Task 3b: Theories relating to networking

The concepts detailed in Reader 3 (Middlesex University, 2014), were not something I was aware of but have come across in my professional practise.  Looking into these has made me think how I have used these within my current networking and how they can apply to my future networking.


Concepts of the Professional Network

Cooperation

Cooperation and Game Theory were at first quite hard aspects for me to absorb.  Although the idea of cooperation is certainly one in which I come across in my everyday life, the depth in which it can be used as a strategy were not familiar to me.  

Axelrod, a researcher into the concept of cooperation, asked the question 'Should a friend keep providing favors to another friend who never reciprocates'. (Axelrod, 1984) (1).  

I cant say that I have come across this situation, but I am aware that this does happen in the performing world.  The knowledge of an audition can be like gold dust.  If only a limited amount of people know the details of an upcoming audition, then you are essentially giving yourself less competition and therefore a better chance of being noticed.  I have a very close group of friends and within this network in the past we would share information on upcoming auditions that we had the knowledge of.  This was a 'tit for tat' strategy of cooperation which we all used.  

Axelrod realised that this was a common approach after setting up players in games of the Prisoner's Dilemma.  I tried the game for myself using a variety of strategies to see the effect, and sure enough the mutual use of cooperation seemed to be very effective.      

Cooperation could be a useful networking tool to enable an exchange in information to help open new doors.  I don't like to think of this as a tactic or strategy but more of a mutual form of help and direction.

Affiliation

I have certainly used the concept of affiliation within my practice and can now identify that this is a common way to create new networks. 

The world of performing and teaching is very social.  You are constantly surrounded by people and some of those you naturally affiliate with, possibly because you have mutual interests or even to relieve a situation in knowing you have someone to talk to. 

It is only with a growing confidence and consistency of being exposed into social situations that I have found the use of affiliation to be that of a common one. 

Affiliation can be a provider of a 'network of support that will help us when we are in need'. (Crisp & Turner, 2007)(2)  This can be seen as just one of the desires to create such an affiliation with individuals.


Social Constructionism

The idea of constructionism is that by use of networking and interaction with others we can 'construct' meanings.  We do not discover these meanings but by sharing experiences  and knowledge we can create our own understanding of the world.

Michael Crotty looked at writers who pointed out that within the world an 'actual meaning emerges only when the consciousness engages with them' (Crotty,M 2005)(3).  In this sense relating to networking it is the conscious effort to socialise with others that will create a meaning to be understood.

It is by the way that we 'engage' with the world that constructs these meanings according to the theory of constructionism.

I find this theory particularly hard to grasp and although I can see links to the idea of networking, I am still unsure as to how relevant it may be for me, especially in terms of progressing.  Surely if you are networking, then the idea of constructionism is an unconscious result of that?


Connectivism

Networking to me is all about a way of connecting to learn.  Connectivism is the theory of this and suggests how we can use the knowledge we have gained from connections based on the knowledge that we already have.

'Within social networks, hubs are well-connected people who are able to foster and maintain knowledge flow' (Siemans,G 2004) (4)

As previously mentioned one form of networking that I have used has been Facebook groups.  One group in particular is described as the 'Dance Teachers Hub', and this group allows a variety of dance teachers of different organisations, backgrounds and styles to constantly add and supply knowledge to each other.

'The starting point of connectivism is the individual. Personal knowledge is comprised of a network, which feeds into organizations and institutions, which in turn feed back into the network, and then continue to provide learning to individual. This cycle of knowledge development (personal to network to organization) allows learners to remain current in their field through the connections they have formed.'  (Siemans,G 2004)

Everyone has their own level of knowledge which almost works as an ever-growing pool of information.  The networking formats that I currently use allow me to stay fresh and updated with relevant information in order to deliver a sound  level of practice. 


Communities of Practice

'A community of practice is a set of relations among persons, activity, and world, over time and in relation with other tangential and overlapping communities of practice.  A community of practice is an intrinsic condition for the existence of knowledge...' (Lave, Jean and Wenger, Etienne, 1991)(5)

In terms of networking this is one of my most preferred methods of learning.  I would describe one type of community I belong to as a practical engagement with others.  As a dancer and teacher I have spent most of my educated life as a practical learner.  This in turn has become a poular way for me to network.

Myself and a group of dancers who are still working along with others who are now teaching have a regular dance class set up by a previous colleague I have worked with.  This type of community allows us to share choreographic ideas, information on auditions and possible cover for teaching classes.  Without this community of practice, we would have one less form of networking.

REFERENCES

1. Axelrod,R (1984) The Evolution of Cooperation. Preface. London: Penguin 

2. Crisp,J & Turner,R (2007) Essential Social Psychology (2nd Ed). Affiliation and Attraction. London: Sage 

3. Crotty,M (2005) The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process. Constructionism: the making of meaning. London: Sage

4. Siemans,G (2004) Connectivism: A Learning Theaory for the Digital Age
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm (Accessed 2 December 2014)

5. Lave, Jean and Wenger, Etienne (1991) Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Chapter 4: Legitimate peripheral participation in communities of practice. Cambridge University Press

Task 3c: Sources of Information

Information can be found everywhere.  Yes the internet and Web 2.0 is now a big pool to source information from but do we sometimes forget that we can use each other for information?  I decided to look into the benefits of the varied sources of information I use for my professional practise...

Websites

I love google!  If I have a question that I don't know the answer to, I am more than likely to google it.  With sites like Wikipedia, we have information at our finger tips.  I have very often used this to support my teaching, for example if I can't remember the definition of a ballet term or if I need to get words for a song I am planning on doing.  In the same way I use the web to search for inspiration.  If I am struggling to devise a themed session plan then I use a teachers site where others post their session plans to help others.

Books/Articles

Since joining the world of blogging I have been reading more articles.  Some of which have given me ideas for dance classes, particularly those that improve the technique or flexibility of dancers.  Although I would say I have a sound knowledge of appropriate exercises, what works for one, may not work for the other so it is always useful to have other ideas. 

Books have been very vital to the teaching I do in dance schools.  The syllabus of ISTD has changed several times since I did my training at college.  Because of this, the use of syllabus books have been my bible to learn new exercises.

Facebook

As previously mentioned in tasks I have joined several 'teaching' groups on facebook.  These forms of communication provide a great location for other teachers to share their knowledge and to learn new things.  These have proved a great source of information for finding new pieces of music or themes to suit a new piece of choreography.

Face to Face

An obvious choice to find out information about something is to speak to someone face to face.  This has been an important part of working in a professional environment when there is important information you may need to know.  Within my practice in schools I have found that unless you ask fellow teaching members, you will never be told all the information which should be vital to teaching in a school environment.  This is an on going form of communication I use to find out information about students which may aid my teaching methods and to also give feedback to teachers about student progress.

Visual

You tube has provided some great videos for me to learn new positions, movements and styles of dance.  I was recently asked to deliver African dance for a term and so the use of you tube helped me to understand the style and to also as a visual aid for the students to see some traditional dance.  Pictures have also helped when organising costumes for a particular era, just a quick click on google and there you have an array of images to show the style of clothing you need.

I am currently working on a Bugsy Malone themed medley for an upcoming show so put together the document below with varied images to inspire costume, style and movement ideas.  The sources of these images came from a simple google image search using a variety of search words to gather images of interest.

A compilation of images to inspire me

Information will always be essential for the line of work I am progressing towards, and what a great way to learn.  I find that varied sources and styles of information can create different ideas and manifest exciting inspiration that will hopefully inspire others in the same way.

 

Task 3a: Current Networks

When I originally considered the use of networking, I didn't feel like it was a huge part of my professional practice.  As I thought back on the progression of my career (which has been very varied) I actually realised that without networking I probably wouldn't have discovered so many spectrum's to the industry I have been associated with.

I have considered the following questions...

• What are the current and different ways (tools) that you have, or do, engage your professional network?

Diagram showing my current networking tools



I put together this diagram as a visual aid to show the range of different tools I currently use.  Previously as a performer I very often used tools that would act as a network for auditions.  These sites have now become extremely popular and are now in the position where they are making money from subscriptions as opposed to free roaming and the use of setting up your own online CV.

 

Since making the transition into teaching I have found other ways to network which in some cases has led me into employment.  Without the use of these tools I would have not found employment so accessible. 

 

All these tools work in different ways and vary in their professional status.  Sites such as 'linked in' and blogs may be seen as a more professional way to network.  However, I have several Facebook groups to which like-minded dance teachers input posts to find teachers and to even ask for advice.

 

I feel that networking is no longer a professional tool and can now be used as just a simple text from friend to friend, or even a Facebook message through a mutual contact.  I have used different variations of all of these tools and even the more casual of them has been effective in one way or another.

 

 • Are there methods, approaches and technologies that you use socially that might apply and help you develop your professional networking?

 

I have recently joined a teaching agency which I actually connected with through Linked In.  I wanted the opportunity to gain a more varied experience in schools so decided that by joining an established agency I can network whilst working in schools as I continue on this course.  Through this style of work I hope I can develop my professional networking and set myself up for when I have finished my degree. 

 

I have also been using, and will continue to, communicate to mutual friends via Facebook, email and personal meetings.  These professionals are already established within education in similar or the same fields as what I am interested in progressing into.  So far their knowledge has led me to taking on this degree and considering my options for the future.

 

 

 • When you reflect upon current networks, can you think about the motives of others to be in the network and what values and purpose they have in mind?

 

I think anyone who uses networking as a tool is very wise.  There is nothing to lose by communicating with others, especially others who may have an insight or more experience to offer you.  Recently I was in this situation where someone contacted me on Facebook after seeing a post I put on a dance teachers hub group.  This fellow teacher was asking my advise on the degree I am taking and what it involves.

 

I believe that networking is an important tool to use to gain possible contacts for job opportunities.  This has been a very valuable way for me to gain varied work and maintain a relationship with others that I may need to return the favour too.  Luckily I have a large circle of friends who teach which has been helpful to many of us at times to locate someone who is suitable and available to cover classes.

 • What would your ideal network look like and why?  What realistic things could you do to work towards developing your ideal network?

For now the networking I use is suitable for what I need and I have recently been very aware of the fact I have take on this degree and so need to allow free time to focus on that.  I have always been luckily in that I have always managed to fill up my days sufficiently with enough work to gain experience and earn a regular amount. 

 

As I continue in this process I know I will need to expand my current networks and branch out further into education.  At the moment all my experience in teaching has been in Primary Schools and Dance Schools.  To get to where I would like to be, I will eventually need to develop into Secondary education and use a different network of teachers.  

 

I have recently registered myself on the following website http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching to look into options for the future and was sent an email with details on a 'Train to Teach Roadshow'.  Events like these can be a valuable way to network with already established professionals and get an insight into what this line of work involves.

 

'Get into teaching' website

 

    

 • What tools and methods do you need to use? What do you know about your current, and intended networks, and importantly, what do you not know?

I think for the future that I need to stay on top of my current networks and keep online profiles and CVs up to date.  Although I have set up my own Linked In profile I haven't really used this in terms of networking so think this would be a useful tool to help develop new circles of professionals.   

Task 2d: Inquiry

I  haven't thought much about where I would go with my inquiry as I was hoping that something would just emerge!  I would like to focus on something in which I have experience in and use the idea of reflection to really immerse myself into a pool of ideas.  So I have asked myself the following given questions in hope that a great idea will present itself... 

* What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

Generally when I teach I maintain a great deal of my enthusiasm.  What really drives me is the determination from the students that I teach and the improvement seen as they develop their own understanding of what they are trying to achieve.  This is generally something more achievable in a more mature student but what always fascinates me is when one student has the ability to immediately pick up a step and when another doesn't.  In this case, both students would be of the same age and level, but what prevents one from understanding the step at a slower rate.  My enthusiasm of teaching allows me to devise multiple ways to ensure that everyone is able to achieve a movement when I am teaching it.  

I have a general admiration for all teachers who have the capability to teach what they love.  Whether it be Sport, Dance or English.  I have worked with many different people; other performers, teachers, choreographers and coaches.  And all of these have one thing in common, they are all doing what they love to do!

Possible lines of inquiry:

• Which factors affect the learning process of dance? 
• Is there a preferred age to introduce dance to a child to improve chances of a performing career?
• What effects do teaching methods have on the effects of learning?              

* What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found away to work around the sadness or anger?

A problem I have encountered on numerous occasions is the negative comments from some of the students I teach.  This is more common again in the older students I teach, where the thoughts of giving up seem to be the predominant ones.  This is one of the most frustrating situations I can find myself in as a teacher, and I struggle to understand it.  Although as a child I would frustrate myself learning to do a new step I couldn't seem to master, I don't think I ever vocally announced it and would certainly not give up easily.  But this makes it difficult for me to teach and also affects other students in the class.  

A colleague that I worked with had a case of negativity in her class and to resolve this she sat the whole class down and stated that she did not want to hear any such negativity when in a class together.  This made all students aware of what she expected and meant that the other students backed her up if ever a case like this was to arise again.  I worked as a team effort to maintain the positive energy and keep morale up when finding an exercise or movement hard to grasp.

Unfortunately there is still a stigma attached to the way you need to look to be a dancer.  Luckily where I am now out of this type of industry I don't have to experience it but I am fully aware of its existence.  Although it has never directly affected me, when I was at college it was distressing to see how it would affect some of my friends.  That's not to say that they were ever directly told that they needed to change their bodies in order to be a successful dancer, but with the expectations of how we should look made them question whether they needed to lose weight in order to be the right size to dance.  The fact that some of the costumes we would be expected to wear would be similar to 'showgirl' style leotards, would bring on a worrying flurry of weight loss.  Fortunately a friend of mine never let this phase her and I saw a great determination, despite being told that she needed to lose weight at an audition.  She did make it as a professional dancer and proved that it doesn't always matter what size you are.     
   

Possible lines of inquiry:

• How can negative thoughts and feelings affect an individual when learning?
• What are the expectations of dancers with regards to appearance?            

* What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

As a teacher my most memorable experiences are always those in which I see a student achieve something they couldn't before.  That moment when they understand a movement and can perform it accurately without hesitation.  I love passing on my knowledge to others to enrich their learning and understanding.  Recently I have seen a shift in confidence in one of my younger students, and after teacher her for two years, she has completely come out of her shell.  This progression in my students makes me appreciate the role I have and the difference I can make.  

Possible lines of inquiry:

• How can dance develop life skills?
• What difference can you make as a teacher? 

*  What do you feel you don’t understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?

I always wonder how possible it would be to make a career as a self-employed dancer?  I fulfilled my career as a dancer and although it was maybe not as long as I would have liked, I did have the option to continue.  My main reason for this was because I wanted the security for the future and whilst dancing gave me so much enjoyment, it was not giving me the guarantee that I would be secure in years to come.  The advantage I did have on this was that I had already achieved some of my teaching qualifications at college and this was always a second career that was still related to my training.

For many years I have been self-employed taking on multiple jobs at one time to be working six days a week and only to earn an average salary.  So what I don't understand is, how is it possible to maintain such an unpredictable and unsteady career and create a future? 

I admire anyone who has the type of business mind which has allowed them to explore the world of teaching and set up their own dance school.  Last year I taught for an expanding theatre school which was set up in 2010.  Since then, they have continued their success and now have five academies running in Kent.  The drive I have witnessed from all the teachers involved in this successful business has overwhelmed me and I could not imagine running such a large business.  And so this proves that you can be successful certainly as a self-employed performing arts teacher.  But I can imagine how much work needs to be done to achieve such a respected goal!      

Possible lines of inquiry:

• Is it possible to build a long-lasting career from dance?
• How much knowledge do you need in order to be successful in a dance career?

 

*  How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more generally in society? For example, what level of physical contact would you deem appropriate (and not) from another professional that you would find unacceptable more generally? Why?

Over time the question of ethics have indeed become more apparent.  More care and thought is needed especially within the teaching environment.  This has been an essential part of my learning as I have progressed with my teaching practise and especially more noticeable since teaching within education.  From a young age the 'hand on' approach used when I was being taught was never something I thought about.  In fact the use of correction from my previous teachers I found essential to my learning of dance.  As I was not lucky enough to have to use of mirrors when in dance classes as a child, my teacher would use subtle adjustments of my body to manoeuvre me into correct positions.  This brings in the idea of muscle memory as so once you have the right position, you feel the position and come to realise where the body needs to be.  And so next time you go to that position your body feels the familiarity of the correct placement.  With the high awareness of physical contact in schools, I have found this a particularly hard concept to master. 

Whilst recently taking my gymnastics coaching qualification, we were required to look into the teaching styles that can be used.  This helped me to overcome the levels of physical contact that are deemed appropriate within dance in education.  We explored the use of questioning:  Using questions to check the understanding of the student.  For example, "Where do you think your leg needs to be?"  With open-ended questions like this you allow time for the student to think and respond.  Their time for thinking means that they can aim to correct themselves and with a response means that the teacher/coach can check their understanding.  This was one area which I developed throughout my training towards my coaching which gave me another way to teach.  The use of actions and demonstration is more than likely the most common way for teachers to show students what it is they are wanting them to achieve.  Whilst looking at the teaching method it was quite obvious that there is a negative aspect of this in that you are then not able to view the students to check their accuracy.  The final method we looked at was to tell the student what to do with just the use of words.  Obviously this method leaves you very open to explain and describe exactly what you want, but without the use of demonstration you would not necessarily achieve the correct movement.  I now find that a combination of all these methods make a better teacher and help to control the level of physical contact.  

Physical contact within dance is certainly needed to a certain degree but I do wonder if this can make a student more reliant on the teacher.  Would the learning become more concrete to the individual if there was no physical contact involved?  Once I got to Dance College and the choreography became more challenging, there was one situation in which physical contact was essential for the sake of safety.  And this was in the use of partner work when attempting challenging lifts.  Without the aid of a teacher using physical contact to help both students to try a new lift, it can prove to be dangerous. 

When I am coaching gymnastics, I have had to intervene with physical contact to support the gymnast to ensure their safety.  As a professionally trained teacher and gymnastics coach I have the knowledge to know when and where it is appropriate to use contact in situations such as these.  A lot of the time, teachers in schools taking on PE lessons may not understand the same approach.  Indeed they may worry on the grounds of ethical practice within lessons that may be more specialised in terms of the skill needed.  I have recently taken on team teaching within my practice whereby the aim is that I am passing on my skills and knowledge of teaching gymnastics and dance.  This however made it clear to myself and to those observing that this would never be fully achieved due to the intense amount of training I have received.   

Possible lines of inquiry:

• How can the use of physical contact aid or hinder a dancers learning?
• How much physical contact is socially acceptable within the dance profession?

    

 

Task 2c: Reflective Theory

I can safely say that I have never used a journal as a form of reflection for my dancing or teaching profession.  One tool I have used which I have previously mentioned is the use of planning.  Although this does not directly link to reflection, once the first lesson has been planned, I will very often refer back to this when onward planning and inwardly reflect on that lesson in order to create the next.  Similarly if I plan a whole term of lessons I will make notes and adjust these depending on the events of previous lessons.  

When working alongside education in my teaching profession, it is vital that I provide an evaluation for each class to allow an insight into which skills have been learnt, what went well, areas for improvement and possible progressions into the new term.  This form of reflection not only helps me to look back and evaluate the sessions which have passed but also allows other staff members to have an insight into my lessons.

John Dewey conveys the idea of 'experience' and considered that there can be different levels of experience.  This idea makes me think of the saying: 'what you put in, you get out'.  I can relate this to both performing and teaching.  When training at college this was a very important aspect, particularly in the respect of training your body for particular movements.  I unfortunately was not blessed with flexibility which is an integral part of being a dancer.  And so I had to put in the work to ensure that my body was 'performance ready'.  Now if I had not tried to hard then my experience in the performing world would have been much more limited.  But the amount of training and persistence I injected into my training made me understand how hard it is in this business to be successful.  The level of experience I had with my performing was dictated by the work I put in to get there.

With regards to teaching the level of experience I have endured seems to be a constant progression.  The more experiences I have the more I learn.  Certainly not a surprise but each experience I have is different and I  

I agree with this thought from Dewey that "he felt that the interaction with the Arts led to a unique and valuable experience". (Dewey, 1934)(1).  Although I feel like this is true for myself, I believe that this may not be true for every individual.  Again, this comes down to the amount of effort you put in and in Dewey's case, the amount of interaction you experienced.  My main focus of learning when I was at college was in terms of movement, performance and the industry.  But there was so much more that came with that, such as social interaction, determination and the ability to present yourself in different situations.  Although I have decided to not continue with the performing side of Dance, everything that I experienced through this industry has been extremely valuable in other career options I have explored.


Kolb's Learning Cycle

I understand there any different ways of learning and believe that personally I learn in multiples of ways depending on the situation.  I considered Kolb's learning cycle, as featured below. (Kolb, 1984)(2).

This cycle is a useful tool to use when wanting to reflect on an experience, therefore the use of this was interesting when reflecting back on how I created my blog.  I had never created a blog before and I tend to not use instructions and enjoy working things out for myself.  So I would say that I began with active experimentation, I went back and forth several times making adjustments until I had a basic structure of what I wanted.  I expanded on this using 'concrete knowledge' with my experiences in social media.  Profiles are very common for the likes of the typical Web 2.0 tools, especially when I relate back to creating CVs for dance auditions, so I found this a familiar way to work.  I used other peoples blog to check that what I was doing was along the right lines, although now looking back I suppose this would have been a good place to start by using 'reflective observation' which is why reflection can be so important.  I do use You Tube frequently to check how to do something but I didn't use any visual aids on this occasion to help me with my blog but I suppose I thought about other alternatives of how I could present the information.  

In terms of learning within my professional practice of teaching this would start from a different point within Kolb's cycle.  Majority of the time I learn from doing something, from a concrete experience.  I suppose it's the development in confidence as I teach that I feel I am gaining a positive experience from.  When I began teaching in schools, it was part of my training to shadow others before continuing on my own.  This was a significant part of my learning as it was a different way of teaching compared to my previous experiences in dance schools.  I made sure I observed a variety of teachers and coaches to learn new teaching styles and methods which would help develop my own.  So the use of reflective observation was certainly a key point within my learning of teaching.  The use of abstract conceptualisation comes when I reflect back on a teaching session and consider what worked and what didn't.  This is a really important for me to progress as a teacher and learn from the positives and negatives from every session I teach.  I am currently using active experimentation in one of my dance classes to try and work out which movements my students are capable of doing.  This is a learning style I use especially when creating a group dance to prepare for a performance.  This helps me learn what level my students are at and identify each individuals capabilities are. 

This learning cycle is a very useful tool to help me understand my development of learning.  As I continue through this course I believe that I can refer back to this cycle and use it as a structure for my progression.  


Multiple Intelligences

I suppose when the question of intelligence is asked to you, generally most people would respond with, "yes I am intelligent".  Howard Gardner had the view that there are a multiple of intelligences and therefore you can be intelligent in a number of ways.  I considered the diagram below which demonstrates Gardner's ideas of learning in terms of intelligence. (Gardner, 1983)(3).

From a dance background I would immediately associate myself with 'musical intelligence'.  But again I would relate my intelligence to these specific sectors differently depending on my experience at the time.  In a dance class my musical intelligence would come into play and I would use this experience to pass on my knowledge to others.

Another obvious sector to me is 'bodily-kinaesthetic'.  I have very much learnt how to move and train my body in a particular way in order to achieve a correct position or movement.  

From the vast range of employment I have had and the situations of being placed on a dance contract with a group of people I have never met before it has been important to use 'interpersonal' skills to create new friendships.  I have learnt to understand how people work differently, react differently and how to apply myself to those in different situations.  

I am sure that other forms of intelligence will make an appearance as I take my journey through this course.  And I hope these will aid me in my learning process.


Reflection In/On Action

Now that I am starting to be more aware of the ways in which I reflect on my professional practice, I am able to think about how this is helping me learn.  I looked into Donald Schon's idea of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. (Schon,1987) (4).  Both of these ways of learning have been apparent in my practise of teaching and performing.


Performing...

Reflection-in-action would be a less common form of learning I have used but was useful when performing.  In cases where I may have performed on stage with already planned choreography, if something went wrong and was out of your control, then the idea of using improvisation may be the solution.  For instance, if the choreography required a partner and that particular partner was not able to make it on stage at that time, then it may be necessary to improvise (make up) new steps as an alternative.  Therefore, you would be reflecting on the moment as it happens and responding to it in the way you think best.  If I relate this back to a time when I may have attended an audition, then I would consider what I learnt from reflecting-in-action.  Occasionally in auditions you are required to improvise to their choice of music and in this case I would very often begin with familiar moves but upon reflection of my movements as they happen, I may vary this.  From this I learn which moves are effective and which movements are creating the best impression and showing me off as a performer. 

Reflection-on-action would be appropriate to use when analysing a performance.  In the past this would be in form of video where we would film performances to then watch back and reflect on how the performance went.  We would individually note down any corrections we need to address and then re-work a rehearsal to apply these before then doing the next performance.  This was an extremely useful tool and really helped me to view what changes I needed to make in order to improve the next performance.

Teaching...

Reflection-in-action is limited when teaching.  Especially as for the majority of my practise I tend to use planning to prepare for my sessions.  On occasions, and more so with rehearsals for shows, I may have previously choreographed a section of a dance to teach but upon trying this out I may have realised that the choreography is not achievable.  In this case I simplify the steps with use of improvisation to create new movements.  When doing this I am learning which level of movement is appropriate to the students and therefore creating a basis for the next lesson. 

Planning for lessons is very much dictated by the previous lessons.  I am constantly making changes and adjustments to my plans and this is the effect of reflection-on-action.  I immediately learn a better way to conduct a new session by looking at what did and didn't work previously.

From reflection on the above, I can agree with Robert Kottcamp who put forward that reflection-on-action 'is more difficult to achieve because the actor must simultaneously attend to performing the action and observe and analyse his or her action, as if from an external perspective'.(Kottcamp 1983)(5).  To be able to multitask in such a fast-paced environment is  a skill in itself.  But in saying that, those within the performing world are used to this idea of doing more than one thing at once. 


Reflection

Now that I am aware of the idea of reflection, I am starting to grasp an understanding of how this has unconsciously been used in my previous practises.  This is similar to the idea that Graham Mcfee described.  "One must understand what is being defined in order that one judge for oneself the accuracy."  (Mcfee, 1992: 18). (6)  In this way now that I am actively reflecting on my professional practice, I now have the knowledge to accurately understand what the use of reflection is. 

What I have found interesting is how useful journal writing can be.  Although I have not fully experienced such effects that David Boud discusses such as 'enhancing your own learning', this is something which I am now aware of and so will be able to reflect on how this may be the case. 

Boud looks into reflection as to how it "has been described as a process of turning experience into learning, that is, a way of exploring experience in order to learn new things from it." (Boud, 2001) (7).  'Exploring' is the key word for me here.  The use of my journal is enabling me to actively explore my experiences once they have happened.  Without this my reflection would not be so apparent, and so now, this process allows me to hopefully learn from my experiences.

In order for me to now develop my learning, I believe it is necessary to realise my previous perceptions on what already exists within my capacity of knowledge.  "All learning builds on existing perceptions and frameworks of understanding; therefore, links must be made between what is new and what already exists if learners are to make sense of what is happening to them." (Boud, 2001) (8).  I agree with what Boud describes here, in that if I can identify what I already know, I can reflect on what I am learning now.

Boud believes that that 'it is useful' to focus on reflection by considering three different times at when this could occur.  He balances the idea of reflection only happening after an event.  "...consider three occasions of reflection: in anticipation of events, during the, and afterward". (Boud, 2001) (9)  The stage of during and after an event mirrors what Schon depicted as 'reflection-in-action' and 'reflection-on-action'.  I have previously shared my thoughts on the latter but how would you 'reflect in anticipation of events'?  From looking at Boud's ideas on this, I can relate to the way in which I use lesson plans to structure a session or a block of sessions for a specific class.  Recently I took my Level 1 Gymnastics Coaching Assessment , where it was necessary to devise a session plan for possible movements I may be asked to demonstrate the teaching of.  

Example of how I may devise a session plan.



 Such plans as these I predominantly use within schools as opposed to the dance schools I teach in.  These plans allow me to create goals and expectations, plan important coaching points and devise appropriate changes to adjust the lesson dependant on capabilities.  This type of tool allows me to reflect on what may happen during a lesson.  This then gives me even more information to reflect on by the time I have considered the 'during' and 'after'.



After thought...              

After considering a range of ways to reflect and ways in which reflection can be used, I think this has given me an insight as to how this effective tool can broaden my learning throughout the course.  There may be instances where I feel reflection is not necessary by it will certainly make me think about every experience I encounter on my new journey! 

 



REFERENCES:

1. Dewey,J (1934)'Experience, reflection and learning' WBS3730 BAPP ARTS, Middlesex University 2014: Reader 2

2. Kolb,D (1984)'Kolb's Learning Cycle' WBS3730 BAPP ARTS, Middlesex University 2014: Reader 2

3. Gardner,H (1983) 'The Power of Context', Available from: http://sessionville.com/articles/on-the-intelligence-of-musicians  (accessed 18th November 2014)

4. Schon,D (1987) 'The Professional Practitioner', WBS3730 BAPP ARTS, Middlesex University 2014: Reader 2

5. Kottcamp,R (1983) 'Reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action', WBS3730 BAPP ARTS, Middlesex University 2014, Reader 2

6. Mcfee,G (1992) 'What is reflection and why?' WBS3730 BAPP ARTS, Middlesex University 2014, Reader 2

7. Boud,D (2001) 'Using Journal Writing to Enhance Reflective Practice', Learning and Reflection, WBS3730 BAPP ARTS, Middlesex University 2014, Reader 2

8. Boud,D (2001) 'Using Journal Writing to Enhance Reflective Practice', Models of Reflection, WBS3730 BAPP ARTS, Middlesex University 2014, Reader 2

9. Boud,D (2001) 'Using Journal Writing to Enhance Reflective Practice', Occasions of Reflection, WBS3730 BAPP ARTS, Middlesex University 2014, Reader 2