BAPP Arts Reflection

So we are almost at the end! I felt it was important to look back at modules one and two before being able to reflect on the course as a whole. 

I have gained a great deal of knowledge through this inquiry and the BAPP Arts course in general. Module one change my way of thinking regarding many aspects such as social media, networking and Journal writing whilst inspiring me to expand my professional career through web 2.0.The many different theories in this module all relayed one message, we learn from experience and we progress through reflecting on that experience. "Continual recognition, restructure and transformation of experience" (Dewey 1934).

Web 2.0

Module one was the beginning into my discovery of Web 2.0 and the world of blogging. Blogging was a concept I’d heard of, but never tried. Setting up my own blog was a challenge to say the least, and it took a good few weeks for me to get to grips with the site and understand how to navigate my way around it. What started out as a daunting task, became an enjoyable and productive hobby. I have since discovered many teachers have professional blogs and use them as a way of communicating and sharing work with students, particularly for sixth form.

I conducted many hours of research on Web 2.0 and am now able to understand how using social media can be a valuable tool and resource for learning, through the effective use of its features such as: community-input, content sharing and collaboration.  I learned many new theories such as: “Rise of the Prosumer” and the “Blurring of Lines” (Valtysson 2010), giving the public a voice providing comfort in anonymity for both producer and consumer. I investigated these theories further and discussed this on my blog (Radford, Claire, Professional Communications, Online). I have been introduced to many new and interesting sources of information, For Example Flickr (Radford, Claire, Flickr,Online) and Listogrophy (Listography,Online). I have also created my own YouTube channel (Radford, Claire, YouTube Channel, YouTube, Online).

Reflective Practice

Reflective practice is “a dialogue of thinking and doing through which I become more skilful” (Schon 1983). During module one, I kept a professional journal documenting my working day. This allowed me to learn about my own teaching methods and make adjustments to lesson plans. The documented evidence was a clear indication that I was learning from experience, I recorded these improvements on my blog (Radford, Claire, Diary Entry Blog, Blogger, Online). Reflection is real when you put it into words and it has understanding and meaning (Moon 1999).

"Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it" (Kolb 1984). Kolb’s theories have had a huge impact on how I use my own experiences to reflect and improve my teaching. I put Kolb’s cycle into practice by analysing and evaluating my lessons using all four stages of the cycle. This resulted in many revised versions of original lesson plans. Using this method of analysis ties in nicely in with Donald Schon’s ‘Reflection on Action’ and my experiment proved that this type of ‘Off Line’ thinking can achieve great results. I recorded and documented these results and posted them to my blog (Radford, Claire, Reflective Theory. Blogger. Online).

Networking

Networking was the topic I felt I knew the most about but had practiced the least. Cooperation, Affiliation, Connectivism and Social Constructionism are important aspects of professional life and I now understand that utilising your worth and forming strategies for getting ahead are essential. I went into further detail on my thoughts and experiences in my professional blog (Radford, Claire, The Networked Professional, Blogger, Online) discussing how these strategies have worked for me in the past.

Developing Lines for Professional Inquiry

I began module two by thinking deeply about my future and the kind of teacher I wanted to be. “The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action” (Dewey 1934). This module encouraged me to seek advice from my fellow colleagues and use their expertise. To develop lines for professional Inquiry, I reached out to friends, former colleagues and professionals in my community who worked in a variety of settings within the Arts. Their feedback was the starting point for research for my inquiry, I posted this on my blog (Radford, Claire. Developing Lines for Professional Inquiry. Blogger. [Online] 2014)

Ethics

Ethics was a huge part of module two and for this I had to look at my own working environment and study the schools policies and ethos. The Kevin carter case in the module reader had a lasting effect on the way I view ethics. It helped me to understand the concept of ethics and how sometimes there are no right or wrong answers, only opinions. One of the tasks I had to do during module two was to considering my place of work, the ethical aspects involved and create two lists, one for general teaching and another specifically related to teaching dance. These lists were both instructive and very insightful; I posted and discussed these on my blog (Radford, Claire. Ethics for Teaching in a Secondary School. Blogger. [Online] 2014). I also posted the schools documents for my job description, highlighting areas I thought were interesting or relevant to my inquiry, which I discussed on my blog (Radford, Claire. Codes of Practice. Blogger. [Online] 2014).

Another task for this module was to: making a professional and personal list of virtues. This got me thinking about the kind of teacher and person I want to be, I posted my thoughts on this to my blog (Radford, Claire. Professional Ethics. Blogger. [Online] 2014). From this I have deduced that; teacher student relationships, recording progress and behaviour management are all areas with many ethical dilemmas.

Tools for Inquiry

This module introduced me to the tools I would later use for my professional inquiry. It was interesting to look back at my views on the inquiry tools and how they could potentially be helpful to my inquiry; I posed my thoughts on this to my blog (Radford, Claire. Tools for Professional Inquiry.Blogger.2015). Throughout the early stages of my inquiry, the tools I planned to use changed several times. There were factors I hadn’t taken into account in regards to the inquiry tools and their effectiveness; however, having now put them into practice, I have a better understanding of what works best for a school investigation.