Last discussion

Last night at work i went in early and took my notes for my final write up as i tweaked and added a few bits. A number of parents were present (whose children i teach) and were curious to know what i was writing. I explained my line of inquiry and they all became very interested in the subject, but said they had never really thought about it; one mother said she had so much trust in the teachers at the school that it never crossed her mind, having been leaving her daughter with us since she was 3 years old. I talked about the younger children and how we are no longer allowed to administer things such as plasters if a child should hurt themselves, due to allergies etc. I also explained that if a young child should become distressed in anyway, in certain environment some parents would be uncomfortable with me picking that child up to comfort them. One mother who has asked not to be named but happy to be quoted stated 'i would be horrified to know that my child had become distressed and the teacher had not tended to them by giving them a cuddle or picking them up. But perhaps thats because i am a very tactile person.' As a parent myself now i have to say i would agree with this - if and when my child attends classes i would certainly want the teacher to physically comfort her if this was needed. If a young child is in my class and begins to cry then my instinct has always been to cuddle them. I do think twice now about this and make sure i have a good relationship with parents so they can feel comfortable leaving their child in my care.

evaluating my research tools

I have recently been evaluating my research tools in preparation for my final write up. i realised that the majority of my literature had come from online resources such as articles and ebooks and i have used social media and email to conduct interviews and talk to other practitioners. Social media and the growth and expansion of the internet is a fantastic tool but can also be a danger. In relation to my question regarding safeguarding, there is nothing to protect children from the internet, its so easily accessible, making it a fantastic and easy resource tool for myself but a danger to those using it incorrectly.

A main concern of mine when first researching my inquiry was considering safe dance practice; that without the use of physical correction certain dance steps could not be taught safely; safe dance practice must be observed to avoid injury. Due to the rise of social media, images and videos of dance steps are easily viewed on a daily basis by platforms such as facebook, youtube and twitter. Those watching these videos, which are often of advanced and difficult steps being executed by professionals, are trying to recreate these images and as a result hurting themselves.



http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-12/young-dancers-injured-by-extreme-overstretching-exercises/6847796

reflective journal

I have found keeping a reflective journal to be one of the most valuable tools during my inquiry. It has become a therapeutic exercise at the end of a long day especially if classes have been tough due to stress of an exam or a show or students. It has also allowed me to see how my outlook has changed greatly from this professional inquiry as i have learnt so much about what i thought I already knew. Looking back through it and seeing how my lesson plans have changed and adapted and how i now communicate with my students has made me consider that those in the profession who read my PI could also benefit greatly from it. I feel i have a new understanding of teaching by considering safeguarding as whole and stepping away from my comfort zone; my school, my training, my routine, and using new techniques and ideas. I hope that i can encourage my students to keep a relfective journal as i feel it as been so beneficial to my personal learning and development, as well as a tool for my inquiry

learning theories

I have recently been doing a lot of reading on learning theories in childhood after taking my topic of safe guarding and considering the mental aspect as well as the physical. The more i read the more i find that communication with your students and the environment that you provide are so important to teaching and how a child learns. The definition of safeguarding talks of a nurturing and safe environment; looking at theories such as 'contructivism' (an approach to teaching and learning based on the premise that cognition is the result of mental construction (1)) and Vygotsky's social development thoery (argues that social interaction precedes development; consciousness and cognition are the end product of socialization and social behavior (2)) i considered that perhaps the mental aspect of safeguarding could actually be improving how we teach dancing. By providing a safe environment for children to express themselves and be themselves in whilst developing social skills with other children, interacting through dance and communicating better children can learn effectively - despite dance being a visual and physical subject, demonstration and physical correction is just a small part.



(1) Learning theories in childhood, Collette Gray and Sean McBlain, 2012 SAGE publications LTD
(2) http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html

Outcome versus process

After reading through my last blog and the comment left by Paula about outcome versus process i looked into this through literature to compare with my new approach to teaching. My concern was that without physical correction and focus on specifics technical ability would be lost. However after reading Dance psychology for artistic and performance excellence, i found this was not always the case: 'many dancers believe that focusing on the outcome increases their chances of desired result.' This is certainly how i had always taught, thinking about my students exam results or where they might place in competitions. Since i have changed my teaching methods and techniques i have become less focused on outcome and started to see more enjoyment from the children, not a drop in their results or performance. A particular comment resonated when reading this: 'the outcome only appears after the process has taken place.' So in order for my students to really achieve i must help them through this creative process, to have the experience needed. Therefore as important as other teaching methods and techniques are, these things perhaps are futile without the understanding behind the steps - thinking about artistry and musicality.

commentary and evaluation on research undertaken

I mentioned in an earlier post about changing my 'normal' comfortable lesson plan and trying a different technique and method after discussing assumptions. Reading back over my journal i found i was very nervous about doing this but really enjoyed the experience; mainly as the response i got from my students was wonderful. To see them working creatively together and thinking more about learning to experience feeling in movement rather than the outcome being a perfectly demonstrated step or sequence was wonderful and reminded me why i had started dancing in the first place - because of how dance and movement can make you feel.

I compared this experience directly with an interview question that i had asked 'what teaching methods do you use when teaching children?' The practitioners who work within my practice listed teaching methods typical to that of working toward a specific outcome, teaching methods that i always use within my lesson plans; 'group and individual feedback, physical and verbal correction, task setting' However those from a creative background did not mention physical correction at all: 'community techniques which include everyone and are more therapeutic to a dance school framework. Trying to engage all with the intention of learning from the process rather than the outcome.' However both backgrounds had undertaken safe guarding courses and were aware of policies within their own practice regarding child protection.

Whilst dance i feel needs some kind of physical correction in order to achieve goals such as exams, this creative technique is something i will try and include in my lesson plans regularly in order to achieve a more well rounded practice.

update of inquiry progress

I have contacted and spoken with 2 other practitioners who work and studied in a more creative dance environment to that of my own. I have interviewed them using the same questions as those asked of my peers who work within my dance school to compare and see experiences beyond my own. I will blog more on this and the comparisons made in regards to my inquiry later.

Taking on board these different techniques of teaching, i planned a class last night different to my usual style of teaching and took on a more creative approach, involving them choreographing their own pieces of dance. I gave my students 4 steps related to their genre and grade and gave them some free music, asked them to discuss how the music made them feel/think and then got them to dance that feeling, using the steps given as well as their own. It was interesting to see them talk about the music and it was awkward to start but once the class relaxed they produced some lovely choreography. We did not talk about technique at all, nor did i correct any steps that were not picture perfect.  I have written about this on more detail last night in my journal which i will post and use as evidence later.

I planned and led this class with somatic practice in mind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatics)  and my next step is to look at other learning theories such as that of Schon, reflecting more and link to my inquiry using literature.

Our own practice needs to be constantly reviewed - things change such as syllabus and we as practitioners must go on courses to update our knowledge and keep our ideas fresh. CPD is essential in this profession. As well as going on these courses, speaking to other professionals outside our own practice is invaluable and i have found this so helpful in terms of now mixing up my lesson plans and trying out different ideas.

In direct relation to my inquiry i took a basic safeguarding course over the summer and have since updated this, taking a more in depth course online via high speed training; safeguarding is a buzzword right now. There are many articles on young people pushing themselves too far in order to achieve what is expected of them (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-12/intense-competition-drives-young-dancers-to/6848432)
As much as laws are in place for protecting children, they are pushing themselves in order to achieve what they feel is neccesary to be successful.

Another interesting article relating to the loss of the 'soul' in dance http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jul/12/contemporary-dance-debate-shechter-khan-newson-laban-students-training