And again from the top.....

Adeola's reply to my essay draft was "Great start, keep going"
 "Keep going?" I thought. I knew it wasn't a perfect finished article but I wasn't sure how I was going to add to it without unravelling what I had already done...

After our group discussion on Tuesday, I was reminded to look at my work through the lens of my own practice. So instead of looking at my essay as a student, thinking I need to add more cites or theory, I will look at it as a dance teacher. As if I am creating a routine or teaching a syllabus exercise, thinking of my work as a performance. Asking myself, have I added all the details, the correct technique, is it polished, is it ready to be performed in front of an audience or examiner.

When teaching I usually concentrate on the main body of the piece first, ensuring my students are familiar with the music, timing and style. Then I spend time on the beginning and end of the dance, making sure they have an impact and set the scene.

I feel this is currently where my essay is at. I have a full routine but it still needs cleaning.

Sharing my work and getting my fellow teachers to watch and give me their opinion helps me validate my work. I then run the dance many times, either without music step by step to correct technique and arm lines etc and then with music but with a focus on performance. Reminding my students to give it their all in rehearsals and not just hope it will be alright on the night and leave it to the last minute. And always making sure there is always time for one last practice, and then another one, because one more time never means just one more......

I will apply this idea in the next few weeks, sharing my work will help me see it through fresh eyes. Looking at my essay as a whole piece instead of in sections of different lenses and areas of learning, I will check its fluid and is clear. I plan to do this in shorter sessions on a more regular basis so that I can see it from different angles opposed to giving myself a whole day to make changes nearer the deadline meaning I won't have time to analyse my work.

With the countdown officially on, I am surprised at how excited I am to submit my work. I honestly thought by now I would pulling all-nighters and freaking out!!

Below are a few notes I took while on the call, it was great to speak to everyone and I look forward to the module one discussion on Ethics soon. 

·        

      The theory of embodiment?

Industry Minds – Podcast - Recommended listening. 

Think about where philosophical theories come from.

Are mind and body separate? Right and Left brained people, is it such a thing?

How does it affect my practice?

Diagram

·        Communication without words? How else might we visualize our practice?

Don’t let submission criteria hold you back. Links can be used.

Find what you feel comfortable doing?

Make a start, and ideas will develop from there.

Mood board? Images to represent things?

Something that offers representation. How are you identifying yourself?  

Words are more accessible, or more valuable but come back to what your practice is. 

How might you develop a better sense of ownership, by representing it in different ways?

Keep the process of exploring going. Will there be a shift to see things more clearly?

·        How do you conclude your work?

Link to the introduction, make it go full circle.

Use the essay body to digest what you have learnt. Use conclusion to show there has been a learning process. A Transformation. Using a cycle, revisiting and redrafting.

How would you approach things in your practice?

We Are Family

I was very pleased with the feedback from my essay draft, which was reassuring as I had no idea if I was on the right path. Thankfully I got some positive notes to ensure I include page numbers on quotes and to re structure a few sections, but to now concentrate on my diagram.

I have an idea to create an investigation board using images and labels tying it all together which different coloured thread to highlight the connections. I had never realised how connected some elements of my practice are. This made me want to write a little blog about my influences and my artistic linage.  

In one of our first group Skype calls Adesola mentioned the sad passing of her teacher Arthur Mitchell, and how we are in affect his pupils too as Adesola is passing on the knowledge she learnt from him to us.

This got me exploring my practice family tree. And how this can influence us and link us all together.

One of my greatest influences has been Liz Burville, an amazing dance teacher, choreographer, producer and ISTD examiner. She first taught me at dance college, and helped me understand my potential in Modern Dance, pushing me to achieve 97/100 in my Intermediate modern exam. Years later I went to train with Liz for my DDI teaching qualification, she not only offered me a teaching job to pay my tuition but also acted as my agent securing me cabaret work. Sadly Liz passed away earlier this year, but she will always influence how I teach dance. Her teachings will live on through my students. 

Looking into her dance history, Liz was a noted performer who was a student of Doreen Bird, this is where I start my dance family tree. Doreen Bird was an esteemed member of the ISTD who co-authored the original syllabus that I teach today. While Doreen Bird, is the founder of the Renowned Bird College of Music, Dance and Theatre Performance, and I was not a student at this college I feel her teachings may have been passed down to me.

Another one of my influences is Leanne Coverly the principal of Langley School of Dance where I teach. She has built a fantastic dance school, and has a real passion for teaching. She is always bringing new ideas to her teaching and sharing them with her staff, arranging training days and social events to help us build a strong network. 

Leanne was originally taught as a child by Liz Burville, and then later went to The Centre PAC to become an ISTD teacher being taught by Karen King. 

Karen King is a very influential practitioner delivering teacher training and working with the ISTD to further their syllabus. She was also taught directly by Doreen Bird, so again while I was not a student at The Centre her work directly influences what and how I teach.

I currently have a large map of my influences, key artists and theorists and ethical considerations on paper but am really looking forward to creating a 3D map to really bring the links to life.

Campus Session - 29/10/18

A week has flown by since my first campus session, but I can still remember my feeling of excitement and apprehension trying to find the session room in the maze that is Middlesex University. I had ensured I wrote a few questions that I had been meaning to ask but other than that I had no idea what the session may entail. I was just excited to meet my fellow learners and make the whole experience seem REAL!

It was great to meet Adesola and Maria in person, and I was joined by Liza, Lee and Beverley. We starting by introducing ourselves and our practice. I went first and reeled off my life story, throwing out acronyms of ISTD and DDI assuming that what I was saying made sense. After my 4 minute epilogue Adesola commented "It was a nice story, but was it a description of my practice?" The group took notes on what I had said and fed it back to me. Lee who is a graphic designer ascertained from my speech that I ' taught some street dance and enjoyed turning non dancers into performers'  This feedback clicked with me instantly and has given me much more focus for the introduction of my Essay. I need to imagine I'm explaining what I physically do to someone that knows nothing about the arts and performance world. Here are a few notes I made for myself to consider when introducing myself.

Think more as an artist what you bring to things. 

How I use the mind of a dancer to do things. 

How I use my approach ; what is my approach?

Tagline vs the way that we do it.

The way I teach, what ethics I use, what theoretic paradigms I use. 

Teaching approaches ;considerations. 

Be specific, what my practice means to me.

How you see your self connected to the things around you. Ethical considerations.

What I do - Inspire dancers age 3 - 17, at weekly dance classes in genres of Ballet, Tap, Modern and Street Dance through displaying my passion and love for dance and seeking opportunities to expand knowledge, educate and improve current dance skills of students through set graded work established by a well recognised Dance Society. Promote enjoyment of dance. Choreograph for all dance styles ensuring students can relate to the material and can explore their range of techniques used in my teaching. Seek popular music and trends. Work with fellow practitioners to synchronise and enhance teaching methods and skills.  

Opposed to - I am a dance teacher with the ISTD, I started dancing at age 5 and danced professionally abroad. On returning to the UK I took my DDI and now teach syllabus work to children age 3-17.

The main thing to consider was not being defined by a label or tagline, explain what goes into that label.

We then transferred these thoughts to the subject of research.

Here are my notes from the discussion -

What is research?

The thing it's about and the way that it’s been done. 

A way we do something colour’s what it is. - What angle we begin our Research will have an impact on what we find.

Qualitative – understanding every level vs Quantity – looking at many items  

Research can be approached from different angles and achieve different results each time.

You will always find what you’re looking for. In research and life, find ways to find what you don’t know what you’re looking for. Don’t stop if you think you’ve found an answer. 

We then wrote a statement on our thoughts - 

 Personally, I have subjects in mind when researching, things I want to explore, however I often go into these topics with an idea of where my views stand. When researching ethics, I started with a question I already had a view on, but this then lead to further writings. It lead me to PhD papers I really enjoyed reading or could relate to that I wouldn't have found in my initial google search. 

This then lead us to discuss algorithms and while you may think you are finding new unrelated literature you very well may be boxed in by technology.  

Below are some ideas on how to look outside the box - 

Use bibliographies to source information - are the same authors reoccurring?

Different search engines - not just Google

Look into what people are saying from different fields, outside of your practice.

We also spent time trying to define the meaning of Ethical Considerations, not just seeing them as a subject of Good Vs Bad, but how we need to consider the impact reading someone else's work can have on us or us sharing our work can have on others.

There are certain ALERT WORDS that should be considered.

REAL - what is real to me might not be real for someone else, it;s a case of beliefs and feelings. 

MEANINGFUL - We all have a different idea of what is meaningful for us. When writing you had a meaningful experience, can you use a different term or define why it was meaningful to you?

My campus session ended with us making videos in pairs with the information we had collected in discussing research. Mine and Liza's video is on Adesola's blog and I have to give full creative credit to Liza, she is a whizz with a movie maker. The 2 hour trip was definitely worth it and I learnt a lot discussing ideas with Lee, Beverley and Liza. I also feel like I have expanded my professional network and also discovered that there is a Costa Coffee on Campus, but they don't serve Flat Whites???

A Question Of Ethics

I have really enjoyed spending time broadening my knowledge of Ethics. The dictionary defines Ethics as - 'moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity.' (Anon, 2018) Initially this makes me think of the safeguarding and health and safety considerations that apply to my practice, Dance Teaching. The things that are very much recognised as bad on pretty much anyone's moral compass. For this reason there are now laws in place to ensure the line is never crossed. 

But Ethics isn't so black and white, often Ethics are a personal opinion or depend on a persons own moral values. Hence why guidelines, codes of conducts and laws are put in place. 

Ethical theory serves as the foundation for ethical solutions to the difficult situations people encounter in life. In fact, for centuries, philosophers have come up with theoretical ways of telling right from wrong and for giving guidelines about how to live and act ethically.( Panza and Potthast, 2010)

There are many Ethical Theories but I feel the below are most relevant to my practice - 

Virtue ethics states that character matters above all else. Living an ethical life, or acting rightly, requires developing and demonstrating the virtues of courage, compassion, wisdom, and temperance. It also requires the avoidance of vices like greed, jealousy, and selfishness.

Contract theory proposes thinking about ethics in terms of agreements between people. Doing the right thing means abiding by the agreements that the members of a rational society would choose. So for contract theorists, ethics isn’t necessarily about character, consequences, or principles.

Care ethics focuses ethical attention on relationships before other factors. As a result, acting rightly involves building, strengthening, and maintaining strong relationships. Acting rightly thus displays care for others and for the relationships of which they are a part. To care ethicists, relationships are fundamental to ethical thinking. (Panza and Potthast, 2010)

As a teacher I have developed and demonstrate compassion and wisdom towards my students as in Virtue Ethics. I also fit into the Contract Theory, teaching under a dance society I uphold their ethical values and code of conduct. I also have a duty of care towards my students ethically, ensuring I build and maintain strong and trustworthy relationships.

Above I have mentioned Code of Conduct, as a teacher for the ISTD I adhere to their code and principals, to maintain the reputation of the society, demonstrate personal best practice and teaching and act with integrity, courtesy and consideration. The code highlights 11 principals of practice, they are all equally as important but I feel some lead to more common discourse among dance teachers.

• Acknowledge their own professional limitations at any point at time, and not agree to do work in which they are not competent but engage in continual professional development to maintain and improve their professional competence.
• Use best endeavours to ensure that all teaching staff are of an appropriate level of competence. All members should encourage constructive communication between teachers and students and foster professional attitudes to work and Dance, acknowledge physical variety and limitations in a positive manner and seek to resolve problems by effective communication with students. (ISTD, 2016)

Have you ever experienced anything that may question the practice principals above? 

Dance teaching hasn't always been so well monitored, and there are many questions surrounding the methods used. Within the media dance teachers are often portrayed as pushy and as bullies. For example - Abby Lee Miller on Dance Moms, uses humiliation, favouritism, and threats to supposedly better her students.  The second episode of season 1 was even entitled ' Wildly Inappropriate'  However this would not be acceptable in any dance school I have worked in.

At vocational college dancers are exposed to more extreme methods of 'motivation' such as weekly weigh ins, punishments of extra physical workouts and verbal warnings of showcase numbers being pulled if not perfected.

I remember at college being made to dance 1 by 1 the opening of the showcase in front of everyone to prove we had the timing correct, this was a form of humiliation. I have been pushed into the splits and been left with pulled muscles from rigorous 'Bikini Body' workouts.

Are these methods acceptable? Should more be done to regulate dance training in a college setting? Often 'guest teachers' are professionals who have not gone through the in depth training required to teach and may not adhere to the same codes of conduct, leading them to teach how they were taught. 

Do you feel that 'tough love' made you the performer you are today? 

There is now so much support and material available to educate and inform Dance Teachers on how to provide best practice, but is there enough governing bodies to ensure this is being adhered to? Or do you think it is becoming too rigid? 

Bibliography 

Anon (2018) [online] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ethics [accessed October 2018]

ISTD Codes of Professional Standards and Practice (2015) [online] available at https://www.istd.org/site-search/?keywords=Code+of+Professional+Conduct+and+Practice+for+Teachers+of+Dance [accessed October 2018]
Panza, C Potthast, A (2010) Ethics for Dummies [online] available at https://www.dummies.com/education/philosophy/a-snapshot-of-key-ethical-theories/  [accessed October 2018]


References
Dance Moms (13th July 2011) [TV Programme] Network Lifetime

Image
Pixabay (2018) [online] available at https://pixabay.com/en/business-idea-style-concept-goals-1753098/

Weighting Up My Presentation Of Self

I have been thinking a lot about how I'm going to present my practice diagram, initially after our first Module 1 Skype call it made sense to me to do a visual presentation.  I had felt confident speaking about my practice and I thought building a presentation that I would then video might get what I wanted to say across clearer, as I often struggle to type what I want to say, and drive myself mad by re-typing the same sentence up to 5 times. However there was an issue with my idea, I'm not particularly fond of hearing my own voice, and I am OVERWEIGHT!!

Having 2 kids in 2 years, and working 2 teaching jobs and working as a duty manager in a health club (of all places) hasn't left me much time to dedicate the hours it takes for me to achieve a dancers physic. I couldn't confidently talk on camera about being a professional dancer and teacher, if I felt that I didn't look like one.This lead me to think more about, presentation of self. 

Online we can hide what we really look like, an old profile picture for some is a way of hiding our true image, so that we will not be open to judgement. But should there be any judgement?

Looking at my presentation on Web 2.0, my Facebook account is purely personal, while I like my profile pictures to be nice I don't consider how it may look to anyone in my field seeing it. Through my personal page I am linked to dance teacher groups and have even recently acquired teaching work through the pages but it has never occurred to me that my profile picture may skew someones impression of me. Many of my Facebook friends, would probably be surprised to hear that I'm still dancing or teaching. Visually my professional practice is very much something I just turn on when I am in a dance class and not at all represented by my media self. However 10 years ago, I was very much a dancer online, while there weren't the networks and online considerations that there are now, I wanted anyone viewing my profile to see that I was in fact a dancer.

2009 Facebook Profile

VS

 2018 Facebook Profile

When creating my blog, I'll admit that used a photo that is 8 years old, I didn't feel that a 'selfie' or family photo (the kind of image I'm usually in) was professional enough. Is it OK that my photo is out of date? Is this false representation? 

After having my first child I went to teach dance for a friend I danced with at college. I hadn't seen her for years and when she posted on Facebook she was looking for a teacher, I got straight in touch, and the job was mine. In our initial messages I did say " I have put on a lot of weight", it was only 3 months since having my son, so my friend laughed it off and said no more. I started the job a few weeks later and while there was no mention of my size, I felt that it was an issue. I was predominantly teaching the senior performance team, and while I created some original and well received dances, I felt there was never a great connection. Did they not take me seriously as a teacher? Did they not see me as a dancer? This may sound irrational, but I witnessed them come alive and act totally differently when they were taught by a 19 year old teacher straight from dance college. While it could have been down to my teaching style or personality, a part of me wonders if I would have had a better response if I was half the size having just come off tour with Little Mix?? Needless to say after going on maternity leave with my second child, I haven't discussed going back.

At the start of the course I was nervous of the Skype discussions as I didn't want anyone to see me (especially that awful laptop angle) I made sure I put make up on and even wore something dancey!! I was so relieved when there was no video. The stereotypes put on dancers has caused me now, when I am my most experienced and creative to be the least confident I have ever been. 

Presentation of self  has many angles of consideration. I started writing my blog, thinking i would have a balance of personal honesty and professionalism. Well I feel that's all gone out of the window, and while this is not something that will go into my critical reflection essay in great detail, the ethics surrounding size maybe something I continue to explore.

This whole blog was really inspired by the question below????

On Sunday nights X Factor there was a performance of 'This Is Me' performed by Keala Settle, it was a great arrangement but the first thing I noticed was that one of the dancers was - Whats the term?? ' Plus Sized' I hate that I even have to use a term, as she was fantastic. But was she merely part of the ensemble because of the message in the song? Would she become a regular on X Factor now?

What are the stereotypes that effect you and your practice? Are you your true-self online?

Twilight Tuesday Skype Session

It was great to connect with everyone on Tuesdays call. It was the little pick me up I felt I needed. I was late on to the call, due to technical issues, but I joined the call just as the group were discussing choreography as a practice and how we each go about creating what we do. This is something I have been reflecting on in my journal, as I find it fascinating how we transpose the ideas and thoughts we have into movement. When asked "How I create a dance?" there are integral steps such as listening to the music, imagining a story or shape to the routine, experimenting with bits of choreography. But there is an element that can't be explained. This made me think on Tacit Knowledge - we know more than we can tell (Polanyi and Sen, 2009) and I look forward to exploring this more.

I was pleased that we discussed our Areas Of Learning and it was really helpful for the learners on modules 2 and 3 to give us feedback on how they approached theirs. I had already written lists of what I had learnt and when, and started looking at links into Transdisciplinary Learning and if I could find areas of my learning that had developed through my practice. Matt Shepard from module 3 had a more simplistic suggestion. Similar in writing lists but picking out AOL's on a timeline theme.

• Write 2 lists - What I Know Now vs What I Need To Learn
• Pick an area of learning from - Before your training, During Training and 3 Years after training
• Identify - What you learnt, what you took from it and where it will go

I am currently looking into how I can generalise the following, so that I can do further research into how I can expand my knowledge. 

- Understanding Progressions and Breakdowns

Learnt as a child going through grades, example - Timesteps, I then used this knowledge in college and as a professional dancer. I now use this to teach syllabus classes and in lesson planning. In the future I'd like to apply this to academic work.

- How To Take An Appropriate Warm Up for Dance Style and Age

Performing daily warm ups at college, understanding how they improved my performance. Studying Health and Safety at DDI, injury prevention and having a deep understanding of why its important for students to have a warm up. Putting this into practice in my current teaching, and watching how the students respond. Developing this knowledge into a classroom setting to help motivation and energy.

- How To Use Imagery As A Teaching Method

Was taught as a child to 'leap over puddles'. Learnt to use imagination to perform. As a performer this helped my portrayal of the choreography. Focused a lot on this teaching method in ISTD DDI as useful for younger age groups - Example rocking a doll. Imagery is now one of my most useful tools while teaching, especially in Ballet and Modern. Will be a useful tool in Primary School teaching.

- How To Prepare Students For Exams

Took exams as a child, can remember the teacher giving me music and notes to practice in the kitchen. Took higher level exams at college, learning what it takes to gain high marks. Learnt in depth knowledge of syllabus at ISTD DDI. Developed abilities in class planning and exam coaching over years of teaching. Currently have a system of teaching exercises supported by giving the students learning materials and the right amount of correction. This is something I can use as a transition into further teaching. 

I will continue to work on these and other ideas so I can narrow them down to only 3 AOL's. If anyone has any feedback on the above I would be grateful. 

I enjoyed listening to the module 2 and 3 Students discuss there inquiry subjects and research. A few things I took away ....

- Look outside the arts - if you are struggling to find something relevant with the arts, explore outside. -eg- Physical Education

- To narrow down research look for the things that keep coming back to you

- Don't worry about having an idea of the end result (Artefact, Module 3) ( Reflection Essay Conclusion, Module 1) until you have spent the time on the research.

- It's OK the be in a bit of a 'Funk' now and then, especially when there is a great network of like minded individuals with ideas and motivation to get you going again. Just ask for help if needed.

I myself have felt in a bit of a 'FUNK' the last few weeks, with lots of extra dance teaching work, poorly children and birthday celebrations I feel like I've lost me flow. I'm looking forward to half term and losing myself in my Reflection Essay and Diagram development.

  

                                                             

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