If life is what happens to our plans, then dance is what happens to our steps.
ideas sometimes when you wait they come to you.

Preparation for starting with BAPP

Saturday 16 October 2010

Positioning of Self


Positioning.
Thinking about the whole semester, that is the three sections of the WBS 3002. You may be starting the next section (Reflective practise) having worked through the technologies section. It is important that you think of the work as joined up. There are many threads in this module that continue across the whole course. So there are many ways that the three sections join up. It is important not to think of the modules as a long set of tasks to complete.

The module is not written from a positivist perspective. Positivism values the idea that there is one truth, one thing that is out there to find. This is what a lot of ‘science’ based ‘learning’ (research) assumes. That something is out there and it is up to us to find it. This kind of work would mean it made sense for someone to tell you what to do, where to go to get that truth. You would follow the instructions and find it! But we are not doing that. Simply ‘doing’ the tasks will not mean you will trip over some answer. This is not like ‘hide and seek’ or a ‘treasure hunt’, we hide the answer and you find it and get a BA (Hons) as the prize!!!

The tasks are ‘experiences’ / activities that we think will help you. It is not only ‘doing’ the task it is thinking about the experience of doing them and it is looking at how other people have done them that will give you the information we hope you derive from the module. This is why I think you should think of the whole module as one episode (not a linear progression through time). Each section looks at the same ‘thing’ but from a different perspective.  Like walking around the edge of a big circle looking into the middle, different parts of the circle will give you different views. The module is the circle and each section is a different point on the circle. What we are looking at is YOU.  At the end of this episode (module) we want you do be able to know more about what is in the middle … that is YOU.

First we look at YOU from the perspective of what you do and what you have done, and how you present the ‘working you’. Then we look at YOU from the perspective of how you think about the meaning of what happens to you, and how you make sense of YOU!!! This is reflection, your inner conversations, looking at how they are a part of your journey. Lastly we look at YOU from the perspective of how you fit into the community, population around you. How you are connected to your world. By the end we want you to feel you have a clearer picture of YOU and have a clear way to continue to question and look at YOU.

Why are we looking at YOU?  Because it is YOU who is doing the course. You are the vehicle being used to go on the journey of the course. This first module is to find out how the vehicle works, giving yourself a little MOT to see where you have strengths where you want to develop. Getting yourself a picture of YOU!!!

As a way to help underline the idea we are looking at the same thing in different ways in order to understand it, we have identified three perspectives. As you have read in the handbooks. 1) From the perspective of the tools (actions) technologies. 2) from the perspective of what you think, your inner conversations  3) from the perspective of what other people have said, referencing other people (importantly people who have published work or have their work recognised by a large group of people). The first part of the module was technologies based, it looked and had a number of tasks that meant practise using  different tools like Web 2.0 to get you started but it is not completing the tasks that is important, it is what you can (articulate you) get out of doing the tasks that is important. You can’t know what you can get out of them with out doing them but it does not stop at just doing them. The task is an experience you need to go on to make the experience meaningful and connected to what you want to achieve. That is where the work lays.  

So I see this module as you finding the place you are at. This is called positioning. You can then go on to interact with the ideas the course will introduce.  I might know I am interested in XXXX from my reflections, (I noticed all my diary enters mentioned this, it makes sense because when I look back I always felt I did better in XXXX, I tend to read better when things are paper but I enjoy the free flow of drawing I can use this to take notes. I work best at night I realised this when I started to notice I wrote better blogs at night. Etc….. So when I read Hegel next semester I might be aware I will be more willing to accept his ideas because I know I like…..I should question my dislike of Goffman because it might be because I think he is racist rather than the ideas he has about identity. I may not be sure what I think but now I know if I go for a long walk and write something that evening I might get through the block etc, etc…

OK reader I am really interested to know if this makes sense please let know (in a nice way!!!) 

4 comments:

  1. Thanks Adesola. Your blogs always help me to understand things so more clearly. I think you paint pictures with your words that really help me visualise what we are trying to do. I love the image of looking into the circle at yourself from different points (those different points being the different tasks). It has made me appreciate that I need to focus on how everything is linked. This after all isn't a linear process.

    It is also really good that reiterated that there isn't an answer to a question. There is a blog that I've been thinking about writing for the last few days but I wasn't sure if it was important or if it was the right time to write it. I thought perhaps I was doing things in the wrong order. Now I am just going to write it because it's where my thoughts are right now. Thanks again.

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  2. Thank you for your post, it has really helped my understanding and it definately makes sense! I sometimes struggle when I don't know an answer to a question but as you say it is sometimes good to be confused and the answer isn't always black and white. I am getting to grips with critically reflecting on a question or theary rather then immediately trying to work out the right answer. I am looking forward to the second part of the module and am going to read the information now.
    Thank you for your help.

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  3. Thank you Adesola, this has really helped me! I have been caught up in the task's and feeling myself get bogged down with a lot of ideas. This has helped me realize what the true end product is!! You always seem to know what to say!
    Thank you!

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  4. Thanks for sharing the link to this, Adesola. Really insightful piece of writing - tends to clearly outline the importance of my journey on this course and beyond. Since starting the course, I have already gotten a stronger sense of who I am, what I am about and where I fit in. Progressing on into further modules I hope my sense of self is strengthened.

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