Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry
Looking back on the foundation of
this course with Module One, I looked at the exploration of communication technologies,
utilised the reflection on my professional practice and identified professional
networks. These are still ongoing themes
within Module Two to develop my professional practitioner inquiry.
Developing
Lines of Professional Inquiry
To
find a line of inquiry I reflected back
to Module one and looked at the questions I previously asked, to see which ones
stood out and what I could relate to for the development of my career (Appendix
1). By extracting from a range of
knowledge, I was able to pinpoint an area in which I could develop further to
find out more and to benefit my professional practice. My area of interest has remained linked to
teaching within primary education and private performing arts schools as this
is where my current practice resides.
The
use of literature has helped me to link performing arts and mainstream education
(Appendix
2) to find out what is already known about transferable skills between these
two sectors (Appendix
3). Within this area of
questioning, it led me to look into interdisciplinary learning as a supporting
area to my inquiry question (Appendix
4). After identifying other peers
within the course who were looking into similar lines for their inquiries, I
decided to join a special interest group (SIG) relating to performing arts in
education (Appendix
5). This group has been a great
way to share ideas and thoughts, and to develop my lines for my professional
inquiry (Appendix
6).
Professional
Ethics
I considered the ethics that
surround my current professional practice, which was an important task required
to explore my chosen area for my professional inquiry (Appendix 7). I also looked at the codes of conduct
relating to my current practice to identify what may need to considered in
terms of carrying out research to support my inquiry (Appendix 8).
Once I had a better understanding
of what I would need to be looking at for the professional ethics of my
inquiry, I created a draft of my Ethics Form and Employer Support Form ready
for my inquiry plan. These forms,
together with the reflection of the ethical framework for my area of inquiry,
have enabled me to consider and understand the implications of ethics within my
professional practice (Appendix 9).
Tools
of Professional Inquiry
I began by critiquing the tools
available for my inquiry, investigating the benefits, limits and ethical considerations
of each to determine which tools would develop the research for my inquiry (Appendix
10). This concluded my decision to
use interviews, observations and surveys to collect data which could be used to
inform my inquiry topic. I created a
pilot trial of a survey which I relayed on my blog, within my SIG and to my
professional community (Appendix
11). This not only gave me an
insight into the responses but also allowed me to see what needed to be
improved as well as structural layout discussed within my SIG (See comments: Appendix 12).
Conclusion
The three themes discussed here
have enhanced my knowledge within my professional practice and developed a set
of questions which will benefit my understanding of the performing arts and
whether they can be linked within education.
Thanks Lisa
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