Task 2d Inquiry

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

Children. I love their imagination, their inquisative minds, their energy for life, their modulability. Working with children, not one day is the same. As they develop and learn daily they send you on a journey to learn with them. Not one child is the same and this excites me to learn about each child individually and see what works best for them to understand and gain the knowledge of the topic I am teaching.

A few people that I have come across since developing my practice as an 'educator' is
Richard Dwyer, Kayla Deezer, and Allison Peacock. All are very influential people within education I feel we share the same passion and values for teaching children. In particular Allison Peacock. Her TED Talk rang true to myself in many ways (TED Talks, 2016).

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

There are many things that make me angry and sad within my practice. One subject is that of Obesity.  Not only with that of children but adults. In the educational school I work at and the dance school there are numerous members of teaching staff that are obese; this makes me really angry. I don't think they are promoting a healthy image or being a good role model for children and also believe they are not able to do the job to the full potential. I also get upset with seeing children who are obese and very unfit. Another area that makes me convey these emotions is the recent news of cut backs within the education system. School is a fundamental part of our make up and learning, and set us for the future, if money is not getting put into the education system for the next generation what hope have we got?

Another area that makes me sad or angry is bad teaching. It is hard to differentiate between bad and good teaching as everyone has their own opinions on what is good or bad but for me I don't like to see classes where teachers are not engaged with the lesson, aren't taking control of the class, can tell they would rather be somewhere else, think shouting is the best way to gain control, focuses on certain peoples not the whole class, and shouting at pupils because they cant do something and not help them with it.

I admire the work of Joe Wicks 'The Body Coach'. His work that he has done to get the nation fit is remarkable, he has made it easy, accessible, relatable to so many people and helped changed people lives. I also admire the work Jamie Oliver did with trying to promote healthy lifestyle within schools and changing school dinners.

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

I love the impact that a teacher can have on changing or influencing someone's life for the good. The moments when I teach, sometimes without realising, makes me get a warm feeling inside. Seeing pupils achieve, learn a new move, improve their technique, spell a new word, giving a friend advice, whatever it might be,. Knowing that I have had a part to play in that achievement brings me joy and makes me love what I do.

One person who I admire the most and who is the perfect example of what I love is my first dance teacher, now boss/principal of the dance school I work at. She is the teacher that has been the biggest influence in my life. Her energy, enthusiasm, dedication to each pupil and impact she has (without realising) and opportunities given to many young people is out of this world.

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

One thing I don't understand at the moment is what style of teaching is best to see progress. Is it being strict so pupils are afraid, have very clear boundaries of pupil and teacher to get good results or is it being more relatable, friendly, kind, open, so they feel they are on the same level and more comfortable to ask questions and feel relaxed.

Another thing I don't understand is why more pressure is being put on teachers. More and more paper work is involved and they are having less time to actually do the role of teaching or when they do they are not in the correct mind frame or feel tired surely having this added pressure is going to effect the well being of students and their learning.

Additionally I don't understand why the real focus in schools is maths, english, science instead I think it should be an equal balance or if not more focus on how to live- develop confidence, key social and life skills, how to look after the mind and body (not just learning but putting into practice), the importance of eating a balanced diet, politics, finance.

Who are the people that lead the way for you in terms of where you see your practice developing? Why do these people inspire you?

I feel at the moment I'm to premature within education and don't currently have anyone that particularly inspires me. I don't if it is because I live by the quote 'Don't look for inspiration be the inspiration' that I haven't allowed myself anyone to take that inspirational role in my life or if it just that I am yet to discover someone and that I should start looking into for people to help develop my practice.

How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more generally in society?

Within teaching there are many ethical responses to decide upon. When making considerations I try put myself in the shoes of the other person I am considering. How would they feel in the situation, what might there response be, what would be the impact on them, will they benefit from it or not.

Working on cruise ships there where many rules, regulations and disciplinary actions to adhere by. This was a very different to lifestyle to that of everyday society particularly being of an adult age to follow by. Having these allows for an organisation to run efficiently and effectively.
Disciplinary responses are vital in my practice as a way of conducting behaviour management within the classroom and to promote good discipline. When in an authoritative figure of my practice implementing these is my role, be that in a classroom, playground out in the community on a trip however when in society I feel it is not my responsibility but yet I would still take ownership if I felt it was necessary i.e. a child in danger, or someone struggling, being bullied. My disciplinary responses to a situation maybe different that of a child's parent as individuals take into consideration what is a acceptable and what isn't. As a teacher there are visible boundaries and rules of touch and physical contact the are different to that in society and a parent implanting disciplinary action as well as use of language.
I also believe my disciplinary responses are different varying upon whether I am in an education setting or a vocational setting. In a vocational classroom (dance school) a vital key skill gained from the Arts training is discipline therefore I feel my disciplinary actions and teaching styles are stricter.

Possible lines of inquiry? 

What is the best teaching approach to gain the most from students? is that of being strict or applying a  more relaxed nature?

How much impact does the teachers well being have on that of the pupils and their learning?

Is enough being done in education to teach youngsters about how to look after their wellbeing?

To what extent can the Arts help a child's wellbeing?

To what extent will more integration of physical activity in the cirrciulum have on lowering childhood obesity rates?