Oral Presentation

The Oral Presentation is drawing closer and due to work commitments I am holding my over the telephone, I'm sorry I cannot be there but I wish everyone well I feel this is a chance for us to show exactly what we know about our inquiry and have worked so hard to achieve.
Here is a link to my presentation a few slides summarising what I will be discussing.

http://prezi.com/o-pklh5qxy1c/oral-presentation/

A Reflection on my Inquiry

The data gathered from this inquiry including the relevant literature has informed me of the proven benefits dance classes have on students. I had my own knowledge on this subject from previous experience working as a dance teacher and performer however this inquiry has deepened my knowledge and understanding on this subject much further.

Before I started this inquiry I was not aware of the scientific evidence currently available on the physical and health benefits gained in dance classes and the sheer amount of health benefits achieved. During this inquiry I was also made aware of the insecurities and the body image issues that occurred in students partaking in dance. From observing the classes as an outsider and not teaching the students myself it gave me a greater insight into the relationships formed between the students and the art of dance.

The participants gave me a thorough insight into the skills gained and taught that could be used for the rest of the student’s lives and enhance their future careers outside of dance.

Looking back on my personal journal throughout this inquiry has shown me my own thoughts and feelings expressed throughout each stage. I gained so much knowledge and interest from speaking to the participants, I wish there had of been more time and less work commitments from both parties so I could have interviewed more participants and gained a more varied insight. I believe I have grown as a professional and my knowledge of my professional practice has enhanced significantly.

My professional practice will now gain from this inquiry as I am more aware of the importance that dance brings, I can now use this knowledge whilst teaching dance to students and help to improve their understanding of the benefits and skills they are gaining from each class. I will also be able to pass on this knowledge to my work colleagues and professionals in the same field and to inform companies or societies who are questioning whether to place dance into their timetables or not.

This inquiry can be repeated time and time again during my future professional practice to enhance mine, my professional audience and fellow colleague’s knowledge on the art of dance.  This inquiry has enhanced my knowledge and understanding considerably leading me to improve upon my own professional practice. 

Professional Artefact

After a very help full phone conversation with Rosemary we developed a few areas and themes that my artifact could be based upon. Initially I thought the artifact needed to be a way of presenting your inquiry to your professional audience, however I now realise it can be stemmed from a theme developed within my inquiry. My inquiry is the benefits of dance classes on young students and adults within this themes have emerged such as physical fitness, skills developed, critical and creative thinking, the way dance is taught and the overall impact and importance the classes have in students.
From this I have had several thoughts for an artifact :

• A booklet illustrating the health benefits of dance including examples of exercises Incorporated in dance to improve flexibility and aerobic ability.
• A video or book explaining teaching tips for fellow professionals on improving classes for the age range explored in my inquiry.
• A book designed for academic leaders,companies,schools to demonstrate the benefits of dance and why dance should be encouraged and incorporated into their system.
• A video collage of dance footed showing work created by students,demonstrating their creativity, ream work dance and performance skills. ( this could maybe be incorporated into the idea above).

I believe my thoughts will developed as I analyse my inquiry further and compare the themes that have arose from my findings I want the artifact to professionally show what has been studied and by a useful piece of information to aid my professional audience.

inquiry analysis

I have been carrying out my inquiry by holding interviews, observations and partaking myself.
I have gathered the narratives from 6 different dance teachers and lecturers on their views on what the benefits are from partaking in dance classes. I have studied 3 pieces of litertaure by laban where they have carried out studies on the impacts of contemporary dance classes which discuss the scientific findings from these studies. Also a piece of literature from the scottish curriculm on the arts, describing the skills and outcomes that the students recieve from the arts curriculum particularly dance classes.
I have recieved the narratives from a class of 20 students taking dance classes- on how they feel after their dance classes and what benefits and skills they feel they may be gaining. Also I have my own observational data from watching various students in dance classes and from partaking in the classes myself.
I am now going on to compare what the different teachers said if their views vary at all and also how this compares to the literature. I will compare what the students felt to what i felt from partaking in the classes and what the literature says in comparison to my observations.

I have started to noticed themes emerging in particular huge similarities with peoples opinions and the scientific evidence found in literature. I have been surprised to notice that the students are not aware of the skills and benefits they are recieving from dance classes to them it is all about enjoyment. One teacher dicussed the benefits gained outside of dance leading onto other careers (the wider creative learner) this has given me more questions to ask as i beleive this goes much deeper than just a dance class. I would now like to know more about this and the part creativity plays on the students so i will search further relevant literature on this.

inquiry thoughts

My initial inquiry plan was the importance of dance inside education, here I wanted to explore the benefits the students recieved from their dance classes and the way dance was taught, I started to open a few too many doors within this inquiry as each thought led onto the next. I have started to carry out my interviews and observations. From observing a college btec level dance class it was brought to my attention that a lot of the students had never danced before they started at the college which led me to think what do they expect to get out of their dance classes and what do they infact learn and gain. They have dance, improvisation and choreography classes where they develop skills such as: team buliding skills, creativity, confidence, expression. Most of these students will not go onto a career in the performing arts indusrty but all various different careers yet the skills they learn in these dance classes are vital and enable them to pursue all sorts of carrers. Which led me onto the inquiry of 'the importance dance has on the wider creative learner'.  I am currently exploring literature related to my inquiry and profession, if anyone has come across any literature in relation I would really appreciate it.

Critical reflection and Summary: Digital Portfolio

                                http://leannewatson07.blogspot.com/

                        Critical reflection and Summary: Digital Portfolio

When I initially started the process of my inquiry plan I wanted to evaluate the knowledge I currently held and where this could be developed further. From establishing the skills I felt were necessary in my line of work, the gaps in my knowledge started to appear and I began to see where I could further my research (Appendix A). Stephanie Thomas suggested I do a capability assessment to clearly show my abilities (Appendix B). I graded myself and discovered quite a few areas where I would like to become proficient; however I believe it is more beneficial to focus specifically on one area. I also came across a Ven diagram which helped me to compare my skills as a dancer and a dance teacher and where the two coincide with each other.

I didn’t want to make the decision of my inquiry just from my own evaluations, so I created a SIG group. A lot of the discussions were generated around the importance of dance inside and out of education and teaching qualifications. This is where the majority of my knowledge and interest lies however I wanted to explore other routes giving myself options. So I set up a SIG group on ‘the transition into choreography’ (Appendix C). I found partaking in discussions vital and really inspiring as it produced new thoughts and ideas for me to explore. Through my own assessments and discussions with fellow peers I was starting to narrow down my line of inquiry. At this stage I was leaning towards the importance of dance inside and out of education.

With this inquiry in mind I went about researching the relevant codes of practice and ethical procedures I would need to undertake. I started by establishing what I know already and currently practice (Appendix D). I currently work for several organisations so I decided to research the correct procedures of one in particular and see how this differed to the knowledge I had currently obtained (Appendix E). I also wanted to research ethics further as I felt this is an important topic and one which should be adhered to in my inquiry (Appendix F).

After further discussions with my tutor and fellow peers I felt my line of inquiry was still too broad and could be more focused. So I decided on the ‘Importance of dance inside education’. This will enable me to produce a tight focus on my inquiry.

Having reached this decision I began exploring the tools that would be suitable for my inquiry (Appendix G). The results were both surprising and informative and gave me the preparation I needed. Whilst undertaking my research I found Delicious a useful tool to help compile all relevant literature and resources I came across (Appendix H). Finding relevant literature has given me a greater knowledge and support of the ideas developed in my chosen line of inquiry (Appendix I).

This module has prepared me with the relevant tools and ethical considerations needed to conduct my inquiry. I feel myself and others will benefit from the knowledge and exploration of this inquiry.

Literature reviews.

My first literature review is chapter 2 The art of dance in primary schools from the book The Art of Dance in Education by Jacqueline M. Smith-Autard second edition published by A&C black 2002. I chose this piece of literature to review as I feel it links closely to my chosen line of inquiry. Teaching in Education is of great importance to me so finding this book has been a huge asset to my research. This literature discuss’ teaching inside and out of education giving me a wider span of knowledge and comparison.

The author’s approach is very straight forward and precise leaving you with no doubt of the concept of this read. She constructively criticises past curriculum's inside primary schools and outlines the current teaching methods, learning outcomes and syllabus. The new curriculum's include teaching traditional and social dance forms and performance through physical skills and fitness – the latter being appropriate for physical education. She discusses how putting dance in with P.E creates pressure for teachers, expecting them to cover a huge range of technique. At primary level it reveals the teachers don’t try to achieve technical refinement, so I imagine incorporating it with P.E does not affect the learning outcome as greatly as it would at a higher level such as secondary school.

I quote ‘A child’s natural spontaneous joy of expressive movement is dancing in an analogous sense only. It is not the art of dance but it certainly forms the basis of it’.  Every child has the basis of dance within them so Jacqueline states how important it is for pupils to learn how to create, perform and appreciate dances like you would with any other subject.

As a teacher myself I really appreciated the way Jacqueline shows the use of lessons plans, how to structure dances explaining the learning outcomes at every step of the piece and strong teaching tips to enhance the child’s learning.

There are examples of how dance may link to other subjects in the curriculum. There are cultural and historical tasks the pupils undertake i.e.: the genre of dance style what decade the dance was set in.  At Primary level dance is linked to themes or projects to that the learning outcomes stretch further than the one subject.

I suggest this read to any budding  teacher, it is a clear and concise read covering a varied depth of knowledge and is inspiring on every page.

My second literature review is from a video ‘RSA animate changing education paradigms’ by sir ken Robinson.  http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U

I have previously blogged my thoughts on ken Robinson's video ‘creativity and dance in education’ and found this second video inspiring and indeed very clever. Ken goes on to say how currently every country is reforming public education at the moment, for two reasons- culture and economy.  We are trying to meet the future needs (which we can’t predict) by doing what we did in the past and this is alienating children. One sentence that rang true to me was, ‘we used to study well with the promise it would lead to a good job’, which students just don’t believe anymore. A degree is not a guarantee anymore. I definitely believed this when I was at school, which I do believe enabled me to receive good grades which are a positive.  However there doesn’t seem to be that security anymore and I feel children are losing interest in education because of this.

Ken also goes on to explain how the arts are becoming victims of the higher increase of Adhd in children. As the arts address an aesthetic experience to enable senses to operate at their peak children under medication are not able to do this. Obviously Ken explains he is not saying Adhd is not a real condition, just certain children may be being suppressed of their creativity.

This is a great watch for anyone interested in the educational system, he brings up some truly inspiring and alternative thoughts on education, I bear in mind these are opinions and so many aspects and considerations control education.

My third literature review is again from ‘The Art of dance in education’ this time chapter 4 ‘The art of dance in tertiary education’. I wanted to compare the two chapters as my inquiry is based around the importance of dance inside the education system, so I wanted to see the difference and development between primary schools and college level.

Jacqueline Autard makes a clear opening description explaining exactly what to expect from the chapter. I was shocked to discover that although dance has been establishing itself further over the past decade it has fallen short to the economic cuts particularly in higher education.  She discusses the balance between theory and practical elements, stating there has been a shift towards practical work of late.  Jacqueline takes you through an in-depth description of the history behind the development of dance in higher education, going from Graham-Cunningham and Laban techniques.

Throughout the whole book but particularly in this chapter the ‘midway model’ is being discussed. A model for dance teaching that sits perfectly between practical and theoretical work. Also this model is trying to link professional and educational methods together creating the best outcome for students.

There is a clear development at this level, the students are learning at a much higher in depth level. They discuss the theory of signs- Semiotics, knowledge of the aesthetic theory relating to dance and develop their own creativity through choreography with their own time to develop assignments.

Jacqueline Autard feels this level of study is closer to professional dance in terms of content but closer to education for methodology.