It's begun.....

It's the easter holidays and finally something has begun for me with module 3!

After weeks of doing nothing in absolute fear of how i would even begin the mammoth task of the critical review. I've finally managed to get my thoughts down and make a start. It's been overwhelming to read all the literature and just keep discovering more and more. It's great how one piece of literature can open up a whole catalogue of new literature to read.

I'm just hoping i can get lots done before the easter holidays finish and i am once again back into work mode. However, now i have made a start i know exactly what i want and won't be afraid finishing.

My only concern is my artefact for which i am totally clueless about. I'm waiting for that Eureka! moment....

Module 3 (Campus Session 1)

After feeling pretty deflated form Module 2. I wasn't at all looking forward to Module 3 in any shape or form. I think most of my problem with the last module was that i didn't allow any time for doing my work and allowed my business to take up more time than it needed. I also only attended one campus session last module which was incredibly helpful but i only wished i had attended all 3.

Making sure i attended this first session, i realised how important these campus sessions are for me. Being able to interact with other students on the course and getting an answer back to all my questions set me in the right course for Module 3.

For me, this campus session was all about planning & preparation for the work we are about to undertake in the next few weeks. I was reminded by paula that even though we made a full proposal back in Module 2, i have had worries that maybe i bit off more than i could chew and i might have to make small changes to my inquiry and data collection. Paula confirm that subtle changes could be made but anything drastic would need to be approved.

We are advised to make sure we look at our feedback for our inquiry proposal and reply to our advisor with a short 1 page summary. Responding to any suggestions made to us.

4 areas that i will be focusing at the moment i noted down

1. Topic Area & Inquiry Questions
2. Ethical Issues
3. Researching Literature
4. Gathering Data

We are advised to write down 3 actions that be next on our agenda list. I wrote down these

Action: Consent Forms - Send consent forms and a guideline to the parents of my school advising them of my inquiry and what it involves.

Action: Find Literature - Deeper searching of literature that is relevant to my questions and can be used for my literature review.

Action: Framework - Write up framework for my data collection i.e Interview questions, Survey Questions, Marking scheme for my observations.

After attending this session, it has given me great start to this module and made me realise how important communication with my fellow BAPP members is! I will be using blogging a lot more during this module to make sure i don't end up leaving all my questions unanswered.

I am now ready for Module 3. Let the work begin. Bring IT

Critical Reflection Portfolio - Module 2

Critical Reflection Portfolio

Module 2 has been a big stepping stone from the previous module with progression and being able to discover my own professional identity. It has provided me with a connection of great significance towards preparing for the final module.

Developing Lines of Professional Inquiry

Part 4 was a great introduction to creating a structure for my inquiry and begin applying theories to my professional practice. Learning to develop a set of questions (A) that query my practice was insightful and a learning curve. Initially split with which pathway my line of inquiry would be (B), I learnt to explore the environment in which I work and what areas needed improving. Using communication tools introduced to me in Module 1, by blogging my emerging questions i was able to use fellow practitioner comments (B) to regain confidence in my proposal. 

Professional Ethics

Ethics was an unfamiliar topic of interest for me but after finishing Reader 5 I was inspired to reflect on what ethics I have been using in my professional practice (C). Creating a list of my own ethics and comparing them with a school I guest teach at, as well as my business partner’s ethics, was a great introduction to applying any ethical standards that were absent (D).

In preparation for my professional inquiry, I was able to consider that my line of work with children would be a strong area of ethical concern when dealing with research. Oliver (2003) suggests that a “teacher researching students affords their professional status more authority and could influence attitudes to an inquiry.” It has given me a new insight into how much work I should undertake when creating ethical guidelines for my future collation of research.

Tools of Professional Inquiry

The final part of this module taught me the foundations of data collection and the tools I will be using as part of my line of inquiry. Reader 6 presented me with four main research methods, I was able to pilot these and reflect in preparation for my final inquiry. This enabled me to determine which tools I would be using in my eventual plan and the work required for each method. 

A crucial task of Part 6 that was relevant in the development of my inquiry questions, was identifying three pieces of literature (E)(F)(G) that were related to my evolving ideas. After discovering literature that linked to my interests of negative attitudes to males in dance, I reflected on my own professional practice where I found that specifically I was lacking adolescent boys, but not males in general.

Summary

This module has given me new inspiration of ways in which I can not only enhance my own learning but to also improve my business. Initially I was uncertain of my questions and struggling to choose a direction for inquiry plan, but I am now confident that I have chosen the correct topic of interest and I am keen to get started in terms of seeking answers to questions and strengthening my professional practice. 

References

Oliver, P. (2003) The students guide to research ethics. Maidenhead: Open University Press

Task 6d: Delicious Tags

An exceptionally valuable tool for my future research. Check out some of the tags i have already put up that relate to my inquiry.

http://delicious.com/lbohanna

Literature Review 3

On Education - Rhee Gold

Gold, R 2003, 'ON Education', Dance Magazine, 77, 11, p. 59, International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 5 December 2012.

My 3rd literature review was very similar to the 1st review to the sense that it was an insight to different techniques used to keep boys and young male adults dancing. The difference being this was aimed more at extra curricular activities and independent dance schools rather than every day education. Rhee gold is a former male dancer himself and it’s very interesting to read an article from a male perspective and his techniques on bringing more boys to classes and schools.

A topic that seems to pop up the most is making sure boys are choreographed to dance like boys. Making extra sure that boys are not given feminine movements or costumes. This will only push boys away further and make them lose confidence with dancing.

For me, this doesn’t seem to be an issue that much. As my style of dance i teach is Street/ Hip Hop, the movements and costuming tend to be very masculine anyways and the little female movements that are involved are only given to my female students. 

Rhee explains that being a male teacher/school owner will have it’s advantages towards bringing in more boys, Male teachers motivate younger male dancers. I’ve been lucky to be able to run my business with a female partner which has been extremely beneficial in ensuring that both male and female students are comfortable when signing up to classes. We have managed to ensure a good balance. 

Including photos of boys in advertising is another method suggested by Rhee. Our main advertising and leaflets always feature both myself and my business partner in to show the balance of the male and female gender. As suggested in the first article i read, making sure that there are pictures of male dancers in your dance studio instead of the ballerinas and stereotypical pink walls. This is irrelevant for me at the moment as we only hire premies, however in the future we will plan to own a studio and this will be a priority.

A point that i have to disagree with is the idea of enhancing boys in choreography and not just placing them in a line executing the same movement as the girls. I can see to a degree why this might be beneficial for boys to give them more encouragement to dance, Although this might backfire towards female students who feel like all my energy and choreography is given only to male students. I feel there should be a healthy balance between the male and female dancers.

Taking boys to see a musical or dance company which features male dancers is something that i am putting in to practice at the moment. 

“Boys who see other boys performing gain a confidence they might not have otherwise”

I’m currently teaching street dance to a large group of boys at an independent school. They all seem to be very passionate towards Street Dance and enthusiastic to learn more each week, in spite of that, i would also like to help prepare many of them for the future who have suggested the idea of dancing when they get older. To be able to do this, they will have to be able to learn more styles of dance including ballet and with this in mind i am currently organizing a trip with the head of dance at the school to take the boys to the theatre to watch “Ballet Boyz”

Again this has been another short article but full of interesting points. This has helped me develop new ideas for my research and what topics i need to look further into. One of the last lines of text of the article made me begin to question weather boys are discouraged from dancing because of their parents. 

“Many boys have the desire to dance but are intimidated by negative stereotypes or discouraged by their parents, who can't get past the stereotypes themselves”

This is something that i haven’t seen to much of pop up in research so will be worth looking in to. Are the parents to blame?

Literature Review 2

Challenging The Boy Code in Dance Education - Doug Risner

Doug Risner (2007): Rehearsing masculinity: challenging the ‘boy code’ in dance education, Research in Dance Education, 8:2, 139-153 

This article intends to explore dance education through the experiences of boys and young males. A strong theme that seems to be consistent in this article is male dancers identifying their masculinity and challenging homophobia that seems to be aimed towards males in dance.

“While dance in many cultures has been, and continues to be viewed as an appropriate ‘male’ activity, the Western European cultural paradigm situates dance as primarily a ‘female’ art form, and has done so since the sixteenth century (Hasbrook, 1993)”

Why is western culture so instant of dance being an activity for females and not males? Girls begin classes as young as age 3 when they are taken to their first ballet class. However it seems to be rare for parents to take their young boy along to their first dance class at such a young age. Many boys from my dance school are brought along to classes because they have simply asked their parent if they can be brought along, only occasionally a parent will bring their son to a class at their own will. 

Are parents to blame for boys being so against dance? Is this a social stigma that the parents have grown up with themselves and are passing along to their children? 

A section of the article that stood out for me was a study of 33 boys (Aged 12-18 years) who had enrolled in a summer intensive dance training program. The results of the study showed significant themes between the boys. The following aspects of social isolation among the subjects was something that i myself had experienced growing up.

a lack of same-gender peers/teachers in the dance environment 

I seemed to spend most of my teens growing up in dance classes full of girls and the few boys that were in dance classes with me i seemed to be in competition with. All my teachers for many years were female and i was not given access to male teacher until i was at dance college. 

in some cases, having family members who did not support or discouraged their
desire to dance 

My family were very supportive of my dancing and i was very lucky to attend classes with both my sister and younger brother. My mother was always encouraging me to attend lessons when i was feeling down and would support me with anything i needed. However even though my father didn’t disapprove of my dancing, it was a rare occasion when he actually even saw me dance. Dancing was usually a joke or something that was seen as a ‘hobby.’ Not something that could be taken seriously as a career.

a need to keep their dance life a secret from academic peers; fear of or actual teasing and harassment by peers 

Dancing for me was the biggest secret i could have. Only a few friends at school knew that i actually danced and had a big passion for it. Even though i was attending classes 3/4 times a week and competitions at weekends, i would usually lie and tell my peers different stories to stop them guessing i was dancing. I was mostly afraid of being teased or talked about and was constantly covering my back. Once i reached my final year in school, i began opening up more about my dance. A few people had laughed and called me names, but it was actually a lot simpler than i thought. Maybe i was panicing too much? 

Conclusion

This article was produced in 2007 and i’m wondering weather some of these issues are still present in schools. It would be interesting to do a similar survey to compare weather times have changed and if social stigma towards male dancers is still present. Having access to my own male pupils, i can find out weather they have the same issues i had? Are they hiding a secret like i did?

Literature Review 1

Boys Will Be Boys - Kathryn Holmes

HOLMES, K., 2011. Boys Will Be Boys. Dance Teacher, 33(12), pp. 62-62,64.

An interesting first article for my first of literature reviews. This article was taken from a magazine aimed at Dance Teachers and suggests various different methods in engaging boys in Dance Education. 

There seemed to be an overwhelming amount of points to discuss with this small article but i kept it down to the key points, otherwise i could have spoken about this forever! 

Using A Hook

Lynn Reynolds is a teacher at West Briar Middle School in Houston where male participation in her dance program was non existent. Originally she started with a Tango perform with few boys but realised that Hip Hop and Break-Dancing would be something boys would be more interested in.

“The next year, she decided to try to attract even more boys by launching a hip-hop and break-dancing class. "I started hip hop with the girls and let the word of mouth spread," she says. "Once I had a few boys, I took them into gym class to show off their b-boy moves. This year I have 75 boys enrolled."

The method of showing other boys in the school what they are missing out on is something that can easily be put into use in extra curricular activities. The idea of putting on a performance in a school assembly or something similar might get more boys interested to sign up to class. Especially if they notice that their male peers are taking part.

Role Models

The idea of introducing boys of all ages with pictures and videos of professional male dancers in the hope of inspiring them the various avenues they can pursue. One teacher managed to decorate their classroom with images of male dancers. Although i don’t seem to work out a classroom as such, i could introduce various types of material to my classes. I have in the past used YouTube to inspire students.

'Here is a strong, masculine man who dances for a living; you can dance, too,'"

"Boys are especially impressed with athleticism."

Make Dance Physical

Running a business that mainly focuses on street styles such as breakdance, i have found that boys tend to be more interested if they are given more challenging and physical moves such as b-boy moves which involve complex floor work and strength. 

A teacher explains that when boys are asked to create their own sequences incorporating everyday movements, boys are more likely to use sports moves i.e kicking a ball. Another interesting idea is to challenge boys to attack a move and then suggest ideas of more challenge to improve technique. 

\“Wow, you jumped really high-but can you come down with pointed feet and make no sound?"

Creating a Community

The last section of this article introduces the idea that boys feel like they need to be part of a group or team. Giving them the opportunity to perform infront of each other and present their best moves.

In my classes we use the “Freestyle Circle” at the end of every class. This activity gives the students a chance to impress each other with the moves they have learnt whilst at the same time gaining respect from their peers. Holms suggest not to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself, meaning that i should join in with my students in a freestyle circle as well as observing.

Conclusion

Although this is only a small article, it has opened up an incredible amount of new ideas of how to deal with teaching boy dancers and introducing new methods keep them engaged. A few of the points made were already routine for me but this only made me realise that i was on the right track to ensuring i’m getting the most out of my classes.

Task 5c - Reader

Task 5c

Reader 5 has taken me a while to finish and finally after finishing i feel like i want to read it all over again. For me a few key points stuck out for me.

Theoretical Areas of Ethics was engrossing. 3 different ideas of ethics - Deontologist, Consequensilist & Virtue Ethics which i had to look deeper into. 

Deontology - The principle, doing the right thing. This is a duty based ethic which comes from the greek word ‘deon’ which means ‘duty’. People who are deontologists believe in only doing the right thing, even if it produces more harm than doing the wrong thing. They won’t weigh up the odds and consider acting differently. 

Consequentialism - Choosing an action that provides good consequences. This results-based ethic is something we come across the most in everyday life because it is simple and normally common sense. When i’m teaching this would be an ethic i might use more than others.

Virtue - I was extremely confused by this. Further research suggests this is a character-based ethic which looks at the person rather than the action. A good person is someone that lives virtuously and possesses good virtues, therefore building a good society to help good people. 

Upon researching more on different areas of ethics, i was surprised to see there was so many different areas. This was not something i was aware of in everyday life and didn’t realise that lots of people build their ethics based on a system. 

Looking back at my own ethics, these are something that i’ve grown up with and that i’ve built myself from child to adult. As the reader suggests we gain these ethics from different areas of life.

Personal - Every day values and ethics are something we might acquire from our parents, family and friends. Depending on the society we live in, most people follow the same sort of ethics which are common sense.

Professional - My teaching ethics have formed from years of dance classes and observing how different teachers work, professional training at college for 3 years and working professionally since graduating.

Task 5B: Ethics Continued

After finishing task 5A on my thoughts of Ethics, it was insightful to continue with this task of looking at the codes of practice/regulations at my own places of work and see how they differ. 

My first comparison was my own business. As mentioned previously, we don’t have our own code of practice, so i put some questions to my business partner and asked her what she considered to be her own ethics. 

Responsibility - Having a responsibility towards students to engage them and inspire them for the future. Being a role model that many students look up to.

Fun - Important that students are enjoying themselves in a safe secure environment. Students feel safe when entering class and don’t ever feel embarrassed. They shouldn’t feel scared.

Providing - Catering to all needs and differentiating for individuals.

Predictably, most of ethics matched apart from a few which are mentioned above. These are of course are the same ethics that i would indeed use, however i wasn’t fully aware that i was using them.

My second comparison was a Independent Boarding School that i’ve been teaching at for 2 years. This was interesting to look at as my own business is out of school hours and casual. Below is a list of teaching standards that are expected by the school as a minimum

1. Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils
2. Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils
3. Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge
4. Plan and teach well structured lessons
5. Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils
6. Make accurate and productive use of assessment
7. Manage behavior effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment
8. Fulfill wider professional responsibilities

These seem fairly standard ethics that i would assume to be in place in most areas of education. Although most of these are similar to my own ethics which i follow, these seem to be much more formal. 

Task 5a: Ethics

Ethics. 

An insightful topic for myself discovering the codes of practice i automatically have been using whilst running my business.

This was extremely interesting for me as one would assume that most people who are running a business normally have their own ethics/code of practice. However, as my business partner and myself have been teaching together for numerous years we rarely seem to disagree when working together and our ethics would be the same.

Normally i would pick up the phone and give her a ring asking her what her ethics are when teaching/running our business. But sticking to the task given to me, i have to consider the ethics which i use without referencing to documents or discussion. 

I decided it would be interesting if wrote down all the ethics that i would normally use in my workplace and then ask my partner what her standard ethics are. Comparing them afterwards will show if our ethics differ.

My ethics whilst running my business (Teaching Dance)

Health & Safety - Student’s safety is always a number 1 priority in my line of work. Weather this be making sure moves are being executed correctly, the studio/workplace is clean/tidy and acceptable to dance in, fire exits are known & generally keeping an eye on the students to make sure they are well.

Punctuality - Arriving at least 15 mins before any dance class to make sure i have enough time to set up and are able to greet students and parents as they arrive. Also making sure that my punctuality whilst sending invoices or replying to voicemails, emails and messages is impeccable. 

Commitment - Always making sure that i put 100% into every class i teach so that every student is getting the most out of every class.

Preparation - Being preparing is an important factor as a dance teacher. Making sure i am fully prepared for every dance class with the correct music, prepared choreography and a lesson plan.

Respect - I always make sure that all my students know how to respect each other during a dance class. Supporting other students at all times when dancing. 

Behavior - I do not accept any bad behavior in my classes. Students are warned if being disruptive to other pupils and absolutely no fighting or swearing. 

Fun - Always making sure that every student is having an enjoyable dance class and as well as working hard at the same time they are having fun! 

Improving my methods - As a dance teacher i am constantly trying to improve my methods of teaching. This is usually done by attending dance classes to make sure i am improving myself to which i can share this knowledge with my students.

After re-reading through my idea of ethics, i couldn’t help but think these actually sound a lot like rules? Are these ethics something that i have i have learnt from somewhere else or just my natural instincts?

Task 4B - SIG

I've finally worked out how to create my own SIG (special interest group) on LinkedIn.

Choosing a name for my group proved to be difficult at first but i settled for Teacher of Dance in Education in the end.

Hoping that fellow practitioners who share the same interests as me will be able to join my group and we can help answer each other's questions.

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Teachers-Dance-in-Education-4711131?home=&gid=4711131&trk=anet_ug_hm

So...any professionals that are interested......Join My SIG!!

Task 4D: Award Title

I've been thinking about this award title for a while now. It was mentioned to us at a session back on the first module that we would need to think of our own title.

It's been obvious to me for a while that my career path was always going to be related to Dance and that my award title would definitely relate to this. Since developing my set of question's for a while now, i've realised that i would like to work towards my future of working in Dance in education. Even though my own dance school runs out of school hours, i still see my classes as education for the future.

Therefore i have proposed that my title would be:

BA(Hons) Professional Practice in Dance Education

Task 4a: Further Questions

As mentioned in my previous blog, i was still undecided in what direction i would be heading towards for my inquiry. Initially i was split between my future in teaching and running my business. It occurred to me that i didn't necessarily need to pick a side and would develop a set of questions which would benefit my future in teaching and also help evolve my business.

An interesting theory came to me the other day after a parent came and spoke to me at the end of one of my classes. Their child had only been attending my dance classes for a while but they were extremely complimentary towards my classes and mentioned that their child had been having a tough time at school with other children and since attending classes, their confidence had grown and they were now doing much better at school because of our school. This reminded me that in the past i have had numerous comments from parents along the same lines.

My further questions are:

1. Can dancing help improve a child's education?

2. What areas of my business can i improve to help develop a child's future?

3. Will children with learning difficulties benefit from dance classes?

4. Will exploring the history of dance help improve myself myself as an educator of dance? Will students benefit more from learning the history of the dance style they are learning?  

Task 4a: Questions

After finishing the first module last academic year, i was already well aware that i would need to start preparing for module 2 and develop a set of questions for my line of inquiry.

I had spoken to Paula Nottingham briefly with a few questions that i was thinking of, however it seems in the last few weeks since i have gone back into teaching after a long summer break. My questions are beginning to emerge and take shape.

My biggest problem however is which route i want to go down. At the moment i run my own dance school/business as well as working as a guest teacher at a independent school. My line of inquiry will either be to find new ways in which i can expand, develop and improve my own business or how i can successfully make a transition in to dance education.

These are a few of the questions that have emerged which i hope to adress to fellow colleagues and students to help me identify what my line of inquiry will be.

1. Will having professional experience in performing and dance make me a better teacher?

2. Am i more likely to succeed in gaining jobs in education because of my professional working background and credits?

3. I'm used to teaching freelance and most of my classes are free work. Will i struggle in the future with planning lessons and working to a criteria? What can i do to make this transition easier to prepare myself?

4. What will make me a good teacher? How can i already improve on my teaching methods that i now use?

5. Are most performers that are now working as teachers because of limited work? Was this an easier way of to earn a living?

6. What do most students expect to gain from choosing dance? A stepping stone to further dance education?

7. What do parents expect from a dance class for their children? Improvement? Fun? Social?

8. How can i expand my business? What other classes can i offer?

My questions are still developing. I hope to post more......

Grades for Module 1?

I'm really confused....Do we get a grade for Module 1?

If we do, i'm not sure how we find out what it is?

I had a look on myUniHub but it all looks too confusing for me?

Anyone help?

Task 3b - Theories relating to networking

After finishing the course reader for the first time i felt somewhat confused. I thought i had a fair understanding of networking until i came across the various concepts and was confused weather i have ever witnessed these before in my own professional networks. 

This gave me a chance to explore my networks further and was somewhat surprised that i have experienced these concepts before.

Cooperation was an extremely interesting concept of networking. Robert Axelrod identifies it as ‘The benefits of cooperating fully with others, until you reach maximum benefit.’ [Reader 3] However we all identify this process as tit for tat, give and take or you scratch my back and i’ll scratch yours.

In the performing arts industry this seems to take place a lot and even i have worked alongside dancers who are willing to do whatever they can to help raise the profile of their own career. But has the outcome been positive? Have they gained anything from it?

I also seem to have built up my own network of friends on a social networking site whom i have met on jobs or at castings. Our relationship is not social in the slightest and we are only friends as somewhere in the future we might be able to help each other out with jobs, I was always told ‘Never burn your bridges.’ but ive always been wary of this way of these relationships. There have been times when I have mentioned that i am going to a casting and i’ve been asked What’s it for? Where is it? Can I have the details? I’ve selfishly thought to myself.....Why should I? What do I gain out of this? What if they attend the same casting as me and book the job? 

I came across this excellent quote from Jean Jacques Rousseau in The Social Contract

[The social contract] can arise only where several persons come together: but, as the force and liberty of each man are the chief instruments of his self-preservation, how can he pledge them without harming his own interests, and neglecting the care he owes himself? [Rousseau 1762, p. 13]

Affiliation was an important part of networking for me. Crisp and Turner suggest that it is “Building a network of support that will help us when we’re in need.”  I think it’s safe to say that everyone has used affiliation at some point in their lives. I have built up my most important networks around me using this concept, these include my family and friends whom i use for support when i need to get an outside opinion for my professional business. 

I came across an intriguing article produced by Scholastic, which is for parents raising children and the importance of affiliation. They explain that as human beings we are born dependent and we are made to work and live in groups.

It is in groups that your child has thousands of brief emotional, social, and cognitive experiences that help define his development. The capacity to join in, contribute to, and benefit from groups is essential to his healthy development. [http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/the-importance-of-affiliation/]

It made me question myself weather i would be the person i am today without growing up with affiliation. All these life experiences that i have shared with my closest networks have made me the person i am today. This article also got me thinking that about my profession as a teacher and working in education. It is not only important for myself to affiliate but to make sure my students also are benefiting from it.

Social Constructionism was a hard concept for me to grasp at first. It refers to the way we create meaning through social interaction with others. The idea is that meaning isn’t waiting to be discovered but is in fact constructed within a culture or group. Breakdancing or B-Boying wasn’t waiting to be discovered, it was socially constructed in the South Bronx of New York City to replace fighting between gangs of youth. 

Connectivism is a learning theory for the digital age and contests the traditional classroom method of learning from teacher to pupil. 

The aim of teaching is not only to transmit information, but also to transform students from passive recipients of other people’s knowledge into active constructors of their own and others’ knowledge - [Richard F. Elmore, Education for Judgment: The Artistry of Discussion Leadership, xvi]

Since joining the BAPP course, i already have an established network in this concept. It has provided me with support when i have not fully understood a theory or module task and i have used the network of blogs to give myself inspiration and to trigger new ideas.

The last concept of networking that reader three presented me with was “Communities of Practice”

Members of a community of practice, weather work place, special interests, virtual or of any other form, come together because of a mutual interest and generate a shared experience of engagement in the community of practice - [Reader 3 - Page 16]

The idea that learning from each other in a community of practice has been visible in my networks since graduating from performing arts college. Stepping into the industry after 3 years of training can be quite daunting and i’ve recognized that you can never be fully prepared of what is ahead of you.  Most of my learning actually took place after i had graduated and it was through meeting other professionals in the industry and learning from each other. I know that i can always turn to others in my community of practice when in need of help.

Exploring these concepts has given me new ideas on how to improve on my own networks and the ability to gain everything i can from them. Although some of the concepts will not be used as much compared to others, i feel now that i have a much better understanding of them, i am more likely to use them to their maximum potential.

Task 3c - Sources of Information

As i was beginning to identify my sources of information, it became apparent to me how much i use the internet and was asking myself “How would i survive without the internet?

1. Google - This will always be my first source of information. Without a doubt, whenever i’m stuck i can always guarantee on Google to help me out. I can use this at home when working or even when i am on the move with my phone. Although it might not be 100% useful all of the time, it will help me further progress what i’m looking forward and open up new doors to other websites that i wouldn’t have even thought about.

1. Youtube - I always use Youtube for any inspiration of help with a certain style of dance. It seems easier sometimes to have someone talk you about a subject rather than reading pages after pages of information. Also for inspiration purposes it will help me with any choreography ideas or music ideas.

1. Twitter - A relatively new tool for me but i seem to be using it more so than ever at the moment. It has a unique search will allows you to search any ‘tweet’ that someone has posted. Sometimes this can be absolutely useless and lead me nowhere. There are a few times though that i have found great posts or blogs that have been tweeted. Twitter is also my first source for news. Check out this interesting post :- http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/internet/10-news-stories-that-broke-on-twitter-first-719532

1. Facebook - I’m using this social network less these days for my sources of information, but there has been times in the past when i have resorted to asking a question on my status and i know i will immediately get a response from my friends. Are these responses 100% accurate though? 

1. Classes & Workshops - When i do get some free time, i usually head to London and take classes in the styles that i teach to make sure that i can improve on my teaching and my technique. These can be a great source of information weather it be from the teacher or fellow class mates. I always come out from class with buckets of new ideas, moves and information which i note down and use for future references. 

Looking back at my top 5 sources of information that i can use in my professional practice, it’s amazing that 4 of them are on the internet and 2 of them are social networking sites. I can also access most of this information anywhere i want with the option of my iPhone which is connected to the internet almost all the time. 

Task 3a - Current Networks

In this task we are asked to explore our professional networks. I attended the 3rd campus session back in March and this helped me give a bigger understand of all the networks that i use or have around me.

Working as a professional dancer i have various networks that i keep to make sure i’m constantly updated with the latest jobs and auditions and to make sure i am as some professionals would say “in the loop.”

One of my most important networks as a Dancer would be my agents. I have various agents that represent me for work and i am always keeping in contact with them to make sure i am being put forward for castings. Without my agents i would find it extremely hard to be able to find work. There is still work out there for dancers without agents however it is much harder and you are not invited to private castings etc.

I am a member of Facebook which i use as a personal network, however i also use this a professional network. I am friends with various Casting Directors and Agents which are able to sometimes provide information of the latest jobs in a simple status update. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to gain a job through Facebook.

Other useful networks on Facebook are friends from college and also Dancers that i have worked with in the past or met at castings. There have been times when one of these contacts has mentioned about an audition or contacted me because they thought i might be suitable.

I also use Facebook as a professional network when i am running my own dance school, but it is managed differently. I have a separate page under the name of my company and the parents/students can add us as friends to keep up to date with the latest news, photos and videos. This have proved to be extremely successful for my business as various parents/friends have shared our updates and photos to which their friends have seen and added us as a friend. 

I am a firm believer in the making sure you don’t cross personal with business and now make sure that any students and parents are only friends with our company’s page and not my personal page.

My biggest network for my dance school is the Parents. Of course they are a customers but they are a great network for my business. A lot of my clientele have been recommend by the parents of the dance school or through word of mouth as i operate my business in a small village and i believe this has helped our success a lot.

I plan to improve my networks for my business by extending relationships with local schools and communities. This will be achieved by expanding my customers and network of parents and also creating a new network with the head teachers of schools.

Below you will see a diagram that i drew at the 3rd Campus Session showing my networks around me. I created around the idea of a solar system or universe and all the plants were revolving around the sun which was myself. The closet networks to myself were the most important and least important were further away.

I soon realised that in the future this diagram will be changing rapidly and making changes. Some networks will change from being further and away and becoming closer, and perhaps some networks will be lost.

I’m already beginning to focus more of my time on my business and teaching, so already some of my networks which i created as a dancer will be less important to me than those that are relevant now. However, i will still keep these networks on my rader as i may want to revisit them again in the future.

Task 2d - Inquiry

I felt comfortable with this task and answering these questions. It seemed to be able to consider for a moment what my path for the future was and how it would be achieved. 

What is my practice?

I graduated from performing arts college back in 2006 and since then have done various jobs performing. Weather this be filming commercials, dancing on a cruise ship around the world or generally guest teaching at different dance schools. It wasn’t until last year that i had a chance to sit back and reflect on what i had achieved and it was convinced there was something else out there for me. Something bigger...

I’ve always wanted the challenge of running my own dance school and had this dream from a young age.

My best friend and I decided it was finally the right time to start some dance classes which would eventually build into a dance school. We realised there was was a massive gap for some street dance in the area and as this is a style we both love we couldn’t be more than excited to start some class. After a few months of planning and hard work we started the ‘BPM Dance Academy’ on Saturday mornings. We also branched out into various other opportunities including Workshops, After School Clubs and Birthday Parties.

It’s just coming up to a year that we have been open and to say I’m proud of our success is an understatement. Our started with 2 classes and 8 pupils and in less than a year have gained an excellent reputation and more than 7 classes a week with over 100 pupils! It’s great to be able to turn the dream into a reality. The next question for myself now is What’s Next?

What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more?

Since starting my own business up, i have been extremely enthusiastic about my line of work. I enjoy juggling between the creative side of teaching with choreography and also the business side. I’ve found it intensely rewarding to say that i taught myself a lot and to be able to sit back and say “I created that”

My biggest challenge was creating my own website. I had played around in the past with a few packages but as i wanted to create the ‘Perfect’ website, i knew i had to step it up to another level. I did all my research and found tutorials online to help me. I also had to find the right servers to host the website on and register the domain. There was a lot of trial and error at first but once i had finished the final product, i was proud of myself. I am enthusiastic about how i can always improve on my website and looking for new updates etc.

Have a look and see what you think - www.bpmdanceacademy.co.uk

What do you love about what you do?

Being a dance teacher has many great benefits. I see many children that come into my school that have never danced a step before in their lives. My biggest passion is watching a child develop and grow confidence as a dancer. I especially love a challenge and being able to teach a student who finds to hard to follow rhythm or choreograph are the biggest reward when you see that they have improved.

I struggle sometimes to be able to call what i do “Work.” Yes, it is how i earn a living. However, because this i something i enjoy so much and i am my own boss, I find it hard to be able to relate with the word “Work.” This is why i love that i do!

What don’t you understand?

As much i am fully enthusiastic about the business side of my company. There is a lot of topics that i am struggling to understand. It’s coming up to the end of my first tax year for our business and i am slightly worried about dealing with it. We have an accountant who will be helping us. However, I normally like to know everything that relates to the company and don’t just want to leave everything in their hands. 

Another topic i would like to improve and research on is learning difficulties within children. As i teach over 100 children on a weekly basis. I’m have various children from all types of background’s and some with learning difficulties. This is not something i have really experienced before in the past and would like to be become more aware of it and know exactly what i am dealing with. 

After finishing this task i have a better understanding of what i would possibly might be my line of inquiry. I am always looking at ways of improve my teaching in dance education and also the business side of running a company. It’s the combination of the both that will help improve my practice and prepare me for the future.

Task 2c - Reflective Theory

Reflection is something that i have encountered in my profession many times. I’ve always been aware of the term but wasn’t quite sure what it meant. It’s apparent that i’ve been doing it a lot but i wasn’t sure how i was doing it and why? Why do we reflect?

‘It is not sufficient simply to have an experience in order to learn.   

Without reflecting upon this experience it may quickly be forgotten,  

or its learning potential lost” - Gibbs (1988)

As a dancer, i seem to reflect back to when i was learning myself. I will always remember my teachers corrections for me to improve as a dancer and whenever executing certain moves, i can still hear them in the back of my mind. With this in mind, i seem to always be reflecting and i’m now passing on this knowledge to my pupils that i’m teaching. 

Schön identifies two kinds of reflection: -  Reflection-In-Action and Reflection-On-Action (Schön, 1987)

Reflection-In-Action (RIA) means to reflect in the present tense. 

Reflection-On-Action (ROA) means to reflect after the practice has occurred. 

In my practice as a Dance Teacher, I’m used to both kinds of reflection in my practice but i’m more familiar with Reflection-In-Action. I find it easier to Reflect-In-Action when teaching a lot as i need to make sure that the class i am teaching is keeping up. If for some reason, the students are struggling with the choreography, the pace of the class or aren’t simply keeping focused, then i immediately reflect-in-action and draw from past experiences to make sure that everyone is keeping up. 

However, i could argue that i also Reflect-On-Action when teaching as i always look back on the class and reflect on What went wrong? What i could improve? and What worked?

Using a combination of both Reflection-In-Action and Reflection-On-Action will help me to develop the reflection of my practice.

I was immediately interested in Kolb’s learning cycle. Kolb’s learning style is represented by the four stage learning cycle. Kolb and Fry (1975) argue that the learning cycle can begin at one of any of the four points. 

After reviewing the cycle, i decided to apply this to a recent event to show that i can relate to all 4 sections of the cycle. I have learnt that you can join the cycle at any stage but most of the time, any one stage often leads into another.

Choreographing a routine for my dance class i will:

• Prepare for the class by listening to various styles of music and planning in my head the choreography -(Active Experimentation)

• Creating the choreography -(Concrete Experience)

• Review the routine that i have made up- (Reflective Observation)

• Come to any conclusions about the choreography. Any changes to be made? Different music? -(Abstract Conceptualisation)

As you can see from the above. I follow the circle around when creating my choreography to make sure that i get the exact product that i want. This is something that i’ve always naturally done but wasn’t aware it was a process of reflecting. 

However after more research, i came across a different learning cycle by Greenaway. His cycle is a more simplified approach than Kolb’s but i something that i can relate more to. Greenaway outlines 3 simple steps to help learn from an experience. This cycle also relates to Schön’s thesis of Reflection-On-Action as it is a process that is used to reflect afterwards.

1. DO - Have an experience

2. REVIEW - Review what happened and what can be learned from it.

3. PLAN - Plan a way to approach the next round of experience.

It wasn’t until i finished reading ‘Reader 2’ that i realised i was reflecting on different events every day. Weather this be in my personal or work life. Now that i have more of an understanding of the term “Reflection” and the process of “Reflective Practice.” I’m sure i will be using it a lot more in my daily experiences. I’m hoping that my practice will improve more now that i’m more aware.