Task 6c- Award specialism title

For my title I have chosen- BA (Hons) Professional Practice in Arts (Performing Arts)

Rationale 

In 2011 I graduated Bodyworks company dance studios with a National Diploma in Professional Dance. I went onto have a 6 year career within the performing arts industry working as a dancer on board cruise ships, cabaret shows, stage shows, films and tv work. After deciding to settle down and stop travelling I began practicing as a teacher in the UK. My current practice is now a dance teacher in a private ran dance school and as a teaching assistant in a special educational school, working with children predominately at primary age who are on the autism spectrum. My performing arts knowledge, skills, and qualities from my artistic background are being used daily within my practice however my audience has now changed to children and the outcome is to help with their development and learning. I have chosen to look at ‘how arts manifest within the state education system at primary level’ with the aim to expand subject knowledge of the arts in an academic classroom context. Through research I have discovered what constitute arts as is varied therefore for the propose of my inquiry I am using what ‘the Government has defined ‘the arts’, in an educational context, as comprising art and design, music, dance, drama and media arts’. As three components of performing arts are included in this definition I have chosen the title of performing arts as my specialist title. 

Does this clearly demonstrate my reasoning why I have chosen that title? 

 

Skype 30/11/17

Seems strange that today was the last group skype feel like we have only just got into it.
Here are some takeaway tips that I got from todays discussion:

Module two is about the skills of the inquiry don't just focus on your topic!

Ethics- can be seen or described as tensions

Don't concentrate to much on what ethical considerations you have to make in terms of proposal tools- i.e. confidentiality etc. That has to be done no matter what. Consider ethics in regards to your topic- what are the tensions around it- how will this inform your analysis.
For me that everyone views the arts as different things? or uses them for a different purpose i.e. creativity, aesthetic, values them differently.

Critical Reflection: Stand outside of yourself and ask what have I learnt from this module:

• About the field your in
• About your practice
• Your personal skills 
• Your attitude 

Award specialism title:

Makes you stand out and be more specific for a job role. Cant use education in the title. 

Have to write a rationale. What are your reasons for picking that title? Pretended the person reading it doesn't know anything about you. 

Good Luck to everyone for the last few weeks with re drafting and hand-in!

Ethical considerations

I currently feel like I am going around and around with my proposal changing, questioning and adding constantly.

Here are some things that I am considering at minute and hope others could help expand and elaborate my thinking:

• When and how to notify participants of aims/procedures? is it through the consent forms?
• How to store data on dictaphones- what is the provision? 
• Ownership of data? whose is it?
• Ideas/ thoughts/considerations on skype interviews? how could data be recorded?
• The impact or change or change that may result in inquiry? any ideas that people have come with up with that they are willing to share? 
• Do you require consent for inside observations? from people who are in the class, pupils teachers etc? even though they are not direct participants? 

Pilot of my survey

Today I have being putting together my survey. I had planned to do 10-20 questions but on the free version of survey monkey you can only do 10 questions. Some of my research participants I will be using will require an online source or via a document through email due to location factor. I found this hard limiting my questions to 10 and I am unsure if they will fully help gain an understanding to inquiry question. So whether to use this online technology is something I am questioning.

I am also taking into consideration my research participants are often very limited in time so prep haps a 10 question limit may be beneficial?

Below is the link for my pilot survey. I would be grateful if anyone could have a go at doing it and offer some feedback in terms of the style of questions, the order, relevance to my inquiry, ethical considerations, wording etc (not in terms of thoughts of the topic)

My Inquiry question is:

How are the arts used by primary education practitioners?

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HWPYXDZ

Current questions I am asking myself

When it comes to planning my inquiry I didn't think there would be that much to consider. Here are some things I am thinking about whilst preparing my proposal.

I am debating whether to do a survey or questionnaire? made me ask myself what do I really want to get out of my inquiry and why am I doing my chosen topic.

"A survey is defined as the measure of opinions or experiences of a group of people through the asking of questions. This is opposed to a questionnaire, which is defined as a set of printed or written questions with a choice of answers, devised for the purposes of a survey or statistical study." (fluid surveys university, 2014)

How are my respondents going to answer a survey or questionnaire?
Paper or computerised?

If they use technology to answer what device? phone, laptop, tablet as this may effect how they are answer and the type of questions i should use.

What style of question is most appropriate matrix or multiple choice?

Should I use general teaching assistants or just those that plan lessons?

Will I write and take notes in my interviews?

Will I record my interviews? if so what device is most appropriate?

Please share any thoughts or considerations to these questions

Sources

Fluid surveys university (2014) Solving the Mystery of the 'Survey Questionnaire' Available at:http://fluidsurveys.com/university/solving-mystery-survey-questionnaire/(Accessed: 11/11/17).

Task 6b- Inquiry tools

Here is my current thinking on my inquiry and tools I plan to use

How do primary level practitioners use arts within the classroom? 

How do they use the arts?
What are the reasons for using the arts at primary education age?
Why do they use the arts?
Is there a difference between SEN schools and mainstream?
Is the arts a valued subject at primary education level?

My Inquiry Tools:

Questionnaires to staff within my school (SEN)
Questionnaires to family/friends who are primary education teachers

Currently deciding whether to do my surveys through the use of an internet source like- survey monkey and email out or paper version? any ideas or thoughts on this? 

Interviews-
I am going to conduct interviews with four friends who are primary education teachers within mainstream schools. They have a wide range of experience and teach a variety of age groups. Two live local so I plan to do this face to face, the other two live away so I will do this via skype.

I will also conduct interviews within my workplace one with the co-headteacher and with some of the class teachers. How many sources do you think would be good to use?

Other interview ideas-
Someone from a company called 'artis education' who I feel would help expand my thinking within this topic area. I have emailed and awaiting a  reply.
Music therapist who visits the work place I work in (maybe hard to arrange)

Inside observations- I am going to select a time period i.e. 2 weeks in which I make daily recordings of when I see the use of the arts in the classroom.

Participant observation
I am going to ask within my school if i can watch some sessions conducted by the external musical therapist who visits our school once a week.

Reviewing documents
I am going to review the curriculum for primary education and special support schools.
I am also going to try outsource some reports into this topic.
I plan to review two websites- Kennedy arts centre and Artis Education

If anyone has any thoughts, ideas or consideration to this rough plan please comment.

Task 6a- Pilot Interview

During the skype call last night I asked for some thoughts and ideas in relation to my inquiry. Module 2 student Emma was happy to share some of her thoughts and experiences towards my question as she works as higher leader teaching assistant and a music teacher. As a results I thought I could use this as a pilot interview and a practice of analysing some data.

My question 'how do teachers incorporate arts within the classroom?'

From my interview with participant A, who has a background in the acting industry, I was left feeling energised and inspired. It was obvious she used many of her acting skills within her lessons and referred to the "kids like an ensemble". She talked about a recent science lesson she planned involving an experiment "the science experiment as theatre". She talked through the stages of the lesson, the introduction , the experiment and the writing up. Through how she explained I got the impression she used acting skills, a range of voices and characters to engage the children. The lesson described recalled a video (TEDx talks, 2015) I recently watched in which Ben Richards talks about why 'teachers teach but kids don't learn'. Ben Richards is 'an award winning playwright, an experienced teacher of drama, philosophy and mathematics.' He used an example of  a way of engaging the children in learning through the use of puppets in a maths lesson. It seemed the effect of using the puppets made the problem more relatable to children, they where intrigued by the puppets which got an initial reaction and they wanted to help the puppets solve the maths problem. Similar to the results of participants A lesson where she said 'children where engaged' and used the case study of one child. 'This child is one that usually hates school, doesn't want to join in with lessons, but in that session he was actively involved, he expressed excitement and he wanted to write up the experiment'. From this case study it led me to believe that the as a result the lesson involved all students and was more inclusive. In relation to my practice I can see the benefits of incorporating your acting skills within the classroom, it makes it more engaging for a child and leading me to question should teachers have arts training? The background of both participant A and Richards is the arts- does a background in arts make a more effective teacher?

TEDx Talks (2015) Why teachers teach but kids don't learn. Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKo69os94cU Accessed: 1st October 2017.

skype notes- 31/10/17

"Art is in the planning"

This was a quote that came from Emma (module 2) with regards to my inquiry question of arts in the classroom but Adesola picked up on this and related it to module 2 students. Highlighting that this module the 'art is not in the question" but instead its about the planning of your inquiry and how you will connect everything 'art is in the planning". Thinking about important details- how are you going to talk to people? what format are you going to use for interviews? why? what resources will you need? what timeframe? how are you going to analyse your results?
A thought out plan will lead to a productive inquiry. Like a good lesson plan leads to an effective class.

Perfectionism 

The topic of perfectionism was introduced by a Module 1 student (matt) and perfectionism within the arts industry. Reminded me that as an artist we are so used to striving for perfectionism- we are always working towards a final piece, a show, a drama piece, a video, an audition, getting a job.
This discussion topic provoked lots of thoughts in relation to the development of professional practice.

"think of it as a bendy road that you stay on and not the peak of a mountain to reach"

This course has really opened my eyes to self/professional development, life-long learning, distance learning, and keeping on the road not just climbing the mountain then finishing and to keep questing and being inquisitive.

Relating this to BAPP- is that we aren't just aiming for the perfect inquiry question then the perfect running inquiry or perfect draft, its the things that happen along the way that are important.

Ethics

As many of us are relating are inquiry to education we are all considering many ethical issues with regards to the use of children as a research source. If you don't are you getting a full perspective? is something i have questioned. Adesola gave an example of if you had two fields of cows one with grass the other with corn and you where to trying to find out what field was best for them- would you go ask them? no because you wouldn't get much response from them. You cant communicate with them. This is like children you cant communicate with them because they aren't on the same level, they have less life experience and wouldn't really expand your thinking.

"Think of your interviews as looking from the outside in" this results as not being as biased.

Leave a bread crumb trail..... 

We discussed it is hard as sometimes lots of ideas come to mind, take over, then get jumbled and you get lost amongst them. To prevent getting lost leave a bread crumb trail of ideas this will then help with the critical reflection part "reflection is about keeping track of your process"- this could be voice notes, writing, videoing, blogging. Remember you don't have to write as a way to think for some people this doesn't work. Find what works for you. 

Reflecting on my practice 29/10/17

After spending lots of time focusing on my BAPP studies this week (sorry for the overload of blogs!) I feel have made lots of progress. The process I have used of going through the readers and making notes and making (what I like to think of as) a title page which includes 'key concepts and theories on' has helped lots. I plan to refer back to this each time when consider the different components and  structuring my inquiry proposal.

I now ask myself how has my learning effected my professional practice?

Looking at ethics has made me reflect on how I approach my dance teacher training- using a person centred approach rather body centred I feel this is more professional and advocates better teaching.

Learnt about the codes of practices for my workplaces. I will always have this in the back of mind during my practice.

I have been analysing and reflecting on situations thinking about them with ethics in mind (example in reflective journal)

Applied skills from module 1 to my teaching (BTEC lesson). Using Gardeners theory in mind when lesson planning, critical reflection at the end of classes.

Looking at what my personal values are gave me a stronger understanding of me and can see how these relate to my practice and will be good to use when doing my UCAS application and interviews. (developing my practice)

Have a stronger understanding of how and why I am doing this course and how it is going to help in my practice- lesson planning- considering decisions in school- children falling out- considering behaviour management techniques.

Using other people helps with ideas- Idea of imagery used from other BAPP student I have used in my class. Developed ideas with JS.

Before I was scared to give advice/share ideas but I was a lot more confident and fluid with sharing with Jen- giving her suggestions and sharing my ideas. I know look forward to the skype discussion on Tuesday where as before I would feel apprehensive.

I look forward to talking to some of you on Tuesday

Task 4b- SIG

Myself and Jennifer Simm where friends prior to the course and both embraced on the journey together. We have had regular skype calls to discuss ideas, express thoughts and feelings and clarify expectations. I have found having someone going through the process a great help. It is helpful that we are wondering on the same lines and in a similar working environment.

The framework we could use to theorise this process in E-tivtives (discussed in reader 4)
http://www.gillysalmon.com/e-tivities.html

From todays skype call a few questions that emerged from our interactions-

• How many research questions can you have? 
• The draft deadline is it just the proposal or is it the critical reflection as well?
• What is the recommend time frame for the research process?
• How many people should you interview and get to do your questionnaires?

Ideas and thoughts developed- 

• As we work in similar environments we thought we could possibly use each others research participants 
• Jen helped me develop my research questions- have a question focused on the outcomes?  
• Use pupils in the survey - as we both work the SEN environment we discussed there could be some ethical issues with this
• Use parents as a primary research source 
• We could use each other for our pilot interviews/surveys 
• 'learning through dance not to dance' 
• Shared useful sources of information 
• Idea of plagiarism with using your SIG. 

We are looking at creating a Facebook messenger group for those who are developing lines of inquiry based around education as a way of discussion. We often feel replying to blog comments difficult and having a messenger chat maybe easier. If you are interested in joining then please comment. 

Developing my line of inquiry

After reviewing all the readers it was time to come back to reader 4 and the big question.

My starting point for the inquiry is-

How do primary level practitioners incorporate arts into the classroom? 

Research questions 

What are the reasons for using arts in the classroom?
Does having an arts background effect the likely hood of teachers incorporating the arts?
What outcomes do they hope to achieve from using the arts in the classroom?
What have they seen as a result of using arts in the classroom?
What benefits do they feel the arts in education give?
How do they ensure to be inclusive of all students participating of arts classes?
What art medium do practitioners advocate the most?
Is the arts valued within the classroom?
How can a background in the arts be transferred to the classroom?
How do arts specialists differentiate their teaching from an arts environment to an educational classroom?
Has technology impacted arts within education?

I would also like to develop a question around special education needs as this is my current practice- but this is a working progress. Does a SEN school value or use the arts differently?

If anyone has any suggestions on development please comment.

Task 5b- code of practice and regulations- education workplace

Codes of practice are what I must adhere to and steer the ethical framework in my work place.

It was interesting to discover there isn't a code of practice for the role of a teaching assistant. However as I work in a special educational needs schools there is a code of practice for children with SEN aged 0-25
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

As the working environment/nature is different in a SEN school I do have a lot more responsibility and duties and I would like to feel I do/ should follow the code of practice of a teacher.
Here is the link for code of practice as a teacher within education
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/283566/Teachers_standard_information.pdf

It was interesting to see that the qualities laid out in that policy cover many of what I felt are expected  and apply in my practice.

I have also referred to my staff handbook and looked specifically what apply to my work environment   which are covered in the standards of conduct policy.
Areas covered:

1. Standards
2. Disclosure of information 
3. Political neutrality 
4. Professional responsibilities and personal relationships
5. Contractors 
6. Appointment and other employment matters 
7. Outside commitments 
8. Personal interests
9. Equality issues 
10. Corruption 
11. Gifts and hospitality 
12. Use of financial and other resources
13. Complaints and about malpractice 
14. Social Media 
15. Contact with press and media 
16. Talks to outside bodies- radio, television interviews, contributions to publications etc 
17. smoking 

In terms of my inquiry point 7 is something I need to take into consideration whilst conducting my inquiry and ensure to follow procedures so I do not break this conduct procedure within my workplace. 

Useful links and books of intrest

The past day I have been research around my inquiry topic and have come across some good sources which I thought may be of interest for some people-

http://www.artsedsearch.org/?utm_source=Arts+Education+Partnership+%28AEP%29&utm_campaign=0a222794ed-AEP_ArtsEd_Digest_November_22_2011&utm_medium=email

https://www.arteducators.org/research

http://www.creativitycultureeducation.org

http://www.aep-arts.org/publications/

Two books which I thought could be useful for anyone looking into teaching within dance:

Psychology of a dancer
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XuhUrxeswIQC&source=gbs_similarbooks

The student dancer: emotional aspects of teaching and learning of dance
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AXC1AAAAIAAJ&vq=%22Psychology+of+Dance%22&source=gbs_citations_module_r&cad=3

Inquiry vs lesson planning

Reader 6- thinking point 1

Interesting to read the first thinking point  'how is the professional inquiry similar to other professional activity in which you are involved?' as just the other day I was thinking how similar it was to my first time planning and delivering a theory based class.

The lesson I got asked to teach was a theory lesson for students studying a BTEC level 3. The topic was 'investigating practitioners' looking at 'Matt Mattox'. Whilst at college we had Mattox technique classes in our second and third year but we didn't do the theory side.

In order to deliver a good lesson I knew I needed a good background knowledge of him myself and begun to research. I searched and reviewed different literature, gathered information and narrowed down what i felt was the important and beneficial pieces of information to pass onto the students. I made many decisions on how best to deliver the lesson, the content, my role, my persona, gathered and prepared resources, and then critically reflected on the process.

In researching I found this quote 'when you take time out of a technique class to learn the historical correlation, it helps dancers better understand the movement it "sparks a new personal and intense connection" "the student then gives a fuller performance with fuller meaning and more authentic feeling, leading to more impact on the audience" this quote helped remind me of my current situation and why I am doing this course. I am taking to time out of my practice to become a better practitioner .

In researching Matt Mattox I came across this website which has some articles that could be related to many peoples inquiry topics:

http://www.dance-teacher.com

In conclusion I think lesson planning is very similar to our professional inquiry.

Reflection on the development of my practice

Since starting module two I have become more aware of the role of the teacher, the relationship they have with a student, the impact they can have on a child's wellbeing, amount they can influence a persons life. Case study 3 rang particularly true and I am often faced with that dilemma after watching other colleagues teaching classes. I feel other teachers within my community of practice do not understand the implications or impact their teaching behaviour has on those they teach or recognise the moral obligations they have. I have begun to question my decisions on behaviour management, how I handle situations within my class, the content, approaches and methods used.

When looking at ethics within dance I came across these two interesting article -  http://www.ethicsdance.co.uk/resources/downloads/A-Dancer-is-A-Person.pdf
http://www.ethicsdance.co.uk/resources/downloads/embodying-ethics-in-dance-teaching-practice-powerpoint-slides-finland.pdf

I feel this is very true for me (body centred) and has made me look at my teaching in a different perspective. I have already noticed a change within my practice and I am now going to continue use a person centred approach rather than body centred approach as i feel it is a more ethical approach.

Task 5a - ethics in the workplace

Here are my initial thoughts on what ethics I think apply in my work place?

• Pupil orientated
• Teachers should be respectful and considerate to all personal values- pupils and staff
• The safety of children is paramount
• Each pupil should be treated as an individual 
• Confidentiality 
• Subject knowledge
• Safeguarding of children
• Provide a safe, caring and loving environment 

What do I think are the codes of practice/regulations that guide my workplace-

• Safeguarding 
• DBS checks
• Uniform regulations
• Social media policy 
• Duty of care 
• risk assesments 

As I work in two work places- a special education school and a private dance school - I feel the principles remain the same but it will be interesting to see the differences in code of practices and regulations.

Personal values

How can personal values effect ethical decisions?
When things that you do and the way you behave match your values and life you feel happy. But when these don't align with your personal values things can go wrong- can cause unhappiness and can lead to unethical decisions.https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_85.htm
This analogy helped with my understanding 'value can be defined as a bridge by which an individual makes a decision regarding good or bad, right or wrong, and most important or less important. (http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-ethics-and-values/)

So I asked myself what are my personal values?I used this website to help- https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_85.htm

My top five personal values are-

• Challenge 
• Achievement 
• Results orientated  
• Fitness
• Making a difference 

In terms of inquiry I need to 

-asses if the inquiry is going to meet my personal values otherwise it could lead to me not making an unethical decision
- how have my personal values led me to that decision? inquiry topic, research method, people asked.
- is that an ethical decision within the realms of my professional practice? 

-how am I going to not let my personal values effect others as they may not share the same values. 

-evaluate if i have my personal values are in line with the professional and organisational ethics 

- take into consideration other peoples personal values when deciding on research methods

- make sure my personal values are in align with my workplace and don't cause conflict 

This exercise helped me get a greater understanding of myself. 

Task 5C

I have discovered that with ethics its all a matter of opinion and there is no right or wrong. Its about noticing the effects. This being said I feel the best approach in term of inquiry is to be truthful, accurate, respectful others and relevant. I don't want to have any negative effects on myself or others. 

Taking the ideas from reader 5 I am now using what I have learnt and fitting it into my professional enquiry- 

When planning the enquiry I am going to use the concept of beneficence at the forefront of my mind.  

I will use the three theories when deciding my research methods. 

Consequentialist- will there be any consequences for using that method? 

Should I use the dentoglogist approach when interviewing? am I going to stick to my questions no matter what or adapt if i feel i need to? What are my duties and rules as a researcher and am I going to use the deonotolgist approach and stick to the duties or adapt if i need to? 

Virtue ethics- what approach am I going to use- what would be the goodness and badness of that particular research method in terms of my character. Is a particular research method going to fit in with my work schedule? or have an effect on my wellbeing. How is the inquiry topic going to effect my practice? Does the inquiry fit in with my values? How am I going to ensure that I apply the traditional list of virtues (justice, fidelity, self care, prudence) through out the enquiry. 

Presenting findings- 

How am I going to protect my participants confidentiality?

What terminology am I going to use when talking about my participants to prevent discrimination or be derogatory.

I need to make sure language isn't to imprecise or presuming. 

I need to have a look at what my personal ethics are and take into considerations other peoples personal ethics (culture, religion, values), what is the professional ethics for my profession, and the organisational ethics. Then ask myself has this effected a decision. 

Reader 5 ethics- cycle 1

Apologises for my overload on blogs this week but as its half term holidays I am able to dedicate some more time to my studies. The past two days I have been looking at reader 5 on ethics. I am applying the cycle method as mentioned by Adesola. After my first cycle of working through the tasks I have gained a good understanding of ethics. I have made some key notes from the reader (pictured below) which when I come back to ethics and going through cycle 2 I will refer back to. Thought I would share this process as I feel taking this strategy has really worked for my learning.

If anyone has the chance I would ask that you share your thoughts and ideas on my other blogs regarding ethical issues to deepen are understanding of ethics.

Case study 5: Presenting findings

Ethical issues that I feel present are asking 'youngsters on the street', asking elderly people in a care home. I feel how the results are presented breaks participants confidentiality and puts them at risk. Giving away how 'middle class people' 'took simple precautions'. The language used to diss cuss different age groups isn't respectful or equal.
I feel the older adults asked may have suffered from this research and could possibly have detriments on there health, exposing how the middle class people take precautions and could lead to harm or injury.
To address the issue of using young people I would use consent forms, have an adult present when conducting research, using elderly people in a care home I would ask for a family remember to give consent. In representing the findings I would use age brackets instead of terms i.e for young people aged 18-25, middle aged adults 25-50, then older adults 50+.


There are many terms within this case study which I feel are not ethically correct or suitable with regards to people here are some suggestive alternatives to what I find to be discriminatory, derogatory or too imprecise:
'old folk' 'Old Dears': The older participants or The age group 50+
'Normal ones': general public
'The disabled such as....' : Those including wheelchair users, present learning disabilities, people with hearing and visual impairment.
'Middle age': Use an age range- Those within the age range of 25-50...
'Lower class people, it was generally': Those working in the public sector whose job finished in the early hours/the working class people asked/those who presented to be on a lower income.
'cleaners, deliverymen, shop assistants': Cleaners and delivery staff, store assistants
Policement on the beat: Police officers
Laymen- those who do not belong to a particular profession
'Blacks': mixed race
'immigrants':
'druggies': those taking illegal substances
'tramps': homeless people
'geriatrics': older adults

Examples of language that was too imprecise:
typical young people, lower class people, night? what time is night, late at night?

Can anyone see any other ethical issues with the case study?

Case study 2: ethics in photography

What does each approach do for the greater understanding of the morals of the case?

Taking a cosnequentilaist  approach I can see the morals of how he didn't want to create an epidemic and take a risk in the cause of more deaths oppose to just the one. With a deontologist approach he is following the rules as 'he was instructed not to touch anyone' and his role and duty 'is to observe and not interfere'.  With a virtue ethicist approach i find it more difficult to understand but perhaps it is not within his character to help out- doesn't have a caring nature? selfish? but then also professional as he follows the rules of his practice. 

Should the ground rule and ethical duties as photojournalist be ignored for the sake of human life? 

In this case I feel the ground rules and ethical duties should be ignored but perhaps that is because within my personal nature I am a caring person and strive to help others. I think its a matter of opinion and personal characters and whether you choose to obaide by professional or personal ethics. 

Where does the standard of beneficence come into play?

I feel in this case the standard of beneficence hasn't come into to play. I think the standards of beneficence should always be at the forefront of mind and at the risk of any harm physical or mental to the research participants health and wellbeing there needs to be amends to the research being carried out or rules and duties to be ignored. 

Anyone else got any thoughts on this case study and questions asked?

What have I learnt from case study 1?

What have I learnt from case study 1 about ethics in practice?

• There are lots of things to consider within ethics in a professional practice
• Need to keep an open mind
• Don't have a pre conceived idea in mind
• Be aware of the organisational standards
• Don't let personal ethics override
• Cant be assuming
• Don't apply a personal opinion/viewpoint in questions 

Reader 5- Case study 1

From reading case study 1 these are the ethical issues which arose-

• Patients where neglected 
• No one took responsibility for what happened 
• People health was at risk 
• Lying occurred "There is no statutory obligation to be honest with patients when things go wrong" 

In terms of how he should carry out the second inquiry these are some ethical considerations i think he should bare in mind- 

• He should consider the relationship between David Nicholson and Martin Yeates- there maybe conflicts and tension. 
• He cant put the blame on anyone for what happened
• Doesn't want to insult anyone as this may effect cooperation
• Take into consideration Martin Yeates previous health issue (as he is aware of it) 
• Cant assume that Alan Johnson and Andy Burnham- that they did or didn't know what was happening as this would affect his opinion 
• Lots of people involved- how his he going to do it fairly?
• Lots of standards involved- each standard should be taken into consideration
• cultural Issue- how is this going to effect the outcome? 
• Needs to consider cultural differences of the workforce- may have had an effect on the phenomenon 
• Last two statements he needs to consider- he needs to this in a fair manner before creating an opinion 
• fundamental questions asked cant be assuming or misleading- apply an opinion or personal thought 

Anyone else who has looked at this case study and willing to share any ethical issue that you feel arose? 

Skype with Adesola

Two topics I have been looking into (with the question in mind 'what information do I want to find out about to help enrich my practice?) recently are-

1. Arts within a formal education classroom
2. The role of a teacher- what makes an effective teacher?

I felt I had come to a stand still and needed to get more of a concrete topic before developing my inquiry further so I decided to ask Adesola for a quick skype call.

Points raised from our chat over the inquiry topics-

1-  What do I want to find out about this? Who inspires you that is doing this?
2- Teaching practice and what makes an effective practice is a subjective topic/matter of opinion/ how do you define good or effective teaching practice? to big a scale for a 12 week inquiry.

Other clarified takeaways points-

BAPP course is a starting point- to lead you in possible directions.
Module 2- is an overview of the inquiry
Lit reviews at the moment are to outsource relevant sources. In the proposal state what you are going to read further/more depth in module 3 as part of the inquiry.
Interviews don't just have to be people in your close community- work colleagues, friends etc it could be people that inspire you- a certain company- artistic director, someone who writes a journal you have been reading, a headteacher? outsourcing interviews from outside of your community of practice could expand your practice and your thinking.

Following on from this I have chosen to develop my inquiry in the topic of arts within the classroom.
Perhaps asking the question- how do primary education teachers integrate the arts in the classroom?

Or what interdisciplinary skills does the arts teach you that is transferable to role of a primary education teacher.

Development of my inquiry

Since my skype last week where I discussed my inquiry idea of teachers well being/ stress I came to the conclusion this topic was to assuming, my intentions where foreseeing a future problem, and it wouldn't enrich my current practice.

As I'm looking to continue my studies onto a PGCE in primary education Adesola made the important point that when I'm applying to schools my specialism is the 'arts' and my inquiry is a good way of trying to consolidate my arts knowledge into an education setting.
An area I have started to look at is the use of performing arts within a classroom.
I have noted that I have the performing arts skills but I  need to gain the knowledge and skills on how to make this transferable to a classroom and into the core curriculum subjects.

Questions that have risen regarding the topic-
How to incorporate performing arts within the classroom
What are some of the reasons behind incorporating arts in the classroom?
What skills do teachers need to be able to deliver performing arts within the classroom with confidence ?
Is performing arts valued by teachers?
What is the history of the arts in education
How do children benefit from performing arts at primary education level?
How does movement and music within a classroom help a child's learning?
What skills are required to make performing arts accessible to everyone.
What transferable skills do you gain from performing arts to a classroom setting?

I plan to continue researching this area further to assess the scope of the inquiry topic by outsourcing some literature.

Module 2 image

Just seen this image and felt it was very appropriate to this stage of the module- 

Skype notes- 5/10/17

Apologises for taking a while to blog about the skype but in a busy period with work.

The skype only involved Adesola, myself, Henry and Amanda. We mainly looked our current ideas of inquiry and through discussion developed them further, interviews, literature reviews and ethics where briefly mentioned.
Here are some general notes I took away that could be applied to everyones inquiry process-

Developing lines of inquiry-

• You aren't trying to prove anything to the outside world or find the latest research- we only have 12 weeks to conduct the inquiry- the inquiry is designed to help/enrich your practice only. 
• What themes are you encountering from the research you are currently looking into? could these be incorporated into research questions? i.e. the history of the arts. 
• At this point- don't try and pin something down. 
• Good to have a starting point then use other people to open it up and pin point later on. 

Literature reviews

• at the moment they are to give an overview of the whole field- giving an idea of what is out there- later on to use specific literature- journals/books etc
• They are a way of informing yourself before your interviews

Interviews

• Cant directly ask them the topic question. Need to ask around it to get an overview 
• Not trying to get an answer 
• I really like how Adesola described it "you are stepping into their life" 
• Data collection method- interview more appropriate for teaching rather than questionnaires- people are more likely to expand. 

Readers/tasks

• Think of them as a turn table or a cycle not a tick list 
• Don't have to do them in chronological order
• Repeat them 2/3 times- hopefully each time with a different lens as things change and develop. 

After this Skype I begun to think of this module like peeling back the layers of an onion. Some layers will come of easily some you will struggle with but by the end you will reach the core which is your final inquiry.

Dancer vs Teacher

An observation I have become aware of in my awakening and felt to share with others is the difference between that of a life as a dancer and to that of a teacher.

As a performer, specifically a dancer, we don't have much room for exploration. We are instructed by choreographers, directors, producers, dance captains on the precision of every movement, from spacing, intention, height of a leg line, to angle of head or alignment of the hand.You are modelled and shaped to fit a casting brief. Furthermore in the environment of the workplace you follow and adhere to strict rules. Whereas within education I am experiencing a lot more freedom. you have opportunities to experiment with class structure, content, opportunities to learn from other practitioners, opportunities to collaborate, discuss and share ideas, ever day is different!

Reader 4- Organisational learning theories

For me reading further into the double loop theory Smith, M.K. (2001, 2013) has created some clarity in my mind that I feel will help developing my line of inquiry.

'Double loop learning helps us to identify a phenomenon (and problem) and a possible way of 'learning our way out' (Finger and Austin 2000). It 'occurs when error is detetced' Smith, M.K. (2001, 2013).

Relating this to my practice I asked myself what errors have I identified within my professional practice-

• My personal stress levels having an impact on my teaching style. 
• Not knowing what persona to have when conducting a class- strict or friendly
• Lack of knowledge from other peers about the process of learning 
• Engagement of children with music and movement in the classroom and not enough is being done to incorporate it. 
• To much focus in education on maths, english, academic subjects. 
• Teachers not demonstrating a healthy life. Complaints on work load, stress levels. 

Argyris and Schons model used to 'describe features of theories in-use that either inhibit or enhance double loop learning' Smith, M.K. (2001, 2013) helped identify the qualities I should intend to imply so that i don't 'inhibit double loop learning' instead 'enhance' Smith, M. K (2001, 2013).  Model 2 'looks to include the views and experiences of participants rather than seeking to impose a view upon the situation'. This I can relate back to what I discovered previously that an inquiry topic shouldn't be just to prove yourself right and that you shouldn't assume an answer. I had previously mentioned looking at obesity and childhood anxiety but feel if i was to choose these topics it is to prove a point.

'Members are continually engaged in attempting to know the organisation and to know themselves in the context of the organisation. At the same time their continuing efforts to know and to test their knowledge represent the object of their inquiry' Smith , M.K. (2001, 2013)

This helped me clarify that I would like to base my inquiry within the SEN school workplace. I see myself continuing within the educational environment and as this is an unfamiliar setting for me basing my inquiry there I feel will help me become more familiar of myself and the context of an education setting. It will also help test my knowledge as I continue transitioning from a professional artist to an educator within an education setting. This was re confirmed looking into knowledge and skills in a workplace that 'sometime the boundaries of professional inquiry relate to what is required by the next step in someones career as much as solving problems about existing work situations'.

In order for the process of organisational learning to take place 'the focus is on individual and group interactions' Smith M.K. 92001, 2013) This made me question who is going to be my most reliable work based learning organisation to engage with? A school can be ever changing with staffing, policies, commitments, pupils and I have a very strong connection with the dance school I teach at. Something I need to consider further.

 References:
‘Chris Argyris: theories of action, double-loop learning and organizational learning’, the encyclopedia of informal education. [http://infed.org/mobi/chris-argyris-theories-of-action-double-loop-learning-and-organizational-learning/. Retrieved: 1/10/17

Finger, M. and Asún, M. (2000) Adult Education at the Crossroads. Learning our way out, London: Zed Books.

Module 2- the awakening to the learning process

Over the past two weeks I have been trying to make a real conscious effort to get stuck back into my studies, looking at the reader but not really taking anything in, feeling pressured to have know my topic of inquiry but was slowly beginning to get frustrated I was just going round in circles becoming none the wiser of where I wanted to go with it or gaining understanding of what I was supposed to be doing. So this weekend I have taken the time to stop, breathe, re read, break things down and go at a steady pace instead of trying to jump to the finish line and just focusing on the inquiry topic. The quote of 'trusting in the process' springs to mind. As a result I have come to the realisation that there is so much more to this course other than the end result of your inquiry. Re reading the reader and further sources mentioned I have a greater understanding of the process of learning we are using, the skills I could gain, 'the point of education should not be to insulate a body of knowledge but to develop capabilities, the basic ones of literacy and numeracy as we'll as the capability to act responsibly towards others, to take initiative and to work creative and collabroatively' Leadbeater, C. (2000)
and been reminded at this stage it is not all about finding the 'perfect' topic of inquiry but instead its all of the bits in between.

I ended up spending some time looking at the types of knowledge and was remninded that a lot of knowledge used in this course is 'tacit' knowledge below are some images that help explain this. 

As Adesola mention in her starting back blog- http://adesolaa.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/starting-back.html I feel I have know woken up and are engaged within it' 

For anyone else who is struggling to get back into the process and has quite woken up I would highly recommend that you stop , take some deep breaths, take a few steps back, go at a steady pace, don't just think about the inquiry topic and then watch as you turn a corner onto a new path.

References
Leadbeater, C (2000) Living on thin air, The new economy, London, Penguin.