Keeping it simple

I plan to create a visual map for my literature review, I have been collecting literature throughout my inquiry planning that I will use for examples of different perspectives and discourses but I wanted to make it more visual and wanted to include images of the key scholars and theorist I have been researching. One of these is Howard Gardner, I have read through some (not all he has over 30 books) of his key books, articles on google scholar and watched interviews on youtube.

It was only when I realised I needed an image of him that I simply googled 'Howard Gardner' this is when I had a total OMG moment and slapped my own forehead, why hadn't I done this before???? 

Image - Pinterest  - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/769482286304388853/

Howard Gardner has 2 dedicated websites, with questions and answer pages, I can even follow him on twitter and he has over 5000 hashtags on Instagram! I had been so wrapped up in finding literature through 'reputable sources' that I hadn't done a basic google search. 
This realisation has helped me find new literature to add to my research and reminded me to sometimes Keep It Simple. 

The Practicalities of Practice Based Inquiry

As we are nearing the end of Module 2  it was really helpful to have a Skype Discussion with the focus on the Practicalities of doing an inquiry. 

I had already drafted my inquiry plan and sent it for feedback, but the call reminded me that discussion can help you see things from different angles. As we were discussing how we are going to consider Data Protection of our Data Collection we discussed password protecting computer documents this helped me re-consider how I am going to keep my notes for my observations. Instead of a notebook to store my thoughts and observations, I can keep them securely on my laptop. 

We also discussed, how we are planning to note take and how this can affect our interviewee or participant. I plan to observe my fellow dance teachers at my place of employment over the course of a few weeks and plan to make my observations as unobtrusive as possible. For this reason, I feel typing will be off-putting in a lesson setting plus I will find it difficult to type and observe at the same time, so I have planned to take notes on paper, which I will be able to shred once I have typed them into a word document that I can then password protect. It was also suggested that we consider back-ups of our information, such as an external hard drive or pen drive, that can also be password protected. 

It did take a while for us all to get in the right mindset of thinking of practicalities, Adesola suggested we start thinking like we have hired an assistant to help carry out our Inquiry Plan, this is to remind us that we have to consider how we are planning to carry out each step and how we are going to explain the reasoning behind these steps.

We also briefly discussed analysis and how we can be prepared for many different outcomes, it was thought-provoking to consider that sometimes if there are gaps in literature or you do not get the co-operation from participants that you were hoping for that this is all information for analysis. For example, if you are contacting someone to interview about Support in the Arts or Guidance in Career choices and they do not get back to you, Could this be considered as a lack of support or guidance??

I will be applying these thoughts and discussions to my final draft, I have also received my feedback and I am pleased that I have made many good points, and only need to re-word a few paragraphs.
I do however have a lot of work to do putting together my Literature Review, I am planning to create a Map similar to my Module 1 Diagram. 

Good Luck to everyone finalising your drafts, if anyone wants to share how you are getting on or any thoughts you have had after recent Skype Calls it will be great to hear from you.  

Trans-Adams, M. (2013). Research Paradigm - Interpretivist. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbLbEexQrwI [Accessed 16 Mar. 2019].

AS I am currently exploring the realms of Howard Gardners Multiple Intelligences, I found this musical example of an Interpretive Paradigm very interesting. 

I find that I can only read so much literature before it stops sinking in, and have been struggling to resonate with the ideas of paradigms and make the understanding my own. Yet this 2-minute video with no words or literature helped me clarify how I am going to explain my current thoughts within my inquiry plan.

I could say it spoke to my Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence!!

 In Qualitative research, you are in a position to hear, read, watch information and existing research in your chosen field, it is then your role to find a new meaning for that information while staying within the realms of its original meaning.

The pianist used the same melody and timing, yet gave the music more texture and depth. I hope this makes sense to someone.

 Please share your thoughts on any findings you have that are not purely literature based. 

Striving For Perfection

On our last Skype call, there were a few fellow Module 2 Students who were discussing, body image, mental health and general well being in dance. I came across this blog, which has a nice narrative.

http://ambrymehr.com/2018/10/25/dancers-the-mirror-the-ugly-truth-behind-striving-for-perfection/

I hope everyone is doing well with thier drafts, I am literally having a cram it all in a day kind of day. And questioning my whole inquiry question.

I'm hoping its just all part of the process....... 

Module 2 Skype Call - 7th March

On Thursday 7th March we had a Skype call with a Module 2 focus entitled - What if you can't interview someone?

However, I feel that the call was more about the value of an interview to a qualitative research project. The bottom line is, What new information can an interview bring to your inquiry if you are asking questions that you have devised from purely your own thought processes? Will you be asking questions that inform you or are you encouraging your interviewee to say yes or no in order to agree with your existing thoughts?

The Skype call helped me and most of us on the call to realise that there may be a more fitting form of data collection to suit our inquiry that doesn't include an interview.

I had initially thought that I would use Observations of classes/internet tutorials and focus groups to discuss what my fellow teachers understanding of multiple intelligences were and if they felt they applied this knowledge to teaching. But the call introduced more appropriate data collection forms.

Reflective Observations - A reflective essay can be used as a form of data collection, in a narrative inquiry your personal experiences count as knowledge within your practice. It was a reflection on a past teaching experience that first piqued my interest in my inquiry topic, so I now plan you include my own experiences past and present into my inquiry plan. 

Existing Literature/Reviewing Documents  - When I first started looking into my inquiry topic, I knew that there was lots of available literature from many different perspectives, and while I was aware I had to do a literature review I hadn't realised that I could source existing literature to directly apply as data collection. On the call, Adesola implied that I could probably complete my whole inquiry based on existing literature. While I have found some great pieces of information I feel I would add more depth to my inquiry if I looked outside the literature and made it real to me. 

We also discussed what our current inquiry ideas were and how we are making them non-biased and not focusing on what we already think the answer is. This led me to look more into Ethnography and I found a few useful explanations.

'The true skills of the ethnographer are learning to observe, ask the right questions and at the right time to cause minimal influence on the actions of your subjects' (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2016)

'You go in search of truth rather than taking truths with you' (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2016)

I am hoping a combination of my inside view and theory of others found in my literature review will make my inquiry balanced while ensuring I have reflexivity in my own data capture and a range of thoughts from notable scholars in my literature.

  
I have now tasked myself with rewriting my inquiry topic question/heading so that it isn't a right or wrong I am trying to prove but instead an open query that will add knowledge to my own current practice and the professional transitions in my future. 



Bibliography 

The Interaction Design Foundation. (2016). What Does an Ethnographer Do?. [online] Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/what-does-an-ethnographer-do [Accessed 11 Mar. 2019].

Sharing Is Caring - Group Discussion 26th Feb 2019

I always enter into the group discussions with apprehension, it's not until everyone starts sharing that I feel at ease. It is reassuring to hear that we are at similar stages and once the conversation starts flowing, it's easy to share ideas and give and take advice. It's also nice that I now recognise most of the voices and now have an understanding of what the practices are behind those voices. Last night we discussed the following.

What to do with our research?

By the time we reach Module 3, we will have accumulated a lot of research, those currently on Module 3 suggested creating something visual with it to see what was relevant and how to arrange it. 

Lists of For or Against/High or Low Importance

Create a mindmap 

Hi-Light Keywords to see the themes.

Diagrams and Artifacts 

We then discussed our Diagrams from Module 1 and how the ideas behind them continue to develop through all the modules. Here is my diagram from Module 1.

I found it helpful, to consider building on this original idea and improving it for my literature review for module 2.

Method & Methodology 

I was thankful for Helen clarifying that method and methodology have 2 different meanings. While I understood that we are using Qualitative Research there are other considerations that will help determine our methods. 

Do we want to capture real thoughts, processes and emotions? 

Are we looking for people to share their experiences instead of just giving YES/NO answers?

Are our methods relevant to our practice?

Will we learn something new instead of angling our research towards our own thoughts?

This part of the conversation has reminded me that I need to concentrate on researching how to research and reading the recommended module list as well as looking into the inquiry topic.

The conversation continued into the method of Observation and how we are encouraged to Observe as much as we can. However, we must keep an open mind and not have preconceptions of what we are looking for. 

I was concerned that my participants may feel that I may be critical of their work, but I was reminded by Andrew, that as professionals we are used to feedback and it can come from a positive place. Sharing is how we learn. 

If you have anything to share or any questions on our Group Discussion please do comment

Multiple Intelligences - Where Do You Fit In?

My search for an inquiry subject has so far lead me from discussing how dance has become more about tricks than technique, to dance in competitions, to the changing of dance in the private sector, and now onto the acknowledgement of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, H. 1983) in Dance Teaching, or something along those lines.

I touched on Howard Gardner's work while studying for my ISTD DDI Teaching Qualification and have always been interested in how we all fall under different categories and often used the excuse that I'm a 'Kinesthetic Learner ' so, therefore, rubbish at Math. (which is not necessarily true).

We touched on the subject again in Module 1 but I was concentrating more on the big ethical questions within dance teaching, so did not explore it further at that time. It is only now when I am looking for a subject that is relevant to my practice, will benefit myself and my students and also increase my knowledge for a future in Primary Education outside of Dance, I feel I can fully indulge my 'Wonders' and delve deeper into the theories and ideas behind Multiple Intelligencies.

Below are the 8 Intelligencies proposed by Howard Gardner, it's most likely that we all come under 2 or more intelligence, which compliments our transdisciplinary practices, but which Intelligence powers your practice?

Image (Study & Succeed, 2017)[online]

This diagram labels me as - Bodily-Kinesthetic quite clearly saying that a potential occupation for me is a dancer. But I also have Musical Rhythmic Intelligence, I can't play an instrument but I can Tap Dance (manipulating patterns in sound with my feet)  Spatial Intelligence is vital as a dancer and choreographer using the ability to read your own space and create a piece of work in a set space.

I also took an Online Test at - https://personalitymax.com/multiple-intelligences-test/

At this point, I am still reviewing the literature, and WOW there's a lot to look into, so I am not taking the above results as Gospel, but I find it interesting that my Kinesthetic traits are not as strong as I thought.

If you have 4 minutes to take the test I would love to hear your results in the comments along with what your practice is. [Link Above]

As a dance teacher in the private sector, the students that come to me will also fall under a number of intelligences. How can I acknowledge that while they have chosen to come to dance lessons, they may not have a natural Bodily-kinesthetic or Musical Rhythmic Intelligence? Is there a way to develop their skills using different techniques that will appeal to their personal intelligences? 

This is where my inquiry is taking me, I am finding some great scholars that I really resonate with, within the Dance Pedagogy Field and I'm looking forward to piecing it all together. 

Reference 

Image -Study & Succeed (2017). Multiple Intelligence. [image] Available at: https://studyandsucceed.com/howard-gardner-multiple-intelligences/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].

Image - Personality Max. (2019). Multiple Intelligences Test (Free) - Personality Max. [online] Available at: https://personalitymax.com/multiple-intelligences-test/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].

Gardner, H. 1983 - Frames of Mind The Theory of Multiple Intelligences