Oral Presentation

I cant quite believe it has been over a week already since submitting the critical review and artefact. I decided to give myself sometime to refocus and reflect further on my learning from BAPP before planning and preparing for my Oral presentation next week. 

Over the past few weeks within my practice we have had two oral presentations given from external practitioners with regards to GDPR and health and safety instead of being disengaged from these I decided to use the opportunity to connect, relate and reflect these to my BAPP course, recognising what I felt worked and didn't work within these in terms of an oral presentation. Thus incorporating some tips to remind myself for creating and presenting my oral presentation:

• Introduce myself - allows the audience to connect on a  deeper level if they feel they know who you are and what your about
• Not too many words on the power point presentation- just key words- audience gets lost or distracted with reading 
• Make the powerpoint visual – coloured texts, diagrams, images, videos 
• No notes in hands
• Audience participation- ask them questions, game/quiz, ask for examples related to their practice 
• Use of humour
• Give examples and stories 
• Show passion, enthusiasm and knowledge on the topic 

So here goes for the last leg. Looking forward to meeting some of you next week. 

Creating my Artefact

For a while I struggled to get my head around the concept of the artefact and to come up with an idea.
but the past few days I have been working on my piece. I have decided to go with an audio-visual video using creative ways to show my findings (including some of my GCSE art work - which has been fun to look back on)

I have just had a moment of reflection on this process for me and realising that I struggled to get started because I didn't have a solid idea, I was scared to step out of my comfort zone,  perhaps didn't trust myself to be creative and let loose. But since starting I cant stop the ball rolling,  more ideas keep flowing, and I'm enjoying the process.

Often starting is the hardest bit to do from then it get easier, let that be a reminder for the last few days as we work on our final pieces.

(Lauren Harper, GCSE Art piece, 2006)

I feel this is a good representation of trusting in the journey because you will reach the final pointe (pardon the pun) no matter what, buts its the what you went through to get it to it that matters.

Best wishes for the last few days.

Lauren x

Final skype

Oral Presentation:

Not chronological order- think of it as a birds eye view of the whole inquiry. 

Could you use voice notes with flashes of key words

1. Theories are the back of the inquiry- have them at the start

"Quotes from literature- interviews"

Speech bubbles for personal reflections or thoughts

Oral presentation/Critical review and artefact are all different languages for communicating the inquiry !

Remember less is more!

Skype 17/4/18

Artefact: A creative way to share your journey of the inquiry. Should reflect the feel, nature and language of your practice. Represent and explore you as an artist.

The purpose is for the BA- don't develop this strand that it becomes something else!

Doesn't just show the findings.


Oral Presentation: Chance to talk about the inquiry- be able to speak and share what you have done.

Critical thinking point: asking yourself where and how do I want to use this information found from the inquiry in my practice and how will I implement it?

Finding themes

This week I have been analysing my data. As I have chosen to look at both mainstream and special educational needs schools I decided to compare the two in terms of findings from literature and interviews:

Some of the main themes that are occurring:

What actually is art?

What should constitute as art in education?

Art as a teaching methodology

Interdisciplinary- Cross curriculum approach

Innate creativity and imagination

Develop the "whole child"

Provide a Cultural Education

Gain art appreciation

What is art?

In the bid to take a break from studies today I went to the cinema to see the Greatest Showman (for a second time!). How wrong could I be that it would be a break and to help switch of from my inquiry. Instead the whole way through I kept relating, questioning, wondering in terms of my inquiry and practice.

One of my main findings within my inquiry is how it is hard to define/classify what art is and how it means something different everyone. In one of the final scenes the theatre critic says to PT Barnum he wouldn't class his show as art. I was surprised at this and made me question why. Ask yourself now how would you define art? what do you see as art? and why? what makes it art?  (oh and if you've seen the movie go see it!)

Jigsaw Puzzle

Many of us have mentioned the inquiry process is like a jigsaw puzzle... I have created the pieces and  now comes the time of piecing it all together. Although I admit I am struggling to stop finding & reading literature!

My first step is to display my findings from the lit, which felt like doing a jigsaw puzzle to get them all on the board!

Why music?

My inquiry is looking into how the arts manifest in education at primary level.

Findings show: drama is part of Literacy, dance is part of PE and music stands alone as a foundation subject. This has got me question why?

Why does music get its own subject specific lesson in comparison to other art forms? what benefits does music offer that the others don't? Should art subjects be categorised differently?

In a bid to help expand my thinking on this I have outsourced this piece literature:

The importance of music: A national plan for music education

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/180973/DFE-00086-2011.pdf

If anyone has any thoughts on this topic please comment.

Multiple perspectives

Tonights group discussion gave the opportunity to discuss ideas and make connections. The mix of modules gave the opportunity to refresh prior learning (journals, developing lines of inquiry) it helped to share experiences and make links between modules and reminded me to trust in the process of learning. Alongside the notion of 'discussion' and how using others helps to aid discussion, gain multiple perspectives, give alternative views, expand thinking, open further discussion points and ideas. Module 3 students have been questioning on should you actively seek literature on an 'opposing argument' instead of opposing we should view this as 'alternative'. In doing so this should allow you to view the topic from a different perspective to get a better understanding. Using multiple perspectives helps create a deeper understanding.

Literature source

Good source to find literature for arts in education: 

http://www.artsedsearch.org

Happy reading! 

Analysing Data

Recently within my practice we have had to fill out a staff questionnaire covering a wide range of  school issues including current curriculum, staff well being, leadership, professional development,, future goals.  Once all data had been correlated our Head teacher shared this with us and and asked for our views and opinions as a way to help analyse the data.

This was an interesting process and very much related to what we are doing in the course. It was interesting to hear others ideas on how they answered the questionnaire and how they felt others may have answered.

Something things that came up where interpretation, language/terminology, subjectivity, context, not relating to or having experience to the area asking about, having a bad day when answering the questionnaire, different working teams so have a different experience.

These are all things that I will take into consideration when analysing my data.

Buzzing Brain

This quote from my literature is becoming more and more relevant:

"You approach from one side and know your way about; you approach the same place from another side and no longer know your way about" (Fleming, 2012) 

Having started looking at arts in a different context and looking at them from a different side I am left feeling a bit like this

Some questions that have occurred and have got me asking further questions and wanting find out more are:

What should come under the term arts?
Should the arts be grouped together within education? or seen as separate art forms?
Is it necessary for children to be taught art forms in primary education?
How do you develop a child's creativity?
Is Dance loosing recognition as a creative opportunity as a result of being on the PE curriculum?
Should dance be taught by a specialist instructor?
Is it because teachers don't have the confidence and skills to deliver the subjects that they are getting dismissed?
Is enough being done to educate teachers on how to deliver arts subjects?
Should arts just be extra circular subjects?
How important is that children appreciate art?

If anyone has an ideas or wishes to discuss these topics please comment.

References
Flaming, M. (2012) The Arts in Education. Oxon, Routledge.

Don't under estimate the power of YOU

Tonight was my first discussion Skype since starting module 3. It was reassuring to hear others where at the same stage and questioning similar things to myself.

One of the key things that I have taken away is that don't under estimate yourself in the alignment within the inquiry. The literature reviews and interviews are to stimulate your thoughts not prove a point to anyone else, the interviews it is how you interpret the answers, when analysing question your role in the process- did you ask leading questions, is that why you got those answers? did you not give enough detail or be clear enough?

One of the main questions I wanted to discuss was should you give questions to participants before hand to have a look and think about before hand (something that participants have asked me). The answer - if it makes sense to you and your inquiry. 

Week 2- The Journey so far...

So far I am really enjoying the inquiry process. I have got stuck into my literature review and begun reviewing a book called 'The Arts In Education' by Mike Flemming. I have continued going to a coffee shop and have found that I have been more productive as I am there for a purpose with very little distractions.

I have decided to make continual notes as I am reading- noting key findings, concepts, theories, perspectives, ideas, relationships, links to my practice, my thoughts and plan to conclude/ analyse these once I finish the book (hopefully today).

Some awakening ideas thats have come from Fleming, with regards to the inquiry process, that maybe of use to others-

Research is 

"the systematic advancement of knowledge"

Considering language when looking at a topic 

"related concepts shift in meaning in different contexts" 

The importance of learning theory

"thinking can be expanded prejudices challenged and fulfilment enriched"  

Definition of understanding

"A process of refining and deepening making connections and seeing things in a new way" 

Hope everyone is getting on well.

References
Flaming, M. (2012) The Arts in Education. Oxon, Routledge.

Round 3 of 3

It crossed my mind whilst listening in to the induction call, last Friday, that this time last year I was part of my first ever group Skype call not having a clue on what I was really embarking upon. One year on I am now about to start the final module feeling full endorsed with the notion of studying, a strong sense and love for my practice and excited about the next few weeks with the hunger to expand my knowledge and personal/professional self.

In my break between modules I haven't really stopped Ive had numerous interviews to begin my teacher training and I am pleased to say I have been offered and accepted a salaried school direct teacher training placement to start in September. Alongside passing my numeracy QTS skills test, still do Literacy.

I am now ready to get back into the final module and looking further into:

'How do the Arts manifest within the UK state education system at primary level?'

I took the idea of Adesola's to outsource a coffee shop for studying in. I cant quite decide if this a good or bad idea as I think my coffee addiction may grow stronger but my purse will get smaller. For now though I am enjoying and embracing as I look out at the beautiful view of Scarborough beach whilst sipping my cappuccino and begin to start reading module three handbook.

Good luck to everyone as they start the final module and remember to trust in the process.