Ethical considerations: actions and questions

In the campus session we looked at the idea of questions and how they give context to our practises.

In Module Two you are asked to find a ‘question’ (really this is an area you would like to know more about). What happens is that people find ‘big’ questions offer that involve proving something that give further meaning to their own practice. Like showing the dance is important for young children to do (in the question How does dance support children’s development?). These sort of ‘big’ questions are acting as ways to better understand the context of the practice you already have. Really this kind of big question is more appropriate for Module One which is all about positioning yourself and your practice. These big questions are a route to link your practice to further thinking/feeling. As a group we looked at big questions for our practices like:

Community dance how do is it defined? = how am I defining community dance in my practice.

The role of women in acting = As a woman how am I noticing women in practice

Technology and disability = my work involves creating access and experiences.

Identity = how has my identity developed now I have left the environment of training. How have I constructed myself?

These ‘big’ questions are about finding your own position and great to start to develop from Module One onwards. Module One is about this positioning of self (through looking at your practice through the lens of communication., reflection, networks).

In Module Two your question has to be specific to your practice now. Or it will be too big to manage in Module Three. In Module Three keep asking yourself to come back to the smaller inquiry which is part of the bigger questions that the course is raising for you.

We then went on to look at how ethical considerations can help with finding a smaller relevant question.

An ethical consideration – is something you are considering. The word ‘consider’ (to think about).

If you think of ethical considerations as for instance a form to make sure people have consented to have their picture taken, you are looking at the solution someone has put in place after considering something. We are not asking you to make-up the solutions (the forms) we are asking you to do the considering part. The considered part was – ‘people might not like having their picture associated with what I am doing’,’ some people feel an image of them is part of them’, ‘I need to have pictures to capture what I am doing’, ‘people like to see what they did in pictures’… all these are things to consider. They do not all sit well together in considering them you work out how you will acknowledge all these points.

This is what we are doing all the time thinking about all the elements of a situations.

Running for the tube I see someone is in my way – I consider: ‘I cannot be late for this meeting if I miss the train’, ‘this lady looks like she can’t move very fast’, ‘If I run into her might hurt her’, ‘If I run into her  she might punch me’, ‘who is bigger me or her?’ ‘if I head to the next door I might not get there in time before the doors close’… these are all my considerations.

So we are engaging with ethical considerations all the time to better understand/ to take the actions we are taking. As we think about all the possibilities we understand the situation and ourselves better – that is how the ethical considerations help you better understand the inquiry question and what its focused will be – because the considerations help you think/feel through the situation.

Talking to my son about this he said – ethics is like breath: we are breathing all the time: we are making ethical considerations all the time. But when we are doing something special – if we are about the do a grand allegro we have to think about special breath in relation to what we are about to do, just like if we are about to do some research we have to think about special ethicial considerations in relation to what we are about to do.

So ethical considerations are much less complicated than some people seem to think but need much more focus than some people seem to give them – like breath (Breath is simple and yet deeply considered when we are acting or dancing or making music etc…).

Have a look at what other people at the session said. Alysia, Matt, Izzy, Elenor, Jess, Georgie, Amanda can you put the links to your posts on the campus session in the comments below.

What do you think/feel? Please comment.....

Adesola

Pleased to announce Guest Advisor Hopal Romans

We're really pleased that we'll have the contribution of other advisors on the MAPP programme this term and would like to introduce you to Hopal Romans, who'll be blogging, joining our monthly discussion groups and talking to some of you through one-to-one's for the rest of this term.

Check out Hopal's blog next week to get to know her a little...

http://hopalbapp.blogspot.co.uk

Hopal has extensive experience as a dancer, performer, arts practitioner, teacher and advisor within and beyond formal educational and professional practice settings and has experienced and survived being a distance learner herself! It will be great to have her voice in the mix of our MAPP dialogues.

For those of you that have Helen as a main advisor to, Hopal will be talking with you now, as Helen is undergoing hip replacement surgery this coming week and will need to take some time to recover. You can contact Hopal via email to arrange one-to-ones and to send your draft work to which is due in November.

email:  hopal.romans1@gmail.com

Do keep your thoughts flowing through your own blogs too...

Share what you're thinking, observing, doing... Helen is looking forward to checking in with them as she heals!

Tuesday Discussion Group 31st October

Hi the tight sessions were cancelled today (October 24th) because of lack of people signing-up and I think maybe emails issues. We will still have our regular Tuesday Discussion group on  October 31st

*12:30 (time on London)
or
*5pm (time in London)

*Don't forget British Summer time end on Sunday 29th October so the clocks will change in London from then!!

Please comment below to indicate which discussion you will join.

UP DATE Adesola's and Helen's emails

My Middlesex email account is having some issues. Please skype me if you want to talk over the coming week. This seems to be the same for Helen's emails too.
:(

Areas of Learning (AOL) - Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

If you are student who did not enter BAPP with a foundation degree / Trinity Diploma you will be doing AOLs. Matt Shepard did these last year http://inhawaii2017.blogspot.co.uk

We will be having a AOL group skype on October 30th at 3pm (time in London).
Please (re)read the RPL handbook on this as you start.
Please comment below

:) 

Module Twos

What topics are you thinking about ?

Please comment below. 

Campus session in October and November up-date

We have an on-campus session next week on Friday October 20th noon to 3pm.

Room: CG09  

Watch my blog for which room or go to reception when you arrive. Please comment below if you are attending.

(Also please note the Campus session on November 7th is now from 10am to 1pm. )

Liz Lerman live stream

Watch the MAPP Youtube channel

https://youtu.be/HBrtTvUDxlA

Professional Practice Dance and Movement MDX

For live streaming of Liz Lerman's talk today at 6pm.

Module One - thoughts for all

We talked about how Module One asks you to re-think and re-feel the assumptions you have about yourself and what you do as a way to better position and recognise what your own practice is.

For instance, thinking about

modesty ‘v’ showing off

and

modesty ‘v’ generosity

When you write a cover letter to an interview modesty ‘v’ showing-off makes you feel the thing to do is ‘I would really like to work with your company’ so you don’t ‘show-off’. But thinking in terms of modesty ‘v’ generosity means you write ‘I am a trained actress … giving your credentials…’ because you are giving the people short-listing for the interview all the information they need about you. Thinking like this you might give different information then ‘showing-off’ but more information than your perception of modesty would have let you.

This stepping back and critically reflecting on your actions in terms of your practice is what Module One is asking you to do. NOT the change what you are doing but to use the tasks to look at what your practice is today.

Cycle Module One!! As ever do not think about only doing the tasks once through. Do them all and then do them again and again. Each time you engage with a deeper or different layer of your practice and task. Module one you are looking at what you already do and applying critical thinking/reflection to what it is you are doing.

The thoughts of people in the session:

Nicole is partly going to use the Module to explore her goals and better understand these goals mean to her:

‘To really get myself out there and thinking of yourself as a professional rather than a student. 

Finding my purpose in what I am doing and making myself an asset to the company.

See how I can adapt myself to communicate with different people of different ages.’

Matthew D. suggests Module One has 3 lens - communication of how you position yourself in the world, what you think you need to do and why you need to do it?

Reflection: reflect on what you do and why you do it, how what you do works and how it can be improved, how could you use that process in the future

Networking: the give and take of relationships within the aspects of your life/professional life.

To not overthink what you are doing Module one is about growing as a person and developing and then looking back on where you started from.

Arghierenia says Module 1 is about your practice, you are not being asked to do something new necessarily but to look at what you do through a different perspective by using critical thinking. There are three different lenses through which we will look at our professional practices; communication, reflection and networking. It’s useful to do the tasks a few times, as the module progresses as the way you do them will change and that will help your learning and understanding of them.

We also talked about criticism ‘v’ reflection. Reflection should not start from a deficit stand point. That is, it not about what you ‘can do better’. It is about if you can see different or varied perspectives.

We about doing the tasks as a cycle also you do not have to stick to the week suggested.

The course is like the seasoning to you the meal of your life, it is not about cooking a whole new meal!

The course is about how you pull information to you meaningfully. This is difficult at first because we are often used to ‘educational’ experiences where information is pushed at you and you have to receive and memorise it! However, we are suggesting in professional settings you have to have the confidence and independence to be proactive not sit and wait for someone to tell you what to do.

What do you think-feel comment below...