Class Observation - Bodywork Company

Class: Ballet	Bodywork Dance- family run business
What teaching strategies does the teacher use? Example: imagery/demonstration...	·        Imagery- the teacher focuses on phrases like ‘up like a rocket and down like a parachute’ when completing grand battement ·        Demonstration- the teacher marks through all the exercises with the students ·        Repetition- the teacher encouraged repetition of enchainments so the class could improve on their previous attempts
How do they cater for all abilities?	·        The class was already levelled. ·        It was depending on what year of Vocational college the student was in
Time management strategies	·        The lessons are 1 hour and a half long ·        Warm up/barre work/pors de bras/centre work/corner work/jumps/cool down ·        I t was roughly 45 mins to warm up and finish barre work – 45mins to complete the rest of the class
Any other comments	·        The students were all seriously partaking in dancing as they were at vocational college ·        I still found that upon observing primary school children, children that partake in dance as a hobby and students that want to make it a career all three had a succinct enjoyment from expressing themselves through physicality.

Dance Class Observation - Family run business

Class: Jazz	Starlight Dance - family run business
What teaching strategies does the teacher use? Example: imagery/demonstration...	·        The teacher demonstrates all movements ·        Using repetition is allowing muscle memory to form ·        The teacher has broken the class into groups, to add the performance aspect into the class ·        The correct dancing terminology has been used so the students can pick p choreography quickly
How do they cater for all abilities?	·        The class is a specific level already. ·        This isn’t determined by age, unlike in a dance school.  It is determined from ability and talent
Time management strategies	·        The lesson was 1 hr and a half long ·        A warm up/corner work/centre routine and cool down were all catered for ·        The warm up was pre-learnt, the music went on and the students knew what they were doing
Any other comments	·        There was an obvious difference (as expected) from observing this class to that of a dance/movement class in a primary school. The children all has more dance experience and their ability to pick up the moves faster. ·        However the desire to impress and learn was no different from that to children who were participating in primary school.

Dance Class Observation- Primary School

Class: P.E - Dance	Year 3/4 at Corby Old Village Primary School
What teaching strategies does the teacher use? Example: imagery/demonstration...	·        The teacher actively joined in every section of the class. ·        Demonstration was used before the children partook. ·        The teacher used references to the Olympics to inspire the children
How do they cater for all abilities?	·        Some children have special needs...these children have a teacher assistant that works with them and helps the children to stay on task. ·        The children were working in groups...the groups were blended randomly. Each group had two team leaders
Time management strategies	·        The teacher gave the children the challenge to complete a dance and show it to the rest of the class for the end of the lesson. ·        A countdown from 20mins right down 5mins was called out.
Any other comments	The children were clearly excited to be doing dance.  They were jumping round excitedly; they enjoyed music being part of the lesson. They thrived at the prospect of performing, I have been fortunate to observe the children over a period of weeks in all subjects...some children who appeared timid and quiet in the classroom setting became confident and group leaders when given the task. The children gave each other support when they were performing.  At playtime they all were dancing again.

Sir Ken Robinson

I have found that researching Robinson has been an invaluable way of gathering international literature.  He is a leading senior advisor and educationalist.

“America needs

a workforce that is

flexible, adaptable

and highly creative;

and it needs

an education

system that can

develop these

qualities in

everyone.”

Sir Ken Robinson

This quote is from an Education Commission of the States Arts and Minds series,the interview features the views of today’s leading thinkers on topics pertaining to the arts in education. ECS is pleased to provide this series under its 2004-06 ECS Chairman’s Initiative, The Arts – A Lifetime of Learning, led by Arkansas Governor and ECS Chairman Mike Huckabee.

The title: How Creativity, Education and the Arts, Shape a Modern Economy.

Everyone have a look...it's thought provoking.

 

 

Is there a fear of failure in education

I have found this article by Kerry Eustice on the Guardian website.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/2012/nov/23/failure-in-education

I found it really interesting...I am aware that I want my personal view point that - dance in education is an important attribute to the education system to appear well researched and more importantly fair.  This piece of literature enables me to give a non-biased viewpoint at which to entertain the education system as a whole, rather then pin pointing one particular subject.

How is dance in the education system a valuable tool to those who partake?

Research and Literature- connecting the dots...

Literature

I found this chart in the guardian data blog...it spoke volumes to me as you can see that dance is taught in 96% of schools, the second most consistently taught subject to football.

Literauture- BBC News

Education Secretary Michael Gove announced the English Baccalaureate, would be taught in schools in England from 2015.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said:
We have chosen core academic subjects to be part of the English Baccalaureate Certificate, and these subjects will set the benchmark for the whole system.

Other subjects are of course valuable and pupils will continue to study them - the EBC will obviously not prevent any school from offering qualifications in art, design, dance, drama and music.

The BBC article quotes the department of education saying:
We are spending £15m over the next three years to ensure that every child has access to the arts, including £3.6 million for schools to use towards visits to museums and galleries

Sir Nicolas Serota warned that the UK could lose the
Leading edge in creativity. He goes on to say:
There is a real risk that fewer and fewer schools will provide learning opportunities in the arts.
We cannot deprive an entire generation of children of the cultural skills that they will need.

Pupils at schools where the arts were integrated into the curriculum showed stronger performance in maths, English, critical thinking and verbal skills

We know that there is a great body of evidence now that has been gathered over the past 20 or 30 years which demonstrates that, where you have schools which give time to cultural learning, there is benefit both in that sphere and also to the other discipline

February's report on arts teaching in schools written for the government by Darren Henley, of Classic FM. This is what Sir Nicolas Serota was referring to.

My thoughts:
The whole feeling of the article (by Judith Burns) suggests that the arts would be taking a back seat in the education department.  The core subjects are clearly portrayed as the main focus of this new 2015 scheme. This is saddening and also seems unjust that the arts is now deemed as 'other sunjects' already the attitude leads little to the imagination.

Your thoughts?.....

Literature, HELP!

Hey guys and gals...I am struggling with finding literature sources? Where are you people getting your references from, help little me out? Hahaha thank you!!!

The Art of Dance in Education

Who is the author/authors/publisher of the text?

 Jacqueline M. Smith-Autard

A&C Black, 29 Mar 2002

Where was the text written/produced?

1994

 Who is the intended audience for the text?

I find this question hard to answer, who am I to determine who this book is targeted at? The obvious answer would be somebody who is looking at dance in education however, if I look further into this it explores many avenues and as the author is so renowned many people from many different backgrounds may have read this book to enhance their understanding on dance and how it is validated in the education system.

 What are the authors’/publishers’ intentions in relation to the reader?

Well the author is a world renown dance educator.  I believe both her and the publishers intention was to use the multimedia resources to express the points in the book on a wider scale.

What is the writers’/publishers’ own position in relation to the subject being written about?

The book covers dance education from primary years all the way through to tertiary education.  The book takes dance as a concept and shows how the expressive nature of it is educational to an array of students.

I'm BACK!

§  WHERE AM I NOW? This is where you review your achievements and progress, and undertake self-assessment.

I am just starting this next module, throughout the summer I have been going over thoughts and opinions I already have of my inquiry.  Pondering over these thoughts has led me to get confused or muddled up with the intention of my inquiry however, I am looking forward to exploring these thoughts and ideas of mine further!  I have successfully completed the previous modules and am looking forward to building upon my learning and understanding of Dance in Education.

§  WHERE DO I WANT TO BE? This is where you decide your goals.

I want to be working towards the final piece of work with a positive mind frame.  I want to understand fully dance in education and how it can enable all pupils to learn regardless of the age range.  I have previously touched upon family run businesses and this is something that is still on my radar.

§  HOW DO I GET THERE? This is where you define the strategy you will use to achieve your goals, and to break down your goal into the smaller discreet

§  steps you will need to take to achieve your target.

I know that if I do not set myself deadlines with targets I won’t achieve my full investigation.  Being in the arts I have found that we are usually expressive people and not always the type to have strict timetables to work by.  The ideas and thoughts will be floating around my head but, I won’t put pen to paper to communicate them.  Therefore I want to ensure I schedule in time to write down my latest findings for both my professional and personal development.

§  TAKING ACTION. This is the nitty gritty where you implement your plan!

I am currently reading some dance literature to broaden my mind.  I am discovering a lot as it is specific to education in dance and the value that it has on the students and work place.

§  WHERE AM I NOW?

I feel like this is an ongoing question...filling in these few questions has already helped to put things into perspective and enable me to see where I currently am in the mix of things. Onwards and upwards from here...

Big Dance

Wayne McGregor has choreographed a dance in which schools have been able to participate in.  I was fortunate to work with Corby Old Village School, this was an Olympic bid for London 2012...there was a show on television which was focused on this Big Dance bid.

Danceuk

http://www.danceuk.org/

This website has been really interesting for me to look around...it has been helpful to find out the recent topics of discussion in the dance industry.

Critical Reflection and Summary

Critical Reflection and Summary

In this module I have been able to explore my line of professional inquiry.  I began this module with a simple brainstorm where I explored where I was at in terms of my professional career and where I wanted to move on and progress to. (Appendix A).

I continued to work my way through the tasks set, asking myself questions such as: Do you work within a disciplinary context in the arts? Or is your situation more transdisciplinary? This type of question helped me to clarify how I worked within a classroom/studio situation, and this reflective process enabled me to look at what can be improved upon and where my strengths lie.  I worked through the reader and picked out particular quotes that I found thought provoking. (Appendix B). This helped to focus my thoughts, I found it motivational.

I created an SIG on LinkedIn which I followed and found an invaluable insight into family run businesses.  I followed both fellow BAPP students and other bloggers that had similar lines of inquiry as me.  (Appendix C).  This helped me to keep an open mind and learn how people felt on particular subject matters. I researched pieces of discussions further.  (Appendix D). This research looked into value systems which are often shared within a company, in particularly when run within a family unit.  This highlighted a positive factor into my inquiry as my sister and I share the same morals and values.

I continued to inquire about locally run dance schools and family run businesses by asking people who had experience in the field, and found the answers really helpful. (Appendix E).  I progressed further to explore ethics within my professional practice, this began with an assessment of my own views and thoughts on how an ethical policy should look.  (Appendix F).  I then further researched my original thoughts and compared them with the official codes of conduct for the well respected dance syllabuses.  (Appendix G).  Whilst looking through the codes of conduct I wanted to broaden my knowledge on the different types of ethical codes.(Appendix H).  I found this information valuable as my understanding of ethical codes increased.

I piloted an interview which I found invaluable as it explored both the positives and negatives of running a family business.  (Appendix I).  This helped me to collect my thoughts and develop my line of inquiry further.  In conclusion this module has opened my eyes up to the world of SIG’s, the discussions that take place are all relevant to my professional network and that has been really important to the module.  I have delved into codes of conduct and ethical policies that are key to adhere to when carrying out my inquiry.  I have found the whole experience of researching my professional inquiry extremely useful.  I have focused my attentions to thoughts that will play a key part to my professional work at a later date, it has been insightful to say the least.

Pilot Interview

Questions:

·         Do you run a family business?

Sharon: Yes.  We run a local dance school in the county of Northamptonshire.  I co-own the school with my daughter Hayley.

·         What are the positives that you gain from running a family business?

Hayley: I think one big positive from running a family business is that there is a great support system when times are challenging. 

Sharon: We can always be truthful with one another and this honesty is key for communicating what is happening with the business in so many different areas of the dance school.  We both have the same passion and commitment to the school and this is one of the driving forces that have enabled the school to grow and achieve results.

Hayley: I have been attending dance classes before I could walk.  My mum would bring me along whilst she was teaching.  I love dancing and have been fortunate enough to work with my mum, who I respect and trust co-owning a dance school which is both of our passions.  That for me is a huge positive.

·         How long have you run your business for?

Sharon: The dance school started off with very few people attending, it took time for our reputation to build to the standard it is now.  We are very fortunate to have been in business for 30 years with a view to continuing for the foreseeable future.

·         How has your mother/daughter relationship been effected by running a business together?

Hayley: I think I was naive when we ventured into business together.  I was so caught up in the whole dance side of the school I didn’t question that a strain would be put on my relationship with my mum. 

Sharon: I think I was probably more aware of the fact that our relationship would be tested. I knew I would be communicating to Hayley in a whole new way...our conversations were turning into nothing but business talk.  I was depending on Hayley and looking at her work and how it could combine with mine in a way that was purely business minded.  We over time ended up colleagues at work and then mother and daughter when we were having a family meal.  This balance was really hard to achieve and we still struggle from time to time.

Hayley: I think that if I look back at how our relationship has changed it’s got stronger if anything.  We are whole heartedly focused on the dance school and talk about it all the time practically, but I don’t look at that as a negative because I love the dance school and like Sharon said when we are having a family meal for example we do make a conscious effort to avoid the school being the main topic of discussion.

Task 6a

These are the questions I asked when holding my pilot interview with a family run local dance school:

·         Do you run a family business?

·         What are the positives that you gain from running a family business?

·         How long have you run your business for?

·         How has your mother/daughter relationship been effected by running a business together?

Task 5c

I have further researched ethics and have discovered there are a variety of ethics that can be identified in the following:

·         Meta-ethics: this is about the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions and how their truth values (if any) may be determined. This meta-ethics was introduced with G.E. Moore’s recognized work Principia Ethica (1903).

·         Normative ethics: about the practical means of determining a moral course of action.  This is also known as moral theory. In the 20^th century moral theories became more complex. In 1971 John Rawls published A Theory of Justice, this book kept normative ethics  on trend.

·         Applied ethics: about how moral outcomes can be achieved in specific situations. This type of ethics tries to tie theory to real life situations, such as public service ethics.

Task 5b

In my previous blog my professional community/practice/regulations were formed through my experience of learning from the professional teachers when I was training.

To find out the actual codes of conduct I sourced the information from both the ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing), and RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) I have been involved in both of these teaching faculties from a young age.

This website contains the code of conduct for ISTD:

http://www.istd.org/documents/code-of-professional-conduct-and-practice-for-teachers-of-dance/

This website contains the code of conduct for RAD:

http://www.rad.org.uk/files/ART255_Code%20of%20Conduct%20English.pdf

I think that the above codes of conduct and professional practice are guidelines that are very effective to run a dance school by.  Both the ISTD and RAD are trusted and well respected dance branches.