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, 29 November 2014

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 2nd at 11am (time in London)
Thursday December 4th 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

Monday, 10 November 2014

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

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

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

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.


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