Tuesday 25 February 2014

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry

Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry


From reading the readers over the modules i can fully say that i know these have had a huge impact on my development and broadened by knowledge and ways of learning/ writing styles that have made me end up where i am today. Developing questions for this module has been a work in progress and one which have to have an impact on my practice, to broaden my knowledge and understanding.


I really feel in this module we have covered so much and i have learnt a great deal things i would never have thought of before.  Going back to the start when we first set up out SIG this was most useful to us but as time went on pole were not using these as much, initially they wee brilliant for trading views and information, once agin something i had never thought of. Please feel free to to search for mine SIG module 2. (Appendix 1)
We then lead on to thinking about our inquiry and questions that arise when we think of our own professional practise, what is highlighted in my head what springs to mind that i wish to know further, it needed to be something very valuable to myself. (Appendix 2)

Moving on into Ethics originally this worried me, what were they, why, how?? But its only ensure i go about my work in the correct safe ethical manor. (Appendix 3)

Pilot interview/observations were brilliant for me to weigh up ideas and ways that may work best for myself and what i will get the most out of my research  


My research tools 
Observations 

Observations will involve myself watching researching and analysing events that relate to my line of enquiry I also will be a participant in the classes as I’ll be teaching a few and observing events as the class as it unfolds 
This on a down side is a time consuming event as it involves myself attending the sessions but I believe it is well worth it. Other tools are much quicker. However with this I’ll be able to analyse and inspect what I’ve recorded. My observations will be in a written note form. I of course will take into consideration issues of ethics permission of teachers and confidentiality of students. 

I have been fortunate enough to over the last week been able to observe 4 classes in my old secondary school. And i must say i have found these most beneficial to myself for experience but also for my line of inquiry and the research method i have used in watching over these 4 classes. I have also decided that i will continue to observe them , to see if any progress is made and to get more of an understanding about how teachers and students work together. I will be attending a showcase at the school in a few weeks time. It will be most interesting to see how all the pieces have come along and what improvements and alterations they have made to have a finished product. I have found it most interesting as i have already put in a previous blog to see how the classes have learnt, what skills they have and what manners and interests they have within the subject of dance. 
Another way to look at this inquiry tool is that as i am doing the research the inquiring, i may have a biased opinion. So therefor the validity of the data may not be as weighty. I feel i have written fairly in my observations, but i could have easily put a more bias opinion. And to conclude on my observation tool, i also have thought that as i would be sitting in on the classes, i may not get a true reflection of day to day classes, my presence in the room may influence the children's behaviour, which will then result in myself reporting a different observation. I of course will not make any contribution unless asked and will sit quietly to write notes and observe what i see only. 
Interviews 

An interview is a qualitative of method I would use. Its a way of extracting information to use as evidence in my line of enquiry I will directly asked people who have experienced perceptions and knowledge about the professional theatrical and teaching industry. I will arrange a face to face with an individual person who i already have in mind. This person has already achieved what i wish to. She has already followed her dream as a professional performer and is now teaching to inspire, this is exactly what i wish to do. 
My interview will consist of a set of varied questions all about my inquiry. But also so i can hear of experiences and what interested her to do this career. I wish to gain as much feedback as possible and discuss in depth with this lady, this will be an open interview and not be so formal with a colloquial approach. However this interview must also be structured if not things may gets lost or misunderstood. The person must not feel 
intimidated, they should feel relaxed and give honest answers to give a true representation to the subject area, to get accurate date to analyse. 
Survey's/questionnaires 
This method I am sure to use to ask people who they are and what they think. The survey can allow me together a large amount of data from a wide range of representatives and people. i aim to ask all ages, genders and ethnicities for feedback. This survey will be filled with both straight forward “yes or no answers” and areas to fill in on peoples personal feedback. I will think closely about my questions to ensure i get the most out of my people, as every little helps. 

I wish to find out all information of all responses so I can look for comparisons or similarities between people the more responses I get the bigger my enquiry. I have to ensure that i ask the correct information otherwise this could be useless to me and be meaningless information. But also distribute this to the right people. People in my particular area that have been in the education system or know about it. Also in my case people who have been or feel inspired by teaching. Another disadvantage may be that some people i ask may be biased to this line of inquiry which can damage the outcome of my research. 


Reviewing Literature 

Find, Read, Analyse 
Reviewing literature i feel is key its a way of looking at academic research that has already been carried out. This of course will relate to my professional practice and line of inquiry. I will highlight in other literature about critical thinking and peoples theories and thoughts. I will review excising literature to gain an understanding of my chosen topic through other peoples opinions and ideas. This will lead to more in-depth knowledge and most probably uncover more questions for me. 
Whilst reading the literature i will ensure the source is legitimate and if its accurate. I will also ensure i tittle authors and co- authors, and detail about their research quality and reasoning for this. I have decided to annotate my chosen literature, highlighting particular aspects that i find intriguing, this will help with also building my knowledge. 
A possible downside to reviewing literature could be that it may not be completely right for you, the literature has to be of use to you and your inquiry but you will only find it out if you read it all and this is also time consuming like observations. 


Furthermore Whilst browsing the web this evening i came across this website, where a particular lady shared her experience as a teacher. I found this very mesmorising as to how one teacher had used various methods and techiques to control a situation in a instant that had been proceeding for a long time.  Her conclusion saying how "Every student is different; no two students react in the same way. It is our tasks as teachers to find not only what motivates each student to learn but also what motivates them to misbehave. If we can meet them at that point and take away that motivation, we can go a long way towards a more effective classroom and learning experience."sums this up perfectly.

(Appendix 4)


http://712educators.about.com/od/teachertips/a/teaching_exp.htm

Interviews

An interview is a qualitative of method I would use. Its a way of extracting information to use as evidence in my line of enquiry I will directly asked people who have experienced perceptions and knowledge about the professional theatrical and teaching industry. I will arrange a face to face with an individual person who i already have in mind. This person has already achieved what i wish to. She has already followed her dream as a professional performer and is now teaching to inspire, this is exactly what i wish to do.

My interview will consist of a set of varied questions all about my inquiry. But also so i can hear of experiences and  what interested her to do this career. I wish to gain as much feedback as possible and discuss in depth with this lady, this will be an open interview and not be so formal with a quilloquial approach. However this interview must also be structured if not things may gets lost or misunderstood. 

Module 2 has been a huge eye opener for myself and i am now fully ware of how huge my inquiry is going to be for module 3.  The final aspect i learnt in module 2 was to use delicious this is a brilliant way of keeping tabs on research or literature you have found and this i will use throughout my time searing the web. (Appendix 6)


My Gantt Chart

I have decided to add a Gantt chart to my proposal as i felt i got lost a few times with all my research and timings. Obviously my inquiry is hugely important to me and i wish to take great care which using my research tools and take time analysing data. The chart will be my project schedule for Module 3 and as of yet this is what i have come up with.

I know that by having this chart this will keep me up to date with each week keeping on top of reviewing my research tools, over looking them, maybe picking up on a different line each time i investigate more. I hope this method will keep me in good timing so i don't rush or miss any vital data that may be key to my investigation. 


The point of my inquiry i keep reminding myself is to not highlight what i already know but to open up minds and ideas, hear new views to what i do not know already get a better knowledge of my practice to build upon this for my future career. 

7A, Summary Module 3


Inquiry title 

How does a professional performer adapt/make the transitions into a secondary school educational setting to educate dance?

My research/ Inquiry questions and ideas

What has been highlighted to me from reading through my feedback from my last module is that I need to delve a little more into what I mean by inspirational teaching and what I see as teaching. Once I have written my views I can then contrast and compare these with the outcomes of the interviews I will conduct. I can then highlight re occurring themes. 

Ethical Issues

From a glance I hope that there will be no obvious ethical issues. All of the participates involved in my inquiry are fully aware of their input and that no data would be shared unless agreed to. I have written up an email and sent this to the participants outlining my proposal and have asked for confirmation that this is all ok from them. 

Literature review

I am very pleased with my chosen literature. However I also thoroughly agree with Adesola that I should also add some alternative literature about what it means to teach. I also need to further research for my literature go beyond google. I know there are various resources that I could look into. I will look in my local library to see what it has to offer covering my inquiry topic on teaching. 


Changes to my plan 


I am not going to change my plan, just areas have been highlighted to me. Such as more in depth knowledge on what teaching means personally to me. I am happy with only 3 research tools, and that a survey would be of no use to me. I am very keen to know the outcome of the ire view with a non performer. Furthermore I much ensure that throughout my inquiry that I do not only confirm things I already know but actually set out to find out something new. 


The 5 stages

I currently have reviewed my feedback from Adeshola and after reading through the hand books, and completing task 7A, making me reflect and summarise what has occurred so far. 
I have decided to also look for other research choosing my local library for text on teaching. This is something I am currently looking into other than just finding literature off of the web. I have set out emails ready to send to participants the sooner these are agreed I can then set dates to carry out my observation and interviews. 
Stage 3 is where I carry out the activates, I am very open minded to what I may find out and see if this inquiry will change course. 

I feel the analysing of my research will be a challenge for myself. I wish to thoroughly extract as much as possible from my findings and present this in a way that people will understand and what to know more them selves. I hope my inquiry will open up people's eyes into transition from professional performer to teacher, and how inspiration can be a quality a teacher possess. 

Stage 5 is where I will present all my findings and complete my inequity. I hope to have learnt a huge insight into the world of teaching and how inspiration must be a key factor when teaching. 

Module 3

It's been so long since i have blogged so thought i should! Well it's finally arrived module 3 but the fun part we have all been working towards. Our inquiry!! I have decided to inquire about the transition from professional performer to teach and educate dance in a secondary school. This is something i am hugely interested in as after my years as a performer i wish to go into teaching and inspire others!