*** Interesting Read *** Dance Teacher Ups & Downs

Interesting blog post from the view of an experienced dance teacher...
http://www.danceadvantage.net/dance-teacher-ups-and-downs/?utm_content=bufferbae7e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Using Literature to Define my Progression

As I found myself at a halt in this module which is currently preventing my continuation to research and action my inquiry tools plus analyse findings, I decided to brainstorm the inquiry questions I have so far.

I have looked back at Module 2 literature reviews and carefully thought about what I really want to know.  After a skype session a couple weeks ago, it became clear that what I was asking in my inquiry question was an impossible question to explore in the time frame we have left.  Because I wanted to look at Performing Arts as a 'learning tool' it became apparent that the amount of learning taking place in sessions would not be able to be fairly measured and therefore just a case of personal opinion.

My brainstorming led me to confirm the following points that I would like to benefit from through my inquiry and the end product for Module 3:

• My current and future practice in terms of knowledge and understanding.
• The exploration of the discipline of Performing Arts and any links with Primary Education.
• The factors affecting learning in positive and negative ways.
• Develop other practitioners thoughts relating to the benefits of Performing Arts.

Looking at the literature I have collected on my delicious account, helped me to consolidate which area I would like to focus on to explore the above points.

One of my links which stuck out was an article I found of the 'Role and Value of Dance in Education'.  Essentially this is what I want to explore, and similar to the article I want to look at the relevance of Performing Arts in KS2 Primary Education and the National Curriculum.

Complimenting my initial idea of transferable skills with Performing Arts and Primary Education, I am going to focus on interdisciplinary learning with the use of Performing Arts within Primary Education.  As noted before, I have experience within both fields and look to begin training as a Primary School teacher next year.  In this way I would like to look at the utilisation of performing arts in KS2 classes as a learning tool for educational subjects as part of the curriculum. 

As discovered in another brilliant article I found and grasped into my delicious profile, a look at 'infusing arts into the curriculum'  discussed that  'By weaving the visual arts, music, dance, and drama into other context area, interdisciplinary arts experiences have the potential to enhance student learning in authentic and meaningful ways'.  I myself, have used the idea of dance as an interdisciplinary learning tool in Primary education and used current topics being learnt, to incorporate into my classes.  For example, a year 5 class were looking at the solar system and so this became our topic for Dance classes as part of the PE programme of study for half a term. 

As a dance teacher at this time, my main focus was not to educate the students on the solar system, but use it as a theme or idea.  So would a primary school teacher be able to do this in the same way but with the focus of enhancing the learning within a subject to develop more understanding of a particular topic?

This now prompts me to ask the following questions:

• How can Performing Arts be used as an interdisciplinary tool within KS2 learning to enhance the understanding of a topic?
• Which aspects can be taken from Performing Arts and used as an interdisciplinary tool within KS2 dance classes to benefit learning?
•  As a teacher how can Performing Arts be integrated into learning for the understanding of other topics?

My next step is to look at the definition of interdisciplinary learning which brings me back to my literature review on 'Partnering Dance and Education'.  I have ordered this book on loan again to send me forward with my literature review.  Meanwhile I have researched more into this definition...

SOURCE: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/interdisciplinary/

My understanding from this is that interdisciplinary learning is a tool that can be used to learn by extracting information from more than one topic.  This could help me look into why I think Performing Arts should be valued within Primary Education and what its role could be. 

Module 2 Feedback

Feedback Analysis

My feedback from Module 2 has given me a starting point for Module 3, to start considering what is needed to progress to the end.  The main points I need to reflect on are:

• Definition and Clarity- I need to think carefully about my wording to ensure that I am defining exactly what I mean.  It appears that my inquiry questions are too broad and therefore require more thought to ensure a clear direction for Module 3.
• Transferable Skills- As suggested, it may be helpful to look into transferable skills and their role from the journey into secondary education from primary.
• Private and Public Sector- Do I want to be looking at a comparison of these two sectors or do I want to just focus on the one?  Am I looking at the teaching methods or the learning?  Which point of view do I need to look at or do I need to focus on them both?
• Inquiry Tools- I need to decide if my original three option of survey, interview and observation will still be appropriate.  I also need to determine exactly what I am looking for from using these tools.
• Practitioner Research- I think this will be a vital part of my inquiry and so it is important to maintain my journal which deteriorated in Module 2 due to a change in my work schedule.  Record my findings and continue to reflect to inform my practice.
• Schedule- To stay on track for Module 3 I need to arrange time to carry out my inquiry tools.

Inquiry Title

I am still unsure of my inquiry title but would like it to reflect what can be learnt from Performing Arts.  I would like to focus on KS2 Primary age students as from my own experience this is when I have started to notice a leap in the amount of learning taking place within Performing Arts classes.  ‘Learning’ is a key word for me here.  As a teacher I want to provide the most amount of learning possible during my practice.  What can I identify from performing arts to help develop the amount of learning taking place within my classes?

After starting a discussion on an SIG that I am a member of, Sinead Jamie brought up the suggestion to focus on a particular skill that Performing Arts may introduce which could potentially be a transferable skill.  Therefore I could continue to work with the idea of transferable skills but focus on one in particular that could be important.  Could this then be implemented into Primary Education as a main focus for teachers to develop lesson plans with? 

Research

My research needs to be supported with the literature which I have already identified in the discussion of transferable skills from the Arts discipline.  From this I may be able to find particular skills which are key to the learning that takes place in Performing Arts. 

My inquiry tools will be important for my research to identify what the learning outcomes of Performing Arts-related subjects in Primary Education currently require.  I think it will still be beneficial to look at the link between the public and private sectors teaching of the Performing Arts to see if common ground can be found among both to enhance the learning of a particular skill.

My ethical forms will still remain in place, however, some consideration needs to be taken as to whether an observation would gain any evidence to help with my inquiry.  What could I look for in an observation of a performing arts class? 

Questions

Some questions that have arisen from my reflection of Module 2:

• What would a Performing Arts teacher identify as a key skill learnt over a series of Performing Arts classes?
• What learning outcomes, if any, are used to plan a lesson of dance in Primary Education?
• What is the difference between a dance class taught in Primary Education and a dance class taught in a private dance school?  Which style of dance is introduced and why?
• Should Performing Arts have a clear learning outcome or would this distract from the ability to create and express yourself as a dancer?

I still feel like I have no clear direction for my inquiry and hope that with the use of literature, SIG groups, peer communication and reflection on my own practice I will soon define what I want to know.

Returning to Studies...

My summer was quite busy and due to the nature of my usual practice, half term meant that I was unable to continue any of my teaching work and instead spent my summer in an office.  Whilst it was refreshing to have some time off from my studies I feel like I have allowed myself to get caught in the deep end at the beginning of the most crucial module yet.  

I have downloaded the last module and reader which I briefly read through to familiarise myself with what lies ahead.  I also looked over my feedback from Module 2 to determine where my inquiry is currently falling short.  What seemed apparent was a certain degree of clarification to clear up the definition of exactly what my inquiry is looking at.  As I had two inquiry questions, which although both looked at transferable skills between performing arts and primary education, they were coming from two different points of view.

I took part in a group Skype session with Paula and Adesola to discuss the beginnings of Module 3 and it has left me rather overwhelmed and confused with where my focus for my inquiry should be.  We discussed our inquiry topics but looked into whether any assumptions are being made on the questions we are asking.  This led me to question my inquiry and we discussed that what I am asking is to measure the amount of learning taking place, which would only be a matter of opinion from myself .

Although this has left me somewhat 'stumped' for now, this discussion made me realise that my inquiry questioning needs to be looked at and revisited after looking and research and literature.

Module 2: Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

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.