Module 2 - Critical Reflection and Summary: Digital Portfolio

Please find below the link to my 'Critical Reflection and Summary: Digital Portfolio'.

Joanne Bradley - Critical Reflection and Summary: Digital Portfolio

Task 6d - Delicious

Delicious

Professional Resources



Please see below the link to my Delicious site.....

http://delicious.com/jo_bradley

I have shared on there some of my most used resources, so please feel free to take a look and please share with me your delicious sites so I can take a look at your resources.

I will try to keep adding to my resources throughout the duration of the course.

Task 6b - Reflection on Pilot Tools

Reflection on piloting 'Tools of Professional Inquiry'

Pilot Survey

In order to compose my pilot survey I used the web based survey creator 'Survey Monkey'. This is brilliant as it guides you through exactly how to create it, however I feel that on the basic version there are useful tools that are missing, for example being able to cross reference the results etc. So perhaps when creating the actual survey it would be a good idea to upgrade to a slightly better version.

When thinking about what questions and what type of questions to include, I looked to Rosemary's blog which featured a slide show on all different types of survey questions. As this was a pilot survey I wanted to use as many different 'types' of questions as possible to see which would give me the best sort of results. I used a combination of info, category, multiple choice, ranking and comment questions.

Analysing the limits and merits, I have realised that in order to gain an accurate and real representation the survey needs to be completed by a large number of people. I posted my survey to my blog and also to my SIG page and my network of professionals on facebook. After all this I still only had 10 people complete the survey, so what have I concluded from this? The survey needs to be sent indivudally to people, rather than as a group message or blog. I know personally that if I were to receive something individually I would more likely particpate than if it was part of a group message. Also perhaps in this way you can individually contact the participators and 'catch up' with them, making sure they received it etc..

With this pilot survey I did not include a covering letter outlining the details of the inquiry and most importantly the benefits to the participants. I think this will be a must when carrying out the real survey. If they understand the benefits to them then hopefully they will be more inclined to participate.

Analysing the results of my survey I am actually really happy with the combination of questions I used and the actual questions. I had some good feedback about my questions, saying they were well selected and relevant to my inquiry. At this pilot stage I am happy with that, however I do need to think more carefully about how I am going to actually use the findings. Yes, I have all these great answers giving me both qualitative and quantitative data but how am I actually going to use this. At the moment I am still a little unsure on this, so further research into how to analyse data will definitely be needed before the final inquiry.

If I can actually target a large audience then I believe the survey will be a great tool for me to use!

Pilot Interview

For my pilot interview I decided to interview Angela Avalos-Perez who is a professionally trained Dancer who now owns a Dance School training potential candidates for theatre school. After reading other people's blogs I decided that I would dictaphone the interview, as most people commented on how hard it was to take notes whilst interviewing.

Listening back to the interview there were definitely several merits and limits. I had devised a set of questions but knew that I would try to branch off from these if given a lead. This method worked quite well, but realistically I need to think more in depth about what answers I want the interview to give me. It was extremely interesting and she openly gave me her opinion and answers, but once again I am unsure on how to use the data. So my weakness at this point is understanding how to use the data gathered. Before doing any data collection I need to plan as best as possible to ensure that I will get the answers I want and need. Of course, this is not going to be 100%, but planning as much as possible and really thinking about the questions will help to ensure I get the results I want.

Unfortunately, although I received verbal consent for the interview I did not get the participant to sign an Informed Consent form which is definitely unethical. I have been looking at templates of interview consent forms online and there are definitely some that can be adapted for my own use.

I think it will be important to interview lots of people in the same position, i.e many private dance teachers or many audition panel members, so that I can use the information in a comparative way. As it stands the interview was very interesting and helped me to develop my interview technique, however the information would be more useful and effective if I could compare it with other interviews of a similar nature.

Pilot Observation/Focus Group

Unfortunately due to the timescale and time of year (Easter holidays) I was unable to conduct either of these methods. I did however think about how I would use these tools and how they may be benefitial in my actual inquiry.

Observation

I thought it would be really interesting to observe students at a theatre school in their first month/term of training. I would observe 1 or 2 lessons a week and observe the same lessons every week for the month/term. The aim of this would be to see the variation in how the students cope, physically and emotionally, how long they take to settle in over this period, do they all continue, are they realistic about the expectations of them? etc. This would be difficult to organise, but if achieved I believe could be very benefitial to my inquiry. With this being an observation in a school there are many ethical considerations to think about and obviously more research into this would ensure good ethical practice on my behalf.

Another idea for an observation would be to observe a BTEC class who are preparing for auditions. This would be to mainly focus on the teacher and the teaching methods use. Are the teachers preparing them well enough for the level they need to be at for the audition? I would know this through interviews with audition panel members at theatre schoools and also using existing literature on requirements and entry level standard. 'What are the panel looking for?'

Focus Group

I have created three sectors/groups of people that I want to use to gather data for my inquiry. I will be focusing on graduates of theatre schools, audition panel members and also teachers who are currently preparing students for theatre school. I believe all three will give me a different perspective and intersting results to analyse. The focus groups could therefore be these individual sectors or perhaps a combination of all three? This would also take a lot of organising and I would need to steer the group to make sure the topics discussed were relevant to my inquiry. I do believe this would be very interesting and I am definitely going to look into this as a data collection method for my actual inquiry.

Conclusion

I very much enjoyed piloting the survey and interview and have gained a better insight on how to conduct these in my final inquiry. The main thing I need to focus on is how to actually use the data I receive? How am I going to analyse it? Also I need to ensure that the methods used give me the answers I need. Will the answers/results answer my inquiry questions? Therefore careful consideration needs to be taken over the content for each method to ensure they are successful.

Literature Reviews

Literature Reviews

After searching through various websites, journals, blogs etc. I came across three pieces of literature that seemed relevant to my inquiry.

Literature 1 is 'The Right Training' by Adrian Jeckells.  Jeckells is the Principle of the London School of Musical Theatre and in the article he talks about the importance of finding right course and getting the right training.

Literature 2 is 'Standing out from the crowd' by Yvonne I'Anson, head of development at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.  This was a feature in 'The Stage's' Musical Theatre Supplement in 2005 and it focuses on what an audition panel at a theatre school are looking for and how to ensure that you will be remembered in your audition. The article is from the perspective of auditioning at Mountview, however I think that the majority of the content is releavant to all Theatre School auditions. 

Literature 3 is 'Theatre School Auditions' by Richard Evans CDG.  Evans is a well respected Casting Director and is author of the book 'Auditions: A Practical Guide'.  This extract is again a feature from 'The Stage's' Musical Theatre Supplement from 2009 and goes through the audition process from how to prepare, what the panel are looking for and how to behave. 

The link to the Google Doc for each review can be found below and on each document there is a link to the original article.

Literature Review 1

Literature Review 2

Literature Review 3

I have found all three articles relevant to my inquiry and useful in terms of further research and how I can refine my ideas.

I would ideally like to find some more pieces of literature that focused on theories and perhaps that had a more argumentative feel. The three pieces I chose were all from one person's opinion and didn't really contain any other perspectives or views.  Perhaps looking at a piece of literature that is a response to another piece, would provide more content to really analyse in depth. 

For now this was a good opportunity to practice my 'literature review' skills and techniques, all in good preparation for when the actual inquiry takes place.

Please take the time to read if you can and as always any comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated :)

SIG Wiki?????

I am aware that in task 6c and 6d we are meant to post things to our 'SIG Wiki'.

Can anyone help me out with what the SIG Wiki is??

What is it? How do I go about setting it up?

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

SIG Wiki?????

I am aware that in task 6c and 6d we are meant to post things to our 'SIG Wiki'.

Can anyone help me out with what the SIG Wiki is??

What is it? How do I go about setting it up?

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

Pilot Interview

Pilot Interview

My inquiry focuses on how to best prepare someone for full time training in Musical Theatre. I decided to interview Angela Avalos-Perez, owner of Revive Dance School in Warrington, Cheshire.

Although Angela trained primarily in Dance, I thought it would be interesting to hear her views from the perspective of an ex-student and also of a teacher who prepares students for full time training.

I will be anlaysing the interview along with my other data collection methods, but for now please take a look at my interview and any comments are greatly appreciated.

I hope you find it interesting :)

Pilot Interview

Please take my survey.....

Hello everyone,

Happy Easter :)

Just another push to say please please take my survey. I would really appreciate it and I'm sure it won't take more than 10 minutes of your time.

I am trying to take as many surveys as I can, but if I have missed yours, please leave me a message and I will definitely take it.

Thank you :)

Please take my survey.....

Hello everyone,

Happy Easter :)

Just another push to say please please take my survey. I would really appreciate it and I'm sure it won't take more than 10 minutes of your time.

I am trying to take as many surveys as I can, but if I have missed yours, please leave me a message and I will definitely take it.

Thank you :)

Pilot Survey

Pilot Survey

'Survey for people who have trained professionally in Musical Theatre/Dance'

My line of inquiry focuses on the preparation for students who are going to be attending full time professional training in Musical Theatre/Dance. I am eager to find out how well prepared students were and how they wish they could have been better prepared.  Therefore I am asking graduates of professional Musical Theatre/Dance courses to kindly take my survey and hopefully I will be able to analyse the data and share my findings with you. 

Please see the link below which will take you to my survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C65C8XZ

I would really appreciate it if you could find a spare ten minutes to take the survey, I will be sure to return the favour!

Jo :)

I'm not a computer or Robot....honest!!!

I have been meaning to write this for a while now, but does anyone else really struggle reading the characters you have to enter when you comment on a blog post??

I'm not a computer honest, I just can't read them!!!

Anyhoo, hope the inquiry planning is going well, just wanted to see if anyone else agreed?? :)

'Too much for a blog' - Task 5C

Task 5C

I had taken so much information from the Reader and the additional readings that I decided to do this as a separate document on Google Docs.

It is rather a long one, but I would really appreciate any comments, advice, suggestions etc. as always :)

Are there any points that I have missed that you think will be really useful in terms of our research project?

See link below....

Task 5C

Looking forward to reading your comments and suggestions :)

Task 5B - Official 'Codes of Practice' and 'Regulations'

Task 5B

With regards to 'Codes of Practice/Regulations' so far I have simply focused on the assumed regulations that were instinctive to me as a teacher (Task 5a). These 'rules to abide' have been gathered from my experience of teaching within the private sector and I think it would be fair to say, have been learned through trial and error methods.

It is now time to look at the official 'Codes of Practice' that are stipulated within my Contract of Employment and also from various Professional Sources.

Contract of Employment
I started this task by looking at my Contract of Employment from one of the schools I work for on a Self-Employed basis. I think the main point to highlight here is 'Self Employed Basis'. The contract covers various headings such as Pay, Invoices, Holidays, Sick Pay etc... All of these were very self explanatory and as assumed I am not entitled to holidays or sick pay as I am not employed by the company full time. The main point of focus for me is the section 'Roles and Responsibilities':

A selection from 'Roles and Responsibilities':

• Plan, prepare and deliver stimulating classes that engage the learners.
• From time to time you may be asked to submit a lesson plan (you will be given notice of this)
• All scripts and music, planning, materials are YOUR responsibility.
• Easter term - you are required to give short written feedback in the form of a report. This will be done in your own time.
• Shows - You are not only responsible for your subject but the whole show (sales and marketing, technical requirements, theatre bookings, FOH)

Various other issues are covered in the contract such as giving at least 2 weeks notice if you cannot teach and having to provide your own cover. Wearing the correct uniform, rates of pay, etc..
CRB checks and Confidentiality are also mentioned, but in very brief terms.

In all honesty, the contract gives me no more information than my already assumed 'Code of Practice'. Perhaps it is assumed or it is made obvious in an interview that the employee has a good standard of Personal/Professional Ethics. All the teachers at the school are trained Professionals and therefore their Professional Ethical Standards should be of a high standard and have been instilled through their training and Professional Practice.

I have always been aware that if you work on a 'Self Employed Basis' then the benefits from the employer are much less, however there is nothing within the contract that focuses on employer to employee. In return what does the employer give me?........A job!

I think it is fair to say that this is the first time I have picked up this contract since signing it....I think that says everything! There are no guidelines contained within it that I am unaware of and I am more likely to find guidance and an outline of good ethical practice from other Professional Sources.

Professional Sources As a private teacher I teach various classes to include Performing Arts (covering dance, singing and drama), Acting, LAMDA coaching and one of my main focuses is Mobile Singing Teaching.

Apart from the LAMDA classes which obviously follow a set syllabus, the other classes are all free work/non-syllabus based, therefore I am not affiliated with any particular organisation, apart from obviously following the Organisational Ethics that each school holds.

I decided to google 'Ethics for Singing Teachers' and I came across the following website....

http://www.centralregionnats.org/ethics.php

This Code of Ethics is established by NATS in order that its members may understand more clearly their ethical duties and obligations to their students, other teachers, and the general public, as well as to promote cooperation and good fellowship among the members. (NATS, 2006)

This is actually an American website but the 'Code of Practice' featured has many useful points. Some of the regulations are specific to the organisation but others can be used no matter who you are affiliated to...

Members will present themselves honestly, in a dignified manner, and with documented qualifications: academic degrees, professional experience, or a combination of both

Members will treat each student in a dignified and impartial manner

Members will offer their best voice and music instruction and career advice to all students under their instruction
(NATS, Code of Ethics, 2006)

Another extremely useful website is the CDET for their 'Code of Conduct'. I think this could be considered as a Dance Teacher's bible! It has all the relevant information/guidelines that you need to follow. Of course with teaching there is no black and white, but if you try to follow these ethical guidelines you can be confident in teaching with good ethical standards.

http://www.cdet.org.uk/teaching-and-qualifications/code-of-conduct/

The document covers the following headings:

Fundamental Principles

Integrity

Objectivity

Competency

Courtesy and Consideration

Confidentiality

Publicity

Teaching Names

Data Protection

Health and Safety

Standards of Good Practice

Notification

It is the 'Standards of Good Practice' section that really stands out for me, particularly the following statement...

communicate a love of dance and encourage the art of dance (CDET, 2012)

So often we get tied up in following rules and regulations that we forget the real reason we are teaching and why we love what we do :)

SummaryComparing my Task 5a and Task 5b I have realised that mostly my assumed regulations are those which are stipulated within statutory sources.

As a self employed teacher it is extremely important to have a good strong set of Personal and Professional Ethics. With these you need to be able to follow the Organisational Ethics of the establishment you are working in and hope that with a combination of all three types of Ethics you will provide the best possible standard of teaching you can.

Ethical problems start to arise when your Personal/Professional ethics conflict with the ethics of the organisation. No matter what basis you are employed under (full time/self employed), you have a duty to respect the employer and follow their 'way of doing things'. Jobs are hard to come by, but perhaps it is advisable to consider the ethics of the organisation before committing to them. If you have strong personal/professional ethics which conflict then perhaps it is best to walk away?

What do you think about this statement? Would you be willing to walk away from a job if you had real conflict with the ethics of the establishment?

I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts on the above and particularly from fellow self employed teachers on their experience with contracts/codes of practice etc.

Task 5A - Assumed Regulations within my Workplace/Professional Community

Task 5a

Within any profession there are 'Codes of Practice' which must be adhered to in order to comply with the correct ethical standards and in teaching I think Ethics play a huge role.

Without referring to any official documents such as contracts or education websites (such as CDET) I can think of numerous 'unwritten' or 'assumed' rules that I am expected to adhere to in order to uphold the 'Professional Standard'.

These 'Codes of Practice' will fall under three strands of ethics - Personal, Professional and Organisational. I will talk about these in more depth when I look at the actual ethical framework which 'guides the setting' of my professional community and workplace.

Knowledge/Competency

I must have the correct knowledge, skills, competency and qualifications in the subject area I am teaching. I must be trained to a high standard in the specific area and be able to teach it with confidence.

Professionalism

I must be professional at all times. I must arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the class starting. The room must be set ready for the lesson and I must have the correct material with me for the class. I must remain professional when discussing other schools/teachers. The lesson must be planned and prepared, with a backup of material for unexpected circumstances.

Health and Safety

I must be aware of all Health and Safety aspects within the workplace and the class situation. Make sure there is always a trained first aider in the workplace. Know where the fire exits are located and what the procedure is incase of an emergency. Make sure the room is approriate for the lesson - is the floor clean and clear? Is the temperature correct? Are there any obstacles?

Appearance

I must be appropriately dressed for the lesson, uniform if this is required. My clothing must be suitable for the subject I am teaching. I must look smart and presentable, as I am representing the school and need to look professional at all times.

Other

• CRB check
• If working freelance and using a different space - perform a risk assesment of the space and make sure any accident forms are filled in and signed. Locate the fire exits and remove any obstacles. Make the room safe!
• Maintain the reputation of the school at all times - ORGANISATIONAL ETHICS. Be sure to adhere to the ethos of the school. There may be conflict here as your PERSONAL ETHICS may differ from those of the organisation, but if you are employed by a school, you respect their 'way of doing things' and pass this on to the students.
• Be sure to always communicate with your employer - inform them of important issues when necessary.
• Liase with parents when necessary.
• Do not discriminate - sexual, gender, race, any kind.
• As a teacher you have a responsibility to guide the children and aim to improve their abilities as much as possible.
• Be polite and courteous.

After re-reading the above, I realised that I have purely focused on the ethics I have to adhere to as an employee, rather than the ethics the employer must adhere to with their employees. This sparked the following questions..

Do I really know what I should expect from my employer?
What are my rights?
What holidays am I entitled to?
What support should I be receiving from my employer?
Have I experienced any discrimination in the workplace?


As most of my teaching work is done on a self-employed basis I definitely overlook the ethical standards from the perspective of the employer. It will be interesting in Task 5B to look at official documentation and see what 'Codes of Practice' are in place from Employer to Employee.

It will also be interesting to see how much the 'assumed' regulations differ from those in the official regulations. Am I upholding the correct level of 'Ethical Standards'? I have a strong set of Personal Ethics which I bring to every job, regardless of the Professional/Organisational Ethics but am I adhering to the correct Professional and Organisational standards? Will I face any 'Ethical Dilemmas'?

Tune in next time to find out :)

'Reflection Process'

Part 4 - Reflection Process

This Module is definitely proving to be more intense than the first Module and more committment and dedication is definitely needed on the student's part.

Saying this, I have really tried to throw myself into the tasks whole heartedly and give as much as I can within the time restraints and obstacles of juggling this with everyday life.

I started eagerly, producing my inquriy questions, centering them around full time training in under 16's versus part time training. Which proved to be the most successful? Which type of training would better your chances of a prosperus career? I brainstormed my line of inquiry and produced a whole range of questions which I posted to my blog (Task 4a). Without realising it I immediately jumped to Task 4c, contacting my friends and tutors within my Professional Networks. All the responses had a similar theme and I started to realise that perhaps my questions were 'pseudo questions'. Did they actually have an answer? Not really!!! There is no real right or wrong, black or white! What type of training is right for one child may not be right for another. Many children who have been to schools such as Sylvia Young's have gone on to have very successful careers, such as those who attended part time training. I went back to my original questions and looked at ways in which I could develop them further (Developing Quesions).

As a teacher I want to prepare my students in the best way possible and many of whom will want to go on to pursue full time professional training.  I then started to ask myself, how can I do the most for my students? How can I give them the best chance of getting into a full time training institute? This led to my developing line of inquiry....

'How can you best prepare someone for full time Professional Training?'

I could feel the excitement on the thought of this inquiry and this is when I knew that I had hit the nail on the head, so to speak. I need my inquiry to be something I am passionate about and as Blaxter, Hughes and Tight say 'Will it get you out of bed early on a wet Monday Morning?' (How to Research, Getting Started, 4th Edition, 2010). 

I contacted previous tutors from my college and proposed a few initial questions to them. What do you look for in potential students? What are the demands of full time training? What skills do they need to have at the time of audition?

I also contacted a few close professional friends and asked them how they wish they could've been better prepared before attending full time training? What do they wish they had been told before starting? What skills do they wish they had? What were the hardest parts of the training? How could you have been supported better?

I asked them to send me either a voice/video clip, so that I could trial this method of data collection/research method to see if this is something I would like.

(Voice clip and Video to follow - I have to change the format of the voice clip in order to upload. Something I will now be aware of in my inquiry process).

I have spent the last few weeks blogging as much as possible and trying to find the people who will be in my SIG.  I have found them by looking at the similarities within our lines of inquiry and looking at the potential for development through discussions with them. Myself and Lizzie Wright have very similar lines of inquiry and we decided to set up a Facebook group for our SIG. I have blogged and invited fellow relevant Bappers to join. (Teaching Dance to Young Children).  I am looking forward to developing our discussions and helping each other through the process of the inquiry. 

One of the most important things I had to do was to choose someone who would act as my Professional Associate/Mentor throughout the inquiry process (Task 4c).  Working primarily as a freelance teacher, I didn't want to choose one of my many 'bosses'. I decided to choose my Head of Acting from Laine Theatre Arts, Andy Smith. He has supported me continuously throughout my training and career, he is not only my mentor but a true friend. I have complete faith that he will be honest with me and most importantly make me question myself and critically analyse throughout the process. He kindly agreed as soon as I contacted him and is eager to get involved as soon as possible.

My proposed award title currently is 'BA Hons in Professional Practice (Musical Theatre)' (Task 4d). I had thought about linking the title with education/teaching in some way, as this is the direction my career will most likely be taking in the future. However, I also don't want it to be limiting and I still feel that I am a professional performer also, not just a teacher.  I had read a comment by Alan Durrant on a previous student's blog and he told the student to remember that this top up only makes up one third of the whole degree. Your previous three years of intensive full time training has to play a part in the title and therefore it seemed only right that I should simply have 'Musical Theatre'.

Overall I am happy with the progress made within this first part of the module. There are many tasks within the reader that I wish I had the time to complete, I am going to make a note of these and hopefully later on in the Module I can return to these tasks. I will also continue to develop my initial questions within the BAPP network and my external Professional Networks.

I am excited but also slightly anxious about the journey ahead, now to move onto 'Ethics' something which is definitely going to play a prominent part within our Professional Inquiry.

Task 4d - Award Title Rationale

After reading Alicia Beck's Task 4d, I was really inspired by her methodology and approach to the task.  She looked at her past training, current profession and future aspirations in order to get a well rounded perspective on her Professional life.

Alicia's method

Past training - Laine Theatre Arts - Professional Musical Theatre
Current Profession - Private/Freelance Teacher of all areas of Musical Theatre
Future Aspirations - Further Education Musical Theatre Teacher/Owner of Private Academy.

From this it is clear that my award needs to have a focus on Musical Theatre and the teaching of Musical Theatre. However, I want my teaching to be vocational based teaching, primarily practical not theoretical.

It is true to say that this degree only makes up one third of our training, therefore the title needs to reflect my full time training, along with my current position and future aspirations.

What do I want the title to say about me? How do I want to be reflected to others?

I want it to clearly show that I focus on Musical Theatre and that I teach in a Vocational/Practical way.

However, I am extremely conscious that I don't want to put too much emphasis on 'education' or 'teaching' as I feel this limits the skills and experience that I already posess.

For example... BA Hons Professional Practice (Teaching Vocational Musical Theatre)...

This to me suggests someone who only teaches and doesn't consider themselves as a trained performer. With using the word Vocational, I also don't want to suggest that I am only capable of teaching in this style, it is simply that I prefer to teach in this way, not that this is the only way I know how.

Is this too general....

BA Hons Professional Practice (Musical Theatre)

Do I need to have a reference to teaching somewhere, seen as this is the path my career is taking?

Please let me know your thoughts, any advice on this one would be greatly appreciated.

Task 4c - Professional Associate

Actually as soon as I started Task 4a, I was doing Task 4c without even realising it.  Instinctively I contacted all my professional colleagues within my network, particularly interested in previous tutors and friends who had undertaken full time training.

To me their input in the whole process will be invaluable.  Talk to those who know, who have personally experienced it. People who will be honest with you and make you question the questions.

Working primarily as a freelance teacher I didn't want to depend on one of my bosses to be my main mentor. I decided to ask the Head of Acting at my old college, Andy Smith. He has continually supported me, throughout my training and since graduating.

I can trust fully that he will guide me in the right direction and give me advice throughout the Inquiry process. I know that he will be honest within his discussions and will make me critically think throughout every step. He will challenge me and my opinions and push me to my limit.

I think it is fair to say that he will be the perfect mentor for me :)

'Teaching Dance to Young Children' - Facebook Group

Hi everyone...

Lizzie Wright has set up a facebook group called 'Teaching Dance to Young Children' in order to create an SIG on facebook.

The title is obviously self explanatory so if you feel that your line of inquiry links with this then please join the group. Just search for the title in the search box.

A few people who have contacted me regarding SIG or have been suggested to me...

Mary Bance
Jess Hay
Liam Conman
Lily Corrigan
Sarah Pearson
Charlie Bidston
Lisa Whyte

I will try to add the above on facebook, but anyone please feel free to join if you think it is relevant to your inquiry.

We thought facebook would be a good media to use as it is so common to everyone, no doubt you check facebook at least once a day :)

Looking forward to blogging/facebooking with you all.

Developing Questions....

I must say I was pretty pleased with myself after completing task 4a; I had brainstormed a wide range of questions and I felt passionate and excited about the discovery that lay ahead.......oh how naive of me!!!

I set up a facebook group with all my relevant contacts and posed my questions to gain their opinions, perspectives and thoughts. After reading all the replies I realised that I was heading down a no end road. All of my posed questions had the dreaded title of 'Pseudo Question'...

'.....a pseudo question expects no answer, cannot be answered or has an answer that is already known to the person.' (Reader 4, Middlesex University, 2011).

My main inquiry was centering around training in young people and whether full time training was better than part time training (after school classes). Obviously this is very much dependant on the individual, what is right for one child will not be right for another......there is no right or wrong, hence no answer!
Some children have had fantastic experiences at full time schools and have gone on to lead successful careers, such as those from part time schools. There are successful/unsuccessful, good/bad, positive/negative cases from each pathway.

As I started to think in more depth around my posed questions, I realised that both Practitioner Research and Data Collection methods would be challenging to say the least. 

In hindsight I should've tried to answer these questions initially to discover whether they were a genuine question that could be answered upon inquiry.  However, this is all part of the 'journey' and how we learn what it is we are truly wanting to discover.  In the chapter 'Getting Started' from 'How to Research' (Blaxter, Hughes and Tight, 2001) it is discussed that sometimes a change of direction is needed and to remember that 'change is good'.

As a teacher I want to best prepare my students, many of whom will want to undertake full time training later in life.  I therefore came up with the proposed inquiry....

'How can you best prepare someone for full time training in Musical Theatre?'

My inquiry is from a teaching perspective, so as a teacher how can you best prepare your students for this type of training?
I feel this is a genuine question that I can research and the findings will hopefully be of benefit to my future career. 

Sub Questions

• What is the criteria for gaining a place on a full time Musical Theatre course?
• What skills/attributes are the panel looking for in potential students?
• What are the demands of full time training?
• From a graduates perspective, what further preparation do they wish they had before attending full time training?
• How can I ensure that my students meet the criteria?
• How can I prepare them both technically and emotionally?

As always, thoughts, perspectives, opinions are always welcome!

Task 4b: SIG

Now I have started with my research questions, I can begin to search for my SIG :)

I will be searching through, also looking at previous blogs to find those who have similar interests to me and potential similarities in our lines of Inquiry. 

If you feel that we could be within the same SIG,  please blog and let me know.
(I feel like I am doing an online dating ad, haha)

Looking forward to hearing everyone's initial ideas :)

Task 4a - Developing Research Questions

Task 4a

Developing Research Questions

To start this task I looked back at Task 2d to see what my 'Initial lines of Inquiry' were. I have to say that due to my change in direction, these questions did not seem to be the focus of my thoughts anymore.  I am now pursuing a career that is primarily teaching based and my main age range will no longer include pre-school children. 

My main thoughts/queries focus around the standard of training within young people, particlarly the question...

'How early should children be prepared for professional training?'

As a teacher I need to know how to develop my students in the right way, so that I can make them achieve their goals and full potential, however they are still children and need to develop as people, not professionals. This is always a worry of mine; where is the balance?? I want them to achieve and to be successful, but I don't want to push them too far and I want them to enjoy their childhood, as you only get this chance once!

From this question I brainstormed and came up with the following questions/issues.....

• How Professional should 'after-school' classes be?
• Should the emphasis be placed more on fun or more on training?
• Should their be special classes for people who want to take it more seriously?
• Or would this be limiting the students who haven't decided yet whether they want to pursue it as a career?
• Do children need to take classes in all of the art forms to give them the best possible chance?
• Do full time schools, such as 'Sylvia Young' really give the students an advantage over children who attend normal school and after school training academies?
• Do children from schools such as the above, have more chance of gaining a place at 16+ theatre school or even employment?
• Do they have substantially longer and more successful careers?
• Do children who attend full time training schools lose their identity or individuality?
• Do they actually get to develop fully as a person?
• At what age does a child need to decide if they are going to pursue their hobby as a career in order for them to have more chance of success?
• Do children who have trained professionally from a young age end up losing their passion for the arts much sooner than a child who enters professional training at a later age?
• How important is it to know who you are as a person and be confident within yourself, before attending a full time training institute?
• Are the pressures of full time training too much for children under the age of 16?
• Are they likely to end up resenting the life they had?
• For dance based courses, what is the best age to start full time training?
• Would it be more benefitial to choose a high standard 'after-school' class, rather than attending a full time training school?
• Would you have a more rounded personality if this were the case?
• Do you need life experience to be a good performer?
• If the children don't gain this life experience, are they actually diminishing their chances?
• How important is it to be surrounded by family when growing up?

I would love to know what you think......

Do any of the questions really stand out to you?

Can you relate to the questions?

Did you attend a full time training institute from an early age?

Are you a teacher who has similar worries?

Please let me know what you think and I look forward to blogging with you all :)

'Getting Started'

In the Reader we are advised to read the chapter 'Getting Started' from 'How to Research' by Blaxter, Hughes and Tight (2001).

I thought this would be a good place to start, before continuing with the Handbook tasks.  Within the chapter there is a lot of useful information, some will be more useful when we are further on in the process of the Inquiry.  However there are some key points included which can definitely help with 'getting the ball rolling' so to speak. 

I've included a link to a document I created on the chapter; it is just some general observations and tips that may be helpful to you when 'getting started'.

'Getting Started' (Blaxter, Hughes and Tight, 2001)

Thoughts on Reader 4........

I must say, it has been hard work actually getting the time to sit down and re-focus the mind into 'study mode'.  So, now I am throwing myself back into the swing of things and I started by really breaking down Reader 4.  As I always say, it was definitely overwhelming on first read but after making lots of notes and re-reading I can definitely see how the Reader provides much useful guidance on the process of the Inquiry. 

What really stuck out to me from the Reader?

The goal of the inquiry is to.....'explore a topic that will benefit your work and the work of colleagues and fellow professionals'.
This has given me a little more clarity into the direction my Inquiry will need to take. The results should be of benefit to my future career and help to improve my 'Professional Practice'.  It needs to relate to me specifically and I need to ask myself 'What will I gain from the findings of the Inquiry?'.

The Inquiry will be about examining what we are doing, whilst we are doing it. The topic for the research will be based on experiences you are now actively involved in!! Make it relevant!!

The Inquiry will help us to take an issue, reflect on it and improve it for future experiences :)

Gibbons (2008) supports the fact that knowledge in the workplace can require a more 'transdisciplinary' approach and he describes it as 'a scope of understanding that crosses the boundaries of disciplines'.  Many of us on this course are aiming to gain a Degree level qualification so that we can go on to teach full time. We are all Professionals and therefore as teachers we will have 'Inter-disciplinary' jobs. We have extensive knowledge on the specific subject we will be teaching, but we will also have to understand the concept of education and the practice of education.
I think it is fair to say that just because you are good at something, does not mean that you will be good teaching it. This form of 'inter-disciplinary' type role proves that you need to know both sides in order to be a successful teacher.

I found the section on 'Capability and Competencies' very interesting! I am often frustrated by job advertisements that demand specific requirements from their applicants. I may not have the qualifications to prove that I am competent in that particular skill, but I most certainly have the capability to learn new skills at a fast pace.  Raelin (2008) argues that only 'organic competencies' can be used effectively, generic competencies can not be applicable to all organisations - what is sufficient in one place, may not be sufficient in another!!
I vote for capability over competence!! i.e. the scope to which a person can gain new knowledge and apply it successfully, rather than what skills/knowledge a person already possesses! I would be interested to hear other views/thoughts on this :)

It is the process of the inquiry where the learning will take place, the end result is perhaps not the most important aspect! It is about examining what we do - how can the inquiry inform and help my practice??

One of the most prominent features will be 'Research Knowledge' - reading about your area of research in lots of different sources  and this will give you an idea on what has previously been explored in that research area.

'Practitioner research allows you to critically think about what you do.  You can then make informed decisions based on the evidence from your research.'

Start big and make small - what I mean by this is to start with a broad topic and  then keep narrowing it down by creating further questions, i.e. sub categories.  It is in this way that you will get to a specific research topic.  I must say I have been worried about  how I am going to come up with the topic for my research, however if you think of it in this way then you will naturally come to a topic of your choice :)

'Pseudo Question' - a question that either expects no answer, has no answer or the answer is already known.
Make sure to really think about the questions you are asking - are you truly seeking to find the answer and the truth. Is the answer unknown to you??

The aim at this stage is to come up with questions that you can investigate in a small Practitioner Research Inquiry.   - 'Start with broad ideas that become more targeted'.

My Approach

I am going to brainstorm all the issues, problems, queries etc surrounding my daily professional life. What am I eager to learn/find out more about? What am I worried about? - often we need to solve our problems so that we can progress in our career, therefore this question could be a good starting point. Where do I want to be in 5 years time? - think about all the obstacles you will need to overcome to get to this point??

So, I am going to brainstorm and see what arises from the brainstorm.  My Professional life has taken a different direction in the past couple of months, therefore I may find that my brainstorming brings out more relevant proposals than those suggested in Task 2D of Module 1. 

I will break these down further and further until I find the specific area that I really want to focus on, constantly thinking about how the result of the research will benefit my future practice??

Discuss the questions with fellow professionals and peers. Do they shed new light on the ideas??

Question the questions I have raised!! Constantly analyse and reflect on new findings/thoughts.

Let's begin....

I would love to hear your thoughts on the Reader....

What stuck out to you? What is your initial approach? Are you finding it difficult or easy? Have your questions given you any surprising answers? How are peers reacting to your questions?

When I am sure on my area of research I will be searching for my SIG members!

Looking forward to blogging with you all :)

The beginning of Module 2

Hello everyone,

Hope everyone is good and well rested after the Christmas break :)

So, I have started the task of sifting my way through Reader 4 and I must say my mind is whizzing more so than with any of the other readers. I am being asked about my professional inquiry, topics for practitioner research and to be honest it's all still very much above my head!!!

POA - take it step by step and try not to plan too far in advance. If I am confused I ask for advice, but inevitably I have to figure it out for myself, otherwise will true learning take place?

Once again I refer back to the trusted quote...'It is ok to be confused'

Let's hope that the next time I blog there is less sense of confusion :S

I would be reassured to know if anyone else is feeling as confused as I am :)

Take care :)

'Sources of Information' - Learning from others!!!

What have I learnt from looking at other people's 'Sources of Information'??

In the majority of cases I felt that most people on the course used and valued similar 'Sources of Information', as you would expect with people working in a similar field.  However, as always I have learnt new things from the work of others and can definitely see ways in which I can improve upon mine. 

Facebook
I have always been reluctant to admit that I used Facebook in a Professional way, however after reading other Blogs I have had my eyes opened to it's use as an Information Source and Networking tool.  Corinda Hall mentioned how she uses Facebook for the 'Calendar of Events' tool and also as a way to advertise, whether it be a class you are teaching or a product you have to sell.  I realised how advantageous this could be: it is a free form of advertising and facebook is such a huge phenomenom that your 'advertisement' can reach a vast amount of people. 
Liam Conman also commented on how he 'Status Searches' on Facebook and will often find out information from his Dance Teacher friends, whether it be a class being held or a useful resource to look up.  I had to giggle to myself when reading this as I do this so often and haven't realised until now that this is a huge part of my source of information.  I will quite often spend an hour or so looking at facebook, friend's statuses, profiles etc.. just to find information on auditions, classes and other relevant events. 
I think it is finally time to admit that Facebook is part of my Professional life and is a huge feature within my Professional Networking!

Gathering and Organising Information
Alicia Beck made an interesting point....'The emphasis should be placed on the value of what is produced not how we do it'.  This comment really stuck out to me and I completely agree with it.  It links with the idea that we all learn differently: everyone will have their own way of gathering the information and as long as the value of the information remains and is accessible, then the way in which we do it should not matter. 

As with learning and reflection, it is about finding the best method for you and I do believe we can learn from others and utilise their methods for our own gain! Liam mentions his I-Pod as a top source of information - I think the I-Pod could be the tool for gathering and organising the information, instead of actually being the source!
It is so easy to organise on an I-Pod - playlists, albums, genre etc. When I think about it in more depth my own I-Pod is used in this way.  I have playlists for different teaching classes, vocal warm ups separated into age group categories etc.

Today's technology allows us to be super organised and it allows us to carry our information sources with us at all times, which is fantastic.  I have to agree with Alicia though, nothing will replace my hand written appointment diary.  No matter how many gadgets I accumulate with the function of a diary included, my Pocket Diary will remain pride of place :)