Sunday 13 November 2011
School Reports
Just thought i would have a little blog about school reports. One of the schools I teach at does school reports at the end of term. After finding out I had over 100 reports to do, I was then told that we are not aloud to write anything negative or constructive it has to all be positive. This is something that i completely disagree with and im finding it very hard to do because of this. How can a child learn if they are told that they are perfect all the time. I know that going to dance/drama/singing is meant to be fun, but surely they all come because they want to learn these subjects, so if they are coming to learn and to improve then how can you help someone to improve without giving them constructive feedback. I know as a child I was always told no thats wrong do it again again again. So is this me asking to much of them? I dont know, but I do think if you are told your perfect all the time, why would that make you want to learn/ improve within a class, beacuse if your perfect whats the point in coming at all?
A change of my inquiry!
Right its been a while since ive been able to blog, so here it all goes again.
After the first campus session i realised that i wanted to focus more on "differentiation" within a dance class. I also want to look into teaching children with special needs and and how to plan for this within a dance class.
To summarise Petty (2004) It wasn't till a few years a go that people began to realise that it was not just ability that could be mixed. Teachers are having to cope with a plethora of differences; learning styles age, motivation, prior learning and experience, gender, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia etc. Consequently the term 'mixed ability' began to replaced by the less vivid term ' differentiation.
This is something I am hope to look into in great detail.
After the first campus session i realised that i wanted to focus more on "differentiation" within a dance class. I also want to look into teaching children with special needs and and how to plan for this within a dance class.
To summarise Petty (2004) It wasn't till a few years a go that people began to realise that it was not just ability that could be mixed. Teachers are having to cope with a plethora of differences; learning styles age, motivation, prior learning and experience, gender, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia etc. Consequently the term 'mixed ability' began to replaced by the less vivid term ' differentiation.
This is something I am hope to look into in great detail.
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Critical Reflection and Summary: Online Portfolio
Developing my professional questions was a hard way to start this module for me. After the first campus session, I had a better understanding of this. Once I started thinking of questions within my profession, it all got scrambled in my head so I needed a way of getting this down so I could sort the relevant questions from the irrelevant questions. After reading Stacy Wilsons blog on her lines of inquiry I took a leaf out of Stacy’s book and decided to do a brainstorm of all the questions in my head. (Appendix A). After reading Rosemary McGuiness’s comment on prioritising these questions and deciding which ones are or will be relevant to my professional development, I was able to select 6 questions (Appendix B) which I then took into a meeting I had with Rosemary McGuiness my learning advisor. After looking at my questions rosemary asked what are my career aspirations. So I said I want to go into teaching full time in secondary schools or higher education, from this most of my inquiry questions seemed irrelevant to my career aspirations but more to what it relevant within my career now. There was one question that kept popping into my head (Appendix C). Although again this seemed like a brilliant question for me at that moment in time after researching there wasn’t much literature to help me on this question. I then knew for my inquiry that my question was going to have to be more specific and relevant to my future career aspirations. I then thought that “What are the roles and responsibilities of a dance teacher?” was the question I had been looking for. (Appendix D).
There is plenty of literature and theories on this inquiry so I though I was sorted. Lesson planning seemed to have caught my attention, and really seemed to have great interest to me. (Appendix E). Most of my research seemed to be going into education, teaching theories and learning styles and after long deliberation I decided I would like Award Title to be in Dance Education. (Appendix F). I then looked into ethics within my career (Appendix G) at that time I hadn’t done any research on ethics I just blogged how I feel ethics come into dance education. I then later read about a link that Mark Illes had posted on his blog. I found this link very insightful and made me feel very narrowed minded to what I had blogged about ethics previously. (Appendix H). I wrote “Before looking into ethics I didn’t really realise how important they are and how often I actually come across ethical situations. I have never really thought about what’s happens after I have taught the student. The consequences of every situation should be well thought about. Its not always about the teacher and the students, there is a lot more to think about in ethics, the community, your colleagues, the parents, the company, other students. Professionalism seems to be vital in teaching.” This was a turning point for me and really opened my mind to ethics within dance education. Piloting various inquiry tools such as, Survey’s, Interviews, Observations and focus groups gave me a experience is the questions right, there is no point holding an interview if the questions you are asking aren’t going to help with your inquiry. After piloting these inquiry tools I assessed the merits and limitations of each tool. (Appendix I), J, K, L, M). In my blog I have written this as Advantages and Disadvantages. From my pilot survey I got some excellent results but after evaluating my questions they were not all specific to my inquiry. From reading back over my blogs and research that I have been doing I realised that my line of inquiry could be more specific (Appendix N). I was still going to keep the research that I had been doing as it still plays a part into my inquiry. Reviewing literature is going to play a big part of my inquiry as I will be using these teaching theories and ideas that I find to help me improve as a teacher. The literature that I reviewed on Geoff Petty’s- Teaching today (Appendix O ) made me understand how important it is to plan for differentiation within the lesson. This is something that I hoping to be able to inquire into so that all of my students can benefit from their dance lesson.
Appendix D: http://nikkilouisemcgowan.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-are-roles-and-responsibilities-of.html
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Literature review Motivation
The second piece of literature which I have chosen to review is "Knowing Dance- A guide for creative teaching- Motivation- Marion Gough"
After reading this book, I have decided to review the section on Motivation, because I also want to look into what makes a great dance teacher great. Motivation is a key aspect of teaching, getting the students interested in what you are teaching is very important. In this chapter of the book Gough states that people learn best when "they are well motivated, the work is relevant and meets their needs, they are actively involved, the atmosphere is conductive to learning and when they feel respected" These are all true but are hard to put into practice I find. For example If you are working a a dance piece over a long period of time with a class, its hard to keep them motivated every class. Where as my lessons that I teach where I change what are doing from week to week always seem more open to ideas and more excited about the choreography. One point which I found interesting that Gough talks about is peoples motivation for joining in that specific class. I had never though about someone joining in, to "meet others" or to "gain confidence". I know that within my lesson I am always trying to get my students to be more confident with their dancing but had never thought about someone actually joining to gain confidence out of the lesson. Gough then goes on to write about "Motivating Factors" and how factors like space, ammount of students, temperature of the room can affect the students motivation. I feel that yes these could effect the motivation of the students at the beginging of the lesson but its should be your responsibilitiy as the tecaher to change their way of thinking and get them motivated and get on with the class so they can forget about all these factors. "Individuals bringing negative attitudes" is something that got me thinking as this often happens at one of the dance schools that I teach at where one child might of had a bad day or isnt feeling well and I always feel that the other students bounce off this and I find it hard to get the others to snap out of it. I always say to my students "leave your troubles at the door, we are here to dance and be creative, if you come in with a negative attitude everything you do will become negative." Gough then says "they are more likely yo respond to a teacher who demonstrates positive motivatig factors- such as their commitment, enthusiasm and passion for the subject." I completely agree with the statement I feel it sums up what I was trying to state above. The last thing that Gough talks about is how students feel motivated, the one point that Gough makes about the students having "some measure of responsibility, of decision making." This is a great point I know that when I used to be taught and we got asked questions and asked for chreographic ideas I loved it. It made you feel part of the class and feel needed. I know that when I teach the students sometimes ask if they can put in some chreography and I always say maybe we'll see how it goes, and dont normally get round to it. After readig this section of the book I now know the students like to feel needed and have their own personal stamp in the class. They bounce of "realsitic challenges and goals" and love to feel part of the process.
Brilliant book would reccomned it to dance teachers.
After reading this book, I have decided to review the section on Motivation, because I also want to look into what makes a great dance teacher great. Motivation is a key aspect of teaching, getting the students interested in what you are teaching is very important. In this chapter of the book Gough states that people learn best when "they are well motivated, the work is relevant and meets their needs, they are actively involved, the atmosphere is conductive to learning and when they feel respected" These are all true but are hard to put into practice I find. For example If you are working a a dance piece over a long period of time with a class, its hard to keep them motivated every class. Where as my lessons that I teach where I change what are doing from week to week always seem more open to ideas and more excited about the choreography. One point which I found interesting that Gough talks about is peoples motivation for joining in that specific class. I had never though about someone joining in, to "meet others" or to "gain confidence". I know that within my lesson I am always trying to get my students to be more confident with their dancing but had never thought about someone actually joining to gain confidence out of the lesson. Gough then goes on to write about "Motivating Factors" and how factors like space, ammount of students, temperature of the room can affect the students motivation. I feel that yes these could effect the motivation of the students at the beginging of the lesson but its should be your responsibilitiy as the tecaher to change their way of thinking and get them motivated and get on with the class so they can forget about all these factors. "Individuals bringing negative attitudes" is something that got me thinking as this often happens at one of the dance schools that I teach at where one child might of had a bad day or isnt feeling well and I always feel that the other students bounce off this and I find it hard to get the others to snap out of it. I always say to my students "leave your troubles at the door, we are here to dance and be creative, if you come in with a negative attitude everything you do will become negative." Gough then says "they are more likely yo respond to a teacher who demonstrates positive motivatig factors- such as their commitment, enthusiasm and passion for the subject." I completely agree with the statement I feel it sums up what I was trying to state above. The last thing that Gough talks about is how students feel motivated, the one point that Gough makes about the students having "some measure of responsibility, of decision making." This is a great point I know that when I used to be taught and we got asked questions and asked for chreographic ideas I loved it. It made you feel part of the class and feel needed. I know that when I teach the students sometimes ask if they can put in some chreography and I always say maybe we'll see how it goes, and dont normally get round to it. After readig this section of the book I now know the students like to feel needed and have their own personal stamp in the class. They bounce of "realsitic challenges and goals" and love to feel part of the process.
Brilliant book would reccomned it to dance teachers.
Literature review 1
The first piece I have chosen to review is Geoff Petty- Teaching Today- Differentiation. I feel this article is really relevenat with my inquiry even though it is not specific to dance, I feel Petty has written it in a way so every style of teacher can understand and take something away from the article.
http://www.geoffpetty.com/differentiation.html
Petty states that "Differentiation is the process by which differences between learners are accommodated so that all students in a group have the best possible chance of learning. We used to teach subjects and classes - now we teach students."
I found this statement very intresting because this is very similar to what I wrote when I posted a blog about lesson planning. I put "For every student the outcome of the lesson should be the same, however, its the way students have learnt this outcome that might be different." http://nikkilouisemcgowan.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html
This has made me feel like I am on the right track and am pleased that there is some literature to back me up. The article then goes on to say that differentitaion is no longer the forerunner its now "mixed ablilty teaching". It then goes on to say that teachers now have to cope with a plethora or differeneces such as: "style, age, motivation, prior learning and experieience, gender, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and so on."
I feel this is very true, you cant just plan a dance routine you have to plan how your going to teach the routine and how everyone can get invovled. "Differentiation is an approach to teaching to ensure that all students learm well, despite thier mnay differeneces." Petty is very keen on the idea of everyone learning and "sucess for all". As a teacher I feel it is your responsibility to help evreyone learn as much as possible within the lesson. In the next paragraph Petty says "differntitaion is not new". He goes on to say that good teachers have always done it. He says teachers used to teach a subject but now they are teaching indiviuals. It says "once eductaion was a sieve. The weaker students were sieved out." In this day and age its all about equal oppurtunjities, which I think is fair. But what if someone really just doesnt get the subject that is being taught. should they be pushed into trying to learn it or should they be given the oppurtunity to try another subject? I am in two minds about this and is something that I want to keep looking into. Petty has written "experts on the brain and learning now stress that everyone can learn more, if they taught appropitaely." I disagree with this. If someone decided to put me back into school and tried to teach me algebra again I still woulndt have a clue, even if they danced around whilst teaching I still dont think I wold understnad it. But is this because the way in which I was taught it, made it seem boring and complicated in the first place. In the last paragraph Petty goes on to say " Teachers can make much greater differences than themselves realise." I completeley agree with this statement I really do believe if a tecahers loves what they are teaching then the students will see this passion and look up to them.
Overall I agree with alot of Petty's findings. Pettys work is relevant to my inquiry so will be looking into his findings more.
http://www.geoffpetty.com/differentiation.html
Petty states that "Differentiation is the process by which differences between learners are accommodated so that all students in a group have the best possible chance of learning. We used to teach subjects and classes - now we teach students."
I found this statement very intresting because this is very similar to what I wrote when I posted a blog about lesson planning. I put "For every student the outcome of the lesson should be the same, however, its the way students have learnt this outcome that might be different." http://nikkilouisemcgowan.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html
This has made me feel like I am on the right track and am pleased that there is some literature to back me up. The article then goes on to say that differentitaion is no longer the forerunner its now "mixed ablilty teaching". It then goes on to say that teachers now have to cope with a plethora or differeneces such as: "style, age, motivation, prior learning and experieience, gender, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and so on."
I feel this is very true, you cant just plan a dance routine you have to plan how your going to teach the routine and how everyone can get invovled. "Differentiation is an approach to teaching to ensure that all students learm well, despite thier mnay differeneces." Petty is very keen on the idea of everyone learning and "sucess for all". As a teacher I feel it is your responsibility to help evreyone learn as much as possible within the lesson. In the next paragraph Petty says "differntitaion is not new". He goes on to say that good teachers have always done it. He says teachers used to teach a subject but now they are teaching indiviuals. It says "once eductaion was a sieve. The weaker students were sieved out." In this day and age its all about equal oppurtunjities, which I think is fair. But what if someone really just doesnt get the subject that is being taught. should they be pushed into trying to learn it or should they be given the oppurtunity to try another subject? I am in two minds about this and is something that I want to keep looking into. Petty has written "experts on the brain and learning now stress that everyone can learn more, if they taught appropitaely." I disagree with this. If someone decided to put me back into school and tried to teach me algebra again I still woulndt have a clue, even if they danced around whilst teaching I still dont think I wold understnad it. But is this because the way in which I was taught it, made it seem boring and complicated in the first place. In the last paragraph Petty goes on to say " Teachers can make much greater differences than themselves realise." I completeley agree with this statement I really do believe if a tecahers loves what they are teaching then the students will see this passion and look up to them.
Overall I agree with alot of Petty's findings. Pettys work is relevant to my inquiry so will be looking into his findings more.
Monday 2 May 2011
Online Portfolio
Here's the link to my online portfolio. https://sites.google.com/site/nikkilouisemcgowan/home
Crtical reflection on my survey
At the time I felt like my survey was really relevant but now im unsure. The first 4 questions aren't really any help to me and my inquiry, they just helped me get an idea of who was taking my survey. Because I was limited to 10 questions I felt like I had to put a bit of everything in the survey. Where as if I had actually been more specific then I might of been able to have got more information out of my results. I like the idea of a survey as I feel you you get a real honest answers as it is annoymous.
Advantages
Advantages
- Survey monkey is quick and easy to use. You can use different types of question and answer systems so you can get the right sort of information that you need. You can also have a setting where they cant skip the question they have to answer it.
- Has a brilliant way of recording the results
- Its anonymous,
- You get true answers
- Its easy just to post it on Facebook or on your blog etc. So you can target the right sort of audience to answer you survey.
- Your questions have to be very specific, so you get the answers that you require.
- People didnt always give detailed answers in the comment box.
- People can lie.
- Not enough people could fill it out. There is only so many times you can ask someone to fill out your survey.
Slight change in my line of inquiry.
After speaking to Aby martin on the phone, I realised that the Role and responsibilities of a dance teacher isn't the main inquiry I want to do. Its more on inclusion planning which comes under the roles and responsibilities of a dance teacher. So I know think I now have a more precise inquiry.
“How can inclusion planning help benefit students within their dance lesson?”
So some of the roles and responsibilities will come into my inquiry but I'm going to be focusing more on inclusion. Inclusion planning seems vital within a dance class as this would help the students and ensure the quality of tuition. As a teacher inclusive planning should cater for every student. From the research I have done so far inclusive learning can be seen as a form of personalised learning.
Pilot Observation
My pilot observation, was tricky as its been Easter holidays. But I decided to observe an adult theatre rehearsal. The age range is from 18yrs - 55yrs and varies in level. There are dancers, actors, singers there that have been to vocational college and just go for more experience. There are adults that have always been part of local theatre companies and have many years of experience in amateur productions and then there are people that go for their love of theatre and love to be part of something. So the levels are vast.
I used to be part off this company but haven't been for a few years, so I few people from when i was part of it. From what the group was working on they had been split up into dancers, singers and actors. I decided to watch the dance part of this rehearsal. Within the dance group there was still a wide range of abilities. I was intrigued to how the teacher was going to deal with this. I had asked before hand if i could observe the lesson, but I didn't tell them what I was observing. The teacher seemed to have prepared for the lesson as in they had the music ready and knew the choreography that they wanted to teach. I don't feel the teacher had prepared the room ready as there was some chairs around the room, which if they had all been put to one side then would of cleared up the space a bit more. Although the teacher had prepared the choreography I feel that it wasn't suitable for all the learners. It was taught very fast and I felt if it had been slowed down then the more advanced dancers would have been cleaner in their choreography and the others would of know what they are doing and would have been more confident. Half way through teaching the dance, the teacher had missed out some music when planning the dance. When she got to this bit I could she was trying to think of something to put it but then just said "we'll sort that another time". I feel there wasn't a lot of feedback within the lesson, apart from general corrections. Apart from this they all seemed to enjoy the dance and you could clearly see from the way they interacted together that they all enjoyed each other company. After the lesson I spoke to the teacher and asked her if she had planned the lesson and how she feels the lesson went. she said " I don't always plan for my lessons, I normally have an idea of what I want to teach and then just see what comes to mind in the lesson." She also said that she doesn't mind if everyone doesn't get the dance just as long as they all have fun."
Advantages
I used to be part off this company but haven't been for a few years, so I few people from when i was part of it. From what the group was working on they had been split up into dancers, singers and actors. I decided to watch the dance part of this rehearsal. Within the dance group there was still a wide range of abilities. I was intrigued to how the teacher was going to deal with this. I had asked before hand if i could observe the lesson, but I didn't tell them what I was observing. The teacher seemed to have prepared for the lesson as in they had the music ready and knew the choreography that they wanted to teach. I don't feel the teacher had prepared the room ready as there was some chairs around the room, which if they had all been put to one side then would of cleared up the space a bit more. Although the teacher had prepared the choreography I feel that it wasn't suitable for all the learners. It was taught very fast and I felt if it had been slowed down then the more advanced dancers would have been cleaner in their choreography and the others would of know what they are doing and would have been more confident. Half way through teaching the dance, the teacher had missed out some music when planning the dance. When she got to this bit I could she was trying to think of something to put it but then just said "we'll sort that another time". I feel there wasn't a lot of feedback within the lesson, apart from general corrections. Apart from this they all seemed to enjoy the dance and you could clearly see from the way they interacted together that they all enjoyed each other company. After the lesson I spoke to the teacher and asked her if she had planned the lesson and how she feels the lesson went. she said " I don't always plan for my lessons, I normally have an idea of what I want to teach and then just see what comes to mind in the lesson." She also said that she doesn't mind if everyone doesn't get the dance just as long as they all have fun."
Advantages
- Everyone was helpful and happy to help with my observation
- The rehearsal happens weekly so easy to go back and observe again
- I could see hands on and problems that occurred
- I knew the teacher so could be quite honest with her
- Was good that I watched instead of joining in and observing and I manged to write down everything that I wanted to.
- The teacher didn't have a written plan so I couldn't see if she had stuck to her plan
- Didn't want to upset any members of the class by observing
- Couldn't quite tell what the students were thinking by just observing
- As it was more of a light hearted class the teacher didn't really plan for all learner and abilities so couldn't see any inclusive teaching in place.
Pilot focus group
For my pilot focus group I asked a group of fellow teachers to get together to discuss the issues of inclusion planning. Within the group I had 6people turn up including my self, age ranging from 19-35. Three people were from one dance school and 2 were from another a local high school will specialised in dance and me who i worked for the dance school and knew and have worked with the 2 that taught at the high school.
Advantages
Advantages
- Everyone spoke freely and stuck to my first few questions.
- Because there were two types of teachers in the room (dance school and high school) I got to hear the advantages and disadvantages from both sides.
- New topics sparked instantly and someone was always talking
- I took my Dictaphone so I didn't need to make notes on what was said, I could fully participate in the discussion and lead them on without worry of writing it all down.
- New teaching ideas were passed back and forth
- After 5mins the topics seemed to trail off I had to keep reminding them of the topic in discussion
- As 3 of the them were from a dance school including the principal from the dance school, I could see that the 2 other teachers were really thinking about what they were saying and I feel they couldnt speak freely on the topics.
- Inclusion planning seemed more relevant to some than others. i.e one teacher just taught street dance and they felt they didnt really plan for any learning styles.
- Was stressful to organise had to change the date 3 times due to teachers always teaching at differnt times.
Pilot Survey!
I created a survey called "Your learning process". The first 4 questions are about training.
Here are my questions and my results......
1, Was GCSE/ A-Level dance available to you at you secondary school?
Yes- 60%
No- 40%
2, If these options were available to you, who taught you?
P.E Teacher- 25%
Outside Teacher- 16.7%
Another teacher at the school- 33.3%
Other- 25%
3, When you finished school did you attend a .....
B-tec course- 6.7%
Professional Performing arts college- 93.3%
Teaching training course- 0%
Other- 0%
4, Did you find GCSE/ A-level Dance/ Drama prepared you enough for what you chose to do next in your training/ career, please explain? If you think they didn't help you, how can these courses be adapted to help and prepare you more?
All of my responses apart from 2 said that GCSE/A-LEVEL dance/drama did not prepare you enough for any practical training. Yes they provided you with the theory side and history behind dance, but no way near enough on the practical side. Most people answered saying the course content is very un-inspiring and the teachers were un-motivating and not a specialist in dance. Someone made a very clear point of saying
"They need to get in professional teachers who are trained in that subject, you wouldn't have a maths teacher teach History, so why not provide appropriate teachers for dance courses!!"
Here are my questions and my results......
1, Was GCSE/ A-Level dance available to you at you secondary school?
Yes- 60%
No- 40%
2, If these options were available to you, who taught you?
P.E Teacher- 25%
Outside Teacher- 16.7%
Another teacher at the school- 33.3%
Other- 25%
3, When you finished school did you attend a .....
B-tec course- 6.7%
Professional Performing arts college- 93.3%
Teaching training course- 0%
Other- 0%
4, Did you find GCSE/ A-level Dance/ Drama prepared you enough for what you chose to do next in your training/ career, please explain? If you think they didn't help you, how can these courses be adapted to help and prepare you more?
All of my responses apart from 2 said that GCSE/A-LEVEL dance/drama did not prepare you enough for any practical training. Yes they provided you with the theory side and history behind dance, but no way near enough on the practical side. Most people answered saying the course content is very un-inspiring and the teachers were un-motivating and not a specialist in dance. Someone made a very clear point of saying
"They need to get in professional teachers who are trained in that subject, you wouldn't have a maths teacher teach History, so why not provide appropriate teachers for dance courses!!"
4/27/11 9:14PM View Responses
The next section was called "Your Learning" I decided to ask questions which would distinguish if the people that answered my survey were auditory, visual or kinaesthetic learners.
1, Do you...
Prefer a lesson where you can discuss things- 20%
Prefer a lesson where there is something for you to look at (like a picture or video) or something to draw- 6.7%
Prefer a lesson where you can do something practical or at least move around- 86.7%
2, When you learn a new skill do you..
Prefer to just get on with it- 40%
Prefer someone to explain to you how to do it 20%
Prefer to watch someone else show you how to do it 60%
3, When the adverts come on the tv do you prefer to...
Watch them- 26.7%
Get up and do something- 20%
Sing a long with them- 60%
The last section was about Teachers, I was trying to find out what people think make a great teacher great.
1, What 3 qualities do you think make a good teacher
Energetic 64.3%
Caring 28.6%
Knowledge 78.6%
Experience 35.7%
Qualifications 0%
Respect 21.4%
Dedication 50%
Punctuality 14.3%
Professional Experience 50%
2, Do you think teachers should stick to what they know or explore more ideas (genre's, styles etc)?
Every person said yes you should explore new styles, some one said "Teachers should always explore more ideas as it keeps them fresh and prevents them become stale and out of date." I think this is a valid point as I think this is every teachers worry that there is always going to be younger than you with fresh ideas.
3, Think of your most memorable teacher. What is it about them that made them memorable?
Energy, personality, Passion, Enthusiasm are the words that seem to have popped up in many answers. A few people mentioned that their teacher had time for everyone, regardless of their ability. Another answer that came up a few times was that the teacher didn't accept no for answer and always pushed for the students to be better.
Although not all of my survey might not help me with my inquiry I still found it insightful, into what people thought. I hope to make a more specific survey for my inquiry as I think this is a very reliable way of getting real information (if people fill it out). As you don't know who wrote what answer, people are more likely to write the truth.
Pilot interview
I was at an audition the other day and bumpd into a girl that I danced with at our old dance school many many years ago. We started talking and I thought why dont I write down some of these questions I'm asking her and her answers.
1,How long have you been teaching for?
On/off for 6months?
2, Do you have an official teaching qualification?
No, I have a Professional Diploma in dance, from a vocational college?
3, Were you taught any teaching techniques at this college?
No, but I have always helped out with extra classes and the shows. Like a class helper sort of thing.
4, Did you always want to teach?
Not really I wanted to perform mainly, but since grauduating i've needed to work and teaching has seem to be the best kind of work for me, instead of working in a pub. But since ive been teaching I have actually found a small love for it. I enjoy passing on my knowledge to the students.
5, Are you or would you plan on doing any kind of teaching qualification?
Havent really thought about it at the minute, as I havent long finished college, but maybe in the future.
6, Have you heard of the term "inclusive planning"?
No never, but i take it, it has something to do with planning.
7, Did you know that everyone has a different learning style?
Yes, I remember at school taking a test to see how we learnt, I remember I learnt my doing (I think)
I didnt really get alot of information from this interview. But I did have a thought with there properly being more dancers out of work than in work, why dont these vocational courses offer some kind of teaching qualifiaction/ teaching lessons in thier course. This would help alot of dancers who are out of work with some kind of knowledge for teaching. As not all amazing dancers are amazing teachers.
1,How long have you been teaching for?
On/off for 6months?
2, Do you have an official teaching qualification?
No, I have a Professional Diploma in dance, from a vocational college?
3, Were you taught any teaching techniques at this college?
No, but I have always helped out with extra classes and the shows. Like a class helper sort of thing.
4, Did you always want to teach?
Not really I wanted to perform mainly, but since grauduating i've needed to work and teaching has seem to be the best kind of work for me, instead of working in a pub. But since ive been teaching I have actually found a small love for it. I enjoy passing on my knowledge to the students.
5, Are you or would you plan on doing any kind of teaching qualification?
Havent really thought about it at the minute, as I havent long finished college, but maybe in the future.
6, Have you heard of the term "inclusive planning"?
No never, but i take it, it has something to do with planning.
7, Did you know that everyone has a different learning style?
Yes, I remember at school taking a test to see how we learnt, I remember I learnt my doing (I think)
I didnt really get alot of information from this interview. But I did have a thought with there properly being more dancers out of work than in work, why dont these vocational courses offer some kind of teaching qualifiaction/ teaching lessons in thier course. This would help alot of dancers who are out of work with some kind of knowledge for teaching. As not all amazing dancers are amazing teachers.
My survey
I posted my survey a while ago on facebook but as my mac wasnt letting me post the link on my blog i'll re-post it now incase anyone missed it.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NPSPYL2
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NPSPYL2
Delicious
I have no idea why my mac wont let me post any links on my blog. I am now borrowing someone else's laptop and its now letting me post links. So I can now post my delicious page that I have been adding to for a while. the bookmarks I have made are mainly the sites I have been using for gathering research for my inquiry and also sites that I have been using alot for general help and information. Enjoy,
http://www.delicious.com/nikkilouisemcgowan
http://www.delicious.com/nikkilouisemcgowan
Reconsideration of ethics within my workplace (5b)
I was looking through some blogs on ethics for teachers and a link that Mark Illes had posted was extremely insightful. I now feel I have been very narrow minded in my approach to work ethics. This site helped me widen my thinking on ethics. The site (linked below) has made me re-think. Most of my ethics I stated in my earlier post were all about inclusion and planning and the way a teacher presents themselves to the class, but there really is a lot more to it. This site has opened my mind to the students parents/ guardians,which I had never really considered before. When most parents approach me (although this happens very rarely) asking how they getting? are they progressing? do you think they are talented? I (narrow mindedly) just thought "pushy parents" they just want their children to be famous etc. After reading the article I now feel very shallow and maybe the parent is just asking for the welfare of the child and of course the parent is paying for my service so why shouldn't they ask me any question they would like to ask.
http://www.education.gov.mt/ministry/doc/code_of_ethics.htm
I also forgot to mention in my last post about the privacy of a student. This is very important to remember. I actually have been put in a privacy situation at one of my places of work. I was told in confidence something about a child, that could really affect their learning and the social side of being in a class. The student didnt know that I knew this piece of information. The parent of the child told my employer and the parent said it could be passed onto me and then no one else.The student didnt want anyone to know as they didnt want to be treated any differntly to any other student. I found this hard as I wanted to ask advice of someone and I felt the only person I could talk to was my eemplyer who at times is hard to get in touch with. In a way I would of rather not known this piece of information as it would then not of played on my mind. If all the student wanted was to be treated the same as everyone else then me not knowning would of helped me in doing this. But is this me just trying to make my life easier, I dont know but I now know how to deal with this kind of situation and feel like a stronger teacher in dealing with this. I have permission from my employer to talk about the situation in the way that I have done so.
Before looking into ethics I didint really realise how important they are and how often I actually come across ethical situaions. I have never really thought about whats happens after I have taught the student. The consequences of every situuation should be well thought about. Its not always about the teacher and the students, there is alot more to think about in ethics, the community, your colleagues, the parents, the company, other students. Professionalism seems to be vital in teaching.
http://www.education.gov.mt/ministry/doc/code_of_ethics.htm
I also forgot to mention in my last post about the privacy of a student. This is very important to remember. I actually have been put in a privacy situation at one of my places of work. I was told in confidence something about a child, that could really affect their learning and the social side of being in a class. The student didnt know that I knew this piece of information. The parent of the child told my employer and the parent said it could be passed onto me and then no one else.The student didnt want anyone to know as they didnt want to be treated any differntly to any other student. I found this hard as I wanted to ask advice of someone and I felt the only person I could talk to was my eemplyer who at times is hard to get in touch with. In a way I would of rather not known this piece of information as it would then not of played on my mind. If all the student wanted was to be treated the same as everyone else then me not knowning would of helped me in doing this. But is this me just trying to make my life easier, I dont know but I now know how to deal with this kind of situation and feel like a stronger teacher in dealing with this. I have permission from my employer to talk about the situation in the way that I have done so.
Before looking into ethics I didint really realise how important they are and how often I actually come across ethical situaions. I have never really thought about whats happens after I have taught the student. The consequences of every situuation should be well thought about. Its not always about the teacher and the students, there is alot more to think about in ethics, the community, your colleagues, the parents, the company, other students. Professionalism seems to be vital in teaching.
5a
As I work in primary, secondary and private dance schools, I feel that these are some of the main work ethics that apply within dance education are;
- Health and safety; Checking the area is clear and free from any hazards fire exits clear etc, making sure sure there is a first aider present on site, All students should be in correct dance attire (no jewelry, socks etc), all students should know the fire evacuation procedures.
- Legal and school requirements: CRB checks, National insurance, PPL license, Tax, up to date qualifications, Injury book in place.
- Confidence: being confident in appearance, the way you address people, the way you teach and what you teach.
- Inclusive teaching: Age, gender, ability, disabilities and teaching for all learning styles
- Appearance: As a teacher you should dress appropriately for each lesson look smart and clean, organised, appear confident in everything.
- Role model: Students look up to teachers, you are their guidance. If you trust your students then they will trust you. They could even come to you for advice or support. As a dance teacher you must listen and act when appropriate.
- Organisation: checking the music is appropriate for the that class, appropriate choreography, having a back up plan. This all comes under the planning for a lesson.
- Team work: being able to work with other members of the school or company
- Assessment: assessing the class and asking for help or guidance from another teacher when needed.
Most of these come down to prior planning and organisation of the class. Providing quality tuition is key to a strong business or school. If a dance teacher doesn't believe in what they are teaching then why would the students. This is why confidence is key within dance education.
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Thursday 21 April 2011
Lesson Planning
Planning for a lesson is something I take quite seriously, Here I have put some thought and research into planning;
A lesson plan and practical skills involving learning and thinking skills are all resources that could help a teacher to improve their teaching. Planning approaches are important in teaching. Age, gender, ability and different learning styles are a few factors that may effect a teacher’s planning. For every student the outcome of the lesson should be the same, however, its the way students have learnt this outcome that might be different. A teacher must use an effective teaching method, deciding what teaching method to use is important. A dance teacher must consider the students prior knowledge of the genre of dance, environment, and learning goals. According to Petty (2009), “To fail to plan is to plan to fail.”
A teacher must have a clear lesson objective to be able to plan the lesson effectively. When planning, a teacher must take into account different learning styles and acknowledge how these aims and objectives will need to be taught for these different styles. Teachers can use different techniques to help cater for multiple learning styles. Gardner’s (1983) theories on Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic learning styles are predominately the 3 learning theories that will help to teach dance effectively. A teacher should be developing the students whether it’s their knowledge, aptitude, or ability. Putting this developmental process into a lesson plan is vital to ensure that the students are learning everything they need to develop. Once this is planned for, this can then be put into practice.
My survey
I dont know if my link is working to my survey. So I have re-posted the survey on the BAPP facebook page. I Would be very grateful if a few more people could fill it out.
Saturday 9 April 2011
My survey
Please check out my survey, thank you. Let me know what you think.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NPTZQ8Q
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NPTZQ8Q
Wednesday 6 April 2011
My award title!!!!!
After meeting with rosemary I had a much clearer mind on my award title. Rosemary asked me what I would like to do after this course. I replied with "well... in the future I would like to go into schools full time." So to me this then clearly said my award title should be "The award I seek as a result of doing this programme is BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Dance Education).
I feel that this is the right title for me because, I have been dancing for many years now and have a B-tec in Dance I also attended a professional dance college, where I was taught by many teachers. Since graduating, I have worked professionally for 3yrs. I have now found a passion for teaching within the past year I have decided to focus on teaching. I now teach 5 days a week in main stream schools and private dance schools. In the future I would love to go into teaching GCSE dance or A-level or even B-TEC level dance. I fell that the title of Dance Education would help me to reach this goal. I have found a interest in learning theories and and teaching ideas/ theories. Which i feel all come under Dance education.
I feel that this is the right title for me because, I have been dancing for many years now and have a B-tec in Dance I also attended a professional dance college, where I was taught by many teachers. Since graduating, I have worked professionally for 3yrs. I have now found a passion for teaching within the past year I have decided to focus on teaching. I now teach 5 days a week in main stream schools and private dance schools. In the future I would love to go into teaching GCSE dance or A-level or even B-TEC level dance. I fell that the title of Dance Education would help me to reach this goal. I have found a interest in learning theories and and teaching ideas/ theories. Which i feel all come under Dance education.
What are the roles and responsibilities of a dance teacher?
This question keeps popping up in my head. What is my role as a dance teacher? to inspire,inform, invent, create, yes yes yes, but what are my responsibilities. There are many guidelines from my place of work and guidelines from the government. This is something I am going to researching into. I feel there is a lot of literature to back up what i think and also to provide me with new ideas. I am very interested in in learning therioes and teaching ideas, i feel this is a responsibility of a dance teacher to be able to teach in different ways for all learning styles. So i think this is going to be my line of inquiry!
Monday 7 March 2011
SIG's and Questions
I'm really enjoying reading everyone's post if the Facebook discussion board.
One of the questions that popped up in my brainstorm is "is it all about who you know rather than what you know or can do?"
I don't think this is line the of inquiry i would like to go down but I just found this question rather interesting. So check out my discussion on the BA Professional Practice Facebook page. Would love to hear what everyone thinks about my question.
My questions that I decided were most relevant from my brainstorm are
1, How do you make a class you teach on a regular basis more exciting?
2, How/Where do you find inspiration for choreography?
3, Should we stick to what we know or should we learn more?
4, Why is it assumed that talented performers are naturally good teachers?
5, How do you keep a school that is well established become bigger and better?
6, Does becoming a dance teacher mean you have failed as a performer?
One of the questions that popped up in my brainstorm is "is it all about who you know rather than what you know or can do?"
I don't think this is line the of inquiry i would like to go down but I just found this question rather interesting. So check out my discussion on the BA Professional Practice Facebook page. Would love to hear what everyone thinks about my question.
My questions that I decided were most relevant from my brainstorm are
1, How do you make a class you teach on a regular basis more exciting?
2, How/Where do you find inspiration for choreography?
3, Should we stick to what we know or should we learn more?
4, Why is it assumed that talented performers are naturally good teachers?
5, How do you keep a school that is well established become bigger and better?
6, Does becoming a dance teacher mean you have failed as a performer?
Questions questions questions???
So finding a line of inquiry has left my head swamped in questions! Reading through everyone's blogs has left me even with even more questions. Im still not sure what line of inquiry I would like to go down. So after reading "Stacey Wilson' post on Developing professional line of inquiry i decided to take a leaf out of Stacey's book and do a brainstorm with all the questions I had in my little head.
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