Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

This module has taken me from following a structure and answering question to developing questions of my own.  This module has required me to become more independent in my thinking and to take a greater deal of responsibility for the production of my own work.

When I started to consider my inquiry questions I was initially stuck as to what I wanted to find out, but shortly after flooded with different possibilities.  After collating the list of inquiry questions, I initially thought that I was in a good position but actually this put me in a difficult situation as I had to revise and rework my questions towards a more specific point/direction.

After considering a specific direction for my inquiry to head in, and deciding on inquiry questions, it was then for me to contemplate which inquiry tools I should use, and what benefit they would have for my study.  This module has lead me to be able to consider which tools would be best suited to my inquiry and after discussing my initial proposal with Alan, I have selected the tools that I think are best suited to gathering the data that my inquiry is needing.

One of the first aspects that was considered in relation to my final inquiry was the ethics that would impact my professional study.  One of the main aspects of ethics that has held influence over how I am conducting my inquiry are Professional Ethics.  There are aspects within my study that require me to think beyond the study and consider my overall professionalism.  With regards to ethics, there are other areas that hold influence over my inquiry.  My inquiry will also be shaped by the Workplace Ethics that are present at my current place of work where my study will be conducted.

Throughout this module I have had to rely on my SIGs for advice, support and also to conduct a pilot of my inquiry.  I have used different SIGs for different needs.  The main thing that I have used my Facebook SIG (containing other people on the BAPP course) for is advice and opinions on the process of designing my inquiry.  Whereas another SIG that I have used (containing colleagues from my work place) has been used to conduct my pilot inquiry.  I conducted a pilot to check that my inquiry had a clear enough focus and that the tools that I had selected were appropriate and the best possible to use.

The final part of this module has required me to consider my final award title.  This was something that I did fully independently as I knew that this was something that directly affects me and future career progression.  I eventually decided me on BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Performing Arts) as I felt this title left me enough scope that it wasn't restrictive, whilst also giving me enough direction to move forward in my career.

6C - Award Title

I have been debating my award title with myself over the past few weeks, also taking into account the thoughts and opinions of my colleagues and members of my SIG.  I have been trying to decide on choosing either; Drama, Dance or Performing Arts, as I have expertise and professional experience in all of these areas.  As I currently teach Drama, my initial thought was to create my own award title - Drama.  Whilst considering this title, I thought back to when I started my degree, at which time I was teaching Dance.  This encouraged me to consider Dance as an award title as it's an area of my practice that I will always put first and is my main practice as a practitioner in the arts.  After a while I decided that both of these award titles were very specific and would narrow my career progression when looking forward.  After this realisation I decided to consider an option that was more open and one that encouraged a varied development throughout my career.  I also decided to take my prior experience into account, something that I had to do right at the very start of my degree.  Due to the variation of my prior experience, I have decided to title my award BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Performing Arts).  I think that this option will allow my career to progress in a way that is not confined as it would be with the previous two titles.  

6a/b - Review of Reader 6 and Inquiry Plan

This stage seems to have come around very quickly.  The time between considering lines of inquiry to actually conducting the research has been very short, but full of learning.  As Reader 6 states, this stage of the inquiry involves me capturing evidence from [my] workplace using social science research tools [and] methods.  After reading and reflecting on Reader 6 I have began to consider the tools that would be most beneficial for me to employ in my research to ensure I am using real-life experiences and phenomena in a systematic and ethical manner.  The following are my initial thoughts on how my inquiry should be designed and structure.  I am expecting these thoughts to change and develop but wanted to blog my initial thoughts along with the reasonings for them.

I have looked into the four main research methods; Observation, Surveys, Interviews and Focus Groups, and I am beginning to think that I will use Observation and Surveys as my main source of data/information, though I may also include Interviews and Focus Groups throughout the inquiry depending on the quality and specificity of the data/information gathered through my first two research method choices.

The main reason that I have chosen these two research methods is to ensure the validity of the information gathered.  Baxter states that it is important to consider whether your methods, approaches and techniques actually relate to, or measure, the issues you have been exploring.  The reason that I have chosen to include Observation in the design of my inquiry is because I have already began to observe the students, importantly their progress, since September, before I knew why I would be observing them.  The fact that I will using the data gathered through these observations, which have been taking place since before I understood the specifics of what I am looking for, means the data should be true to form and accurate, not manipulated to either fit of disrupt the line of inquiry, either consciously or unconsciously.  Though my observations will now follow a specific focus, I believe that this continuing of practice will work to secure validity in my data/information collected through subsequent observations of students and colleagues.  There are three main parts to observations: watching, recording and analysing events of interest.  Due to the nature of my inquiry involving me working as the teacher, or when not teaching, still being a 'member of teaching staff' I will continue to record my findings following the research, as recording throughout the observation may disrupt the process.  The most important features of using observation as an inquiry tool, as stated in Reader 6, are that I will need to ensure that [I am] able to respond sensitively and appropriately to issues of ethics, permission and confidentiality.  As stated previously, I will also be using Surveys to gather the data/information for my inquiry.  The reason that I have chosen to use surveys is that they can be completed anonymously and should therefore hold more validity, which again has been planned around Baxter's thoughts on the design of an inquiry.  A lot of my current line of inquiry focuses on and works around the opinions of different people.  Surveys are [...] associated with the idea of asking groups of people questions about [...] or what they ‘think’.  Using surveys will allow me to gather opinions and points of view from a wide range of respondents, respondents that I can select carefully to ensure the people answering the questions are the people I want to be asking.  I am currently considering using an attitudinal scale, popularised by Likert, with the main reason being that it allows for a greater range of responses [as apposed to] yes or no.  In Reader 6, Black describes an attitudinal scale as a method that allows attitudes to be ascertained by presenting a list of declarative statements and asking respondents to rate them in terms of agreement or disagreement.  Along side the attitudinal scale, I will also seek explanation by including the ability for my respondents to put their reasonings and thoughts alongside their answers.  

I am planning on performing a pilot inquiry to check that my initial design will work in the ways that I am expecting it to.  The pilot will run in the same way that I am planning to run the inquiry to ensure that it is a valid test.

As stated above, these are my initial thoughts as to how my inquiry should be structured and designed.  I still have a lot more thinking, reflecting and developing to do in relation to the structure and design.  I need to consider how I can use Interviews and Focus Groups to extend my data/information and understanding in relation to my inquiry.

5c - Reader 5 Professional Ethics

In education, many schools are continuously promoting and discussing their 'ethos'.  Reader 5 describes an ethos as 'how we do things around here', the way that a collective; be that a family, business or other organisation, decide to go about 'being' and interacting to reflect a positive and good image.  A school's ethos is very important as it is something that will be delivered to the parents of prospective students in a hope that their child is then sent to that school.  A few of the schools that I have worked in have an ethos which focuses on developing the individual.  Projecting this kind of ethos will encourage the parents of prospective students and they will then be assured that their child will not just be a number and will be able to develop as a individual with the attention focused solely on them.  However, it isn't uncommon to see a school with an ethos focusing on the development of the community and working as a community.  Here the parents of the prospective students will see that the school is working beyond its parameters and looking for the development of the child within the society that they are part of.  The most important part of an ethos is that it needs to be positive.  As an ethos is a message, delivering an idea of 'how we do things around here', that ethos needs to speak to everyone and tell them what they want to hear.

Ethics maintained and displayed by the staff working within the community need to meet and work to the main points of the ethos.  This ensures that all staff are working positively and working together, pushing the community forward in the same direction.  Without an overarching ethos for staff to work to the community's aims and ideas could be diminished and lose a focus.  Equally, without ethics promoted by the staff within the community, an ethos will be lost and not maintained or delivered.  Workplace ethics work best with an ethos and a professional ethos will struggle work without ethics.  

Within the professional world, personal ethics can sometimes be changed or altered to ensure professionalism is maintained.  This is quite a bizarre statement to make, especially from an teacher's perspective, but I will explain my statement further through the use of a case study.  The second case study presented in Reader 5 informed me about Kevin Carter, a documentary photographer who won awards for his photograph of a impoverished girl crawling towards water.  

The girl went on to die due to not getting to the water, though Carter could have intervened and helped the girl, which could have resulted in her not dying.  In this position, Carter was upholding the professional photographer's ethical role, which is to observe and not intervene.  This case study does however raise the question, at what point should professional ethics be dropped and personal ethics take over?  After debating this question with colleagues, peers and my friendship group I have come to the personal conclusion that ethics can never be dropped, as if they are able to be dropped then they are not ethics.  Ethics could be considered as rules to live, work or interact by.  If there is a point at which these rules should be broken, then the rules are not solid and lack in the most important quality of an ethic, positivity.  Ethics are for the good of the greater community.  I have taken the figure below from Reader 5 to help demonstrate this point.  As you can see, there is a ripple effect that streams from the personal into the further three areas, a personal action will result in a professional reaction, which will then cause reactions from the following two stages.  The initial personal action with result in the next three reactions and depending on the initial action, the reactions could be either positive or negative.

The idea of the ripple effect links with the idea acknowledged in Reader 5 as the consequentialism approach.  This approach basis the success of an action depending on whether the consequences (or reactions) are positive or negative.  The the consequence is positive then the approach would say that the initial action was also positive.  Within this section the Reader talks about how lying can be considered as a positive actions due to producing a positive consequence.  In her blog, Iona Holland suggested an interesting situation, where a singer may not achieve a performing job and is given the reason that they are too short, rather than the truth which would be that they cannot sing.  Consequentialism would suggest that this lie was a positive action as it would leave the singer wanting to try again as they may be the right height for the next job, however, personally and professionally, I would not be comfortable with this action and would argue that the consequence is not the most positive none possible.  The consequence here would result in the individual not being hurt and feeling confident in their ability ready to walk into another audition.  This is not a positive consequence as the individual may walk into the next audition and receive the truth rather than a lie, resulting in a crash from a higher point which takes into account the lengthened audition process the individual has committed to.  

Within my profession, initially I found find a point in which it is part of my professionalism to lie or bend the truth, however, after reflecting I have considered the following to partially fit into the consequentialism approach.  If I am meeting with a struggling parent who is finding it hard, even if this is clear, I would not fully admit to the fact that I can see this is the truth, instead I would use the positive/negative/positive sandwich.  This is where you, as the professional, would offer praise and congratulate something positive before offering the negative and then end on a positive that can be a way to move on from the negative aspect.  Whilst this i not lying in the same terms as cited from Iona's blog post, it is still not being completely truthful and I do question if I am not being completely truthful am I completely maintaining the community's ethos?  

My inquiry focuses on the place/point/validity of Drama within non-maintream educational establishments, working with students that have been removed from or cannot attend mainstream schools.  From reading Reader 5 and reflecting on both my inquiry topic and my professional practice I understand that ethics within professional practice are an extremely confusing topic.  What is ethical on a personal level may be unethical at a professional level, like in the example above regarding documentary photographer Kevin Carter.  With regards to my inquiry I need to ensure that whilst I am currently working from a personal level, I do not effect the professionalism of myself or my colleagues. At no point can my personal level of inquiry diminish my professionalism.  I will continue to ask questions, reflect and find the answers in the same way that I have done up until now but ensure I am careful with the materials I am sharing and the thoughts that I am displaying and, in some cases, promoting.

                                                                                                    

With a final thought back to Kevin Carter, I'm afraid to say that my personal opinion is that his actions were wrong.  Whilst it is his professional code as a photographer to observe and not intervene, I also think it is part of the code within that profession to preserve.  In this case to preserve would have been to help preserve the life of the little girl, which ultimately, would have preserved his own too.  This is a topic that I am really forward to debating with my Module 2 SIG.

5b - Workplace Ethics and Codes of Practice/Regulations

When working in an environment swarmed by codes of practice and regulations I was expecting to discover a lot of different policies and practices when I started to research this area properly, though I didn't expect to find the range, breadth and depth of material that I found whilst searching articles and scholarly sources.  I narrowed my search and focused on my immediate surroundings which enabled me to find relevant material to share here on my blog and to reflect on in relation to my professional practice.

The place that I have chosen to look in this narrowed down search is the Department for Education, more specifically their website and the Statutory Guidance section.  This organisation offers guidance for schools and governing bodies to create their own policies that need to be in place within the school.  I read through the guidance most relevant to my place of work and below are the key points of these areas that I consider to be the most relevant.

• Behaviour Management Policies: One particular area of the behaviour management policy section that stood out to me was the section on misconduct from students beyond the school gates/premises.
• any bad behaviour when the child is:
• taking part in any school-organised or school-related activity
• travelling to or from school
• wearing school uniform
• in some other way identifiable as a pupil at the school.
• or, misbehaviour at any time, whether or not the conditions above apply, that:
• could have repercussions for the orderly running of the school
• poses a threat to another pupil or member of the public
• could adversely affect the reputation of the school. 

On reflection I am finding it so strange that I didn't list a Behaviour Management policy in my first post, 5a.  The Behaviour Management policy is one of the most commonly referred to in my place of work due to the types of students that we have on role within the establishment.  Whilst I have a good understanding of the behaviour management policy at the school that I work at, I had never considered the elements of the policy that are enforced beyond the school gates, when students are displaying negative behaviour off the school site.

• Supporting students with Special Educational Needs (SEN):  Whilst I touched upon this particular area through the consideration of 'All Students to be Considered as Equal' and 'Differentiation' under the heading of 'Ethics' in my previous post, researching this area as a whole further has really opening my understanding of this vast area.  The main features of the piece of statutory guidance that I read mainly seemed to focus on the SEN provisions taken from the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001, which are:
• a stronger right for children with SEN to be educated at a mainstream school
• new duties on LEAs to arrange for parents of children with SEN to be provided with services offering advice and information and a means of resolving disputes
• a new duty on schools and relevant nursery education providers to tell parents when they are making special educational provision for their child
• a new right for schools and relevant nursery education providers to request a statutory assessment of a child
• working in partnership with parents
• pupil participation
• working in partnership with other agencies 

It needs to be considered though, that whilst SEN policies encourage the inclusion of students with Special Educational Needs, this policy in not specific to any particular need and is not a generic methodology of how to encourage the inclusion of any student with a particular need, equally, this is not a 'one way' of including all that have been identified as having a Special Educational Need.  The policy that can be created from the these guidelines supplied by the Department of Education encourages the staff within the education establishment to consider those in their care who have been identified as having Special Educational Needs and work to ensure the needs of the individual are 'understood, addressed and acknowledged' throughout the delivery of all lessons.

• Teachers' Pay and Conditions:  Again an area that on reflection should have been one of the ones that was at the forefront of my mind when I was creating my previous post.  It is incredibly vital that every educational establishment has a teachers' pay and conditions statutory policy, all based on the national one processed by the government.  However, with the recent increase of establishments outside of the Local Educational Authority's (LEA's) maintenance, the policy doesn't necessarily have to follow the national one. The aspects that I consider to be key from the guidance published by the Department for Education are:
• entitlement to specific salary and allowances
• leadership pay scales and duties that entitle additional bursary
• application for move through threshold and onto upper pay scale
• detailing of allowances for classroom teachers and Teaching and Learning Responsibilities (TLRs)
• part-time teachers 
• 1265 (Allocation of paid hours within a year)
• contractual framework for teachers
• sickness, long-term sickness and authorised absence pay terms
• non-authorised and strike action pay terms

In a time within the education system where pay and working conditions are moving quickly it is important that staff, leadership and governors have a detailed understanding of their specific establishment's policy.  It is key that the policy is refined and kept up to date in relation to the moves made by the government to ensure all staff understand that the policy that specifically constitutes their workload is inline with the changes that are being fought for.

This task has really opened my eyes to areas of the education system that I thought I had a fairly good idea of.  As stated in my previous posts, as I have recently started my new job at a new school I have been inundated with policies that govern how I am to work, and nine times out of ten flick through them and file them away.  Detailing specific areas of key policies that affect my professional practice has encouraged me to reflect on how much I really understand and know.  With regards to policies, each policy needs to be specific whilst considering its placement within the overall statutory guidance that is given from the overarching authority.

Task 5a - Workplace Ethics and Codes of Practice/Regulations

Task 5a asks to consider the workplace Ethics and Codes of Practice/Regulations without any consultation of any documents or discussion on these topics, relying wholly on my own thoughts and opinions.  Initially this struck me as strange, something that goes against the grain of writing posts towards this module but then I thought about it on a professional level.  These policies, regulations and codes of practice should be present in the minds of all staff working within the establishment and as a new member of staff at my current place of work I should be completely up to date.  So why be phased by this?  In my professional practice, teaching, I think that we (teachers) are continuously tested on our knowledge of routine practice, procedures and codes of practice, and in the effort to get these tests correct refer back to the policies directly.  Being asked to consider these policies without consulting the policy directly requires me to strive for the same element of perfection but without the safety net.  After considering this task for a little while I realised that this task isn't testing me in anyway but it is another chance for reflection.  A chance for me to consider what I do everyday, not an opportunity for me to be tested to check I'm doing what I should be doing everyday.

After getting over this initial frame of mind, I then set to the task in hand - reflecting on the Ethics, Codes of Practice and Regulations:

Ethics:

• Every Child Matters - Though this initiative has now been taken out of the education system the key factors that it aimed to implement still should be present within every young person's experience throughout compulsory education.  Every students right to an education should be honoured.
• All Students to be Considered as Equal - It is important that all students are considered as equals within the classroom.  This means that all students should be treated equally and all students should have their opinions, beliefs and thoughts listened to a considered equally against one another.
• Safeguarding - This is the protection of all involved within the education establishment, especially the protect of the students.  It is important that all students are given a safe environment in which they feel confident and comfortable to express themselves in an appropriate way and are confident to discuss any issues they are experiencing on a day-to-day basis.
• Differentiation - It is important to give all students the ability to access the learning that is happening within the classroom through the use of differentiation strategies.  The ability to learn links in with the Every Child Matters (ECM) initiative as it ensure all students are given the opportunity to learn.

Codes of Practice/Regulations:

• Teaching Standards/Ofsted Criteria - It is important that all teaching staff have an understanding and an awareness of the current teaching standards.  The reason for this isn't only to ensure that staff are awarded a high level when inspected but to ensure the development of all students is consistent and appropriate. 
• Confidentiality - Confidentiality is something that there is two sides to within education.  Whilst it is important to keep the information stored confidential, it is also important not to promise confidentiality to a student that makes a disclosure, whether this be deliberate or inadvertently. 
• Health and Safety/Professional Facilities - It is the responsibility of the teacher as well as the school leadership (responsibilities of the site) to ensure that all working spaces meet the Health and Safety Regulations.  It must not be possible for anyone to find harm within the school, with all eventualities thought through and minimised.  It is also important that protocols are considered and put in place if something does happen.
• Professionalism - Professionalism within teaching requires the member of staff to ensure whilst in work and outside of work they maintain the expectations that are made of them by the students and by the school.  Social medial usage needs to be kept to a minimum and when used, it is important that everything shared is still professional and kept private.  It is also important that there is no communication outside of the education establishment between staff and pupils or parents of pupils.  This will ensure that the professional image of the school can not be tainted.  

Task 4 - Questions Developed from Feedback

After consulting with my course tutor, my colleagues and my peers through the use of a Facebook SIG, I have adapted some of my questions in the following ways and for the following reasons.

Original Question: In a time within education where A*-Cs in EBAC subjects mean so much to a school, do arts subjects still have a valid place within the education system?  

Feedback: On of the main things that has kept coming up in my feedback from the majority of the people I have shared my questions with is that 'arts subjects' is far to vast and can result in different answers due to the hierarchy of importance placed on 'arts subjects' within education.  I have also been told that I need to consider the context that I'm asking this question within, valid to who?  What I'm trying to find out through exploring this question is how important the education system rates subjects such as Drama and Dance.  I will need to look at what policies are in place within the education system and also search through these policies to find any relation between Drama and EBAC subjects.

Revised Question: What emphasis is given to the subject of Drama by current educational policy and how does this emphasis compare to the EBAC subjects?

Original Question: Why do we have arts subjects within education?

Feedback: The majority of people that I have shared this question with have said that the question is too general and could also be seen as both a simple or complex question to which an answer may, once again, be very general.  I have decided to get rid of this question as feel my other questions are more specific and succinct.  

Original Question: Are arts subjects more important within non-mainstream education?

Feedback: The first thing that became clear after receiving the feedback on this question is that I need to specify what I mean by 'non-mainstream'.  Clarifying this within the question will help with the context of this question, making it more answerable.  By 'non-mainstream' I refer to educational establishments that educate students that have either been excluded from a mainstream school or that cannot deal with attending a mainstream school.  I also need to decide whose opinion I am searching for on the importance within this slanted education system.  I think I am looking for the opinions of the people in charge of these establishments, however it will be hard for them to judge unless they have experience of being in charge of a mainstream school.  I'm struggling with this question as I think there is a basis for an enquiry here but through further exploration of this question I'm unsure if the enquiry will actually be measurable.

Revised Question: Pending.

Original Question: In non-meainstream education, are arts subjects about teaching a skill that can be judged or developing the self?

Feedback: This question raised confusion due to the uncertainty placed once again on the term 'non-mainstream'.  I am going to revise this question firstly by clarifying this term but then also ensure that this question is not leading in a particular direction.  

Revised Question: When working with students with Behavioural, Emotional and Social difficulties (BESD), is teaching Drama about teaching a skill that can be judged or developing the Behavioural, Emotional and Social difficulties?

Original Question: In what ways do arts subjects help in getting students back into mainstream education?

Feedback: Again, an issue with this was the term 'arts subjects'.  This term is vast and when different subjects within the arts are considered the answer could be completely different.  I have decided that this question needs to be revised to make it more succinct and precise so an accurate enquiry could be made.

Revised Question: In what ways does Drama help in getting students back into mainstream education?  

Original Question: Is it important to include Drama within the teaching of other subjects to subject active/kinaesthetic learners?

Feedback: The feedback suggests that this is my most secure question.  When asking my colleagues for their feedback on this question it became apparent that many of them struggle with how to engage their active/kinaesthetic learners and therefore will now be working closely with all of teachers at work on how they can include different elements of Drama within their teaching.  The main change to this question will be to remove the judging of importance due to the fact that it will differ depending on who is judging the importance.  Instead, I will be adapting this question slightly to try an minimise this uncertainty.

Revised Question: Does the inclusion of Drama within other subjects support the learning and engagement of active/kinaesthetic learners?

Original Question: In what ways is the teaching of arts subjects different in mainstream education to the teaching of them in non-mainstream education?

Feedback: Similar feedback to this question as the other questions in regards to the term 'arts subjects'. I will change this to focus mainly on Drama.  On reflection I am also thinking that this question is quite similar to my question focusing on students with BESD.  I need to make sure the focus is on how the teaching practice is changed in order to suit these students who have either been removed or removed themselves from mainstream education.  

Revised Question: In what way is the delivery of Drama different when delivering it to students in mainstream education to the delivery of it to students who have been either removed from mainstream education or removed themselves from it?

Task 4B - SIG Group

I am now working as part the Facebook group, "SIG MODULE 2". If you have had a look at my questions and would like to join the group add me. idreamedadream@msn.com.

I am currently gathering the feedback from my wider work based community and will post it shortly.

Task 4a - Creating Questions - Continued

So, after some more time spent looking at my themes/topics/subject areas I have come up with the following questions.  Please make sure you comment on this post and give me some feedback.  Also, if these questions seem similar to your subject area let me know and I'll set up a Facebook group that we can use as our SIG.

In a time within education where A*-Cs in EBAC subjects mean so much to a school, do arts subjects still have a valid place within the education system?  

Why do we have arts subjects within education?

Are arts subjects more important within non-mainstream education?

In non-meainstream education, are arts subjects about teaching a skill that can be judged or developing the self?

In what ways do arts subjects help in getting students back into mainstream education?

Is it important to include Drama within the teaching of other subjects to subject active/kinaesthetic learners?

In what ways is the teaching of arts subjects different in mainstream education to the teaching of them in non-mainstream education? 

I'll extend this post as I develop more questions so keep checking back.  I'm going to take my questions into work this week and ask other professionals in my position to consider my thoughts and think about how they would answer them.

Make sure you comment and remember, if you want to set up a SIG with me, let me know.

Task 4a - Creating Questions

After reading the fourth Reader I am starting to feel a little more confident with this module/set of tasks.  To begin with the thought of coming up with questions surrounding my professional practice felt a little daunting and unclear but I have taken onboard what the Reader has said and started to consider a possible theme(s)/area(s) of study.  Since my sideways shift into non-mainstream education I have decided to make my theme(s) surround this new area of my professional practice too, as so far, so good!

These are my current themes that I have started to think about:

The importance of the arts within education.

The importance of the arts within non-mainstream education.

Using drama as a tool in non-mainstream education to encourage progression back into mainstream schooling.

The transferable skills that are developed through the inclusion of the arts in education.

The inclusion of the arts into other subject areas to encourage active/kinaesthetic learning.

The differences between how the arts are used in mainstream education and non-mainstream education.

All of these possible themes are currently topics that I am coming into contact with on a daily basis and are all areas that I would feel confident approaching my new team about.  I am planning on creating my questions, alongside those of you that become part of my SIG, in a way that can be accessed by both my colleagues and my students.  From here I think I am now due to start developing my questions and pulling these from one of the different subject areas that I have listed above.

If anyone has any suggestions as to what my questions could be make sure you post some comments.  Keep posted as to how this post develops over the next week as I will put my questions up on here as they start developing.  

EVERYTHING COMES IN 3'S

Hello blogging world!

I havent been on here much after I submitted module 1 as so much has been going on. I have moved house, got a new job and been on a surprise holiday! - everything comes in 3's.

Its been a busy few weeks and after reflecting I have realised from September that my new job is going to be very challenging, and therefor my blogs to the rest of the modules may change as my perspective may change. Although my new job is going to be challenging I am very excited and ready to start!.

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer break and enjoying the sun!

Task 3b - Response to Reader 3 - The Networked Professional

After first reading Reader 3 I have decided that I will be approaching my reflection on the Reader in relation to my professional practice as a teacher in a mainstream secondary school.  The reason to this is due to the fact that after undertaking the previous tasks in this module I have found that the different areas of my professional practice have me reflecting, networking and acting in different ways.  

A professional network is 'a work related community held together by either close working affiliation or more distant but common work interests or needs’ (Cited in BAPP Reader 3).  In my opinion, in all professional practices the professional network is a very important tool which can be used positively to encourage positive outcomes, such as; 'your success, promotion and development, your sense of worth and fulfilment, and even enjoyment in your working life' (Reader 3).  Within the idea of the professional network there are five different concepts which I will now reflect on a analyse their worth in relation to my professional practice.

Cooperation:

The concept of cooperation is one which looks at the rewards and gains available to an individual or all parties within a working relationship.  The concept of cooperation works in relation to Game Theory, a theory based on the idea of two participants working with each other but resulting in the gain of one participant at the loss of the other.  Robert Axelrod states a question within his writing that on reflection I have realised faces every individual every day, 'When should a person cooperate, and when should a person be selfish, in an ongoing interaction with another person?' (Axelrod, Cited in Reader 3).  As society we are constantly questioning what we are being subjected to and the tasks that are put before us.  The one reason that tasks are completed by the individuals is for a personal gain.  That gain could be something that only enhances the life of the individual, or a gain which also enriches the lives of others. 

There is a game which links to the Game Theory called 'Prisoners Dilemma'.  In this game the individual plays 'against' the computer choosing between two choices, one of which is to 'cooperate' or the option to 'compete'.  If both parties choose to cooperate both parties will gain 3 coins, if both parties choose to 'compete' they will only gain 1 coin each and if one party chooses to 'compete' but the other chooses to 'cooperate' they will gain 5 and 0 coins respectfully.  The system is set up in a 'tit for tat' methodology, as long as the individual is willing to 'cooperate' then so is the computer, but as soon as the individual decides to 'compete', the computer will 'compete' in the following test.  Therefore, the only way to beat the computer is to only 'compete' before withdrawing after selecting to 'compete'.  This game holds strong links with the ideas presented by Axelrod as he presents the idea that there are only benefits in cooperating with others until one reaches their highest point of benefit (Reader 3).

In my current professional practice it is important that I undertake the concept of cooperation with all of the other staff that I work with.  An example that I have had recently of cooperation in the workplace is in the trading of expertise with another member of my department.  I offered to take a practical workshop with my colleges class whilst she took a theory session with my class.  This benefited the both of us as we both experienced gains by the reward of our classes being taught by the most capable teacher.  When I offered to take the practical session which I knew my college wasn't keen on delivering I put myself in a position where I could loose out as she could have taken my offer but not given me anything in return.  This would not of been a good idea for my college to carryout as although should would have had an instant gain, she would not be able to 'defect' in the way that Axelrod suggests as she still remains part of the establishment after the 'deal' has been carried out and therefore if she had of defected leaving me as having lost out her reputation would have then gone down amongst all the staff and her reputation tarnished, thus, removing all possibilities to cooperate in the future.

This aspect of professional networking has made me realise that there are people that are continually looking at different situations strategically rather making a decision based on emotions, something that I think I will now be wary of within my professional practice.

Affiliation:

The second concept within the area of professional networks is the concept of affiliation.  The concept of affiliation in relation to professional networks is that of having a support network described by Crisp and Turner as 'a network of support that will help us when we are in need’ (Crisp & Turner 2007 pp266).  To affiliate with someone is to associate one's self with another due to a common interest.  I believe that affiliation isn't only created for professional gain and support but is also an ingrained instinct that is established within us from an early age.  In their writing, Crisp and Turner cite research presented by Larson, Csikszentmihalyi and Grief  in 1982 which stated that 'it was found that adolescents spent about 75 per cent of their waking time with other people. Such sociability appears to yield benefits' (Crisp & Turner 2007).  As children we are constantly with others from an early age, mainly due to the fact that we are dependant, from their we start to affiliate with others similar to ourselves throughout education before then moving into adulthood and affiliating with others.

In my current professional practice I am affiliated with others that working within my department and then my school as a whole, but I do find that I support my expertise through the use of other individuals who I have previously been affiliated with, such as individuals that I trained with.  I often will bring these individuals into school to speak to my students, in a way providing a guarantee to my students of what I have said to them in relation to my professional training or my knowledge of the industry.

Having just writing the last two sentences I have just started to question my understanding of affiliation, once you have become affiliated with something or someone can you then become unaffiliated? I have suggested that these professionals are people that I once was affiliated with, but does affiliation die or get removed? If so, by what?

Looking at affiliation has allowed me to create challenges to me viewpoints, something that until this point I have been less comfortable with doing.  In life it is important to be able to look for another point of view, especially in relation to the concept of cooperation, as it is important to be able to make balanced and secure judgments on occurrences and situations that are presented.

Social Constructionism:

Like some of the other students on the BAPP course, this is the concept that I have found the hardest to establish a concrete understanding of.  In essence I understand that it is a concept of creating meanings for the justifying their social interactions.  In my professional practice I engage with multiple people, both staff and students, and through my experiences I have found that I have established, constructed and justified these interactions and therefore been presented with a meaning for them.

In my opinion, all interactions within the workplace commonly hold more relevance than that of a social interaction as they are always prompted by the working environment which is pushing for a result from the interaction and therefore it is easier to establish understanding from them.  It could be argued however that affiliations that are constructed in the workplace are not solely there for work related interactions and support which then opens up a whole new argument counteracting my previous statement.

Social constructionism is a concept that I need to expand my understanding of and in my opinion is an area that I will be able to gain a greater understanding of now that I am aware of it alongside carrying out my professional practice.

Connectivism:

Connectivism is something that has been thrust into light in the recent years to acknolodege the change in the wy we learn, change caused by social environment.  In essence, connectivism is a learning theory, focusing on the social and cultural context of the information which is being taught and being learned by the individuals.  It focusing on learning being a cycle of practice and reflection on the practice rather than to be taught directly in the more 'traditional' way.  I have witnessed teaching change from being teachers reciting the method, the process and the answer to students doing.  In my current teaching position, independent learning is something that we are encouraged to include into our lessons, letting students do, learn and teach, with minimal teacher input.  Cited in Siemens, Driscoll relates to this idea by acknowledging that 'learners create knowledge as they attempt to understand their experiences' (Driscoll in Siemens, 2004), and thus the learners are creating their knowledge themselves and it is not being embedded in them by their classroom teacher.

I am a strong believer in the fact that it is our experiences that we grow from and we are constantly learning and developing everything in our lives on a daily basis as we inevitably strive for perfection.  Acknowledging the change in a approach and the change in the social context of learning is something that I feel is very important not only for those who teach to undertake but for everybody to reflect upon in their lives.  As I stated, I am a strong believer in the power of experiences and undertaking the reflection upon these concepts is beginning to make me justify and analyse my development and my professional practice.  

Communities of Practice:

Lave and Wegner define a community of practice as 'a set of relations among persons, activity, and world, over time and in relation with other tangential and overlapping communities of practice' (Lave & Wegner, 1991).  After reading the section of communities of practice within Reader 3 I have come to form the opinion that this concept places ideologies from the other concepts and puts them together to form a way of learning, doing and developing.  One of the main key functions for a community of practice is the fact that it needs to be community orientated, cooperation must be present amongst the community members with each taking on their opportunity and responsibility to develop the community.  The process encourages the social interactions amongst it's community, finding meaning within these interactions and developing from these.  The fact that these communities of practice are present in professional and social 'situations' makes links with the changes of learning that is expressed through the idea of connectivism.  

By all means I may be misunderstood or wrong, it may be that as communities of practice was the last concept that was presented to me, but what I have come to realise in my mind and the opinion that I have formed of the communities of practice theory is that it is a group of people that are confident in their social context, willing to put in an equal amount of work and are within the blurred boundary between professional and social, but above all, working within a network which they feel supported and confident within to enable them to develop.  

To Conclude:

On looking back at my work it would be easy for me to suggest that the concept that I have found myself drawn to the most is the cooperation theory, and in some aspects that is correct, but from what my mind is now telling me, I believe that I could assosiate with all of these concepts within the ideas of development and networking.  Networking is something that until recently meant to me attending occasions that I didn't necessarily want to be at to talk to people that I didn't necessarily want to speak to, but now I have realised that a network is far more than this.  Within the influx of Web 2.0 and social media, networking has spread into all fields across social, professional and cultural.  Networking is as much there for support as it is for opportunity.  The different concepts above hold a huge amount of relevance in relation to the opportunity of development but I have decided that in my opinion, the best for of support network is one which you have to give into as much as you take out and therefore confirming my trust in cooperation theory, or is that social constructionism, or affiliation or it could even be the formation of a community of practice.  

You decide.

Task 3c - My 5 Most Important Sources of Information

As well as acknowledging the five sources of information that I consider to be the most important to  me, I have decided to rank these top five to see what is my most important source of information and therefore will be presenting this blog as if it was the countdown of the chart on Top of the Pops.  So here we go!

In at 5 we have - Colleagues

In my current professional practice, my colleagues act as a kind of support network for me.  Not only do they support me whilst I am working through informing me of various techniques and teaching practices but also through informing me of developments within the professional and also information on potential job opportunities along with other outside information.  The reason I believe colleagues to be one of the top five most important sources of information is because on a whole they are individuals that commonly do a similar job to me and therefore they are also professionals in my field.  In any profession, I believe that it is very important for colleagues to work as a team and therefore help each other.  The most common way this help is delivered is by the answering of questions and the delivery of information that may be useful.

At 4 it's - Traditional Media (Newspapers/Magazines)

Newspapers and Magazines, that I have labeled 'Traditional Media', are still a great source of relevant information in my day-to-day undertaking of my professional practice.  One of the main ways in which I use magazines is mainly for looking for job opportunities and also researching the opportunities that are out there to continue my professional development, like classes and seminars for professionals.  Magazines also play a large part in the gathering of information by the delivery of popular culture.  This may seem like something that is not important in the professional industry but it is most definitely important within the arts industry.  The reason for this is because the arts industry is largely based in the world of popular culture and therefore it is important to have a knowledge of the developments within the popular culture world.

A tie at number 2 between - Mobile Phones and The Internet
Much like Melanie Brown I am quite ashamed to say that I do rely on my mobile phone and the internet to gather a great deal of information and I agree with her when saying - how bad is that!  It is crazy to think about how much we all rely on modern technologies when things like these have only been accessible by all in the last few years.  It really raises the question of how people survived, developed and progressed in the past.  My mobile phone is connected to the internet and the two work in unison to make sure that I am continuously updated with the information that I want to receive, so much so that I can wake up to job adverts and go to bed watching the latest choreography of my friends and professional colleagues.  Though said in jest previously, I do feel it is important that we all remember that people were able to develop, progress and ultimately survive without these technologies before the last 15 years and therefore we should not base our existence on them either.  The influx in the reliance on modern technologies is slowly breaking down the use of older sources of gathering information but in a fast moving world it is most important to stay up to date with the progression than work against it.

At number 1 - Friends
The source of information that I consider to be the most important is my friends.  As I said in my previous post, my friends are a huge part of my networks and play a great role in my professional practice and further development.  Through my networking of friends it has been common that if I have a problem or puzzle that I need to solve I will usually have a friend that knows the answer, either due to  having gone through a similar puzzle previously or knowing someone else that knows the answer.  Ultimately, friends are a working network that is constantly being developed, but to be able to rely on this network and this source of information, it is important to help the network out in the same ways that they help you out.  If one was to become a non-active member of a network, and by that I mean not contributing information to the problems, questions and puzzles of others, it is possible that one could become ostracised from the network and therefore loose that which is, in my opinion, the best source of information.

Task 3a - Current Networks

When thinking about how to approach this task I thought that I would take each of the questions and try to answer them individually to make sure that I cover all of the topics to an extent that I can easily check up on and also speak on specific elements in relation to a specific focus and therefore will be listing and answering the questions in this post.

Before answering the questions I decided to have a look at my current networks.  I made a list of everything in my current professional practice that I consider to be a network and then analysed the ways in which I was connect to these.  The list that I created is as follows:

·      Teacher

·      Class

·      Performers

·      Choreographers

·      Musical Theatre/Commercial Dancers

·      BAPP

·      Agent

·      Stage School

·      Clients

·      Friends

·      Family

·      Colleagues

·      Employers

·      BBC/Nickelodeon/Lime Pictures

·      TV & Film Directors

·      Mainstream Education

·      Head Teacher – Mainstream Education

·      Head of Department – Mainstream Education

·      Middle Leaders – Mainstream Education

·      Senior Leadership Team – Mainstream Education

When looking at the above list and beginning to analyse the information which it holds I started to see that many of these link together and that a trace line can be mind to find the origin of my whole network.  On reflection following the analysis I have realised how important networking is, even if I previously haven’t realised that I was in fact ‘Networking’.

What are the current and different ways (tools) that you have, or do, engage your professional network?
And
Are there methods, approaches and technologies that you use socially that might apply and help you develop your professional networking?

There is a great saying; ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’.

I think that in the performing industry there is nothing more true than this statement.  After looking at the different tools of networking that I currently use, or have previously used;

·      Facebook

·      Twitter

·      Blogging

·      Personal Contact Details – Phone Numbers/E-mail Addresses

·      Agent

·      Word of Mouth

I have come to believe that one of my strongest and most successful methods of networking for me has been my network of friends and previous colleagues.  Though the method of word of mouth through my group of friends is the most successful method of networking, in my opinion, due to the influx of social media in the industry, this method would not be as strong without the inclusion of things like Facebook, Twitter and Blogging sites.  It is through these sites that my network of friends is able to strive and work to it’s strongest as I am constantly connected to my friends.  Social media has had a fantastic impact on the way in which professionals within the arts network.  I have found that whilst my Facebook is mainly filled with my friends, I also tend to link up with other professionals that I have come into contact with through my Facebook account.  This enables me to stay in the minds of the professionals that I have worked with and also give them the opportunity to contact me at the click of a button.  This does however throw up some problems with reference to the combining of my private and professional life, similar issue to those that I presented in a previous task.  

Due to the fact that I consider friends and word of mouth to be the strongest and most natural way to network, it is the way that I choose to network the most.  I consider this to be one of the best ways to network due to the fact that a positive relationship can then be included into the working environment, one can have an understanding of how the other likes to work and this can then make the job more enjoyable.  As previously stated there are some problems that can present themselves through working and networking through friends and the establishment of friendships.  One of the most prominent possible problems that could be presented through this kind of work is the blurring of the fine line that stands between professional and personal.  When working with friends I am always careful that the barrier between my professional and personal world isn’t crossed.  The way that I am able to ensure this is mainly due to my change in attitude as soon as the professional scenario has been entered.  With this being said, it is always important to remember that having a positive, friendly relationship with the people I work with will usually enhance my work and the working environment.  

What are the established (and different) ways that others use their networks, especially if they are more established or experienced practitioners that you admire?

When working with more established or experienced practitioners, at first I was quite ‘star struck’ due to the fact that I often admired their works or have an understanding of their works and the success that they held through these. 

Lots of established choreographers have Facebook, Twitter, a blog or their own website which they can be contacted directly through.  They, commonly, will use these aspects of social media to advertise job opportunities, castings that they are holding, perspective projects that they are considering or shows that they are currently working on.  The use of social media in these ways is allowing them to build upon and thus develop their industry network. 

When training I have lots of contact with industry professionals who were brought in to the stage school to either teach classes or deliver lectures.  I found that not only was this a great way for me, as a student, to build my network, this was also consider a great way for the professional to build their network.  Occasional, professional choreographers would hold impromptu auditions for up coming work within the classes that they were teaching.  This meant that they were able to build their network in three different ways at once; they were teaching for a stage school and therefore building up contacts with the owner and other teachers, they were auditioning dancers to build their network of potential cast members and also they were meeting students who admired their work and therefore promoting their profile amongst the next generation of dancers. 

Having professional choreographers come in to the stage school and audition me from an early age was something that I found very useful to start building up my professional network.  I found this particularly useful when graduating as not only did I have a network of professional choreographers, I was also in the network of those their I have auditioned and performed along side. 

After speaking to one of my friends that works professionally within the arts I heard of the how she is relentless in the building of her professional network.  She told me about how she auditions every year as a stage dancer for shows like The X-factor just to be able to meet and speak to the choreographers that work on the show.  She said that even though the show holds auditions yearly, they always seem to have the same cast of dancers, with possibly a few exceptions, due to the choreographer knowing how those dancers work.  This method of networking has recently paid off as she has managed to gain a part of a different ITV show working with some of the same choreographers.

When you reflect upon current networks, can you think about the motives of others to be in the network and what values and purpose they have in mind?

Due to the impact of Web 2.0 on networking, networks and never solely used by the person who has originally built up the network.  The individuals network can be accessed and used by a third party to their advantage and therefore it is common that others will try to build themselves into strong networks and use them to their advantage as they have not had to put in the work that is needed to build up a strong for themselves.  Therefore the superior motive of a third party to join a successful network would be to reap the rewards of being a part of such a network with minimal work output on their part. 

What would your ideal network look like and why?
And
What realistic things could you do to work towards developing your ideal network?

As I have previously stated, my favorite method of networking, and therefore the basis for my ideal network, is the use of my network of friends and the use of word of word of mouth.  The main reason that this is my ideal method of networking is due to the fact that whilst I can come across as a very confident person, my confidence really does show when I am working with people that I have already built a positive relationship with. 

To develop into my ideal network I would have to be for proactive in ‘putting myself out there’ to a greater extent.  The first way that I would do this would be to create professional social media accounts which I could link up with only the people that I would like in my professional circles on.  I could also widen my knowledge of established practitioners and different types of practitioners that are not within my precise areas of expertise.  I am happy with the quality of my networks as they stand but do understand that I commonly achieve in the area that I feel safe and to be able to get out of my safety zone I need to expand my networks to my students and their parents through the use of word of mouth, thus continuing my network cycle and building upon itself. 

What tools and methods do you need to use? What do you know about your current, and intended networks, and importantly, what do you not know?

In today’s 21^st industry, Web 2.0 is a very important tool within networking.  It gives people the ability to be connected within their networks at all times and allows individuals to build on their networks through their contacts.  With this being a very important tool I do also believe that another very important tool is word of mouth and the ability to speak to people in a positive way and a way that is going to make you stay prominent in that persons mind.  With regards to the different things that I do not yet know, I think that there will be many things that fit this category, and not just for me but for everyone.  With the continuous development in social interaction, there are constantly things that not everyone will understand, but I think that one of the most important things that I have learnt about the successful building of networks is to not solely rely on the use of Web 2.0 and meeting and speaking to individuals face-to-face is still something that will make a more memorable impact.