Community dance questions set to a co-worker at PDSW

Back in my blog referring to 4a in the BAPP's reader, I explained the divide of dance within education and dance within the community interest, and having blogged the questions and answers from the head of dance at the school, I am also blogging the questions which I put to a co-worker at Pavillion Dance South West (PDSW) to open up comparisons and hope to develop more ideas into my inquiry.

1) Do you believe the structure of your organisation helps encourage students to pursue a career in dance? If so how?

I believe we encourage students to engage with us through watching, doing or talking about dance, and in this way allow they to explore the option of a career in dance. The PDSW team are a combination of dance producers, dance programmers, dance technicians and dance teachers, so not only are we able to offer experience in a professional performance career, but also offer opportunity to those current working under the wider dance umbrella. We annually hold a creative careers event, providing opportunity to explore dance at HE/vocational level, and to talk to industry professionals working in the current climate. By virtue of encouraging students to attend, the organisation is offering an experience into pursuing a professional career in dance.

Most recently, PDSW and AUB (Arts University Bournemouth) have embarked on their first year of a BA Hons (Dance). No doubt we will see a proposition of these students pursing professional careers within the dance industry. The students have access to high quality dance performances, and the use of professional facilities daily.  The uniqueness of the course lies within the nature of it running within a functioning national dance development organisation.

 

2) How do you encourage engagement within the subject to children that may have been taken to you not out of their own choice, for example - summer schools etc

Most recently, our annual summer school event explored dance from around the world. Children participated in varying dance styles (African, Irish, Hip Hop) and by virtue of the multiple genres offered, children were engaged throughout. Similarly, our half term activities enable children to take part in dance and work with a visual artist to capture dance through art. Again, I find one captures one may not capture an other, but by offering variety we can maintain a level of engagement.

I encourage students to volunteer themselves to assist back stage/within the technical department during showcase events. Often the back door is a way in for some, and through building a level of trust, students see the organisation as a friendly and familiar space for them to be creative without judgement.

 

3) What skills and services do you provide to students who want to take Dance further into vocational training that my differ from an academic school?

- programme of over 40 classes weekly

- opportunity to take company class

- youth dance company/dance intensives

- performance platforms

- audition experience

- Arts Award (Gold)

- a wealth of professional advice/guidance from those currently working in the industry (see answer to Q1)

 

4) How do you open opportunities to the public community? Are there risks to this? If so, what are they?

We have a heavy social media presence, we inform through our detailed mailing lists, newsletters, flyers, word of mouth - the list goes on. We have a huge focus on partnership working, and so work with other organisations/charities/businesses within the south west to spread the dance word!

5) What issues are there with funding within your organisation? How have they improved / not improved over the last year?

In an ever changing financial climate, as an arts organisation, there is always an element of the unknown. We work tirelessly to build new partnerships, to source new funds and to earn through ticketed income to ensure we can continue to do the work we do do, We have understood we cannot afford to work in a silo, but that we must embrace others and work together to afford the future dance ecology.

We are funded by the Arts Council, and through the Bournemouth Borough Council, but these costs go directly into running the building/paying staff. We have to be smart about developing new sources of funding to keep the our programmes going. This continues to be more and more challenging, and this inevitably won't change. One eye is always open to pots of money /funding streams  of mutual ambition that we may be able to tap into.

 

6) What do you think the positives and negatives are of opening up your dance facility to all ages and abilities?

Only positives! We can say with genuine authenticity that we are working towards our mission of 'living more healthy and fulfilled lives through dance'. We pride our selves on working inclusively, breaking down barriers which prevent members of the community engaging in a physical and creative activity.

It is my firm belief that everyone has the right to be physically literate, and I'm proud to be working for an organisation that shares the same ethos.

 

7) How do you believe you can help people within the community to relate to Dance as an art form?

We have three programmed seasons whereby we offer a diverse range of weekly professional performances. In addition, after each performance, we host a Q and A with the artist/dancers/choreographers, who are always willing to talk about their creative process, and to hear feedback directly from the audience. 
More specifically in the work I do with young people, Arts Award enables young people to experience, comment and reflect on their experiences in dance and the wider arts. Similarly, I like to work in a way that encourages young people to share their thoughts and opinions about live dance, dance in school, dance in their dance school, dance of film, knowing the value of being able to articulate an opinion, and have some artistic clarity as to how you've come to that opinion. 
There's no right or wrong way to relate to dance, what it means to one can be completely different to what it means to another. We have a responsibility to provide engagement opportunities that capture the community, and so our work is constantly shifting and changing. For example, we have acknowledged dance is no longer about sitting and watching in a black box. Instead, dance is being seen in new spaces that were perhaps associated with a completely different use, if having a use at all e.g back alleyways, playgrounds, libraries, offices. We recently had the people of Bournemouth stood in the car park at the top of Richmond Hill watching a folk dance performance whilst the sunset, and the week prior we worked on '5 Soldiers', a piece by Rosie Kay Dance Company performed at the army barracks in Blandford. The boundaries of dance are constantly being pushed, and we have to stay at the forefront of industry advances to provide varied and accessible opportunities for people to jump on the dance bandwagon! 


Reflection of these Q & A

On reflection to these answers I found it interesting how different priorities enable different orangisations to succeed. As a way to elaborate, you can clearly see how dance in the community setting is considerably being pushed forward to keep up with the times. In the last paragraph of the last question, all genres of dance being performed in different settings for audiences to enjoy and this shows the diversity of dance and how it doesn't have to always be on a stage in a theatre. 
I felt a breathe of fresh air when reading these answers, as I felt they oozed enthusiasm towards dance. I loved how you can see that dance has developed over time and in Bournemouth we are lucky to have this organisation that works with other Arts organisations to keep pushing the boundaries. Prime example being the BA Hons Dance qualification which is being offered at Arts University Bournemouth, having this being only a recent progression, it boosts dance within the community setting.
When focusing on engagement, I found it interesting how students of all ages who join into the summer school programmes can be influences by leading professionals in all different genres of dance and this is a clear way of fulfilling enjoyment and continuing to progress. I remember attending summer schools at my dance school and I loved it so I always wanted to go back, and I grasp this is how PDSW want to continue as those students may then want to further their dance into joining in to the youth dance company once a week. It opened my eyes as to how much opportunity the organisation gives young and inspiring performers. As I am referring to question 3, you can see the list includes a chance to work with professionals in the industry which is a rarity and again a fantastic way of progression within the art. I can see how students would feel comfortable in this setting and working closely with student week by week you get to become part of the furniture and I opening show my enthusiasm towards letting student help out in performances, as quoted in the answers ' it allows them to be creative without judgement'. 
She touches on the heathly and fulfilled life that they are promoting, which links into my thoughts on dance in the fitness world. We want to reach out and allow people to understand the importance of keeping active and dance enhances the diversity of fitness and creates more vast clientele to enjoy it, in comparison to running on a treadmill...boring!

As I compare my questions with the education head of dance, I feel more drawn to the community as it has opened my vision into how much drive and foreword thinking proactively happens. In education it feels as if dance is always being pushed aside, students engagement can be lacked due to the PE key stage that involves participation because they have to be there, not because they want to.
Incorporating the two I have opened up an opportunity to develop my inquiry into how dance in education can be enhanced with the help of dance within the community. 
I will be forward thinking in this and start to look into possibly literature which can back this up.

Review of literature

As I search deeper into my inquiry topic, the literature which I had briefly mentioned in my previous blog http://stephanieswann02.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/task-4d-literature-related-to-my-topic.html outlined a few of my findings. I have since wanted to complete a more thorougher explanation into how I may use these theories/ ideas.

Dance in the school curriculum and external factors relating to students involvement

From my current professional practise and involvement that I have within the school, I am fortunate to explore new ideas with teachers and students regarding my inquiry. As far as literature and research goes, I have to be extremely specific with what I am trying to focus on. Having mentioned my discussion with the head of dance, we came up with the idea of engagement and how this can vary class to class. I have to mention that all research and findings that involve engagement do not specify dance, it seems to cover all subjects but shining the spotlight on the student/teacher relationship. An editor of the National Standards for Arts Education (1994) Ron Brandt (editor, 1995) concluded the following statement;
'Students see no connection between priorities and what the teachers expect of them so refuse to even try. Teachers can complain that students are not motivated and search for approaches that resign themselves to routines that they no longer expect to be procedure.'
I understand from this statement that it is purely his opinion and has no real research to back this up, however when relaying this back to the head of dance she understood where he was coming from and opened up a few examples of how this can be related. Boys generally do not enjoy dance within the PE key stage 1 & 2. They try there hardest to make fun of the teachers or fellow students, and even other boys that want to participate and end up making the class environment an uncomfortable place to be. This problem occurs daily within schools and all subjects. What Brandt was explaining was that as soon as the student shows the disengagement within the class, the teacher can have a tendency to switch off and almost demotivate them to continue. How is this affecting other students? It must have a huge disadvantage to those who enjoy the subject (what ever the subject may be) and for teachers, it becomes a chore to control. 
Septembers issue of the Educational Leadership (1995), a publication whose themes reflect issues of current significance to public school administrators was devoted to strengthen students engagement in the class room environment, Brandt's statement was found in this edition along with Richard Strong, Harvey F. Silver and Amy Robinson's piece on what do students want in order for them to become motivated and engaged within there subjects at school. They came up with what allows a student to feel energised in achieving goals. these four are success, curiosity, originality, and satisfying relationships. Strong, Silver, and Robinson explain how they then took a study out between students and teachers and how by asking the same two questions what the similarities were in the answers that they gave. The questions were;
What do you find engaging?
Both similar answers that stimulated by curiosity in a subject that they enjoy/excel in. 
What do you hate to do?
Generally subject areas that they show no enthusiasm or passion for.
This quickly shows me how the interests and outcomes of students and teachers are so similar. Teacher and students have the same ideas when it comes to engagement and although I am looking to focus on the engagement of the student, it is clear how the teachers engagement has to be clear for the student to be responsive.
How we define engagement came through a study taken by Phil Schlecy (1994) and he describes engagement through an individual can be shown through three characteristics;
1) Attraction to their work 
2) Persistence no matter what obstacles may get in the way
3)Visible delight in their accomplishment
The way in which I can relate to this from my own personal experiences are dancing as a child outside of school became a clear interest of mine. Persisting to take dance on as a subject at school allowed me to further my knowledge and develop as a performer along with taking all other subjects for my GCSE's. Being able to achieve an A at GCSE gave me the drive to push on as an A Level subject and try to achieve the highest grade possible. I show clear engagement throughout those important years of my school life and now furthering it again in the BAPP course can allow me to open more doors in dance education.
The patterns of motivation are linked into engagement theories, and within this literacy I wanted to follow on from the thoughts given and how we as BAPP students can understand and relate it within our studies. They outline the motivation types as Extrinsic and Instrinsic, each with theories/studies to back the reasoning up;

'Extrinsic motivation—a motivator that is external to the student or the task at hand—has long been perceived as the bad boy of motivational theory. In Punished by Rewards, Alfie Kohn (1995) lays out the prevailing arguments against extrinsic rewards, such as grades and gold stars. He maintains that reliance on factors external to the task and to the individual consistently fails to produce any deep and long-lasting commitment to learning.'

From this above statement I have grasped that Kohn (1995) is not a fan of awarding students with external motivational techniques and commitment to their learning is key for a teacher/student engagement. I could say that throughout secondary school experiencing this does not seem to be a current way of teaching/motivating students. I believe there will be a difference in primary school as this approach can stimulate the younger children's mind who are still in the process of development.

'Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, comes from within, and is generally considered more durable and self-enhancing (Kohn 1993). Still, although intrinsic motivation gets much better press, it, too, has its weaknesses. As Kohn argues, because intrinsic motivation “is a concept that exists only in the context of the individual,” the prescriptions its proponents offer teachers, are often too radically individualized, or too bland and abstract, to be applied in classroom settings (See “Punished by Rewards? A Conversation with Alfie Kohn,” p. 13).'

As a past student I agree I would always feel motivated by a teacher outwardly expressing delight for my work, however not every teacher will work this way. Therefore not having any rewards such as gold stars or verbal acknowledgement may show the opposite effect to students who then do not begin to believe in themselves. After reading the statement from Kohn (1993) again, I have concluded that there has to be a clear balance between the Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation which is given by the teachers in order for the students to become engaged.

After analysing a lot of literature on how students feel engaged within a subject, I have realised a lot more factors that stem off my one idea. I have started with the idea of engagement within dance in the school curriculum which has then lead into motivation. In my previous blog (link at the top of this blog) I did outline the theory of Maslow (1943) and his hierarchy of needs which highlights individuals engagement within motivation. He stated that everyone is capable of moving up the hierarchy towards a level of Self-Actualisation, however the disruption by failure to meet lower levels through external factors such as job loss, divorce, bad life experiences can lead to a stop in your profession and disbelief in yourself.

Maslow was able to formulate a more positive account of human behaviour by focusing on what is going right and pushing to develop that. For example, if a school student was having trouble at home or a bad social up bringing, if they are excelling in school at a particular subject - for this instance lets us dance, this can help push them into a better place by achieving and feeling that sense of success. This is not just relating to school students, but everyone in life. Using young adults as an example expresses to me how Maslows theory can encourage educational learning especially in order to develop.

Kenrick (et al, 2010) adds to Maslows theory and stated that each person is unique and self motivation can lead people into different directions of life. Finding what an individual excels in can be achieved by help of a teacher, superior figure in their life, sibling and wether it be in sport, art, literature, corporate settings each of us has the capability and opportunity to be in control of our futures. 

Applications of Maslow's theory within education, highlight the teaching and classroom management and how his holistic approach to education and learning can depend highly on the individuals intellect. For example emotional and social situations can affect a students capability and can lead to a huge impact on their learning. This leads into lack of concentration as their mind is else where. Factors such as being tired, hungry, can also play a part in how you would manage a classroom situation. I always remember finding it hard to concentrate after lunch as the 'food coma' would sit in and i suppose as a teacher you would have to feel prepared and adapt a day to day teaching in order to engage the students full attention. As a student, there is a major factor of feeling emotionally and physically safe within an environment in order to reach full potential. It is shown that students feel valued and respected within their own personal space and it is important to recognise the teachers responsibility to create the supportive environment. What can also link into this talk on eviroments for students is the way that self esteem can affect students and Maslow(1970) explains how this can most definitely effect progression at an optimum rate.

Now as I push to become more specific to dance, I wanted to share my findings of 'Partnering dance and education' leading from the book by Judith Lynne Hanna. She focuses on the way that intelligence moves for changing times and how verbal language specifically can link well with creating dance pieces and 'dance making'. As I listed in my previous blog there has been criticism over the fact her view is very much biased as she supports dance within the communities and therefore has no argument to her case, but I thought it was worth a read in order to find backings for my inquiry leading with dance in education. Her belief that dance making should be a key stage in students learning as it shows attributes which can encourage development within creativity, vocabulary - linked with dance vocab, and meaning. 

As I searched a little deeper into support systems with dance in the cirriculum i found a good website - anew direction.org.uk which expresses the thoughts of why dance should be supported. They explain that PE and Sports Premium can now help pay for dance to be apart of the Key stage 1&2 and how schools now are looking to help sustain the subject further into GCSE and A Level qualifications. It also highlights the cultural educational views and how politicians value arts for its instintiric and instrumental capital and know its vital ingredient for ensuring skill based workforces. The forum explains how they believe all children and young people in England deserve to have access to high quality cultural experiences early in life and dance can enhance this opportunity. People often question why dance is apart of the school curriculum. Through this literacy I have understood the understanding that along with the links to PE, dance also allows the young students to combine physical literacy and experimentation. It allows creativity to another subject within their school life and develops self knowledge and social skills. The website states that within primary schools, less time is currently spent on dance in comparison to art or drama. This has drawn me into further investigation as to why perhaps dance is not overly promoted within primary schools as this should technically guide students learning and development in the subject as they move on into secondary school.

As I have previously mentioned my link with fitness and general activity, I wanted to find out more about how dance is perceived as a sport. If it is or not valued as a way of keeping fit and healthy and what could change peoples views of its perception. As many theories have described it as a way of physical activity to students, I was able to find research to back up why dance ( a form of physical activity) is beneficial to students development,

The CDC (Centres for disease control and prevention) outline that the benefits of physical activity to young adults can help in reducing the risks of depression, anxiety and promotes psychological well being. It can also reduce the risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases. Linking this in with dance in education, I find it interesting that some students to not believe dance is a form of physical activity. I suppose by finding these statistics helps me in wanting to push the art as a good way of keeping fit and healthy. Another prime example of this would be the world wide phemoninum that is Zumba. Being apart of most health clubs fitness programmes its highlighting a fun way to exercise, and i suppose i am trying to express the same within education, Dance is fun! Looking on the physical activity side, the CDC show the percentages in participation in 2013;

Percentage of High School Students Participating in Physical Activity and Physical Education, by Sex, 20133

Type of Activity	Females	Males
Physically active at least 60 minutes/daya	17.7%	36.6%
Attended physical education classes dailyb	24.0%	34.9

If dance is regarded more within schools as an added way for students to exercise rather than waft around like a fairy, I firmly believe that  more students would want to participate,

As I begin to narrow down my options for my inquiry, I feel more focused on how dance can be expressed though the school curriculum as a positive subject which can help individuals learning. Motivation and engagement are key to this and from my findings, it also highlights the importance of the teacher and student relationship, how this is key to success and building up the triangle of needs. The impact on dance in student learning within the classroom and curriculum can lead to the potential to further the prevalence of dance in public and private education. The way in which educators choose to instruct the subject can also have a huge impact on the individuals learning. 

I have more reading and researching to do but feel this could go on forever, I would be most grateful for any feedback or ideas on my literature and how you could possibly see any areas which I could solely focus on. 

References

Hoffman E (1998) The right to be human a biography of Abraham Maslow, Jeremy P Tarcher Inc

Khon (1993) 

Phil Schlecy (1994)

Khon (1995)

Kenrick (2010) Goal driven cognition & Fun

Maslow, A H (1943) - A Theory of human motivation

Maslow, A H (1954) Motivation and personality

Judith Lynne Hanna - Partnering dance and education

ASCD - http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept95/vol53/num01/Strengthening-Student-Engagement@-What-Do-Students-Want.aspx

CDC - http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/facts.htm

Task 4D Literature related to my topic of interests

'A study of literature represents a search for meaning in the topic and will inform the academic arguments you will be making in your professional inquiry' (Reader 4 pg23)

I have outlined my findings below with short descriptions of each. I am still working on a few other literacy documents, and will elaborate on each individual finding in my next blog.

Hart hits the nail on the head when describing the purpose of reading within my BAPPs qualification. I am reading and researching for a reason, this is not necessarily for pleasure as I am trying to pin point the correct literature to prove my point as it were. This is still an on going process within my development process as I work further towards my inquiry. I have learnt how little I read for pleasure compared to reading for a reason, I love to read on holiday but other than that I feel I never have the time. Reading is big part of this course and my concentration and focus that works alongside with what I want to get out of the literacy.

My key areas of interest for my inquiry are developing to be;

• Fitness within dance education

• Engagement for students in dance education

• Impact on students learning within the dance curriculum 

• What can be learnt, about, and through dance within education

Having said this, I have researched a whole lot of literacy that covers these areas, but choosing the best analytical requirements is what I am still finding difficult. 

Fitness within dance education, is a vast subject as I haven't yet specified by what I want to prove/ get out of this concept for my inquiry. When looking into literacy on this subject, I found it very much a one sided argument. If you want to be a dancer you have to be fit? Well yes, but what I am trying to discover is the impact that dance as a physical activity can be a positive attribute towards students well being. 
I found a review on dancers fitness taken out by Jo Minden, (2014) which asks the question; 'Are dancers fit?'
Within the article she outlines the dimensions that are needed to classify an individual as 'fit' and then compared this to a professional ballet dancer. They found that dancers dimensions are;

• Excellent power and muscular endurance
• Low body fat and weight percentage
• Good flexibility
• Above average aerobic capacity

As I relate this to my keen interest, I would like to evaluate how all of the listed above can only be a positive attribute towards children growing through key stages of life. Having dance be taught within the cirriculmn can make students more aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, it is encouraging development within body strength, endurance, keeping body fat percentage down which will overall improve the child's fitness levels. Dance has been referred to as a sport because of its physical demands which is expected of the body.  I have found out through my reach of literacy who agrees and disagrees with this statement, and will outline in more detail the evaluation and my views in my next blog.


Maslow (1943) states 'people are motivated to achieve certain needs and when one is fulfilled a person seeks to fulfil the next one and so on'. He covers aspects of individuals motivational needs within the descriptive pryamind which you can see below;



This research that I took out from Maslow was allowing me to understand in a bit more detail about how individuals are programed to drive towards success. I outline in more detail Maslow's theory in my description of all of my literacy which you will find on my next blog. His theory was eye catching as one of my areas of interest is engagement of students and his theory of being 'self-actualisation' links smoothly with desire and fulfilment and how I will in fact use this within application to education. 

When looking through the national standards of arts education (1994), I stumbled across an article written by Ron Brandt. He explained that students within education, no matter what the subject may be have a way of behaving towards teachers which can then defer the teacher to have any enthusiasm and passion to teach them. Students can begin to loose any connection and priorities of what the teacher will expect of them and so then refuse to even try and participate. This has opened my eyes slightly more into how teaching can either help inspire or encourage failure. 

Judith Lynne Hanna wrote a well known book entitled 'Partnering Dance and Education; intelligent moves for changing time'. I am still working through the key areas that have been reviewed but what I found interesting and how it related to my areas of interest, was Hanna opens up an opinion of how verbal language and making dance have similarities. Each have the following;

• Meaning
• Creativity
• Use the same parts of the brain for conceptualisation 

She has a clear passion for dance programmes, and the possibilities that this can create to young adults. This was a clear link to my work and connection with PDSW which has a youth dance company and openly see the opportunities that these have. The downside to this research is that the author of the book has a dance background. Like I have just previously mentioned, she has a passion for youth dance and so unfortunately reviews have been citical of her biased approach and feel it is one sided argument, at the end of the day it is her opinion. This felt a realisation for me as within my inquiry I must be able to back up my research and ideas with factual knowledge along with being passionate about my subject.

In order to remind myself as well as possibly educate you on my findings, I believe my next blog is there also encourage my SIG to ask and also help me with my ideas.

Thanks,

Steph

Task 4C Developing Questions with your own professional community

After I had asked the questions outlined in the task 4a, the  head of dance at the school gave me detailed answers which I appreciated would help me continue a further understanding about Dance in education.

In my previous blog, you can see the answers and a small conclusion that I wrote on reflection to these answers http://stephanieswann02.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/questions-relevant-to-my-practise.html#comment-form
As I entered the school the following day, I noticed that I had a slightly different outlook to the classes that I was observing. The students who stood out to me practically and those who stood out to me on more of the theory based work.
In the class we also had a PCGE student who was observing as she was planning a class to teach the following day and it was really interesting to chat to her about my ideas and questions that I had asked the previous day.  Her perspective on student/teacher will be closer to mine as a student herself as apposed to that of our teacher. This was valuable to me and as I looked into the task set through the module 2 handbook, I began to explore more areas within my interests to focus on.

For example, during one class I managed to observe closely how engagement in one class can vary to another. A class of year 7's with a mixture of boys and girls compared to a GCSE all girls class shows the clear example of how a certain teaching quality needs to be maintained at a high level in order for students engagement, no matter the age or gender. Watching boys in a year 7 class proved to become challenging for the teacher to handle.
We discussed the possible research that will have gone into children's cognitive and motor development skills and how it shows the differences which can be an advantage aswel as a disadvantage to learning. As an inspired teacher to be, I now see how this understanding is necessary especially teaching a mixed school environment.
I found an article online which explored a lot of avenues regarding a child's development. The study taken out by Pica 2003, explains the differences between young boys and young girls in the middle childhood, for example this would be around the start of secondary school ages 11-12. He's details that; Boys motor development exceeds that of girls at this stage, however girls are better than boys at fine motor skills. Boys greater gross motor development may partially explain why they are more interested in physical activity than girls (Pica, 2003)  
This can explain why boys want to runs round on a football pitch more than girls. Having brought this research to the head of dance, she laughed and simply said ' well that makes sense!'
We focused on then how much the importance of achieving the right balance between boys and girls learning is, not just only in Dance, but that of all subjects. Age groups can change a class plan, you cannot go into one day at school having the same class plan for all age groups that you will teach, it would be near to impossible to capture the engagement on the students.

At the end of the class we discussed the values of dance to students and how even though it may become a future career prospect to some, to others it is another grade added to the results at the end of the school life. We came up with a few ideas which can develop my questions which I originally proposed to her. She kindly suggested that I take a specific observation over the course of a few weeks, with the consent of her and other teachers that may be involved and look at the aspects of the student rather than the subject. Referring back to my questions, I am going to make a note of my own answers to these as I observe;

•  Do you find it difficult to engage enthusiasm from particular students who have picked dance as an 'easy subject' - does this cause frustration as a teacher?

•  In comparison to other subjects, how do you think students engage in dance as apposed to maths or science? Is there a strategy to help them express themselves into the art?

These two specifically are relating to engagement of the students and by observing them I hope to capture the enthusiasm, or lack of, and question is this consistent? By watching practical and theory based classes I will be able to monitor the differences and also I hope to speak to the students and find out their views in comparison to the teachers. This I hope will allow me to expand my thoughts on questioning engagement.




References;

 http://stephanieswann02.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/questions-relevant-to-my-practise.html#comment-form

Pica, 2003 - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=R8-HitN5Jp0C&pg=PA358&lpg=PA358&dq=can+boys+attention+span+be+less+than+girls&source=bl&ots=0KA-i4I_XE&sig=XwGLqtx5bpHMN01u6AMFCJM1IkA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBWoVChMI6-P0gdPVyAIVyrQaCh209gM7#v=onepage&q=can%20boys%20attention%20span%20be%20less%20than%20girls&f=false

Questions relevant to my practise continued

Back in task 4a, I was set the task to develop some questions to put to a colleague or co-worker that focused on my relevance to practise. I took my two professional practise areas and decided to set them both questions and compare them at the end.

My first field of study being St Peters School and the head of dance Mrs Robinson was kindly able to respond to my following questions;

1)  Do you believe the syllabus provides the students with a broad enough knowledge on the subject, or is there restriction to their learning?

Although I think the GCSE is a good starting point it does not prepare the students fully for the demands of A level anymore eg there is no anatomy at GCSE and the longest question is 10 marks on the written paper as opposed to 20 marks at AS. It is also a struggle to teach if they do not have access to dance at KS3 which is the case at St Peters as you have to start from scratch instead of topping up their knowledge. That said it is still a good syllabus but it is changing next year and it will be a 60:40 spilt on practical theory instead of the current 80:20 and I know students will struggle with this.

2) Do you find it difficult to engage enthusiasm from particular students who have picked dance as an 'easy subject' - does this cause frustration as a teacher?

This has happened less so over the years - in 2000 when St Peters was an Arts College students as you know had to choose an Art form to study. dance was then perceived as the easier option and classes were very divided when it came to ability and attitude to learning. There were students who had done a lot of dance to those who had never danced before! Current classes are much better balanced and we have option evenings to get across the message that dance is not easy and that the grade boundries for dance are very high 96% on the written paper at GCSE for an A* 64% for a C.

3) Over time has there been a significant change in the way Dance is perceived as a subject? If so how and what support is needed from other departments within the school.

Although as a subject we perform well in terms of statistics, I'm sure other subject areas have no idea what we do! Rock challenge raises our profile and numbers on courses are steady but when I started dance was within PE at KS3 now its not and this is bound to have an impact on GCSE numbers. One Deputy Head told a potential A level student that because she danced so much out of school she didn't need to do A level Dance!

 4) In comparison to other subjects, how do you think students engage in dance as apposed to maths or science? Is there a strategy to help them express themselves into the art?

For some students Dance is their best subject! I have one student who is predicted D's for Maths and English but a B for dance she struggles with the written aspect of the course but practically shes great. I think if they enjoy the subject and are taught well (?) then no matter what their ability is they will be given the opportunity to do well and they will engage with the tasks - some find the choreography difficult so we spent time looking at how to take risks with the choreography and enjoy creating. It is all about their experience of teaching and learning.

5) What issues are there with funding within the dance department? Have they improved/not improved over the last year?

Money is a massive issue as you are funded per student and out numbers are small. Last year our budget was £50 for the whole year. This year its a bit better but not enough to buy new stereos etc and we spend a small fortune on DVDs and CD's. Hence why we do the showcase every year.

6) What do you think the benefits are of after school dance clubs and how do help facilitate the students who want to progress in the subject.

After school clubs are about offering all students the opportunity to do dance not just the ones who have opted for it. We try and do something different to the exam classes and obviously rock challenge goes down well. Pulse stretches the gifted but we are finding this year that there isn't any time to do al lthe clubs that we used to do and support the curriculum, It does help those with a limited dance background to develop performance skills etc

On reflection ;

In conclusion to these answers, I have found an insight into the dance departments within a state school. Firstly it shouldn't go unrecognised that Dance should be taken as a serious subject and as the grade boundaries state, 96% is not easy to achieve. The idea that open evenings are now a great opportunity to let the dance teachers give students a real insight to what the subject will entail. Mrs Robinson also commented on the way dance can help students succeed within a subject, in reference to question 4, she told me about a student who hated anything theory but was able to express herself through dance practically and found that this was now her strong subject. There are clear avenues of frustration for dance teachers and I would be interested to find out more of a general feel in the area in regards to funding and lack of opportunity. I was genuinely shocked to find out that a budget for one whole school year for the dance department is £50. In order to have good costumes or sets for the rock challenge competition, the school holds annual dance showcases which the after school clubs twice a week will be a way of rehearsal. The money raised through ticket sales will contribute towards DVDs etc.

In reference back to question 1, where the curriculum is going to be changing from 80:20 to 60:40 this will prove a harder theory based subject than what Dance is perhaps perceived. As Mrs Robinson also mention, dance for those who may have a dance background can enhance the learning process but if they struggle with theory this may become a set back. It seems the board of studies may feel that anatomy in dance is just as important as anatomy in PE. Because the two are linked within some schools syllabus, I agree that it should have a stronger focus and allows students to become aware of there bodies a bit more. This can also prove to be helpful within the transition of GCSE to A Level.

When my PDSW answers come in, I look forward to comparing the two and hope to evaluate and reflect further into a possible line of inquiry,

Steph

Task 4B Special Interest Groups

During one of the online Skype sessions, a module 3 student was advising me that as every module progresses, the more reference points to my previous blogs will prove to help guide me to further understanding. Looking back at my task 3b - Therories relating to networking, it allowed me to recap my own thoughts on opportunities given to us by the power of the internet and how by now using SIG as a connection point will help my overall inquiry. http://stephanieswann02.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2015-05-10T13:18:00-07:00&max-results=7

In the reader, I discovered Salmon's thoughts on how online socialisation and discussion skills, also known as metacognitive, can focus on what the learners do in context or how they may apply concepts and ideas (Salmon 2003, p33)
By finding her website http://www.gillysalmon.com/e-tivities.html it explores many of Salmons theories which I found most helpful in relation to our work. 

My special interest group must be formed to allow students with similar interest's/ideas to speak out about feelings and emotions as well as participation in a discussion. Salmon creates the idea of E-Tivities which she explains as 'important for the online teaching and learning world because they deploy useful, well-rehearsed principles and pedagogies for learning as well as your choice of networked technologies. They focus on the learners- the people I call the participants, who are contributing, providing, reworking, interpreting, combining most of the knowledge. They overturn the idea that learning depends on one big expert and his/her conveying of knowledge. They are based on the strong idea that knowledge is constructed by learners through and with others.' (Salmon, 2003, p6)
On the website which I have highlighted above, on the e-tivates section, the table below outlines Salmons guide to the framework of online activity with others. I found this extremely helpful and will look to refer to it as I begin to develop my SIG. I thought by blogging it, others are able to have access to her sequencing and I am sure will like me find it a useful read.




As I turn my sole focus back to my SIG, I have answered the questions that are given in the Reader 4 below;

How does your SIG compare to other groups or communities that you are a part of in the workplace?

My SIG will be focusing on 'Dance in education and the community' . This highlights both of my work place environments that I am participating in, however it is the link between the two that I am interested in focusing on. I have work colleagues, teachers and friends who have excellent knowledge in each of these fields so am using this to my maximum advantage. I am able to gage information from the school side and the community side and so feel that in comparison there is no network within my workplace that can connect the two together. I feel so far in the BAPPs online conversations, and through blogging I have a few fellow students who will be able to join my SIG in the hope that they bring fresh ideas and relations to thoughts on my topic.  

How will you use your SIG?

I will use my SIG as a way of expressing my own ideas and thoughts in the hope of feedback and suggestions from others that are involved. Like wise, as some of my fellow students will be apart of my SIG I also hope to be able to help them in there SIG.
The outcome of my SIG overall will guide me to my Inquiry question which is what we are all working towards developing. I will use social media, youtube, google, articles which I find of relevance to help support my ideas, as I have learnt communication through Web 2.0 brings people together. This will be another step for me in development, I have not yet ever been in control of a SIG and look forward to see the results from others interaction.

How will you evidence the shared practise within your own professional inquiry process?

I will use my SIG as a reference through the use of blogging. This is another way of continuing the inquiry process by sharing others thoughts and ideas. I hope that opening up more opportunities to be connected with others will open up more doors for my inquiry and its research to back it up.

If you are fellow students reading my blog and think you may want to be apart of my SIG please comment below and I will send you an invitation. 

Thanks,
Steph



References ;

Salmon ( 2003, p33)

www.gillyslamon.com - e-tivites

Reader 4 - page 21

Group Skype Session 6.10.15

HI everyone. 

I have just got off the phone from a Skype call and found it really interesting and wanted to share the discussion points and more importantly what stood out to me.

We had people from every module join in on the session which allowed people to look back at module 1, help with any questions they had and also look forward into module 3. This for me was interesting as it gave me an insight of what the inquiry process will become.

Adesola asked us all why we thought the CV was apart of the process in starting out the course in module 1. Lots of us were silent in our thoughts for a while, we all began to say the same thing; 'was it a way for people to get to know our backgrounds?' 'A way for future employers to look at what we have achieved?' Then as we got deeper into the discussion we realised that in a CV we are self evaluating. Looking back over your experiences and qualifications you are outlining to others what you have achieved. Though module 2 we have been asked to look back at our tasks we are set in module 1 as this can help relate to the questions being asked, therefore we are again self evaluating what we have already written. There is a pattern emerging and that's what Adesola was trying to make us understand. There is a reason why we were asked to perform the task of CV writing and this is all making sense as to how the modules will begin to link.

Another talking point was blog writing as a whole, why is it important? Like the CV example we are using the blogs to evaluate what we have previously written or spoken about. Always be interactive with others as this too can help. Being able to speak opening on our thoughts an ideas was so helpful to the group and particularly when talking about my inquiry. I have started to grasp an idea about funding with dance in schools, but as some of the group pointed out it may not be as easy to get into because it is a very vast area to focus on. It will keep me thinking of more options to go forward with as I develop further into Module 2.

Thank you again to everyone who attended and look forward to speaking and hearing more of your ideas soon.

S x

Disciplinary context in the arts

Types of knowledge that researchers talk about is commonly associated with you in your work place. Everyone 'should' have a basic knowledge within their practise however, in the Reader 4 it goes deeper into the disciplinary and transdiciplinary context's within the arts and how I can relate to my professional practise. I have had a little look over the web and found two descriptions on wikipedia which I wanted to blog. It helped me understand the terms a little better.

Definitions;
Academic Discipline;

An academic discipline is a branch of knowledge. It incorporates expertise, people, projects, communities, challenges, studies, inquiry, and research areas that are strongly associated with a given academic discipline. For example, the branches of science are commonly referred to as the scientific disciplines

Transdisciplinary;

Transdisciplinarity connotes a research strategy that crosses many disciplinary boundaries to create a holistic approach. It applies to research efforts focused on problems that cross the boundaries of two or more disciplines, such as research on effective information systems for biomedical research (see bioinformatics), and can refer to concepts or methods that were originally developed by one discipline, but are now used by several others, such as ethnography, a field research method originally developed in anthropology but now widely used by other disciplines.

Kreber (2009 pg16), describes knowledge as a whole and then what disciplines do in order for an individual to succeed using their knowledge. ' Knowledge of how different disciplines function, that is, how they articulate a problem, investigate it, and report on the outcomes, and knowledge of the value that guide thinking and practising, provides students with a wider repertoire of learning tools which so clearly and advantage in a complex world.' Kreber (2009 pg16).  Relating this to teaching, I admire the knowledge that the school teachers have at St Peters, day to day they are articulating problems, investigating and then working on a suitable outcome with students. Whether it be troubled students who do not want to work, or on the other hand, pushing students who want to succeed.
The modes of a scientific inquiry taken out by Gibbons (1994), outline the different skills that are required through experience and approaches that are used. 

On page 12 of the reader, it asks questions to us that are relating to these disciplines.
Do you work within a disciplinary context in the arts or is your situation more transdiscplinary?

As I work within two different sectors of dance, I would say that I work within a more transdisciplinary because I am continually crossing bouadaries from one are to another. Because the ST Peters school and PDSW are totally different organisations, they have problems which are different, therefore different knowledge is required from my peers. 

What do you know?

I know that from just assisting at the school and PDSW, I do not have full control over situations however as I observe I realise that the differences that are needed within the knowledge for the two which can help me as an individual gain experience that others may not have. I know that when teaching a young male student dance who has to be there because its stated in the school timetable will be more challenging to say teaching a male who has chosen to join in a class in his own free time. I have to have the ability to adapt my knowledge into practise.

How do I know it?

From speaking to other students on the BAPPs course, relating my theories back to the teacher at the school and co-workers at the PDSW, I know that being level headed within the industry is what will lead to success. As the Reader outlines, a dance teacher who owns her own school will have the knowledge of dance because that is her passion which she has chosen to fulfil. She will also have to have the business and management qualities in order to make a successful dance school run and operate. In comparison, a dance teacher in a school will have to have the same passion and knowledge of dance to that of the lady who owns her own school, however this teacher will have to apply knowledge of understanding and practicing education which is not something you necessarily think about needing.
When relating this back to my own practise I feel having a different approach to learning key aspects of 'knowledge' within the dance teaching world is beneficial for understanding the process of development.

Make a brief list of your competencies and capabilities;

Competencies - the ability to do something well

• Communication with others
• Technically fulfilling what has been asked of me
• Teaching vocational Dance to all age groups
• Promoting well being and activity to young adults

Capabilities - the ability that has potential for development

• Engaging with the students that are not as enthused about dance - mainly at the school
• More proactively working towards dance in the community - what can I do to help make a change
• Confidence in my knowledge - get more involved in teaching, ask for more opportunities at the school

What Knowledge and Skills do you think you will need for the future? 

From reflecting over this subject, knowledge is such a vast subject and I feel there is so much more for me to apply to my professional practice. I hope to teach dance within a school environment which means the education understanding will be an aspect of my learning if I am to succeed in the future. Luckily I am working within that environment so have the opportunity to ask teacher for advice, possibly query any events that happen or problem solving so this can further my knowledge. The skills that I have gained throughout Dancing as a child and into professional dancing on the cruise ships and stage in london can be applied within teaching. I hope to use this as an advantage as I know as a student you need the drive and enthusiasm to continue on within an art and I feel I can give that to them. Having said that, I know I would like to have more opportunities to learn more syllabus training and how to apply this skill into teaching dance as it is totally different to what I am used to teaching at current.

As I understand more about knowledge within the workplace, I have begun to wonder how I can apply this to my inquiry. As I develop further into my questions, I have realised that my focus seems to be drawn to either health and fitness within dance, or dance funding within the school environment. Both subjects require knowledge and skills so I am looking to apply this within my research.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject!

Thanks,

Steph