Initially I found it hard to find my line
of inquiry as I had a number of different questions and ideas that I was
interested in.(appendix A) I took part in an online skype session and was
comforted to hear a lot of others on the course were also struggling to find
direction. I knew once I had a focus I would find it easier to continue so sent
out my different questions to work colleagues and employers to see what their
opinion on the subjects were. After some further reading and discussions with
those in my community of practice and on the course I decided to continue to
explore the safeguarding of children and whether or not it has affected dance
teaching. It was an issue that I was dealing with on a daily basis as a dance
teacher and found when talking to my peers that it was something they too were
becoming more aware of (Appendix B). Continued research led me to learn that the topic
was currently being discussed in higher education (Appendix C)) and realised this could
be a very interesting focus.
After reading Adelosa’s blog regarding
ethics and making ‘assumptions’ I found that my own feelings and opinions on
the subject due to my style of teaching were affecting my reviews initially of
literature and swaying questions and conversations toward certain points (Appendix D). I
have now focused on keeping my research neutral rather than trying to find an
‘answer’ that I agree with before conducting and completing my research. I have
learnt that my topic is one with many ethical considerations due to children
being involved; there is much literature on dance teaching and its ethics (appendix F) and I
am very aware of handling this subject sensitively.
The literature available on safeguarding
policies online was extensive as the safeguarding of children has become a
great focus over the past 15 years but I soon found there was a lack of 'rules'
for those in dance education. There is set legislature for those in the medical
profession and other sports such as gymnastics and football but nothing for
dancing (Appendix E) I felt this was where the problem lay as dance teachers as a
group have nothing official to follow and wanted to explore this further and to
question teachers on this. I developed a few practice questions and dry ran a
few of these with colleagues and friends to see how this worked and supported
my research.(Appendix G) I also observed a friends dance class taking place and took notes
on how she taught in regards to physical corrections.(Appendix G) By conducting these ‘dry
runs’ I was able to plan how to continue my inquiry best and learn what
questions and techniques would be best suitable.
I hope that my learning over the course of
this module has allowed me to develop a significant and important subject to
study in my practice. I hope that the plan I have formulated from my learning
is successful and allows me to come to a conclusion that will benefit myself
and others in dance and dance education.
Appendices:
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