Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

I have found the process of choosing my line of inquiry very helpful. When I first started I had so many questions that all led off in so many different directions, As you can see from my post “question time” (http://eloiseaharris.blogspot.com/2012/03/question-time.html). I didn’t know what I wanted to do my inquiry about as so many different aspects of my teaching career are important to me and I struggled to clarify initially what would be most helpful for me and my career and also relevant. In hindsight my initial questions were either not focused enough and so broad it would have been nearly impossible to do and inquiry on, or they would not actually help my career in anyway so there seemed little point in doing them as if it was a matter of personal interest I could just research it. After discussing it with my tutor we agreed that it would be an opportunity missed not to do it on my time teaching in the UAE so I decided on ‘ How does my dance teaching practice in the UK compare to my dance teaching practice in the UAE?’

After deciding my title I then moved on to the ethics tasks of section 5.  I had recently had a couple of meetings at work about the ethics expected in our profession so I was already aware of the professional codes of practice that we followed. (http://eloiseaharris.blogspot.com/2012/05/ethics.html)  However know that I knew what my inquiry was about it helped me to think about the ethics involved in my inquiry. My inquiry is to be self-reflective and no children will be interviewed, videoed or named throughout the process so there are no ethical issues there. I did however know I wanted a second opinion within my inquiry to help me form opinion better. Whilst my opinion and views will ultimately shape my inquiry I want to make sure I don’t make any sweeping statements etc. 

When deciding on what method to use to extract information from other dance teachers in my position I tried three different options; a survey, a interview and a focus group. ( http://eloiseaharris.blogspot.com/2012/05/research-tools-evaluation.html) Before I even started I thought the focus group would be most helpful, as it would allow discussions to evolve between the teachers. As mentioned in my ‘Research Tools Evaluation’ I would have like to of done a class observation but it would just not be feasible. I did find the process helpful as after doing the interview I had an idea of what questions helped the candidates give the most amount of information so then I used these questions when holding my focus group. I did post my survey within my SIG ‘ teaching dance to young children’ however I didn’t get any response as I wanted only people that had taught both in the UK and abroad to fill it in. I asked other professionals I know that have, but as mentioned in my evaluation I didn’t find the survey overly helpful. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HP2FYZ5.

Over all I have found the development process I have gone through very helpful. Deciding my line of inquiry early on was excellent as it allowed me to have a focus in mind when going through the different stages of both the ethics section and inquiry tools. Without having gone through these stages I do not feel my plan for my inquiry would be as focused. 

Research Tools Evaluation

Having chosen to do my inquiry about teaching abroad I did a questionnaire for different professionals in the industry I know that have taught abroad, just to find out if many other people experienced differences like I have when they moved abroad. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HP2FYZ5. I didn’t find the survey overly helpful as whilst it did help me collect data and surveymonkey was brilliant for condensing all my responses and making my data very clear, I found I didn’t collect as many details as I was hoping to.

I did a pilot interview on a colleague who is currently teaching out here in the UAE and whilst I found I gained a lot more information from this source than from my survey I did feel like there was still more to give.

I then conducted a short pilot focus group and my colleague that did the pilot interview along with other dance teachers I know out here agreed to participate. I found that a lot more information was gathered, even in the short amount of time that I had them talking. My colleague that had done the interview opened up a lot more when with other people. I found that when they were talking altogether it helped remind them of situations that they had also experienced that they may not have remembered on their own.

It was not possible to do a pilot observation as it would require me to go to the UK and observe a teacher there and then observe the same teacher in the UAE to do a fair comparison. Whilst this would actually be a very effective and informative piece of research as I would be a third party observer being able to take an unbiased view the logistics of it are unreasonable.

For that reason I have found that a focus group is the most effective way of drawing out the most amount of information from the people I am questioning. I only have a small handful of people that I have access to that I can ask to answer my questions so the more information gathered from each individual the more it will help me. 

Ethics

Ethics – Code of practice.

In January as part of our work training and continual professional development we had to review the ethics and child safety procedures of where I work so I already ready know them so can’t really go wholly on my thoughts as I am recently informed on them. I remember at the time though that most were as I expected but I think that my training had prepared me well for what the expectations are of a teacher and children’s safety. I remember that I was impressed and pleased to see that the R.A.D have within their Code of Conduct and Professional Practice that teachers must maintain ‘up-to-date subject knowledge and understanding’. I personally think that sometimes it is under estimated how important it is to review your knowledge of the syllabus as a teacher as it is only fair to the children you are teaching to provide them with the best possible education you can provide. 

Question Time

There are so many questions I feel I could be asking at this point and which to choose is so hard. In everyday teaching I find myself asking these questions and I know not only other professionals but also parents of the students I teach also would benefit from answer to these questions. 

I am currently teaching in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, there is such a mix in cultures which is a reason I love it so much. The amount I have learnt from the children about their country and ways of life is crazy, sometimes I feel like I'm the student! As a result, a lot of the children I teach, English is their second or third language and if they have just moved out here can struggle quite a lot. It is amazing in just the 6 months I have been out here how they have developed and some don't even go to English speaking schools. 

An area of dance and dance education that is of personal interest to me is dance in the community and how dance can help change peoples lives. When returning back to England I intend to follow this further and incorporate it into my career and not just teach in the private sector.

With these two aspects in mind these are the main questions that have surfaced. 

1. Education in Dance - what transferable skills are learnt in dance 

2. Dance in Education - what benefit does dance have if placed within the education system

3. Discipline in Dance and Education - do both have equal standards of discipline whilst one being a hobby and one being mandatory 

4. Does Dance from a young age help discipline - Does it affect other aspects of life aspects of life? > for example school, behaviour, social communication 

5. Dance and Language - can dance help break down language barriers? Does dance promote the speed of which a language can be learnt? 

My important sources of information

My 5 most important sources of information are;

1. 1.   The R.A.D network
2. 2.   Radio
3. 3.   Youtube/Music channels
4. 4.   Facebook and Twitter
5. 5.   Network of teachers I know personally

All of the above are important to me for different reasons. The network of professional teachers I know are so important to me for the reasons I discussed earlier. The network I’m affiliated with through my membership with the R.A.D is

also invaluable for similar reasons. It allows me to meet other teachers in my area. I believe strongly that local dance schools should try and work together rather than in constant competition with each other as more opportunities become available to the students.

The radio is an important source for me as I teach jazz and contemporary and street jazz. A lot of the reason children want to go to classes like jazz is to learn routines to songs they like and know. My personal music taste isn’t the same as the 10-13 year olds I teach for jazz. That is why the radio is important to me as it allows me to hear new songs and songs that are at the top of the charts.

Youtube and music channels are important for similar reasons. A lot of people watch music channels and want to copy the dances and styles used. So whilst I don’t copy the dances it is good to see the style used so I know what my students are hoping to recreate them.

Facebook and Twitter are important to any dancer for self-promotion purposes. The opportunity to promote yourself as a professional to such a wide network for free is amazing! There are numerous groups on Facebook that post when auditions are coming up and different opportunities. Most people in my generation have facebook and we often all post different information about auditions we find out about to each other. 

'The network Professional' - a critical reflection

As pointed out in the reader, networking is a very important part of anyone’s professional life.

Crisp and Turner suggest that people create professional networks because of their need to affiliate, to have human connection in all parts of our life. Whilst on a subconscious level this may encourage us to talk to people we work with I think the need for professional networks is so imperative to everyone to help further their job.

To different people a professional network means different things. For example is you run your own business your professional network is an invaluable tool, the more contacts you have in the business the more opportunities you will have to expose your product to the public. The more exposure it has the more successful it is likely to be.

This basic view on business is very much how people in the dance industry are. A self-employed dancer will want to make themselves known to as many people in the industry as possible. You never know when a contact might be asked if they know a 5ft 7’ girl with blonde hair and you fit the description perfectly. It is also very important to keep the contacts you know, if you have worked for a choreographer, don’t loose the contact you have made, if they have picked you and worked with you once it puts you in better standing than the rest. This comes hand in hand with not annoying people and creating enemies though. The business is small and if you let someone down or are rude to them they can approach their whole professional network and ‘black list’ you to prevent you from working.

I talked about earlier in the course my affiliation with the Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D). It is an academy I am a member of and I was trained with the R.A.D set syllabuses. Now as a teacher I myself teach the R.A.D syllabuses to my students. I work for a R.A.D school, which means every teacher must know the syllabi of the R.A.D and teach them in their classes and enter children in our annual exams. This means I have a ‘professional network’ right on my doorstep with all the other teachers I teach with. We often meet up to share different ideas and exercises.

I am also connected to a wider ‘professional network’ of teachers through my membership with the R.A.D. In England I know quite a few registered teachers with the R.A.D in the South-East where I was based, through my time teaching at a couple of schools in the area but also R.A.D events that meant I meet other teachers in the area. Again this not only gives the opportunity to discuss teaching techniques but also when looking for a job and different career opportunities it opens more doors.

As an R.A.D teacher I am expected to learn all the syllabi off by heart and when a syllabus for a particular grade is replaced I am to learn it. My job contains constant learning for me as well as my students. Especially with all the science that is now being brought into our jobs, understanding children’s development and muscle growth and injuries and the constant research that is changing how we teach.

My relationship and network with the R.A.D could be seen as being connectivism. Siemens, G. (2004) explains the principles of connectivism to be;

·      Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.

·      Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.

·      Learning may reside in non-human appliances.

·      Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known

·      Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.

·      Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.

·      Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all Connectivist learning activities.

There are different ways to interpret our professional networks and the reason we make them but everybody’s professional network is important to their career. People can be part of several different ‘professional networks’ that ultimately create your personal professional network – an invaluable device and support through out your career. 

Value of my current networks

I am associated to a variety of networks relating to different aspects of my career. I am a dance teacher that teaches syllabus ballet classes for the majority of my lessons. I am a member of the ‘Royal Academy of Dance’ and teach their syllabuses and go to their training courses. I am also a freelance dancer for different opportunities and events that come up. I am part of a network with other professional graduates to promote us as dancers and also let us know what auditions are available. I have recently started looking into a Professional Facebook account; so I can have a central location for potential employees to view my headshots, show reels and CV.

 Also whilst I know quite a few R.A.D teachers on reflection I don’t think I use my contacts to my greatest advantage. There is a whole community of teachers that I can approach if I am having trouble with a student or teaching an exercise. All of them are going through and experiencing the same problems that I am sometimes faced with. Some teachers I know have more than 20 years experience, I have realized that they are priceless resources to me. As a young teacher I constantly feel like I have to prove myself and show I deserve the job I have, but I have realized that I can’t be too proud to ask for advice. I have contacts that have been there and done it all already, why not use them more and take onboard their life experiences as well as my own? 

Reflective Theory Task

I think reflective practise is not so much something you learn but something you develop over time. There are definitely ways to train our mind to make sure we are getting the most out of our experiences and reflecting on them.

David Kolb’s cycle explains the different stages of experience we have. ‘Active Experimentation’, ‘Concrete Experience’, ‘Reflective Observation’ and ‘Abstract Conceptualisation’. Everyone will enter the cycle at a different stage when experiencing something new, but once we enter the cycle we will continue going round the cycle. When reading about Kolb’s cycle and Peter Honey and Alan Mumford’s ‘stages’ it got me thinking about how much I do this in my life and career.

Everyone reflects after an experience, if someone asked you if you had a good or a bad day you would be able to tell them the answer without really thinking about it based on how you’re feeling after the days actions. This is a more subconscious form of reflecting though. ‘Reflective Observation’ as Kolb refers to it or Honey and Mumford’s ‘concluding from the experience’ I think requires more conscious reflection. Looking at the experience and seeing what went well what went wrong, what could be done to improve? At this point I start to question if too much reflection is counter-productive. I think it is innate in us to be the best we can and be perfectionists. No one can say they were truly happy to loose a race; you enter a race with the intent on winning it. For this reason I do think there’s a point when we stop reflecting in a constructive manner and it starts becoming destructive to us in other ways. To point out all our flaws time and time again is not a healthy way to be.

I realise this is an extreme view of reflective practise but I felt when reading about reflective practise not enough emphasis was put on the potential negative side, if any at all. I know that when promoting the merits you would not mention the negatives but I think in the industry we’re in it is important to recognise the fact that too much reflection can turn into self criticism. I have friends who have reflected on every class and every performance they do in such minute detail that the strive for perfection takes over their lives. Image is important in this profession, whether it is politically correct or not, a casting director will be looking for a certain type and look eg. brown hair or blue eyes. I have seen a few people become ill through constant self-criticism and thinking if they make themselves skinnier they would be more fitting into the stereotype needed.

This being said I do think there is more merits to reflection than there are negatives and I think continual reflection is imperative to a dancer. Continual reflection of course is important in any career, you need to see what is working and what isn’t and adjust what you do accordingly. It is very true what was suggested in Reader 2 that dancers automatically reflect in what Donald Schon refers to as ‘reflection-in-action’. When you are dancing you are constantly self-correcting as you move to make sure you maintain balance and your posture is correct etc. However since I have started teaching I find that what I do is almost a combination of ‘in-action’ and ‘on-action’ reflection simultaneously. Whilst a student is dancing I will be telling them corrections to help them – ‘ reflection-in-action’. I also correct after the student has finished dancing and work with the student to work out what exactly went wrong and what they can do to make the movement work for them – ‘reflection-on-action’.

In conclusion I found all the information about ‘reflective practice’ very interesting and somewhat thought provoking. Do I do as much as I could to get the most out of every experience? Whilst I try during my time to get the most out of it, I don’t necessarily get all that I can afterwards in term of ‘reflective observation’. I have discussed the negative and positive aspects that I see of reflection but I do on a whole think it is an invaluable tool that most of us don’t use to the best of our ability and is often under-rated in how crucial it can be to our us and our career development. 

Journal Writing Experience

Tuesday is never my favorite day. I know this sounds like a negative way to start the day but when my alarm goes off on a Tuesday morning there is a definite unenthusiastic sigh as I start my day. I love my job, I feel very fortunate to love my job but my Tuesday is a very long day with lots of driving that I always dread.

I start my day in downtown Dubai at a nursery. I teach from 2 year olds to 4 years olds. Aerobics and yoga. The kids are very sweet but as you can imagine getting 20, 3 year olds to sit down crossed legged and say ‘namaste’ is never going to happen, so I always find it somewhat stressful. I then drive to the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi to teach right in the heart of the country’s capital city.

So last Tuesday as I walk into the nursery I decide to have a new tact with the children. It was relatively simple, tire them out with more aerobics than usual so when I come to practice breathing exercises they will be too tired to try and rebel.  It worked like a dream. I found myself driving to Abu Dhabi in a good mood.

I felt awful! I had always blamed my begrudging attitude towards my Tuesday’s on the amount of driving I have to do, but here I am not worried about the drive, just grateful to spend the morning not tearing my hair out!

I then went on to have really good lessons with my classes in Abu Dhabi. Is all this because the children this morning weren’t as hyper?

I worried about how I felt about this day until the next Tuesday came around. As soon as the children came running into the classroom at the nursery they were all asking ‘can we do the copying game’ or ‘can we practice our leaps?’.  I realized the reason I was so happy after my last class with them was because of how responsive they were and how much they enjoyed the lesson.

I realized when reflecting on the whole day that I was so happy after my classes in the nursery as I felt I had made a break through with the children and they were now looking forward to classes and remembering exercises.

Likewise my classes in Abu Dhabi, again they went well and I just assumed it was because I was in a good mood. As a teacher you should never let your mood or anything going on outside of the studio effect your work. That goes without say for all professions, so I have been beating myself up that I am being unprofessional and have been devastated with myself.

After looking at my nursery class I looked back to the lessons I teach later that day. There was a completely different atmosphere in the classes as I had had to have words with them the week before. Both classes are for teenagers with a couple doing both the classes. They have the typical teenage attitude that young teenagers have, but I was used to this from the classes I used to teach back in England.

However the classes I was teaching these children is for ‘vocational’ exams so require a lot of dedication and commitment from the student’s part. I spoke to the classes explaining all that is needed from them and that whilst the potential is there, there is only so much I can do if they don’t put everything into their work.

So last week when I went to my class their attitude was completely different. They were ready and willing to learn. Taking on corrections I gave them rather than just rolling their eyes or taking personal offence. I enjoyed the classes so much as I felt like I was making a difference. I hate having to talk to students to tell them to work harder as I believe dancing above all else is to be enjoyable, but the difference in them was amazing and seeing the improvement in just one lesson was inspiring.

I still dread the driving on a Tuesday but I no longer wake up begrudgingly. I look forward to both my locations I teach at as I feel I make a difference. I love my job and everyday I smile in my lessons as I see the enjoyment and happiness I bring to the children I teach as I am giving them the chance to dance, something I love most in the world.

Reflecting back on last Tuesday however has made me realize. I was so quick to blame my driving for my bad mood when actually it was because I didn’t feel like I was getting all that I could from my classes. It is only a couple of weeks into the term and it does take children a while to connect with their teacher and feel comfortable around them. This was all that I needed; to pass the barrier so I can really help the children and push them to be the best of their ability. 

My flickr account

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