MA Professional Practice Dance Technique Pedagogy

Response to 8pm Skype - 10/02/2019 The Skype discussion was interesting from the perspective that having completed all three modules and sitting in limbo (waiting for results), I was able to appreciate the feelings of uncertainty and “not knowing”, that others starting new modules faced. Embracing new ideas is always interesting. This would be the third time I have visited the topic of “knowing and learning”, in this MA, but it continues to amaze me how people generate new and fresh points of view. This continual process of learning or even re-learning, emphasises the fluidity of the process of gaining experiential knowledge and also highlights the value of each other’s professional practice and what we can share with others.  How we communicate this translation of ideas helps us express our knowledge. The discourse surrounding what is considered academic, poses questions as to how our ideas and practice is shared with others. At what point do we need to change either o...

Response to Skype Discussion 8pm 02/12/2018 Experience speaks for itself, so it is important to write from the “I” perspective to demonstrate the ability to reflect and give voice to the research enquiry. As kinaesthetic learners it is sometimes difficult to transform experience into a written form of communication. As dance teachers, we use a particular tone and choice of words that we would not necessarily use in written communications with our students or with academics. We work with visualisation and mapping movement using creative description not in depth analysis and reflection.   Thus, expressing using academic form and language can sometimes feel trivia to us. Constantly questioning our own opinions and views is not something we are used to doing as part of our everyday teaching.   I actually feel that through the process of this MA, I have become more reflective and intuitive in my everyday teaching activities.  

  Response to Skype Discussion, Sunday 18 th  November 2018, 8pm It was interesting to learn about the interdisciplinary approach to training and how practice in other countries differs from our own. Often, we can get absorbed in our own environment and forget about what happens on a global scale. In a number of cultures there still seems to be a hierarchy with styles of dance, with ballet as for the elite and contemporary dance for the masses. The idea of dance being a divider or classifier of social status resonated with thoughts from the history of contemporary dance in Britain and how the public opinion was ballet as high art and contemporary as popular culture.  The versatility of students was also discussed and whether students who study more dance styles have better skills and make better dancers. The focus on the holistic well-rounded dance student, draws parallels with my own research, suggesting that better skills equal better teaching. We also disc...

Interesting thoughts were discussed about how knowledge is embodied at a practical and theoretical level. As dancers we have different ways of communicating knowledge on an emotional and kinaesthetic level, which are equally valid in the same way as verbal or written communication. From a teaching perspective there needs to be a deep level of understanding and choices provided by the teacher so our students can build up their own way of expressing themselves. Embodiment should not be about conforming to another person’s perspective it is about finding individual enlightenment.  Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory was mentioned with regards to how different people learn and how experience relates to learning. This is an example of a framework, we do not necessarily have to agree with, but it is useful nonetheless to help us find answers or make conclusions.  Whilst literature is not conclusive, it does offer a framework for discussion. For example, I ...

During the discussion we spoke about student assessment and tracking progress effectively. Often assessment causes anxiety and is not fully embraced, however if it were viewed simply as a point of reflection, feedback and evaluation would it be viewed more positively. Thus, the way we approach assessment, as a milestone rather than an end result is important. Carrying out my research observations, has led to me question not only the effectiveness of my teaching practice, but how we “measure” or “know” that our teaching is effective. We may seek re-assurance when we observe similar teaching methods to our own, but I wonder if this this purely a re-action to us being in our comfort zone and unconsciously registering them as correct?

Over the past 2 weeks I have been engrossed in background reading of my chosen topic and also contemplating the research methods and methodologies surrounding my research proposal. Through the literature search, I discovered that values were embedded in a number of disciplines. including educational philosophy, sociology, dance education and pedagogy, psychology and child development. I noticed similarities in the Grounded Theory approach discussed by Margaret Wilson (2009) and my research project. For example, using pedagogy as a source of analysis and ‘observing how the approach to teaching shaped the dancer’s experiences as well as how the student’s experiences…’ (Wilson, 2009, p5).  However, the nature of the research also lends itself well to ethnography, because it is based on the views and experiences of the students and parents in my dance school. There is a sense that all social researchers are participant observers (Hammersley and Atkinson, 1995), thus my pre-fie...

As my professional practice, is based around teaching and running my dance school, I choose this as the focus of my research project. When I set up my own dance school, I did it because I wanted to build a legacy and something that reflected my beliefs and values. I had taught in a variety of settings including salsa clubs, community groups, schools, fitness, private dance schools, primary and secondary schools and FE colleges. 10 years on, starting this MA course, I found myself questioning how my school was set up, the ethos I wanted to embrace and also how I filtered this into my teaching. On reflection, I noticed that prior experience had a lot to do with my beliefs and my priorities as the owner of a school as well as personality traits. For example, as a child I struggled socially in school to be part of a group as I felt my “difference” was not understood. As a result, when I set up my school I made a point of creating an environment in which “difference” was accepted and e...

Something that resonated from our group discussion on Sunday was how our experiences as dancers filters through into our teaching. We agreed that to an extent the way we judge ourselves and critique as dancers, can add both a positive and negative aspect to our teaching and ultimately impact our students. If I consider my training and experience as a dancer, the areas of technique, which I struggled with are reinforced and over compensated in my teaching to ensure that the students I train do not have the same problems. The process of finding a topic for my research project was more difficult then I thought. Initially I thought about the impact of competitive dance on my students as this was something I introduced to my school 18 months ago and wanted to look at how this had changed the students attitudes, perceptions and others around them. The problem, was that indirectly, I already knew the answer, thus proving something I already knew or thought I knew. Instead I went back to ...

‘I am a dancer. I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes in some area an athlete of God. To practice means to perform, in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire’ (Graham cited in Carter, 1988, p65-66).  Martha Graham interests me because I can draw parallels within my own choreographic methods and way of moving. She believed that her choreography was autobiographical and reflective.  She states that, ‘Art is eternal for it reveals the inner landscape which is the sole of man’ (Graham cited in Carter, 1998, p66). In this way she uses dance to express her feelings and emotions in order to reveal something about herself. When you examin...

The first thing which influenced my thinking was the quote ‘what you know frames how you understand the world’ (p15) The idea that research was not as clear cut as I first thought, and it stems from how you see the world, makes it appear as a collage of outcomes or ideas rather then a fixed outcome.  Our own history affects how we view the information we are given. Before carrying out any research it is important to understand our epistemological positions and that of others within our chosen area of research.  Epistemology or the discussion of knowledge is based in philosophy. When considering the viewpoints of these scholars, it is important to consider the voice of the author, i.e the white, European male perspective. It is important to acknowledge how the author may affect or skew the knowledge based on their own views. For example, our own historical overview comes from a European framework where it is influenced and distorted by the western experience of moder...

In module 1, I was able to reflect on my prior knowledge by acknowledging what I had gained through my experience as a teacher and an academic learner. I made the following discoveries about myself including   I wasn’t aware of how much I had achieved in a relatively short time in my life  I wasn’t aware of the running theme of value and purpose in dance in education that resonated through the various jobs I had taken. I had opted for the same job roles but across different organisations and educational settings. Although I quickly made the decision about where my career priorities were I always thought my academic and intellectual side outweighed the practical and experiential side, when actually the evidence suggested my entrepreneurial approach and practical skills in applying knowledge seem to be at the forefront of my learning  I became more aware of my preferences as a learner and why I learn, teach and exist in a certain way. I am inquisitive by nature an...

thoughts from the skype discussion  Sunday 1st October, 5pm   The discussion started by revisiting the ideas of knowledge and experience from module 1 - knowing and not knowing. The awareness of your own position in a framework or whether you are the kind of person trying to prove or gather answers. Creativity is not always looked upon by outsiders as academic. Sometimes we take for granted the knowledge or unspoken understanding within the Arts that acknowledges that not everything can be contextualised through academia. Trying to prove using a binary ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ from a positivist or scientific perspective does not translate when looking at the embodiment of movement or indeed reflection as there are no right or wrong answers. Instead the translation of experience through critical reflection can help us explain our choices, methods and own theoretical perspective and frameworks in the same way that our moral background influences our actions and our personality...

Dance is not only a subject area, it is a physical activity and a kinaesthetic way of learning. Discipline and hidden meanings and codes often referred to as "sub text" can be used to creatively teach values.   As teachers of dance we are constantly evolving our practice and keeping things creative and moving forwards. Other subjects such as mathematics and science have less flexibility as content remains the same. As creative practitioners we need to think outside the box, rather then stay within our comfort zone, to further our own professional development. In my opinion, dance has value in improving self-esteem, confidence, memory, team work, as well as reinforcing skills learnt such as co-ordination, balance, control and flexibility.   Rather like Aesops Fables, which teach morality, dance can be used to teach the importance of individual and collective responsibility. In this way, dance can have a positive impact on society. By re-introducin...