Coming to the end of the road...

With my presentation drawing nearer, I feel like I am coming to the end of my BAPP journey. In celebration of my journey, I'd like to share some of my reflections.

In seeking to understand one theory (the theory of Multiple Intelligence) I feel I have in fact gained an understanding of a theory of knowledge. The process has enlightened me to the value of research and given me tools to process the information in accordance to my practice and understand that information is not knowledge until it has been connected to parts of my life and transformed into knowing.

My thinking has been greatly informed by George Siemens Knowing Knowledge and I would highly recommend that anyone read it. I feel it is really relevant not only to my degree but also how we view information in the new digital age.

My idea of networks has now broadened considerably. In module 1 I could only think of my colleagues and associates within my practice or training and the connections I may have via social media. However, I now feel imagine my network as an abundance of scholars and theorists that create a pipeline of information that will help me develop my practice into the future. 

I have positioned myself now as an educator within the field of dance pedagogy as opposed to being just a dance teacher and have new confidence in my abilities. I have gained a better understanding of ethical considerations and how I have a duty as an educator to establish my own educational philosophy.

I believe that while I might not be the young fit dancer I was at 21, my experience has given me many tools for life that I am now in a position to pass on to my students. This has also given me confidence to share my work and dance my Module 3 artefact. Please follow the link below to discover a dance piece expressing my journey  

Dance Artefact

I look forward to sharing my work on Monday for my presentation and look forward to sharing the experience with our BAPP community.  

  

What I wish I knew last year....

I can't believe how much has changed in a year. I remember my first Skype call this time last year, and I was sat there thinking 'What have I got myself into?' I had already read through the module handbook and was totally clueless.

I can honestly say, I had no need to worry. Through discussion, reflection and a trust that it will all become clear as you start to work through the Module Handbook, I am looking forward to starting Module 3.

Today's Skype call was more about the administration of the course. Where to find information on Uni Hub and how to best utilize the learning community. Here are a few of the things I have found helpful through my last 2 Modules.

Blogs - Reading List
To ensure I stay up to date with the newest blogs in our learning community I made a Reading List on Blogger. This then appears like a news feed, enabling me to leave comments and engage more.

Don't be afraid to just say Hello - 
As Adesola said on today's call even if you are still processing your thoughts on a blogs content, its nice to just comment. Hi, Great Blog or I enjoyed reading this. It's nice to know that there are people reading your work.

Labels

I have found labels helpful to reference my work enabling to look back at specific subjects that I have blogged about or to find key words or themes that have carried across the different modules.

I have also found them invaluable when I have felt a bit lost or stuck. I have often used the labels on a supervisors blog to get a better idea of a subject. For example - Literature Reviews, Adesola has 16 blog posts on Literature Reviews, so I will have a look through and its likely that there will be information that will give me more insight or comments from past students sharing there ideas.

Blogs can be short and sweet, and don't always have to be written. Think about alternate ways to share your thoughts or ideas. Images, Videos, and Photos of your brainstorming sessions. Your blog will become another form of diary in which you can reflect on throughout the modules.




Long Distance Library 
Today we discussed taking time to navigate Unihub and see whats available. I regret fully doing this early on. There were books on the reading list that are not available online and I feel I didn't take full advantage of the resources available to me as a long distance student.

There is a guide on the Librarians Introduction on Unihub on how to register to order books to your home address. (Please note - Email removed for security) 

Dear Diary....

Start keeping a diary of your practice from today. It took me a while to pick apart my practice in order to see it in new ways and keeping a diary definitely helped. At first I just wrote what I had done that day and then started breaking it down into lens as I moved through the course. 

I hope these tips have been helpful. I look forward to hearing what your tips may be, after all we are always learning. 

Finding Focus

After our Skype call on Saturday, I was determined to make this week count. And in a flash its nearly over. Having read through the handbook for Module 2, I have spent some time mulling over possible Inquiry subjects and reflecting on how the last term went. 

As a dance teacher, looking to transition into primary education I am initially drawn to developing an injury plan that will support me in my next step. Expanding my current knowledge of teaching styles, understanding on motivation and explore discussions on discipline. However, I fear there may be many Ethical Considerations as I will possibly want to observe lessons and watch other teachers styles etc and this may be difficult with minors. I may also adjust how I teach to see if it has an effect on my students, which may be Ethically incorrect. I am still interested in a literature review of these subjects but may have to discuss a possible inquiry with my supervisor.

I am also interested in the career guidance and progression available to dancers, I have a network of dance associates from the past and present so am already thinking of ways I could interview them. However, I'm not sure how much 'Theory ' is on this subject and if I may be making it difficult for myself.

I feel that some of the discourses I mapped out in Module 1 are very big questions, such as body image and suitability of material and music found in the media for young audiences, I will wait to hear my feedback and then maybe break these down and make them more relevant to me and see if anything emerges that is Inquiry worthy.

I have set myself little goals this term, such as keeping on top of my reflection journal, making sure I manage my time efficiently and starting to get things down on paper sooner rather than later giving me more time to see what I might be missing. I'm also looking forward to re-connecting with everyone through our blogs, in order to share thoughts and ideas.

In order to Find My Focus in general, I am a list writer, specifically with coloured pens and timelines. 

How do you Find Your Focus?

Learning From My Mistakes...

This blog has been a few days in the making. I'll be honest in my first attempt to discuss learning styles I was winging it, or what I would now say entering into Kolb's Learning Cycle (Kolb, 1984) at ' Active Experiment'. 

I wasn't happy with what I had produced as I didn't feel as connected to the subject as I wanted to be. As a dance teacher looking to transition into a primary school teacher I have always been interested in learning styles, however I wasn't concentrating my efforts on MY learning style and taking time to analyse how they work for me.

 Image Source A - McLeod, S (2017) Kolb's Learning Styles and Experimental  Learning Cycle - retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html 

Active Experimentation - I had planned that I wanted to add elements of Kolb's Learning Cycle and Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1983), I dived in with the knowledge I had gained without applying it to something relevant to me. 

Concrete Evidence -So while I was trying out what I had learned it dawned on me I had not fully understood what I was writing about. This experience was disheartening and caused me to lose momentum. Leading to me abandoning that draft and take time to recollect information and reflect on my failed blog.

Reflective Observation - I went back to re-reading the module handbook, this time however I didn't just read it and highlight bits, I used many different coloured pens to re-write sections how I understood them and to pick out questions I had or what I wanted to look further into. This made me very aware of my cycle of learning, and how I often experiment and try things physically before paying attention to the smaller details or looking at things from different angles. 

Abstract Conceptualisation - This learning experience has had a particularly positive outcome on not only my understanding of Kolb's Learning cycle but on my outlook and plans for the rest of the module. I didn't plan to make this blog on Learning styles become my example of learning styles but I'm glad it did. I look forward to applying this to my further learning and observations within my practice.

I wanted to support this learning experience by applying Howard Gardners - Multiple Intelligences (Gardner,1983) theory to my reflection and how this has an effect on my learning and practice. 

Image Source B - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Multiple-intelligence.jpg

I am most definitely body smart and people smart, this is very helpful in my practice as a dance teacher as I rely on my body to respond to what I am thinking and how I explain things. Being interpersonal I am comfortable engaging with people and can give feedback. I feel that at times I can struggle with academic studies. I like to discuss my ideas with others and rely on feedback to validate my work. As with the handbook, I felt I didn't fully engage with it until I had physically re-written it. 

Through my reflective journal I have noted that I often use the learning techniques that appeal to my learning style such as Imagery, Repetition and Physical Correction so have made a note to try new ways of giving feedback and corrections to my students as a way to broaden my understanding.

What do you feel is your dominant intelligence? Does it correlate with your practice?

This period of  reflection has really boosted my confidence and motivation. I now have lots of thoughts on my areas of learning and have a better understanding of how I process information and turn my experiences into learning.

 Bibliography

Gardner, H. 1983. Frames of mind: the theory of multiple intelligences, New York, Basic Books
Kolb,D. 1984. Experimental learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.


Image Source

A -McLeod, S (2017) Kolb's Learning Styles and Experimental  Learning Cycle - retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html 

B- By Sajaganesandip [CC BY-SA 4.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)],retrieved from Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Multiple-intelligence.jpg 

Seeing Your Practice and Seeing Yourself - group discussion 1st October 2018

I entered into Mondays Skype call feeling comfortable with knowing what my practice is. After making mind maps and time lines, it was re-writing my profile that helped me put it all into place.

For me it was a matter of reflecting over my training and experiences and finding the point when I stopped being told what to do or how to do something and started doing it for myself. I was the creative behind my ideas, I took what I had learnt and made in my own. When parts of my practice became second nature. I was very pleased when our discussion backed up my conclusion and I felt I could share my thoughts confidently with my fellow learners on the call.

There are still many questions to explore -
How did I make this happen? 
Can I articulate between my original training and what I do now? 
These questions have helped me realise the place of the reading lists, and I am excited to learn about the theories and ideas behind how we learn.

While I felt like I had put together one piece of the puzzle, I hadn't realised the importance of WHY it was relevant to be able to identify our practice within ourselves. The following points were discussed on the call and I think they really help solidify the concept of my practice in my mind. Here are my notes -

• Transitions - knowing what your practice is now can help you identify the transitions within your practice. For example I have gone from dancer, to dance teacher and hope to be a primary school teacher.
• Connections - It will help you navigate in the right networks and communities, whether you are looking for work, further training or inspiration.
• Choices - Being aware of your practice or where you want it to go will enable you to make more choices.
• Definition -  Being able to define your practice at any point in time will ensure you don't get lost in it, you can own it and structure it to what it needs to be.
• Personal - Your practice is yours to keep, it is a thing you have and it will keep changing and emerging. 

We went on the discuss the essay and diagram, and this is where I lose my confidence. I have thought of my 3 areas of learning, and have a good understanding of how the lens can be applied to my practice, however I have no idea how I'm going to start putting it all down on paper??? 

I'm hoping that by completing more of the suggested study activities I will have a better grasp on what I'm actually going to write. And by physically (I have drawn rough mind maps so far) putting together my diagram and mapping the whole picture, I will have more of a sense of what I want my essay to say about me and my practice.

The group discussion did shed some light on the execution of the diagram which was really helpful. It doesn't have to be a mind map on paper it can be whatever suits your learning style.

• Visual - Make a video
• Oral - Make a recording
• Graphic - Make something with different levels or tiers
• Spatial - Use of pictures or drawing

I now have a mind buzzing with new ideas but am getting more conscience of the weeks ticking away. I know I want to do more blogs, read more into experimental and reflective learning and start creating my diagram in the form of a presentation. 

 So watch this space.......