Task 2d Inquiry

·         In my daily practice, the thing that gets me enthusiastic for the day is my morning run. It gives me time to think about the day ahead of me and to focus. It was my manager who encouraged me to start this around a year ago and I have been going at least 4 mornings a week ever since. Of course we all have inspirations famous ballerinas, choreographers etc. , but for me it is my manager who I admire in many ways with her wise words and positivity that has made me want to become the best teacher I can. This is the business Natascia Mazzucato started only three years ago and I am proud to be a part of. Check out the website below.

               http://www.dancehouseuk.com/

·         Negativity in and out of the workplace is something I really do not appreciate. Especially if it is toward me or about a piece of work I have created in my professional practice .I have unfortunately experienced  this at work and it can be hurtful and give you a real knock back which can damage your work. I will share on here a part of my journal which describes and reflects on this experience.

 I feel however bad your day is going you should never let it affect a mood or atmosphere                   around you or let it ruin a positive energy.  This really upsets me when people think it is ok to do this. It is disrespectful, unprofessional and unethical behaviour.

We come across these behaviours not only in the dance world but in all industries and I believe everyone should have their way of overcoming it and not being dragged into the negative conversation or state of mind.  When you watch the news it really puts life into prospective and should make you feel blessed for what you have not what you don’t have. This is how I remain positive about myself and my career.

·         What I love the most about what I do is watching a child progress and improve in their technique and dancing as they get older. It is rewarding to know it is me who has got that child to that level and all my hard work has paid off. I love creating numbers for our Christmas and summer shows and putting them on the stage for an audience to enjoy. Again, it is rewarding to watch the students putting all their hard work and technique from class onto the stage and experiencing make-up, costumes, lights and props some for the first time. I was inspired my all of my dance teachers when growing up and is lovely to know I am now inspiring students of all backgrounds. I admire anyone who has gone on to dance and perform professionally as a career. It is a tough industry and difficult not to give up when being rejected time after time.  

·         I do not understand as a dance teacher why the older students 11 -16 do not take well to constructive criticism. They seem to think the teacher is being horrible or nasty toward them instead of understanding it is to help and better their skills as a dancer.  Of course it is important to approach the student and be careful how the criticism is said as us teachers abide by a code of professional practice, but however hard you try to explain a constructive criticism to this age group they do not seem to take it very well. It makes me feel sad and sometimes like I have failed as a dance teacher. When I grew up as a student I never remember being allowed to show this attitude or come across as negative in a dance class. Is it today’s society and generation? Therefore I admire anyone who works closely with this age group not just in dance but in education also. Of course it is not everyone of this age group.

·         Being a dance teacher is very much different to an academic teacher from a child’s point of view This maybe because it is an extra curriculum activity children often think you are more approachable. I always make sure I abide by my studios code of professional conduct and also by the board I teach for code of professional practice. Whilst the students are under my supervision I must make sure I am protecting them but also protecting myself as a teacher by following the rules of my school and the eight principles of the Data Protection Act 1998

Task 2c - Reflective Theory

Reflective practice is "the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning". According to one definition it involves "paying critical attention to the practical values and theories which inform everyday actions, by examining practice reflectively and reflexively. This leads to developmental insight".

As I have been researching about reflection, I have realised that I am using it in everyday life. If it is not putting my thoughts onto paper, I have them in my head or whilst teaching I will record my work and look back on it later.

Throughout time it is believed that students learn through experience. However Dewey {1933} believed that there can be no true growth in learning through experience alone, but by reflecting on the experience. Schon {1983} believes that through reflective practice students develop a critical understanding, make sense of the situation and become competent practitioners.

There are several models of reflection used in practice. In more formal reflective writing, where your work is being assessed, it is Important to use a framework. There are several formal models of reflection which can be used. A model is Gibbs’ model of reflection (1988). Gibbs’ model of reflection is an everyday process. We reflect on a range of everyday problems and situations all the time: What went well? What didn't? Why? How do I feel about it? An outline of this model is given below.

However Kolb’s {1984} provides one of the most useful descriptive models available of the adult learning process, inspired by the work of Kurt Lewin. This learning cycle shows a model of learning through experience and that there are four stages in learning which follow from each other."Experiential learning takes place when a person is involved in an activity, looks back at it critically, determines what was useful or important to remember, and uses this information to perform another activity.I found this model particularly useful when reflecting on my teaching session which I will take forward with me in my professional practice.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a teaching session is an important tool if we want to improve on it. There are a number of key issues to consider. For example, what do you want to evaluate? Why do you want to evaluate it? When is the best time to evaluate? How will you evaluate and what will you do with the outcome?

 When we first start teaching, our first worry is, “How am I doing? “rather than “What have the students learnt?” These anxieties will subside with experience. Improving student learning is at the heart of the evaluation of the teaching session therefore the student should be a key source of information. Therefore one of the most effective ways of getting feedback from students is simply by asking them at the end of the teaching session or by asking them to write down the main points they have learnt and the main thing they still didn’t understand from the session. The main advantage of this approach is that it gives the student a chance to think more actively about their learning which can have a positive impact on their development.

Moon believes that reflection is a form of mental processing – like a form of thinking – that we use to fulfil a purpose or to achieve some anticipated outcome. It is applied to relatively complicated or unstructured ideas for which there is not an obvious solution and is largely based on the further processing of knowledge and understanding and possibly emotions that we already possess.

Moon (1999) suggests that the differences in approach are accounted for largely by different focuses - either on the process of reflection, on the purpose for it or the outcomes of reflection – in effect, how it is used. Schon, for example, is concerned about reflection as a mechanism for professional and perhaps personal development while.  Kolb explores the role of reflection in learning – setting a context for it, but referring relatively little to reflection itself. Dewey is exceptional in taking a holistic view of reflection as a process – a view that accords with the common sense definition above.

I usually have a lesson plan before I go into teaching a class; however it doesn’t always go to plan due to time, disruptions and the unknown. So, then I use my experience and knowledge to continue even though it may not have gone to plan. At the end of the session I take five minutes to reflect the positives and negatives and how I would go about things differently next time. Even when my day is over, I still find myself reflecting when I am lying in bed or drifting off to sleep as I am so passionate about what I do.

References

Dewey, J.(1993). How we think. Boston: D. C.Heath.

Gibbs. Http://www.distributedresearch.net/wiki/index.../Gibbs_reflective_Cycle.

Kolbs,D.A. and Fry,R.(1975) Towards an applied theory of experimental learning, in Cooper,C.L.(ED.) (1976) op.cit

Moon J. (2001) Personal development planning.University of Exeter

Schon, D. [1983]. The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. London: Temple-Smith.

Task 1b

Lots of us worldwide refresh our Facebook and Twitter news feed or are on a social networking site when we wake up, before we go to bed and on our breaks at work. Everyone seems to be walking down the street, sitting on trains and buses oblivious of the world around them but obsessed with their mobile phone device.

I watched the Pride of Britain Awards recently and was amazed at how the World Wide Web has developed over the past 25 years when Sir Tim Berners-Lee collected his award.

So, reading through the Reader 1 for this task I came across 2.0. I had no idea what it meant and everyone I have spoken to had no clue either, even though we use it every single day!

 What is 2.0?

Web 2.0 is a modern way of communicating, sharing and collaborating through the internet. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace are a fast and effective way of sharing links and statements. A web 2.0 site allows users to interact with each other in a social media dialogue. It was first used in January 1999 by Darcy DiNucci, a consultant on electronic information design.

 

In my professional practice, Facebook is the first line of communication with the students and parents. Instant updates of latest news and information about shows and classes are posted regularly. We are always aware of professional boundaries when using networks such as Facebook and Twitter. It is advisable to use a professional site and a personal site which I do as I feel the two should not mix.

I personally believe social networking has its place i.e. advertising, free instant communication and blogging. However, I feel it has destroyed society in a way as we are not interacting face to face anymore!  

C.V

A CV should be viewed as a Marketing Tool and is mainly used to entice an employer into giving you an interview. Depending on the industry, sometimes you need to fill out an Application Form or write a Cover Letter but usually a CV will be required too. It gives a prospective employer:

• A snapshot of who you are.

• Information on the relevant skills and experience you have for a specific job.

• Information on relevant transferable skills you have when applying for a job in a different industry.

• Information on your past work experience.

• Information on any qualifications you have gained.

• Information on any relevant training courses you have been on.

• An idea of your hobbies, pastimes and what you like to do in your leisure time.

• Personal Contact details.

I have two types of C.V's, one for Teaching /performing and one for my 'normal job'. As I am lucky enough to have two stable jobs, I have not had to use a CV in a while. So, I thought id have a go at re doing them for this task. Each C.V has the relevant covering letter, experience, credits and I have found that comparing the two C.V's, the only thing they have in common is my name and training/education!

A lengthened version about me....

My name is Hannah Bratton and I have been working as a dance teacher in Sussex for just over a year. From an early age I have been brought up with music, dance and musical theatre and have recently found a passion for teaching.

I learnt to dance and sing at my local dance school then progressed to the Arts Educational School in Chiswick for the rest of my school years. I graduated from Millennium Performing Arts London in 2012 with a level 6 Trinity Diploma and have since done my DDI with the ISTD in Tap and Modern.

At present I am doing my BAPP degree in Professional Practise and hoping to go on and do my PGCE to become a qualified secondary school teacher.

Introduction

Whilst setting up my first ever blog, I have realised I am not as computer literate as I thought! I have never had a personal or professional blog before so this is completely new to me. I am quite cautious when it comes to writing personal information on the internet being a dance teacher I feel I must be very careful what I expose on my Facebook and twitter pages and remain professional as almost anyone can access your page depending on your profile settings.

So actually looking at other blogs on here, I will be adding more information to the 'about me' part of my profile. Set in my ways as a dance teacher I am used to updating our schools Facebook page with upcoming events and information about others as oppose to writing about me.

Already this first task is a challenge for me which is very exciting. The BAPP course at Middlesex will open new doors for me and help me use my experience for a stable career in my profession.