Feedback…

Thinking about feedback….

I am getting lots of drafts and so busy working my way through things. I don’t read fast so it takes time because I don’t skim read; I need to read each word in order to really understand and analyze what is being said, because I want my comments to be meaningful and helpful.

But feedback is not sending a draft for my approval. The approval has to come from you – you making something (writing something) you feel ‘proud’ of or at lease feel you’ve tried your best at. Its about being honest with yourself on one hand and not leaving bits untouched because you don’t want to shake your own story by fixing them at this point. It is also about being diligent finding out the procedure for writing in this way, noticing the books you have read how things lay out and how they are presenting such as how people have used citations and then thinking about why it is done in that way and what it says about what you are trying to make.

Feedback you ask for from me is to get another eye looking at the work you are doing. If you send something and feel you cannot move forward before I get back to you

1)   Then feedback in that form does not seem the best form for the purpose you have. I would say you need to book a quick Skype call in order to discuss the specific points you feel you need input into before you can go on.

2)   Or your use of my feedback is not really ‘feedback’ it is ‘passing the buck’ asking me to edit your work for you!!! So you can use me to decide what should be in or out of your final piece _ I can’t do this for you!! You know what you want to create.

So please feel free to contact me in different forms according to what you need from your feedback. If it’s a quick block you need to talk out – email or skype (set up a time via email or call if you see me on-line). Then also have specific questions – ask what you want to know. Be direct about what you want me to look at that is because I am another eye so you can direct where I look.

I think it is really important in the performing arts to be clear and to have thought about the role of feedback. A few years ago I realised that when I choreographed something I would ask for feedback from a dance agency for instance. Then I realised I would get quite down when it wasn’t ‘can we book this piece’!!! what they would say was things to ‘improve’ the choreography or general comments. But that response is not feedback. I realised what I wanted was to bring my work to their attention NOT feedback and that by asking fro feedback I was putting my work in the light of something that was unfinished or something I was unsure about. That made me think that you have to  be really careful, direct and really want to hear the response when engaging with feedback. It is not there to reassure you, you are o.k.!!

What do you think?

Adesola

December 1st - and First Tuesday Coffee shop Skype sessions

Last day of November. I really encourage you to finish the first draft of what you will be handing-in, and look for feedback on this first draft. Even if its not yet perfect you need to commit to getting it finished. Often doing this allows the ideas to settle a bit and then you can give yourself a few days away from it so that when you come back to it you see it with fresh eyes; but you need to finish something to do this. It is like how when you know the whole of a dance sequence it suddenly feels much shorted and easier to remember than when it was being choreographed or taught to you.  

Beginning of the month also means our group SKYPE meetings. I have been asked to move the evening one from Wednesday one to Thursday this month so the sessions will be as follows

Tuesday December 2^nd at 11am (time in London)

Thursday December 4^th at 6:30pm (time in London)

Please comment below to let me know which one you want to join. If you don’t get a call from me at the time because you didn’t comment don’t worry just skype me saying “hey are you meeting I want to join in.”

Looking forward to the conversations

Speak to you Tuesday or Thursday

Module 3 campus session

The last three posts are a result of talking during campus session. Have a look at what people attending the session have to say:

http://cvainella.blogspot.co.uk

http://natalieamartin.blogspot.co.uk

cci.blogspot.co.uk

Adesola

Structures for people on Module One & Module Three to think about…

Common structures are:

A timeline – starting at the beginning (September) and working to the end. This gives your work a story like feel. It can become very narrative. There maybe danger of getting lost in the story and ignore the meet and bones of the learning also remember you do not have a lot of words.

Theme based  - finding two or three key ideas and gathering the learning and experience that happened around them. {I recommend you do this}

Concrete evidence based – giving concrete examples of things and elaborating on the ideas and learning that manifested them.

A representational object  – making something that sums up the learning both in its content and in its own form. This might be useful if you need to make something to understand what you think. That is for people who do not think in words. Like myself. I make or do things to understand what I think and then explain it back in words once I know what I think! This is something that I have found takes quite sometime to master because at first you can make something you and other people who think that way can understand but that everyone else finds “too abstract”. So it is important you support your work by using the written summary to explain your process and what it means to you.

Either way ~I think it will be really important to get started and then you will have time to get feedback.

Campus session Module 3 more notes: Referencing help-useful pdf

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/support_depts/infoservices/learning_support/refzone/harvard/learning_support/refzone/harvard/

Thoughts from Campus session

Firstly, analysis is not just summing up your data. Analysis is a critical look at the whole experience comparing three things – the literature (the ideas other people have said), your own experience including your experience of collecting the data, your reflective diary, and the experiences before the inquiry that led you to be interested in doing it in the first place, and lastly the data you collect. Looking at themes and resonance and contradictions across all three of these is called triangulation. Doing this is how you can critically look at the questions you posed at the beginning of the inquiry. Doing this unpicks everything and is always (whatever level of work you are doing), always disorientating, some what frightening and confusing because it is the point where you are opening yourself up to look for something new, to stretch yourself beyond what you know you know. But that is the heart of the inquiry; be brave. Because it is after data collection you might feel you need to tidying everything up not make a mess in your head but the data collection is not the climax of the inquiry it is just getting something to do the inquiry with. After collecting data it is not time to tidy up, its time to get cooking all the ingredients. See some of my past blogs.

Secondly, the artefact is NOT the result of the inquiry: like the answer to the whole thing. The artefact is as much about the process as the critical review paper you are writing.

So please think as if you are in fact handing in TWO artefacts. Two things that explain the inquiry.  The first is in the form of a formalise academic artefact – a critical review. The second is in the form of something that is found in your professional practice (culture) it is a professional artefact. We can not say what this will be because it is different for each person according to their work / profession. We can help in telling you what the first artefact (the critical review looks like – in fact we give you guide-lines on what it looks like how many words etc… and we also give you guide-lines on how to start making it – when the start drafting etc…). But just because we help out with what the academic artefact (the critical review) looks like doesn’t mean the critical review IS the inquiry. It is a result of the inquiry just as the professional artefact is too. The Inquiry – what you are documenting with the two artefacts is the activity and reflective thought you do. Many people think by writing (I don’t): so maybe making the critical review will be how you analyse the inquiry, but the professional artefact could just as well be how you work out what it’s all about. So think of the Professional Artefact as another way of explaining your inquiry. So you can see you need to do the whole inquiry before you can be really clear about the content of the critical review or the professional artefact. But now is the time to start to open a space for what the professional artefact will be even if all you do is plan out time in your diary in early December when you will start working on it.

So in fact you will explain your inquiry in three ways through writing (critical review), through talking (oral presentation) and through x? (professional artefact. Each of these ways of sharing offer unique advantages for communication and have things that can not be communicated very well through them. Think about how you will use the three forms.

Extra 8pm SKYPE for Module 2!!

We are having a Skype session at 8pm (in London) on Thursday November 13th:
Module two's (and anyone else who would like to join). We will be looking at ethics, the literature review and the structure of the final plan you are handing-in (this covers and reviews Part 5 if you are following the progression of the module).

Please comment below if you are attending.
Look forward to talk with you
Adesola

Campus Session

We have campus sessions this week!!! Where are you?
Let us know if you are coming.

Adesola

AM Skype conversation - what do you think?

Today’s morning skype session went really well we had a great conversation. Because the conversation flowed so well we talked about lots of things. A point I thought that was really interesting was about how as your professional career develops you also get more confidence in your academic work (BAPP work). We are hoping also that as you learn and get more confidence in your University work you get more confidence in how you approach your professional practice.

We talked about how the two are developing around and next to each other. But before you have the confidence to do things you sort of have to do them!! So you have to try things even if you have a little voice saying “I didn’t do the work yet” or “I am probably the only one who hasn’t done xx”. You are not the only one. The campus sessions and skype sessions are so you can meet others, peers and share your experiences and ideas.

Have a look at what Mel http://melaniebrown10.blogspot.co.uk  and Lara http://larafbapp.blogspot.co.uk think.

Looking forward to talking on skype Wednesday at 8pm (in London).

Group SKYPE chats 4th & 5th :First tuesday (and Wednesday!!) Coffee shops.

Our Group SKYPE chats are coming-up
Tuesday November 4th at 11am (in London time)
Wednesday November 5th at 8:00pm (in London time)
(Please sign-up for which group chat you will join by writing a comment on this post.)

The chats are always really useful and a great way to learn more through sharing and hearing how other people are thinking about things.

Looking forward to talking to you next week.
Please comment on which chat you are joining in on and also any memories or useful "aha! moments" that have happen during past group chats.

Adesola :)

Up-coming events

It is great to go to conferences and other dance/arts events. You can meet other people inquiring into their practice share ideas.

Check out this at MDX in December

http://transmissionperformancesymposium.wordpress.com

October 15 PM Skype session: have a look at what we talked about!!

Today’s PM SKYPE session went well. We were a conversation of five people. We talked about The tasks and how they need to be useful to the overall point of the BA – a BA in Professional Practice. The tasks are not there as hoops to jump through they are there to get you thinking. We found there might be good reasons why you do not do a task at all. The point of them is get you thinking about what you do and learn from being a professional in your field. They are there to get you to make real (concrete) your practice. See where “YOU” are in it.

Rachel is going to write a post on this: how the first module is to help you ‘to real-ise what you learnt as a professional rachelmorris8387@blogspot.co.uk

Tina is going to write about this too from the perspective of why or why not to ‘do’ tasks but to think about them, http://lynnterry001.blogspot.com

We talked about what a Literature Review is and how it is about seeing where people stand or what they think in a particular area or field of practice. Chiara is going to write about this and also about how it is interesting to talk to and listen to people who are in modules you have completed because they remind you of ideas and feelings you experienced, http://cvainella.blogspot.com

Sarah is going to write about how useful the conversation was for hearing different perspectives on the tasks and activities in the modules, http://sarahsmales.blogspot.co.uk/

It is great to talk together to work out ideas and to hear what other people are thinking. This course is not about completing things we ask you to do it is about getting you thinking and talking to people getting you thinking and communicating your ideas.

Looking forward to November SKYPE talks.

Adesola

DTH 40 Stories - Adesola Akinleye

OH no!!! More next week :)

Todays pm SKYPE session had a lot of technical difficulties: teething issues for people whom this is the first time to join in. I know this is frustrating and a number of people did not connect with the conversation who wanted to, so I will run another pm SKYPE next week Wednesday October 15^th at 8:30pm (in London time).

Looking forward to talking to you all.

Please indicate in the comment if you will be joining in.

Keep smiling!!

Adesola

Oct 7th AM SKYPE session conversation points

This mornings group SKYPE session went well – we had some helpful and interesting conversation. We were Lara, Gemma, myself and Hannah joined us at the very end.

The point of all the sessions we have (campus, skype even on-to-one with your tutor) is to feel like you are an ambassador for the rest on the BAPP learning community. That is share what you got out of the interaction what you learnt , what got you thinking, what it made you question. So true to form Lara and Gemma are going to write posts about what they thought was valuable about the conversation this morning.

Gemma is going to write further about how nice it is just to hear the voice of other students talking about their experience and realising they are like your own. Also practical aspects like adding people to your blog by making sure you have ‘follow’ activated on your blog site. Also starting to ‘follow’ other people to start to get connected. Lastly we talked about how basically this is all about starting to change your student self to a professional practice self, through reaching out and finding the information and connections that you need to develop your work. We are offering you lots of tasks and things to think about but only do this if you are linking it to your professional practice to developing yourself and your understanding. In other words ‘use’ things to find out more and develop do not just do them because you think you have been told to. We are seeing active development and responsibility for developing your professional practice what it mean to be professional and that is what this BA is about . Check out what Gemma has to say http://grwalker92.blogspot.co.uk

Lara is going to write further on how we talked about the importance of finding your own learning style. Try playing with some of the tasks to see what works for you in terms of how you have a meaningful learning experience. You don’t have to do everything suggested they are just ideas to get you thinking. You can try doing things or talk about the idea to people you work with to get their thoughts. The important thing is that what you do is purposeful. The purpose is not to do it to show you did it, it is to use doing it to think more about and develop your Professional Practice. That is what the BA is in. Check out Lara’s post on our conversation at http://larafbapp.blogspot.co.uk

Our next group SKYPE is 8:30 (in London) on Wednesday October 8^th (tomorrow). If you want to join in please say so in the comments box below. Also it would be great to hear what you think of the points made in our conversation. What do you think Professional Practice means?

Adesola

End of week one - question, posts and the journey

End of week one: Lets have a little check-in:

Module Ones you should have your blogs going and be trying out the tasks and posting reflections on the task (these do not have to be epic!! People are busy and what to know what you are doing and maybe reading on the train or something.)

Everyone what ever Module you are on, make sure your posts also include your reflective practice everything responds to your Professional Practice because that is what the BA is about. It is not just an exercise in telling us about something, it is about you looking at how it is meaningful to you in terms of your working life.

Module Twos are starting the journey of crafting your inquiry. Module two is a bit of a step-by-step process. You have to trust the journey and start it!! I have written a bit about thinking about inquiry questions below. Start blogging ideas and talking to other people, forming interest groups and chatting through possibilities.

Module Three you should be responding to your feedback from Module 2. Send a one page outline of your response and any changes you want to make after feedback. Then you can talk this through with your advisor. Check with your adviser that any consent forms you have are approved. After this you will be starting to get into the field, the data collecting process - exciting

Interesting blog post from Julia http://julia-v-gil.blogspot.de

about getting started back and asking questions raised some useful ideas about wording the question.

Wording the question is important not because the words are important but because the words you choose have an impact on where you go with the question. So I would advice to stay away from questions that imply an answer!!

Like "How can one become a versatile dancer?" that implies an answer and to get a good answer to this you would need years of inquiry not just next term.

But you could unpack this question like 'What do people consider a 'versatile dancer' means?' - you would then look at what you think of as a versatile dancer, what other dancers think, what a choreographer thinks, what people have written about this and then compare any differences or similarities (that is the analysis). Then you would know more about HOW to be a versatile dancer because you would know more about what it means to be one.

See what I mean?  The goal of the inquiry is not to answer something but to know MORE about something. To end the inquiry able to ask better questions about it because you know more about it!

What do you think? In comments have a go at writing a question and explaining what you would do to anylase the data you got as I have done above. It’s a fun thing to think up a question even if you are not on Module 2. Also I would love to hear where you read other peoples blog post. Is it travelling to work? One evening a week? At work? Over breakfast???

Looking forward to hearing from you

Adesola

Week One and Office hours

We are Week One, our first week. Now is a time to be sorting out and getting started. As we talked about in induction here are some points that are important as you start:

1)   Work out when you have to have your assessed work hand-in by (January 2015) and make sure you understand what it is. In other words where are you heading on the journey of this module?

2)   Make a space for your work – in your diary through organised times for when you will working, in your house/office/coffee-shop through having a place to ‘shut the door’ and start working, in your life embracing the notion you are a student (again!!).

3)   Start to open lines of communication with the BAPP learning community, this is through starting your blog and giving us the address, visiting other people’s blogs and leaving comments, getting skype sorted out, contacting your advisor if you have any questions etc…

I am going to have virtual ‘office hours’. These are times when you can skype in to talk to me without an appointment. These will be Tuesday and Thursdays 10am to 11am and Saturdays 8pm to 10pm.

So for comment to this post please let us know what tips you have for starting back/starting-up. What has worked for you?

Adesola

Contemporary Dance classes

Passing on info about Contemporary dance classes from David Tse:

If you're 16-25yrs, and interested in exploring a professional career in contemporary dance or just want to "have a go", these FREE classes are for you!

Organised by CAS in association with Goldsmiths Confucius Institute for Dance and Performance, CAS particularly wants to encourage young Chinese / East Asians to apply, to redress the current under-representation in British dance.

To register, pls follow the instructions in the flyer attached. You must be able to commit fully to 10 x 2hrs workshops either in the Autumn or Spring term (informal sharing after each block of workshops), pls state which term when you register with xiaoxiao@chinatownartsspace.com