged and celebrated not negated because they do not fit with some preconceived ideals of what society dictates success should be. 

Whilst listening to the Skype session on 29th September I felt myself reflecting upon how learning is a reciprocal process between teacher and student.  Within a class situation, especially nowadays as dance classes are becoming increasingly diverse, as teachers we have to encompass many different learning styles with in one class in order to ensure that each student achieves what they are capable of especially in examinations. 

As I work through module two I am now more aware of my practice and why I teach / approach things in a certain way even if it is something that I have been instinctively doing for years.  As teachers we are always learning, new syllabi, new concepts etc, but in the past I only focused upon how it impacted upon my students and it's been quite a journey so far focusing upon what I have learnt in the process.



 

Communication

Following our Skype session on the 7th April I am feeding back on my perception of the session and incorporating my current thoughts for one of my AOLs on communication.  What crossed my mind is how many aspects of communication are open to interpretation. 

Some of the conversation centered around translation in relation to language.  One teacher taught Japanese students and was asking advice as to ideas as to how communicate with students who understood a language that she did not speak.  Another commented that she had been taught by non English speaking teachers and that she had still learnt as they had expressed themselves through dance, speaking in their own language and non verbal communication.  However when the word translation was mentioned this made me think of the ISTD Springboard Conference for inclusive dance that I was at recently.  Translation is also the word that is used to convert able bodied dance movements into those for wheelchair users, or those with disabilities and vice versa. 

Language is obviously a key communicative tool when we teach, but within that we adapt the type of language used so that it is age appropriate.  For example with young children we may use more imagery, but what happens when we have a child on the autistic spectrum within our class?  Imagery to them is an alien concept, so we adapt again.  Language is just one form of communication and through dance movement and gestures is it possible that non verbal communication plays just as an important role if not more in dance training?   

The old expression of 'one picture paints a thousand words' could also be applicable to teaching dance.  Verbal correction isn't always understood, but by physically correcting a pupil that correction can be understood instantly.  Others respond to visual stimulation such as watching a dvd of the syllabus that they are studying and others to different methods, which links in with theories of learning. 

Communication is far more diverse and complex than it initially appears on the surface.  What is important is that the recipients of our communication understand it and in relation to teaching dance can incorporate that information to enhance the way in which they develop as a dancer. 

Theories and Frameworks

Following on from the discussion on Sunday morning (3rd March) I was asked to reflect upon how I perceive theories and frameworks.

As part of the discussion we focused upon Classical Ballet Technique as one example of a framework - by doing that we were not suggesting by any means that there are not many more aspects to teaching classical ballet but it was simply used as an example.  In this example when teaching particular vocabulary such as a glissade there are many teaching theories as to how to approach the step, particular build up exercises, ways of remembering the type of glissade etc, etc.  It was therefore posed that could theories evolve from frameworks?

This could also be attributed to specific graded examinations regardless of genre.  The syllabus forms a framework that is required to be examined, but there are many different ways (theories) of approaching how it is taught.  What those theories are can be very individual and can be learnt through initial teacher training, CPD courses and experience to name but a few. 

Therefore if a framework was visualized as sponge cake, are theories the icing and confectionery on top or are they the ingredients making up the sponge cake as others have suggested?  Or is it dependent upon the individual frameworks and or theories?