Inquiry: Interview Questions for Teachers of Performing Arts

Interview Questions for Teachers

Hi all, I’m putting together a set of questions to interview my fellow colleagues within performing arts as part of my professional development. I am currently conducting an inquiry based on creativity and the methods that work best for students within performing arts. To be more specific:

How can using a real life experience as a stimulus influence or support the choreographic process for section 4A of the GCSE specification

A brief insight to my inquiry:

The investigation will focus on students who study dance at GCSE level. After conversations with the Arts teachers I will be targeting individual students who are studying unit 4A of the GCSE specification, I will be seeking out information on how a real life experience can act as a form of stimulus and influence or support the choreographic process. Working with students in this way will provide behaviour management strategies, enabling the students to channel negative energy into creativity.

This line of inquiry may benefit the student’s physical and mental development, hopefully raising the quality of their work through ownership of learning. I hope to develop teaching styles that can be used in all subjects. This will hopefully raise levels of engagement which will impact the students overall achievement, befitting not only the students but the school as a whole.

By conducting this piece of research I hope to enhance my own professional development as a teacher. This will also have an impact on fellow colleagues within the arts departments, by raising awareness to those particular students in need.

My inquiry is based specifically on dance and the choreographic process the students go through when working independently. I hope to observe and interview students who are using a real life experiences as a stimulus and document the process they go through in contrast with students who have a stimulus they don’t personally relate to.

The inquiry will focus mainly on dance but I would like to interview and gather information from all the performing arts teachers to see what their thoughts are of students working in this way. I have put together a very rough draft of questions and would appreciate your help refining them. Can you think of anything important I should be asking? Any input and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

1.  Are there any aspects in your subject, particularly at GCSE level where student have to work independently on something creative? If so, what does this involve?

2.  Do you find students work better in your subject when they are given a stimulus as a pose to choosing their own?

3.   How do you find student’s progress when using a real life experience or a stimulus that has emotional meaning to them when creating a piece of art?

4.  Do you think working in this way can be detrimental to their progress? Do you think it helps? Or does it simple depend on the student, the situation and the piece they are creating?

5.  Do you have any method you use to identify which students would work in which ways best?

6.  What do you do when students lack in motivation when working creatively in your subject?